Page 33 (1/2)

Elena aiting for the fog to disperse It had co if it would ever leave, or if it were actual y another trial itself Therefore, when she suddenly realized she could see Stefan’s shirt in front of her, she felt her heart bound for joy She hadn’tup lately

"I can see it!"Stefan said, pul ing her up beside him And then, "Voil��" - but in a whisper

"What, what?"cried Bonnie, bounding forward And then she stopped too

Da toward Bonnie at the time, and she saw his face as he saw it

In front of theateith spires that pierced the low clouds that hung above it

There was soe cathedral-like black doors in front, but Elena had never seen anything like the squiggles of whatever foreign language it was

On either side of the building, there were black wal s that were nearly as tal as the spires Elena looked left and right and realized that they disappeared only off at the vanishing point And without ic, it would be iirl in the story had discovered only by fol owing the wal s for days, they had siht into

"It’s the Gatehouse of the Seven Treasures, isn’t it, Bonnie?

Isn’t it? Look!"Elena shouted

Bonnie was already looking, both hands pressed against her heart, and for once without a word to say As Elena watched, the diht, powdery snow

But Stefan answered He picked up Bonnie and Elena at the same time and whirled the "It is!" and Bonnie, the expert, gasping,

"Oh, it real y, really is!"with tears freezing on her cheeks

Stefan put his lips to Elena’s ear "And you knohat that means, don’t you? If that is the Gatehouse of the Seven Treasures, you knohere we are standing now?"

Elena tried to ignore the war sensation that shot up fro of Stefan’s breath on her ear She tried to focus on his question

"Look up,"Stefan suggested

Elena did - and gasped

Above theht fro, were threeperhaps a sixth of the sky, shining in swirls of white and blue, hazy at the edges Just in front of it was a beautiful silveryas it was

Last, there was a tiny h orbit, white as a dia its distance from the other two Al of theht on the unbroken snow around Elena

"We’re in the Nether World,"Elena said, shaken

"Ohit’s just like in the story,"Bonnie gasped "Exactly like

Even the writing! Even the amount of snow!"

"Exactly like the story?"Stefan asked "Even to the phase of the moons? How ful they are?"

"Just exactly the saht they would be That story was a precognition, given to you with the purpose of helping us find the largest star bal ever o inside!"cried Bonnie "We’re wasting tiuard We don’t want anything to go wrong now,"Stefan said

They went into the Gatehouse of the Seven Treasures in this order: Bonnie, who found that the great black doors swung open at a touch, but that she could see nothing, coht; Stefan and Elena, hand in hand; and Da ti dee the most pleasant shock since they’d taken the Master Keys froe!"Bonnie shril ed as soon as her eyes adjusted "Oh, look, Elena, it’s Sage! Sage, how are you?

What’re you doing here? Oh, it’s just so good to see you!"

Elena blinked twice, and the dional room came into focus She went around the only piece of furniture in the roo it seeot sold for a slave at a public auction? Did you know about her dreae looked as he always had to Elena’s eyes The bronzed, terminal y fit body, like a model of a Titan, the bare chest and bare feet, the black Levi’s, the long spiraling tangles of bronze hair, and the strange bronze eyes that could cut steel, or be as gentle as a pet la "My two little kittens, you have astoundedyour adventures The Gatekeeper is not provided with much entertainment and is not al owed to leave this fortress, but you wereJe vous felicite"He kissed first Elena’s hand and then Bonnie’s, then embraced Stefan with the Latin two-cheeked kiss Then he resue as if she were a real kitten "Did you take Misao’s star bal ful of Power?"she deh "Did you take half of it, I et back here?"

"Mais oui, I did But I also left Madame Flowers a little - "

"Do you know that Daain? And that I fel in too, even though he didn’t want ot sold as a slave?

And that Stefan and Elena had to come after me, to make sure I was okay? And that on the way here Elena als are going to make it? And do you know that in Fel ’s Church the Last Midnight is coed a long, lance and then Stefan said, "Bonnie, we have to ask Sage the e "Is it possible for us to save Fel ’s Church? Do we have enough tiical vortex, you have enough tiic to see you off But after that, no dawdling!"

Elena felt like a cruhtened and s breath They could do it That allowed her to reet stuck way out here? Or were you waiting for us?"

"Helas, no - I aot an Ihed and added, "I aain So now I am the auid hand around the roo away, of preciousfor Fel ’s Church "You real y have to stay in here?"

"But assuredly, until ely and resentful y - "relents and I am al owed to return to the Infernal Court, or,At least until soly around the group, then sighed, and said, "Saber and Talon, they are well?"

"They e left,"Elena said, itching to get on with their real business here

"Bien," Sage said, looking at her kindly, "but we should have your entire group in here for the viewing, no?"

Elena glanced at the doors and then again at Stefan, but Sage was already cal ing - both with voice and telepathy - "Damon, mon poussinet, do you not want to co pause, and then the doors opened and a very sul en Dae’s friendly, "Bienvenue," instead saying, "I didn’t come here to socialize I want to see the treasures in tiotten about the damned hick town, even if everyone else has"

"Alorswounded "You have al passed the tests in your way and ain, although I am not sure that it wil help you It al depends upon which treasure you seek Felicitations! "

Everyone but Dae continued, "I ate to you before you can pick I wil try to be quick, but be cautious, s’il vous pla?t Once you choose a treasure, that is the only door that wil open again for any of you"