The Secret Songs of D.C. Silverenn

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My flashlight follows the curves of the cave so we walk along them, not into them. I hope we can get out of here soon before the last twenty-percent drains from my phone's battery. Then again, Emi and I might not leave this cave, ever.

Something brushes against me, and I jump. The light whips onto Emi. I'm not sure how long she's been edging closer to me, but it was slow enough that I didn't notice. I face the flashlight forward, though the corners of our eyes connect.

"Time," she whispers.

I squint at her. She raises her eyebrows, looking down at my phone. Remembrance jolts through me, and I angle the clock on my phone toward her. It's five minutes to six p.m., and if all went according to plan, Martin already called 911. The police should be on their way.

Please Martin, please remember to call the police.

"One more turn," Ivan says.

We bank to the left. A glimmer of light mingles with my phone's, softening the dark slate-colored stones to a lighter gray. The narrow walls open, reaching upward in a vaulted ceiling. Pale sunlight shines in a large, stone room. It's like an amphitheater deep within the earth, though the seats are tiny terraced ledges and not large enough to sit on.

I scan the room, then glance over Ivan's shoulder. "Is this the right place?" All I see is rock surrounding us, nothing related to treasure. Did we somehow miss a clue along the way?

"X marks the spot," Ivan replies. Sure enough, I spot a faded X on the left corner of the map.

"So where's the treasure?" Emi asks. Her foot scrapes in a small circle against the gravely floor.

"Aren't there more clues?" Ivan says.

I shake my head. "This is the last one. I mean, the last one brought us to this cave. Unless we didn't interpret the entire thing..."

Ivan's brow furrows. He reaches into his pocket, supplying a gold box in his palm. He flicks the open lid with his thumb. A gasp escapes me. Inside lies the locket from the shop, the locket from the old photo stashed inside the locked box.

"How did you get that?" I ask.

"It was in the shop," he says. "Mickey and Mode found a picture of it inside your apartment, along with pages of notes deciphering something. I assumed the necklace was somehow related to the hunt and have kept on me ever since, just in case the others figured out its importance."

Ivan pops open the locket's two halves, but there's no picture inside.

"Somehow... somehow this has to relate to the final clue." He paces to the left, then doubles back, keeping the gun trained on us. "You two, do you have the clues? You must've missed something."

Both Emi and I shake our heads emphatically. Though if I'm being honest, there's a very good chance we did miss a clue, or part of one. Silverenn's clues are so cryptic, I'm surprised we've made it this far.

"I would assume that holds the final piece," I say.

Ivan turns the locket over in his hand. "But there's no picture."

Emi's eyes widen. "Look at the top!" Ivan rotates the circular locket so the top faces the ceiling. A tiny chip reveals a black surface beneath the gold paint.

"So? It's old," Ivan says.

"But now look at the side."

I squint at a chipped spot on that side. This time, the color underneath is white. Ivan's eyebrows raise, and he digs his nail across the locket's surface. Gold flecks fall to the ground, until the side reveals a white compass. Quickly, Ivan scrapes the other side to reveal a white arrow pointing to the right.