Sylvia ran down to the last floor of the palace and pulled out the silver key that she never left laying around for even a second. Dashing into the kitchen she opened the cellar door and climbed down the icy ladder into the blue room with shelves of non-perishable food. At the end of the cellar hall was a large engraved door with silver handles and sparkling key whole. It had not been touched for almost twelve years.

"Right," Sylvia muttered to herself, fitting the key into the key whole.

To her surprise it turned easily and the lock made a small 'click' sound, the door opening just a crack. Sylvia took a deep breath and stuck the key back in her pocket, walked passed the icy walls into a large room with rows and rows of glass cases. Inside the cases were priceless jewels, ancient necklaces, and tons of heirlooms that had been passed down for centuries only to be locked in that one room. Only two people at a time were allowed to know about it. The King and Queen.

Sylvia hurriedly ran across the center walkway and up the steps that led to a raised platform. It had been so long since she last saw the priceless crown that stood there and now it nearly took her breath away.

It was a silver circlet of flowers with a small pearl as the center piece for each of them. It sparkled in the cold light of the treasury and Sylvia was almost afraid to touch it.

Should I really be doing this? she asked herself. After all, she probably doesn't even want it back...No, no I have to. I don't care if she doesn't want it. I won't just stand by and let her dodge responsibility any longer.

Without another moments hesitation Sylvia lifted the glass and pulled the circlet out, stuffing it in a burlap bag she had picked up in the cellar and wrapping it tightly.

Taking one last look at the royal treasury she spun on her bare heel and jogged over to the door, closing it behind her and making sure to lock it. Sylvia climbed back up the cellar ladder and closed the trap door, running through the kitchen and out the back door to the stables where she could see Platon and Silas waiting for her.

"Oh good...For once you're actually punctual!" Sylvia remarked, climbing into the saddle of her trusty mountain horse.

"Don't you think you ought to get some shoes on before we go?" Platon asked mounting his own horse.

"...Why?..."

"Fine! Don't!" Platon answered, throwing his hands in the air.

Silas chose to ignore the two - he himself being quite a reserved person - and followed quietly behind them as they made sly remarks about each others riding posture and terrible sense of direction, while in reality there was a very plain road to follow and no one could get lost on it even if they were a blind goat. As for the riding posture...Well they had both been riding since they were three so it was ridiculous to say that either one were terrible at it. 

The trip down into the valley was quite peaceful (Besides the obvious chatter of Sylvia and Platon) and Silas was beginning to feel the after effects of a hard days work...Meaning he was falling asleep in the saddle. 

"It's left," Platon said with a very certain tone.

"No I'm pretty sure it's right."

"Sylvia, we both know perfectly well the fast down is left...Or maybe you didn't pay any attention to Dad's geography lesson?"

"I did to!...I'm telling you it's right!"

Silas groaned inwardly and dug his heels into the sides of his horse, picking up the pace until he rode in between the siblings.

"It's neither right nor left you two. The path leads straight forward...We are looking for Adrastea right?"

Sylvia sat up straight in her saddle and lifted her chin, trying to fake dignity.

"I suppose you're right Silas...I will note your input. As for now, I say we go forward!"

"Good idea sister of mine," Platon remarked, also faking dignity and the two rode on ahead.

Silas sighed and shook his head, riding on after them but making sure to keep a slight distance. He could never quite tell when a completely ridiculous conversation would spark and Silas did not want to be in the middle of it. 

.....................................................................................

It was dark, quiet, damp, and just about the most depressing place Marcy had ever been in. The glowing lights around everyone's neck was a slight comfort, but honestly it just made everyone's faces look sort of like gargoyles - not meaning to sound rude or anything-. They had been walking for almost an hour and with every step came the decision to make another one, and another, and then another. It seemed as though the tunnel would never stop and they would all be trapped inside forever.

I guess it's not such a bad way to die, Marcy thought. At least we're already underground and no one has to bother with burying us...But then again I'd like to stay alive. For a little while longer anyway. I have two comfortable jobs waiting for me back home, selling peanuts and writing articles. Oh well...

"Ouch!" Chandra gasped making some kind of quick movement that was rather hard to distinguish in the dark.

"What is it?" Marcy asked in a loud whisper, forgetting that she did not have to be quiet.

"Something bit me!"

Marcy suddenly felt a sinking feeling deep in her chest. I knew it! she thought to herself. Rats...I hate rats!

"Hey! Hey something bit me to!" Fennel yelped.

Just then a couple other shouts sprang from several others and started to become a steady stream.

"Let's get out of here!" Cephalus called, starting to run forward in the direction they had been taking all along.

Everyone followed quickly, trying to fight off the unknown critters that were slowly nibbling at each one of them. 

The dark walls seemed to get smaller and smaller and eventually they all had to squeeze sideways along the path to get away from the sound of gnawing and scratching that kept them from going back.

"I don't think they're following us anymore," Marcy said quietly as the noise grew farther and farther away.

"Well we can't likely go back. They're still out there."

Suddenly the ground underneath them shook a little and small pebbles slid down the sides. 

"Did you feel that?" Marcy asked, hoping it was just her imagination.

"Sure did," Chandra answered, her voice shaky and slightly hoarse. 

Even harder than before the ground shook, this time making them all loose their balance. They would have fallen straight over if it had not been for the tight space they were in. It thrashed them about violently and even more pebbles cascaded down like painful rain drops. 

Just then the ground began to crack all over, so fast that no one really had time to react before they went sliding down some dark passageway underground at what seemed a hundred miles per hour. If Marcy had not of been so surprised and frightened she might have thought the slide to actually be kind of fun. 

They slid down, one after the other, toppling over this way and that, trying to get a hold of something but the wall was just too smooth. Down, down, down they went, like prairie dogs in their little burrows. 

After a sudden halt Marcy felt herself flying through the air and landing, 'thud' smack dab in the middle of a giant room with rock walls. She felt the soft dirt under her hands and did not have long to recover before Chandra came flying through the air as well, landing right on top of her. Marcy let out a groan of agony and spat out some dirt that had gotten in her mouth from the fall.

"Could you get off of me please?" she asked politely.

However, just as Chandra was about to get up they heard an excited yelp and Angelica came flying through the air...landing right on top of the both of them.

Marcy gasped and clawed at the ground, trying to get out from under the two elves and slowly sucking air back into her lungs.

"Get....Off! You...giant...potato bags!" she told them, spacing her words apart for every tug she made to try and get them off.

"Before...someone else...comes...flying...over!"

Angelica rolled off with a small groan and Chandra stood up, holding out a hand to help Marcy get off the ground.

"I think everyone else is here Marcy. After all, you weren't the first one to come through ya know," Chandra said cheerfully.

"No but she was the first not to have brains enough to get out of the way," Marcy heard Adrastea mumble. 

Marcy chose to ignore her and looked around the torch lit room. It was in the shape of a dome and six small stone tables stood in a circle. In the center of the circle, carved into the ground was some sort of ancient writing that none of them knew how to read, but to Marcy it looked rather elegant and mysterious.

"What is this place?" she asked quietly walking over to one of the stone tables.

It had two small circle shaped holes, about the size of a quarter, that were carved at the bottom, each one with a different pattern. When she looked Marcy could see that all the other tables had the same thing.

"It's the place we've been heading for...Our trip is very nearly over," Cephalus answered.

"But I thought Adrastea knew the way?"

"I did. But that was from above. I had no clue that there was another way in," Adrastea answered solemnly.

Marcy did not understand why everyone was so sober. They had made it to their destination and all they had to do was find the stone. That was it! Why was everyone so glum?

"Well...Where's the stone?" she asked in a cheery voice.

"It's beneath us. We can't get to it," Adrastea told her.

Marcy looked from Cephalus to all the others with a confused expression. They had come all this way just to be stumped?

"Oh come on! There has to be some way?"

"There is," Cephalus answered calmly.

"Adrastea is wrong. We can get to it."

The Cieven pessimist huffed a little and folded her arms, leaning against the stone wall.

"And how would be go about doing that? The only way to get the stone is to 'find all the natural royals'."

"All the what?" Marcy asked, at a complete loss as to what was going on.

"Adrastea, do you really think I would come all this way without doing research? I know all about the old saying and I have brought all that is needed...Except one, but I'm sure she will come any minute now," Cephalus said, his tone very low.

.....................................................

"It has to be somewhere around here," Sylvia muttered, pressing at the rock face trying to find the knob that opened the secret door.

"You forgot where it was?" Platon groaned, slumping down on a rock. 

"I find," Silas began, picking up a rock and turning away from the cliff.

"That if you don't look you usually find what you're looking for."

Sylvia immediately scrambled out of the way as Silas threw the rock over his shoulder and it spun through the air, crashing against the stone wall and falling down to the ground...Nothing.

"Well it was worth a try," he sighed, sitting down next to Platon.

"I know that the rock to push is somewhere around...Here!" Sylvia said, pressing on a stone.

To her delight it sunk further in to the cliff and it shook a little...But no door.

"Do you have any great ideas Platon? I'm all out," she stated, sitting down on the other side of him.

"Well there is one thing we haven't tried."

And with that statement in mind Platon quickly raised his right elbow and stretched his arm out, shoving Silas off the rock and against the cliff. Luckily for him the rock gave way easily and opened up into a dark corridor.

"Sure, use me to your advantage. That's so like you!" Silas mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Right...Onward!" Sylvia ordered, marching past Silas and into the dark tunnel.