Page 121 of Stilettos & Secrets on the 7 Seas

“Not exactly.” I looped an arm inside his elbow. “I’ll explain everything after we find the King’s key.”

Sasha shot us a grin over her shoulder. “Wait until you see Jen’s ship.” And then she gave a boisterous laugh. Yep, most definitely Fredericka’s sister.

We scaled down the side of the skull, dropping into the top eye socket. Rowan lit one of the lanterns, and we walked inside. After a short distance, the cave ended.

“It’s a dead end,” Marco said, holding the other lantern high and illuminating the walls.

We lowered down into the next eye socket. The entrance wasn’t as large as the one above it. The earth covered half the opening, almost as if the skull had a minor head bashing before falling to the ground.

“Another dead end.” Sasha scowled at me.

“Dang. I was sure the key pulled me here.” I ran my hands against the vine-covered rocks that formed the end of the tunnel. “It’s like I have a rope around my waist, and someone is tugging it from the other end. I can still feel it.”

“Look for an opening.” Caiyan reached for a wall.

We searched the small cave for any openings. A parrot identical to the one that landed on Ace in Nassau flew into the cave.

“Where did you come from?” I asked the parrot after it settled on a nearby rock. It didn’t respond, only stared at us with black, button eyes.

“There’s light coming through these cracks.” Rowan, who had the highest view in the room, pushed away vines at the top right corner of the cave.

Caiyan pressed his hands against it. “This rock came from the surface. There’s grass growing on it.”

“And lots of annoying vines.” Sasha disentangled herself from one.

I placed my hands on the rock and felt the familiar pull grow stronger. “This is the way.”

“I cannae lift it.” Rowan pressed against one of the larger stones. It didn’t budge.

“Gatekeeper. Squawk!” The parrot’s screech echoed off the cave walls. “Squawk, give us a kiss.”

“Did that parrot just say what I think it said?” I asked. Caiyan’s grandfather told him that he was the gatekeeper of the King’s key, but we had no idea what that meant.

“Aye.” Caiyan moved closer to the bird. “He said…gatekeeper.”

“He also wants a kiss, McGregor.” The right side of Marco’s mouth kicked up, and he motioned for Caiyan to oblige the bird.

Caiyan eyed the bird, then the wall. “I think I can move it, but ye weel need to stand clear. If it caves in, I’ll need ye to dig me oot.”

“Caiyan, that sounds dangerous.” I placed my hand on his arm. “What if you get hurt?”

“Sunshine, we’ve come this far. There’s no turning back now. For the greater good, yeah?”

“For the greater good.” I pressed a kiss to his lips. “And that’s for luck!”

Our group moved to the mouth of the cave. The parrot landed on Rowan’s shoulder with a “Squawk!” Rowan rolled his eyes and shooed it off, making everyone chuckle.

The parrot took a turn on Max’s shoulder, and he let it stay.

“This may be a bit noisy. Ye may want to cover yer ears.” Caiyan placed one hand on the most significant rock and one on his key. A boom I can only equate with dynamite echoed across the bay. The ground shook. Rocks exploded and rolled.

I jumped aside as they tumbled past us. A white dust filled the air. When it cleared, Caiyan stood in the center of the cave, resembling a snow-covered Rasta Santa Clause.

“Whoa!” Max stumbled back. “How’d ye do that?”

“’Tis how I open locks. It’s about moving the energy around the object and then using my mind to see it move.”

“Can ye teach me to do that?”

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