Birdie and Raina crept along the cave’s curved walls, prepared to flee. They kept to the shadows, the torch offering little more than a candle’s glow. Birdie couldn’t bring herself to extinguish it, to plunge them into total darkness, left to the mercy of their other senses as they inched their way deeper into the cave.
She thought about the animals that scurried through the chambers and prayed the noises she’d heard were not from a skittish raccoon.
A pool of light spilled onto the floor as they neared the dragon’s lair and she raised her arm to stop Raina. They listened for voices again, and heard them, louder this time. American voices. The tension in Birdie’s shoulders eased and she stepped into the light. “Oh, thank God.”
Beneath the bright colors of the dragon, Sophia, Sam, Rich, and Ryan lounged in a circle on the floor, arguing. Marielle and Peter huddled nearby, looking bewildered.
“You guys!” Raina flew to her brothers. “Birdie told me you were in the dungeon!” She glared over her shoulder. “Why did you lie to me?”
“Raina?” Rich sat back as she sunk down on the floor next to him. “What are you doing here?”
“Good question.”
“So you came back, too?” Sam rubbed his chin. “Interesting.”
Birdie’s face lit with joy. “Sophia, you got them all out? You’re amazing!”
Sophia jumped up and ran to her. She hugged her hard, then held her out to look at her. “We were trying to figure out how to rescue you. How did you get out?”
“Louisa made me go, too, after you and Marielle left. She’s still back there, in the dungeon. We need to get her. Kayla too.”
“Don’t forget Friedrich,” Ryan said.
Birdie wrinkled her nose. “If we must.”
“But how?” Raina asked.
“That’s what we were trying to figure out.” Rich stared at his sister. “I can’t believe you’re here. Where were you hiding?”
Sophia released Birdie and whirled around. “You have to do it, Raina. You have to go to the dungeon to get them. You’re the only one the guards haven’t seen.”
“Me? Forget it.”
Sophia frowned. “It has to be you.”
“I can’t do it.” Raina shuddered. “I’ve never been to the dungeon. How would I get them out, anyway? Steal the keys?”
“No one should go back to the dungeon.” Rich sat forward. “The most important thing now, with all due respect to Marielle and Peter, is to get back to the future. That’s the only way we’ll all be safe.”
“How do you propose we do that?” Ryan asked. “That guard took the aventurine.”
“And Kayla stole it back.” Birdie reached into her pocket. She let it sit on her palm, cool and still. “That’s why she caused the commotion out on the hill. She passed it to me in the dungeon.”
Ryan’s eyes grew wide. “No way!”
“Why didn’t you guys break Kayla out, too?” Raina’s attention was still on Sophia.
“There was no time. The boys were in the same pit as Peter. That’s the only reason we could get them. And I checked, but the lock on the cells is different from the one on the pits. I couldn’t open Kayla’s cell without a tool.”
Rich stared at the glass in Birdie’s hand. “It still shows the block. We need to find the last piece. I wish we could talk to Marielle and Peter and ask them about it.”
Marielle and Peter sat a few feet from the rest of them. Peter had clasped Marielle’s hands in his lap and from time to time they whispered to each other in their own language.
“Wait. Do you have the map you drew?” Birdie asked.
“I didn’t bring it.”
“Map?” Raina retrieved the chest from the folds of the cloak and opened it. “Which one do you want?”
“Where did that come from?” Ryan gaped at the chest.
“Dumb luck. I was holding it when I shimmered.”
Rich grabbed the map he’d drawn and unfurled it with the wave of a hand. He set it on the floor in front of Marielle and Peter. “Bring the chest here.”
Ryan dug into his pocket and pulled out the block they’d found in the village. “Sophia, here.”
She knelt and placed the block into the indentation. The bottom of the chest rocked as she pressed it down.
“So close,” she said. “One more.”
Rich gestured to the puzzle in the chest, then to the place where the missing block would go.
Peter and Marielle exchanged glances.
Rich pointed first to the garden on the map, then to the edge of the map that led to Sankt Goar. “Hier?”
Peter’s eyes widened.
Marielle grew excited. She leaned forward to study the images on the blocks, then tapped on the map as she glanced around frantically.
“She’s looking for something to make a mark with,” Birdie said.
“Do you have a pen in that magic chest?” Ryan asked Raina.
“Nope.”
Rich scooped a handful of pebbles from the floor and placed one on the map.
Marielle snatched the pebble and moved it a few inches to the right, next to the wall of the brewery. “Hier.”
Rich let out a breath. “It’s here. At the fortress. You’ll need to get it, Raina.” He glanced up at his sister. “You’re the only one with the right clothes, and Marielle and Peter are fugitives.”
“It’s a cloak.” She removed it with a swirl. “Any of you could wear it.”
They stared at the heavy cloak dangling from her outstretched hand.
“You should do it,” Sophia said to Rich. “You studied the map more than any of us.”
“She’s right,” Ryan agreed. “You’d know your way around with your eyes closed.”
Rich took the cloak from his sister, shook it loose, and wrapped it around his broad shoulders.
“That will not work.” Ryan eyed Rich’s sneakers. The cloak fell almost a foot too short.
“Birdie?” Rich seemed sorry for what he was about to say. “It’ll fit you. I can show you where to go on the map. You’ve been in the keep before, so you’re familiar with the area.”
“What will the rest of you do?” She accepted the cloak from his outstretched hand.
“Marielle and Peter should stay in the cave.” Rich glanced at them sitting together on the floor. “That seems like the safest place for them, since they’re still wanted for stealing the dowry. We should have a little more time before the guards realize we’re missing.”
“The rest of us will follow you,” Sophia said. “At least to the end of the tunnel. Then we’ll hide and wait. If you find the last block, we’ll be right there to deal with it. And if you don’t…”
There was no need for her to continue. They all knew the consequences if she failed.
“What about the others?” Raina asked.
Ryan grimaced. “They’re not going anywhere.”
“I know that. But they’re in danger.”
“If we do this right, they won’t be in danger anymore,” Birdie said. “And we’ll be home before dawn.”
Rich signaled to Marielle and Peter to stay where they were as he picked up the chest and cradled it like a football under his arm. With the plan in place they moved quickly, retreating from the cave through the woods and tunnels. They were nearly at the storeroom before they stopped.
Sophia straightened Birdie’s cloak. “Be careful.”
“And quick,” Rich warned. “We don’t know how long until the guards realize their prisoners escaped.”
Birdie slipped out of the tunnel and into the chilly air of the courtyard, where only a few torches still burned. The music that floated in the breeze several hours before was gone.
She steeled herself as she tightened the cloak, which fell just long enough to brush the ground and hide her sneakers. The weight of it on her shoulders felt comforting, the broad hood protective.
The only noise in the quiet before dawn was the shuffle of her feet on the sandstone path. Her eyes, already accustomed to the gloom in the tunnel, adjusted quickly to the dark night. She could see well enough to spot a small gate that separated the brewery from the keep and led to the gardens beyond.
The gardens were lush, the plants in full bloom, the bounty a fragrant mix of herbs and flowers, lettuces and early vegetables. The air smelled of upturned soil and parsley and dill.
She made a beeline for the brewery wall, where a tall trellis crawled with vines. She was fairly certain it was the spot Marielle had pointed to on the map, although she wondered how the lady’s maid knew the toy block was there. Perhaps she’d been with Elisabeth in the gardens on the day she hid it.
It didn’t matter. Birdie just needed to find it. She dropped to her knees on the cool earth and used her bare hands to explore the soft dirt beneath the trellis, to examine the heavy posts that held it steady.
It was impossible to know where Elisabeth had hidden the small block, or if she’d protected it from the elements. Birdie wasn’t sure what she’d find, if she could find anything at all.
A clue, she supposed.
She peered at the sliver of moon that now shone on the opposite side of the clear night sky, the clouds having drifted away on the wind.
She rose to her feet and made a slow circle, glancing around the gardens. Where could it be? She pivoted again searching for something – anything – among the leafy plants that would lead her to the toy block.
The third time around, she noticed a bit of disturbed earth just past the ragged end of the trellis, beside the brewery wall. She skidded to it, falling to her knees and pushing the loose dirt aside with her bare hands.
Her fingers lit on something rough.
She burrowed deeper in the loose soil and tugged at the object buried there. She yanked it from the ground and held it to the moonlight.
A pouch, a leather pouch, no larger than a change purse.
She wiggled her dirty fingers to loosen the piece of twine that cinched it closed, then flipped the pouch upside down. A simple wooden block tumbled into her palm.
Birdie rocked back on her heels, and almost howled with delight. She put the toy to her lips and kissed it, then dropped it back into the pouch.
She stood, relief washing through her. She’d done it. They’d be okay. The others would be saved.
She shoved the heavy cloak aside and pulled the aventurine from her pocket. She held it up, expecting it to grow warm, to swirl, for the world to shimmer. She’d found the last block, completed the task, finished the quest.
But the aventurine remained cool to the touch and the image of the toy block held steady. The keep still towered against the night sky, the flags snapping from the towers.
She cursed and pulled the cloak tight.
“Did you get it?” Sam jumped up when she reached the others in the tunnel.
“I found it. I have it.”
“Then why are we still here?” Ryan asked.
“Open the chest.” Sam nudged Sophia. “Finish the puzzle. Hurry!”
Rich placed the chest on the ground in front of Sophia. Her hands trembled as she unlocked it.
Six of the seven pieces were there, fitted into the indentations.
This was it. Birdie removed the last block from the leather pouch and held it up for the others to see.
“Just do it!” Sam urged.
Birdie placed the small wooden block inside, wriggling it into the last open space. She glanced up, waiting for the world to change.
The others did the same, but the air remained still.
“Nothing.” Ryan peered into the chest. “That was the last piece. Why isn’t it working?”
Sophia studied the blocks for a few moments. “Hmmm.” She tilted her head to one side. “Does that look like a dragon to you?” She plucked three of the pieces out and reconfigured them until the etchings on their surfaces lined up to create the image of a dragon.
“It’s an exact match,” Sam said. “Amazing. But why didn’t it open the secret compartment?”
“And why are we still here?” Ryan pressed.
Sophia grinned. “Because that’s not the puzzle.”
“What are you talking about?” Sam said. “You just solved it.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I just put the pieces together in the right order. This is how you solve the puzzle.”
Sophia spread her hand across the surface of the blocks and pushed down firmly until something beneath them clicked. She twisted the puzzle until it clicked again. As it did, the front of the chest popped open, revealing a deep drawer.
“The hidden compartment,” Sam said. “Just like you predicted!”
“What’s in it?” Rich bent forward. “Please tell me there’s something in it.”
Sophia spun the chest to Birdie. “You do it.”
Birdie eased the drawer open. She lifted a piece of fur and peeked underneath, then beamed at Rich. “There’s something there alright.” She removed the fur lining.
“Oh, wow.” Rich teetered back on his heels.
There, resting in the drawer, was a magnificent chess piece – a knight on horseback rearing high, covered in gemstones.
Birdie gathered it from the drawer and balanced it on her palm.
“Holy crap,” Ryan said. “That thing is spectacular.”
“Look how it shines.” Sophia’s eyes were wide. “Even in this light.”
“Jewels,” Sam whispered. “Diamonds, sapphires, rubies. There are others, but those are the most valuable.”
“This knight grants wealth, privilege, and power?” Ryan’s hand hovered over the precious piece.
“That’s the legend,” Sophia said. “Some call it the knight’s blessing and some call it his curse. Others say you need to reunite all the pieces of the chess set to gain its power. No matter what the legend says, this chess piece has been missing for centuries.”
“And there you are, holding it in your hand.” Sam met Birdie’s gaze with wonder.
“Take it.” She handed it to Sam. “Everyone take a turn holding it. If it brings good fortune, we need all we can get. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re still in the past. We haven’t shimmered back yet.”
They each held the piece, examining its intricate design, admiring its jewels. When they finished, Birdie wrapped it in the fur. “Now, we need to figure out how to get it to Elisabeth’s father.”
“Why?” Raina said. “Marielle and Peter already escaped.”
“But they’re not free,” Rich explained. “They won’t be free until we remove all suspicion from them. We have to return this chess piece.”
“It may also be the key to returning to our time,” Birdie said. “If we return the lost object, then maybe we’ll be free too.”
“How do you know they won’t murder us for having it?” Ryan asked.
“I don’t,” Birdie said. “That’s why Friedrich should be the one who returns it.”