The trio continued to follow the stream. Lotte wasn't sure where they were heading, but she knew it had to be away from the forest. The sun would be setting soon, and Simon had made it very clear no one wanted to be stuck in the forest at night. Mother Willow had not traveled this far in many years (she told them that a few hundred times already) and her huffing and puffing to keep up was slowing their pace by the hour. Lotte would offer her a drink of water from her pail as often as she thought necessary, but by now they knew rest was imminent - which meant what they feared the worst was bound to come true.
"We need to find safekeeping," Simon called back at them. "No one knows who, or what, lurks in these woods during the moonlight hours, but we should be fine if we find proper shelter."
Lotte fetched another drink for Mother Willow. "Perhaps, if we were able to contact Poe, he'd be able to transport us to our next destination."
"We fought over this earlier, Lotte," Simon sighed. "Either of us could call him out, or else he just doesn't want to help us," he breathed.
"I don't believe that," Lotte snapped. "There has to be a way," she said as she reached up to make sure her necklace of pearls were in place. "That's it!" she cried! She took a pearl from the string and held it up. "Kleo said these would help us. If only I knew how they worked." She looked down in disappointment. Kleo said they would bring her help, if she asked for it.
"Well, try something!" Simon shouted. "Make a wish, say a spell! We're running out of sunlight!"
Feeling pressed, Lotte turned to him and said, "Oh, I wish you would calm down!"
The pearl jumped out of her hand and with a popping sound vanished.
"What just happened?" Mother Willow huffed, still trying to catch her breath.
"Have you found a way to use the pearls?" Simon asked quietly. His demeanor was much more pleasant, and his question was asked in such a polite way Lotte almost couldn't believe her eyes. When she had wished for Simon to calm down, the pearl made it happen. She was without the pearl, but now she knew how to harness their power.
"I know how to use the pearls; they're for wishes!" she squealed! "I can wish us the crown! I will be home before -"
"Now, now precious," Mother Willow interjected. "Yer must be careful what yer wish fer. And, if the pearls could get yer the crown, why, wouldn't Kleo have already tried tha?"
"I guess you're right," Lotte said as disappointment washed over her. "I'm just afriad I won't be able to fulfill my task." She sat down by the brook. Simon wouldn't care at the moment for her to take a rest. In fact, he was gazing up at the trees, a goofy grin spread on his face. Lotte wondered how long he would stay that way.
"What's troublin yer, punkin?" Mother Willow patted her back.
"Kleo said I was a descendant of Chaya. What if I'm just as terrible as her... what if I make horrible choices and end up destroying both our worlds?"
"Now, now, child. Listen ter Mother Willow. Chaya chose her path. She chose ter allow her greed and her pride overcome her. You, my star, have a choice, and I know if yer allow the light in yer to shine, it will save us all!" She smiled and took Lotte in her arms.
"Thank you, Mother Willow," Lotte said through the embrace. "I'm glad you're here with me."
"Right then," Simon snapped out of his trance. "What's our next move? The sun is setting."
Lotte grabbed another pearl from the strand. "We wish to go to the resting place of Queen Chaya." Before she finished her sentence the pearl popped out of her hand and vanished. The forest around her became blurry, as if she was in a watercolor painting. The dark greens and browns were being replaced rapidly with dark greys, until a new scene was unfolding. At last, the trio found themselves amongst gravestones and crypts.
"Uh, right then," Simon's voice shook. "Now, to, uh, find Chaya's grave."
"I 'spect it was no ordinary burial sight," Mother Willow shivered. "She was always extra lavish, no doubt she went down the same way she liked to live."
"Let's stay together. The graveyard doesn't look terribly large, we can cover plenty of ground." She set off to read the stones and to spot out any unusual or extravagant headstones. After thoroughly scouring each gravestone several times, Chaya's site was nowhere to be seen.
"Are you sure you brought us to the right place?" Simon asked. He was upset... again.
"The pearls wouldn't send us to the wrong spot!" Lotte hoped she could believe that herself.
"Perhaps," Mother Willow began, "her grave is not visible. Perhaps she wanted to make sure her crown of wickedness wasn't found."
"She makes a great point. Chaya was known for her scheming. She would never have allowed anyone gain her personal effects, let alone the magic, even if she was gone." Simon kicked at a rose bush. "So we've gotten nowhere..." The ground began to shake. The center of the graveyard began to collapse. A great hole was being created, filling with gravestones, trees, and flowers.
"Get back," Lotte screamed, grabbing hold of Mother Willow and helping her to quickly move away from the destruction.
"It's disappearing. It's going like our lands!" Mother Willow said, tears brimming her eyes.
"But this is the Earthlings world. Why is it deteriorating?" Simon said solemnly. Lotte could tell watching the land be destroyed was hurting him deeply. Perhaps all of his anger was really fear in disguise.
"Chaya wants her crown to disappear. She knows we're here, if that makes any sense, and she's doesn't want us possessing the crown." Lotte stepped forward, grabbed a pear, and threw it into the graveyard as she shouted, "Reveal Chaya's grave!"
Thunder crashed and lightning flashed. The ground rumbled still, but this time a great tree was bursting forth. It grew taller than any tree Lotte had ever seen. It branches curled menacingly as they spread toward the sky. As the trunk burst forth, a heart-shaped opening took form. Lotte knew Chaya's resting place was within the tree. The crown would be well protected, but as the graveyard continued to collapse, Lotte knew she had to act fast. She took off toward the tree and entered in. Simon came fast behind her. Mother Willow stayed behind; she knew she would only hold them back.
"I'm with you 'til the end," Simon said, taking Lotte's hand. "Let's end this." And they began to descend into Chaya's underground grave.
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