Chapter 60—The Nest

The team stood a safe distance away from the monster plant. Chaz was tempted to reach in, but didn't want to agitate the attack vines.

Jojo grabbed his amulet. "I'm checking in with Kuthumi." Soon his eyes popped open and he bent down to look at the partially hidden nest beneath the vine's tentacles.

"Kuthumi said, 'Sing the song.'"

"All he said was 'sing the song?'" Chaz asked. "That doesn't tell us anything."

"Maybe it does," Jojo said. "Remember, my ancestors believed the world was sung into creation. Maybe some of that creation energy has been stored inside this grotto and is connected to releasing the stones."

Jojo approached the plant but the tentacles lashed out and everyone jumped back.

Taylor's voice shook. "Don't get too close. They'll grab you faster than lightning."

Jojo ignored the warning and walked closer while humming the haunting tune. Soon the insect chorus chimed in to mimic the cacophonous song.

"I'll grab them during the song," Jojo said. "Maybe it's creating a frequency gate."

Jojo bent down and touched a vine. It pulled back to reveal the entire mound of crystals. Quick as lightning, Jojo reached in and scooped them up with his big brown hands. He ran to the center of the cavern and put them down on the ground.

As the humming dimmed, the vines began to lash out, but no one was close enough to feel their stings. The song stopped completely and the vines retracted to encircle the monster plant.

Chaz stared down at the crystals. "Wow, look at these. There are exactly eight. This means we've found all twenty."

"Woo-hoo!" Taylor gave everyone a high five. Joy reigned momentarily.

"Wait," Chaz said, approaching the mound. "Now we need to figure out who belongs to each one." His hand hovered over the collection. Two crystals lit up in an array of prismatic colors. He held the crystals high to let the iridescence illuminate the room.

"Wow," was all he could say while turning them over and over. As a breeze passed through the cavern, he felt an instant connection to the angel, and to Jesse and Nikki.

Soon everyone had their two crystals, each one a unique color that shot out scores of light fractals. This must be what it's like to live inside a crystal, Chaz thought, mesmerized.

The light was blinding but also revealing. Taylor noticed that once again Jojo had disappeared.