Quest for the Keys by Scholastic

Author:Scholastic [Deutsch, Stacia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2015-11-11T16:00:00+00:00

The sun was high as they boarded Naida’s boat to head back to the mainland. With Aira blowing the sails and Farran at the mast, they soon reached the shore. Emily was confident that with Azari in the lead, they’d have the third key in no time—which was good, because the passage of time was making her more and more nervous about what was happening back at home. Were her parents frantic? Were the police searching the neighborhood? Emily shivered at that last thought. But she was doing her best to get back. She turned her attention to Azari, hoping the map would reveal another clue.

They were soon walking through a forest toward the Lava Field. Emily was surprised that it felt so different from the forest at Sparkle Rock. There it was cooler, and very shady. Here, the air felt warm, and there was a slight smoky smell. In the distance, she could see a small mountain with a low black cloud covering the peak. Was that a volcano?!

“Are we going there?” Emily asked. All she knew about volcanoes was that they were very dangerous!

“Of course,” Azari told her, looking down at the glowing map. “We’re in the lava lands now, Em, and I’m all aglow!”

Emily chuckled. Azari’s jokes were bad, but they lightened her mood.

Soon, a new clue appeared on the map, and Azari read it out loud. “A curtain of gold falls between you and what you need.” She frowned. “What could that mean?!”

“A curtain might be like on a stage,” Farran said, trying to help.

“I’m an expert in falling,” Naida said with a small smile. “That’s what happens when you try to think and walk at the same time.”

Azari sighed. “Let’s just stick to getting closer to the key,” she said. “We can solve the clue later. This way.”

As they approached the volcano, Emily had to admit that it was pretty majestic. A puff of smoke came from the top, and lava stretched down the side, glowing bright red and yellow mixed with black. As it reached the bottom, it oozed over rough dark rocks into a glittering sunset-colored lava pool.

Emily walked faster to keep up with Azari as they veered down a narrow path.

“That pool at the bottom looks so much like water!” Naida remarked.

Azari explained, “The hottest lava is the brightest color. As it cools, the lava turns from that brilliant orange to a shimmering red, then to dark red, then brown, and finally black when it’s solid.” She looked around, then exclaimed, “Hey, we’re near the bakery! Let’s go. But we have to walk carefully through here. Follow me, and try to step only where I step.”

They lined up and stayed close together. The lava smelled bad, like burned tires, but soon there was also a waft of something delicious nearby. It reminded Emily of the scrumptious scent of Grandmother’s kitchen when she was making her famous cookies!

Just past the next rocky outcrop, Emily was amazed to see why: There was a bakery right by the lava pool! It was a small shack with open windows.

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