Chapter 47 - THE SECOND PENDANT
Arthur handed Alex's silver pendant back without saying a word.
Alex looked at the tiny engraving once again.
N-2.
Then he looked at the photograph.
Noah's pendant.
N-1.
"If these belong together..."
Alex whispered.
"...where's the other one?"
Nobody answered.
Instead, Voss walked toward the old oak tree.
Without asking permission, he knelt beside one of its exposed roots and brushed away years of accumulated dirt.
Daniel immediately stepped forward.
"What are you doing?"
"I should have shown you this years ago."
Voss reached beneath the root system.
His fingers disappeared into a narrow opening hidden beneath the stone foundation.
A moment later...
...he pulled out a small iron box covered in rust.
Arthur stared in disbelief.
"It survived."
Voss nodded.
"Donovan hid more than documents."
The box had no lock.
Only a simple latch.
Voss opened it carefully.
Inside rested a velvet pouch.
Nothing else.
Alex slowly untied the string.
A second silver pendant slid into his palm.
Its design matched his perfectly.
The only difference...
...was the engraving.
N-1.
Nobody spoke.
Alex placed the two pendants side by side.
The edges fit together with astonishing precision.
Like two halves of a single object.
As they clicked into place...
...a faint metallic sound came from somewhere beneath the courtyard.
Everyone froze.
Daniel looked toward the ground.
"You activated something."
Arthur's expression grew pale.
"No..."
"I remember this mechanism."
"What mechanism?"
Arthur looked at the joined pendants.
"They're not jewelry."
"They're keys."
Almost immediately, another deep vibration rolled through Level D.
Stone dust drifted from the ceiling.
Somewhere nearby...
May you like
...a massive lock had just disengaged.
---
