Amanda ended the call with Vita and turned back to look at Cynthia. It seemed like hours since they had found the secret room that twisted and turned with no result. Every time they took a different path, it would lead them back to where they began.

“I think I may have a way to get us through this place,” Amanda told Luna Cynthia.

Cynthia had a look of relief on her face as much as she wanted to help Amanda and be there for her. She did not want to be stuck in this room forever.

Amanda walked over to a cabinet and grabbed a small bowl with some other ingredients that Vita had mentioned. Amanda opened her mouth, allowing her fangs to extend down, and bit into her finger. She placed her finger over the bowl and applied pressure to her finger to help release a few blood drops into the bowl. Amanda licked the wound to help it heal quicker and added the other ingredients to the bowl. She lifted the bowl into the air and recited Vita’s chant. The elements started to rise from the bowl and swirled into the air. Amanda continued the spell until a burst of smoke in the air and gold dust settled on the ground. She looked around the floor and noticed the dust had made a path for them to follow.

“Now, we’re getting somewhere,” Amanda breathed out.

Luna followed Amanda at a casual pace. Her senses flared as her nose picked up a scent she hadn’t smelled in a long time.

Luna warned Amanda through their Mind Link.

Luna: We have a visitor. I can’t say what it is exactly, but someone else is down here with us.

Amanda stopped in her tracks and sensed the room. She couldn’t feel or sense another presence, but that didn’t mean they weren't there. Amanda closed her eyes and raised her arms as she spoke a spell. She had read up on a fog spell that would work perfectly for them. A cloud of thick smoke filled the room, giving them a thick veil of cover.

Luna smirked.

Luna: Clever girl.

Amanda smiled as she reached out and grabbed Luna’s hand. Her eyes lit up to a beautiful lavender, Willow; her wolf offered Amanda help to see through the fog. They followed the golden path, hoping it would lead them to where the pendant and book were kept.

Amanda and Luna weaved around the endless path and found themselves at the end of the golden way and close to the center of the room.

Cynthia’s ears wiggled as she heard the flutter of wings in the distance.

Luna: Our mystery guest is a tiny winged figure. We must be careful.

Amanda nodded softly, trying not to give anything away. She lifted her hands and started to push the fog from her view so that she could see things a little more transparently. She looked down and saw a large marking of a circle that went around the center of the room.

Hesitant for a moment, Amanda took a deep breath and attempted to step into the circle. She could pass over the ring without a problem, but it was not the same for Luna.

“It’s bound by magic,” Luna Cynthia whispered. “The circle recognizes you by your blood.”

Amanda stepped farther into the circle and looked around—the coil wrapped around the entire center of the room. Display cases and tables were spread out around the room, all protected by magic. Amanda felt a pull to a darker part of the room and walked toward it. Luna made sure to stick close to Amanda on the outside of the circle, keeping Amanda in her line of sight.

Amanda found a glass case that held a large black book inside it. The case was locked as she tried to lift the lid. There was an inscription on the top of it in gold lettering that read:

'House of Duvall, LeMarquee, and Meriweather. Only one of three can unlock me.'

One of three? Who were the three? How would she get the book out of the case if she needed a key?

Amanda ran her fingers down the sides of the case; a sharp point on one of the corners nicked her. She winced as she was surprised at the pain and lifted her finger to examine the cut. A drop of blood dripped onto the lock, and it clicked open.

Amanda’s mouth dropped as she looked at the unlocked case. She was tempted to open the case and pull out the book, but Luna stopped her.

Luna: Wait.

Amanda: What is it?

Luna: I see our visitor; it’s a pixie. Sly little devils they are.

Amanda stepped back from the case, walked over to the bookshelf, and pulled out one of the tattered books. She flipped through the pages until she found something that could be useful. She placed the book on the table and looked for the ingredients. Once all the ingredients into the bowl, she scooped up the powder and was ready to toss it into the air.

Amanda: Brace yourself; it’s going to get cold in here.

Amanda through the ingredients into the air, causing the air to freeze quickly. The winged pixie tried to escape the room but wasn’t fast enough. The pixie froze and dropped to the floor.

Luna walked over and picked up the tiny pixie. There was something familiar about the winged fellow as she looked closer.

Pemberly’s eyes shifted back and forth as he tried to figure out how to move his body. His eyes widened as he recognized the tall Luna that was holding him by the wings.

“Oh my,” Luna called out as she released the pixie’s wings and placed him on the table.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Amanda asked.

“I need to reverse the spell,” Luna Cynthia ordered.

“But I thought he was the enemy,” Amanda questioned.

“I’ll explain later. Please, reverse the spell quickly!”

Amanda looked through the book and found the reversal to the spell. She quickly said the words and watched the little pixie defrost.

Pemberly shivered as he started to shake off all the coldness from him. He looked up at Luna Cynthia and smiled. “It’s been a long time, your majesty,” Pemberly said as he bowed.

“Pemberly, is it you? I can’t tell you the last time I saw you. How did you end up here?” Luna asked.

Pemberly sighed as he looked down at his feet. “I was assigned to look in on some wolves searching for a sacred book. I didn’t know it had something to do with you and your family,” he explained.

“Who asked you to keep tabs on this place?”

Pemberly sighed before answering, “The Vampire King; he’s looking for the book and the pendant for his own reasons.”