The Unknown Sign

Chapter 19

///Chapter 19\\\

Luna's POV

How could I have missed that? The key, that chest. It was all so obvious. I was so stupid. She had always hidden it from me and when I accidentally found it when I was eight she yelled at me and hid it again. I had never looked for it again but I should have.

“Any chance I can know why we’re turning around?” Tyler asks after stopping the carriage driver telling him to turn around.

“Not yet. If it’s what I think it is then you’ll have to know. If it’s not then it’s not a big deal.”

“Fair enough.” He says which surprises me. I expected him to argue, even a little. But I suppose he was treading carefully, not knowing how I would react.

I had been rude, I knew that but he would have tried too hard and it would have been horrible, getting that pitying look for him all the time, I just couldn’t handle it. I had been way out of line, calling him a Royal, but it did what I wanted it to do. I had just needed to be alone for a while, dealing with this myself.

“Hey.” I say, reaching over and putting my hand over his. He looked up surprised but didn’t say anything and just moved his hands so mine was folded gently in his. “I’m sorry. It was mean of me to call you a Royal. I just…needed to be alone.”

I was going to pull my hand away when he didn’t respond but before I could he yanked it forward, my whole body going with it so I was sitting on his lap.

“You don’t need to do this alone.” He says, looking straight into my eyes. I wanted to melt under the intensity of his gaze but I didn’t. If this is what I think it was I needed to be strong for the next little while.

“Thanks.” I say and he nods, relaxing his hold around me, allowing me to go free but I don’t. He let out a sigh and rested his cheek against the top of my head. I twined my fingers in and out of his and suddenly remembered something I was going to tell him.

“I-.”

“Your Majesty.” Ian says opening the door and poking his head in, interrupting me. I hadn’t felt the carriage stop and I suppose neither had he.

“Yes Ian?” He asks, shifting us so I’m sitting on the bench but his arm is still around my shoulder and our fingers still twined.

“We’ve stopped.” Ian says confused and Tyler nods.

“I’m aware.”

“I just thought I’d let you know. It seemed urgent when you asked to turn around.” He says and suddenly I remember why we came back. I rushed past Ian and past my surprised dad until I came to their bedroom door.

I took a deep breath and opened it slowly to find Kiko standing holding the exact chest I was looking for. A medium sized, chest with thirteen sides. It was shaped strangely in my opinion but that was what drew me to it when I was eight. Small inscriptions were etched into each face but they weren’t familiar and I had always wondered what they meant.

“Kiko.” I breathe and he turns to me confused

“What are you doing here?” He asks, slightly rude but at the moment I couldn’t care less.

“Can I see that please?” I ask and he looks at me strangely before shrugging and giving it to me.

“I was going to give it to you anyway. I can’t find the key though.” He says looking at me, still confused before flicking his gaze behind me. I turned to see Tyler studying me with a confused expression. His eyes moved from me to the box and back to me a few times. I shifted the chest in my hands so it was more comfortable. It was heavy and I think Tyler could tell.