Pan smirked and blew me a kiss. I flipped him off.
“You three with me should be enough to get through the obstacles successfully,” Chaos said.
“Are you sure you want to go without any of us by your side?” Grim asked.
War offered him a terrifying smile. “I’ve gone into plenty of battles without you three. Besides, you need to stay with our Merri. Ensure she stays safe.”
He nodded as Chaos turned toward the other two. “You both should probably start thinking on what items of significance might exist in your areas of expertise.”
“You mean they haven’t been doing that already?” Remi blurted.
It was a miracle he was still alive, really.
Doing my damnedest to keep it that way, I cleared my throat and clapped my hands, drawing attention back to me. “Okay, sounds like we have a plan. Those four are going to go find Genghis Khan’s tomb, while the rest of us stay here and keep puzzling out the remaining missing pieces. Good luck, guys. Try not to die.”
Chapter
Twenty-Two
CHAOS
The bite of nighttime desert wind was the first thing I felt as we materialized on the edge of the barrier that led to Khan’s tomb. I remembered it well, even though centuries had passed since we sealed this place.
“Why did it have to be sand? I loathe sand. It gets everywhere,” Pan complained.
“Could be worse,” Alek said.
“Could be snakes,” Tor added.
“Snakes aren’t so bad,” Pan said. “A stern word or two and they’re sweet as mice.”
I eyed my compatriots and shook my head. Part of me wished I’d come alone, but I knew that would have been folly. I needed at least one person to watch my back. Sadly, this was the best I could come up with. What the hell had I been reduced to?
“Quiet,” I snapped, as they continued with their mindless chattering. “We need to stay focused.”
“On what, exactly?” Pan drawled. “I don’t see anything. Except sand. Oh, look. More sand.”
If he didn’t watch it, I’d end up sewing his lips shut with his own purple hair for thread. The entrance was here,somewhere. Centuries of sandstorms had altered the landscape so much I couldn’t find the exact location. At first I thought I’d remembered everything, but the closer I looked, the less familiar it all became.
Taking tentative steps, I reached out, hoping to sense the shift in energy around the opening.
“What the fuck is he doing?” Alek asked.
“It looks like Tai Chi to me.” Tor’s muttered response wasn’t quiet enough to escape my notice.
I snapped my attention to the Viking twins. “It’s here somewhere. I just have to find it.”
“Find what?” Pan asked.
“The entrance,” I muttered, taking a few more shuffling steps.
“You mean to tell me there’s just an opening somewhere we can waltz through? Anyone could just stumble upon Khan’s tomb?”
There was no stopping my laugh. “Exactly right. And I’m sure multiple someones have done that very thing, but they didn’t live to tell the tale.”
“Who hides something that important in plain sight?” he grumbled.
“Plenty of people, now shut up.”
