Again, the map redrew itself. Though almost too fine and cluttered to make out, Bogota was clearly the city.
"Show me where I am," I said, and watched as the map circled our location. I looked at the amazed expression on Elyssa's face, certain my own looked about the same. A light bulb flickered on in my head. "Show me where Maximus is."
Nothing happened.
"I've seen a lot of crazy things," Elyssa said, "but I've never seen a magic map like this one."
"You told me about the Key of Juranthemon," I said. "And that it required a map to create new connections from one place to another. What if this is it? Maybe Vadaemos was hoping to find the key so he could stay one step ahead of everyone."
Elyssa said an unladylike word. "And I was so close to stealing it from Underborn."
"Where's the key you stole from him?" I asked.
She dug in her pocket and pulled out an old-school skeleton key. It was made of thick steel with a head shaped like a skull. Two rubies glittered in the eye sockets.
"It looks exactly like I imagined it," I said, taking it in my hand.
"It definitely didn't look like that when I took it," Elyssa said.
Our eyes met.
"Where's the place Underborn used it?"
We raced to an ancient stone building not far from the cabin. I took out the key. Put it in the old rusted lock. Pulled the door open.
Instead of the inside of the tiny building, the broken ruins of something massive greeted us. Elyssa poked her head through and gasped. She jerked back, as if afraid it might get cut off.
"That's the Coliseum. In Rome, Italy."
Chapter 32
"We've got a way to take the troops back to Atlanta," I said. "Holy crap, can you believe it?"
Elyssa squeezed me in a happy hug. "Underborn lied. This is the key." She pulled away as a concerned look spread across her features. "But that would mean—"
"He's manipulating us," I said. "Do you really think he'd let you take something so valuable for nothing?"
She sighed and shook her head. "That weasel. I think I know how he's pulling our strings."
I raised an eyebrow. "Enlighten me, because I, for one, don't have a clue."
"What's the quickest way to make someone do something?"
"Uh, take over their brain? Show them your sexy legs?"
She punched me on the shoulder. "Oh, hush. No, the best way is to tell them they can't do it."
"You mean like your parents telling you not to date me?"
Elyssa snorted. "You could say that."
I made a sad face.
"Hey now, remember we started dating way before my parents told me not to." She pecked me on the lips. "Their disapproval has nothing to do with me wanting you. So get that look off your face before I have to do something evil."
"What you're saying is Underborn used reverse psychology on you, telling you that you couldn't have the key, he'd never give it up, and then allowed you to steal it so you'd use the key?" I wrinkled my brow and quirked an eyebrow to leave no doubt how confused I was. "Why not just give the stupid thing to you and then tell you what he wanted you to do?"
"Because then I would question everything about the situation."
"Maybe he was just pissed you actually stole the real key and didn't want to admit you got the better of him." I shrugged. "Men don't like it when a girl beats them at something."
"Oh, I know that all too well." Elyssa sighed. "Maybe I'm just over thinking things. Besides, how I got the key doesn't matter right now. What does matter is figuring out how to use it."
"That should be easy enough," I said, and closed the door. Twisting the knob again, I opened it to…the inside of a toolshed. I closed the door again and reopened it. Same thing.
"Isn't that just the inside of this shed?" Elyssa asked.
I glanced at the garden shears on the wall and sighed. "I imagined the door leading to Atlanta."
"Maybe the key doesn't recognize proper names." She looked at the map. "This thing didn't do anything when I asked for a map of Bogota."
"Show me Atlanta," I said to the map.
Nothing.
"Show me my hometown."
A moment later, the map displayed Decatur, Georgia.
"Show me the city I'm imagining," I said, squeezing my eyes tight and thinking of the Atlanta skyline on a clear spring day.
This time, it drew downtown Atlanta.
"So it figures it out by what you're thinking?" Elyssa