The Alcazar (The Cerulean Duology #2) - Amy Ewing Page 0,115

ships can see us now!”

In front of her were two hulking warships flying the golden sun flag of the Renalt. Off to her right, Sera caught glimpses of clandestines, visible when the light hit their hulls in a certain way.

The ships were pointed in all different directions, lost amid the fog, but Sera saw them begin to turn now, as the island that was once such a mystery had suddenly become crystal clear.

“We need to land now,” she said, but Matthias was already steering the clipper toward a smooth strip of beach. Once it hit sand, they all jumped out into water up to their knees. The ruins towered above and Sera had to shield her eyes from the sun. The tether was there, shining proudly up from its center, and she felt herself grow dizzy and eager and nervous all at once.

“Let’s go before those other ships get here,” Leo said.

There was a path from the beach, covered in leaves and smooth pebbles. They hurried along as quickly as they could—it was overgrown and sometimes they lost sight of it and had to double back. And always it climbed higher and higher. Agnes’s breath began to come in sharp pants and Vada clutched her side. Leo’s face was bright red and Eneas began to fall behind, Matthias even further back.

“Go on without me,” Matthias said, but Agnes moved to walk beside him, letting him lean on her shoulder, while Leo helped Eneas.

Up and up . . . and all the while the moonstone grew warmer against Sera’s chest, whispering to her in unknown words that spoke of home. When at last they reached the top, they were sweating and out of breath. Eneas collapsed onto his back, panting, Matthias slumped beside him. Leo leaned against a tree as Agnes sank to her knees. Only Vada and Sera remained standing.

“That,” Vada gasped. “Was quite the climb.”

A fat golden honeybee buzzed lazily by them and perched itself in the horn of an enormous purple flower. The sun shone like a golden aurum in the sky, and the grass was softer than seresheep fleece. The trees hung heavy with fruit, ripe plums and peaches, yellow pears and juicy red apples. And right in front of them, the temple soared upward, the doors open as if they had been waiting.

The many-pointed star pulsed out a welcome that Sera’s moonstone returned.

“The tether is inside,” Sera said. “I can feel it.”

Agnes struggled to her feet. “We’ll go with you.”

Leo didn’t say anything; he just straightened and looked at her with the blue-green eyes she had come to know so well, eyes that said to her now, “I will be with you to the end.” She knew he would let her go no matter how much it hurt.

“We’ll wait here,” Vada said. “These men are needing rest.”

“I am sorry, my friends,” Eneas said.

“I can come,” Matthias said, struggling to get to his feet. Sera stopped him with a gentle shake of her head.

“No, you have done enough. More than enough.” Then she leaned down and whispered, “Take good care of them.”

When she passed Eneas, he took her hand and kissed it. “Bless you,” he said. “And all you have done for this family. I wish you could see it. It all began with you.”

Sera’s first thought when she stepped inside the ruins was that this temple was almost like the one in the City Above the Sky.

The ceiling was vaulted and painted with moons and a sun and stars. But the paintings were ancient and not well tended—they were chipped and crumbling in places. The room was huge, circular walls of rose stone with alcoves cut into them that held sconces of copper, though they bore no light now, no candle or wick to be seen.

“Wow,” Leo said, and his voice echoed in the cavernous space.

When they reached the opposite side, they found a door so short they all had to duck to get through it. The next room was smaller and entirely overrun with plants. Ivy devoured the walls, saplings pushed their way up from the cracks in the stone floor, and dandelions and ferns and thistles carpeted the ground. The following room was so dark they had to feel their way along the walls to find the door to get out. It led them into an impossibly cold room with water trickling down the walls, lichen growing in the ancient stone.

At last they emerged into a huge courtyard that was oddly shaped—it took Sera