Free King Cave by Scarlett Dawn Page B

staring at his hand.”
    Straightening, I popped my back, then relaxed against Ezra’s solid strength. He gently massaged my cramped back muscles as we contemplated the new sunlight and the crystal clear blue sky above us. I whispered, “It’s hard to believe beauty can still exist when the world is so bleak.”
    He hummed lightly as we watched a bird fly across the sky. “It’s the beauty that helps us return from the harshness. If it wasn’t there, we would have nothing to live for.” With ease, he brushed his lips against the side of my neck. “I’m going to take a shower, then find us a TV.”
    The actions of our brief conversation were so domesticated, so normal , during this turbulent time; it was exactly what I needed to fortify myself to be who Pearl needed.
    I went back to cleaning.
    A knock sounded on our door two hours later. I was still helping Pearl, while Ezra sat next to Jack on the bed flipping through channels on the flat screen TV he had found, trying to find a station that didn’t show anything about the riots. The television hung suspended in the air between two dressers.
    At the sound of the knock, Ezra and I both froze. Jack didn’t move, which wasn’t surprising, and Pearl continued muttering to herself and pulling on her hair as she — finally — attempted to get the coffee table back to rights. My eyes swung to Ezra, and he blinked, staring at something on the wall. He pointed in the direction of the closets while saying softly, “Your name’s glowing above your closet.”
    The knock came again.
    I raced across the room to see that, indeed, my name was glowing above the door to my closet. “It could be like a doorbell, telling us which door someone’s knocking on?” I glanced around worriedly. “Maybe they’ll go away?”
    Once again the knock sounded, more forcefully this time.
    “Or not.” Ezra jumped from the bed and turned toward Pearl. “Think I can move her?”
    We stared.
    “No,” I whispered, watching as Pearl magically raised the coffee table into the air, which currently looked like a science experiment gone wrong. “I wouldn’t mess with her.”
    Ezra ran a hand through his spiked hair. Nodded jerkily. “Alright. We answer. Elder Farrar spelled the rooms. He wouldn’t do this without a foolproof plan.”
    Warily, we moved to the door.
    Ezra positioned himself behind me like a sentinel so no one could enter.
    I slowly opened the door a smidge to peek through the crack.
    Amused golden eyes found mine. “‘Bout time, Lil.”
    Antonio shoved the door with his hand, bumping my body back against Ezra’s as the door swung open fully. His eyes went wide as he watched Pearl make the freaky coffee table hover before her and spin in a circle so she could see all the wrong angles. His lips pursed as his golden eyes darted to Jack on the bed.
    Rolling his shoulders, Antonio peered back to us and said softly, “The room is obviously spelled. Only you four and the person who created the spell,” he smirked, “me, can see what is really happening inside. When a door is knocked on, the owner’s name will glow above their closet, which, it appears, you already figured out. Remember to keep your hand on the doorknob, otherwise they won’t be able to see you. To them, the room appears as your old rooms did at the Kings’ houses.” He glanced to Ezra, then back to me. “They won’t even be able to hear the other heartbeats inside.” He held a finger up. “But don’t let them in. If they cross the entrance, the truth will be shown.”
    I blinked.
    “I also came to tell you there’s a meeting in the Ruler’s main conference room in an hour.” He lifted a hand, which held a large paper bag. “And to give you sustenance. It’s everyone’s favorite.” He passed the bag to me and kissed my cheek, whispering, “Take a shower, Lil. You stink of cleaning products and your hair’s a mess.” He stared at Ezra over my shoulder for a few moments, an unreadable