The lock was identical: no keyhole, no openings, just a steel box holding the doors from opening. I was afraid to touch it. If it fell apart like the last one, what exactly did that mean? The king had said the goddess Readimina sealed this temple, and so she must have placed this lock. Had she placed the other, just outside a town that was named after her?
I shivered. The other thing the king said was that this temple had been sealed for just over nine hundred years, but the gods were supposed to have disappeared over a thousand years ago after the Great Betrayal. It did not making any sense.
I took a deep breath, pushing the questions out of my mind. They could wait for later.
Cautiously, I stretched my hand out and lowered my fingertips onto the cold steel box. Nothing happened – the lock did not move, it did not fall apart. Relieved, I smiled. The last time must have been a fluke.
I tried to pull my hand away from the lock, but strong fingers wrapped around my wrist and held it in place. I whirled around to face the kin, aggravating the sore spot on my neck. I flinched.
“What?” I hissed.
“Put your whole hand on it,” he whispered.
Seeming to realize the strength of his grip, he released me and stepped back.
I frowned at him but slowly lowered my hand onto the lock, hoping desperately that nothing would happen. As soon as my palm hit the cold metal, the lock hit the ground with a reverberating clatter.
I flushed as hundreds of eyes turned to stare at the back of my head.
“How, exactly, did you know that would happen – again?” I demanded of the kin.
He did not answer me, choosing this moment to ignore my question and look over my head at the oncoming crowd led by King Julreus and Rio Mortimer.
“What happened?” Rio asked.
“Is it opened?” The king was already looking over my head at the now unhindered door.
Still shaking from the shock, I turned to the door and pressed my hand to it. It opened easily, revealing nothing but darkness inside.
No one moved. I glanced behind me at the half-blood and the kin. They then