Search for the Soul Gem

Chapter Fifty-Six

     "And now it says it is in Wakanda?" T'Challa asked.

     "It would appear so," Nat said, her voice as emotionless as ever.

     "Well, let us see it then," the girl said.

     "Shuri," T'Challa said under his breath to her but she ignored him. She held out her hand to us expectantly to us. Nat and Steve shared a quick glance before looking back at me. I didn't look anywhere but at the two in front of me. I felt like a robot, reaching for the chain that hung around my neck. I pulled it off and held it out to them. I felt like my soul was in the compass and holding it out to them made me even more hallow then I was. Shuri hesitated a moment before she reached out and took the compass from me. She took it in her hands carefully and studied it. T'Challa leaned over to have a look at it as well.

     "What, is that?" she asked, looking over at T'Challa. He leaned closer.

     "Is that... blood?" he asked, looking up at us.

     "She's the only one who could read the compass, otherwise its completely useless. She figured out that if there was blood on it-her blood-that it would stop spinning and we could read it and it would direct us to her," I said, staring at the compass in her hands, with Lucy's blood. Blood that I was supposed to protect and keep safe. If I had just stayed home...

     "How can you tell that they are here? I cannot make anything out of this," Shuri said, looking back up and catching my eye.

     "Thor can read it. It's from Asgard," Steve said before I could open my mouth to speak.

     "And it says...?" Shuri trailed off.

     " 3° 7' North, 35° 36' East," Thor said. T'Challa and Shuri looked up at Thor.

     " 3° 7' North-"

     "35° 36' East?" T'Challa cut Shuri off and their mouths hung open.

     "What is it?" Steve asked. T'Challa and Shuri shared an uneasy glance before T'Challa looked back at us.

     "We should go inside," T'Challa nodded and turned around. They started walking toward the door. The guards parted around them and waited for us to pass by before they filled in behind.

     "Ubhuti," Shuri said, looking over at T'Challa, "Ngaba le nto ingaxhunyiwe kwizinto esizirekhodile ezimbalwa iintsuku ezedlule?" she said under her breath. It was kinda odd that they were suddenly not speaking English.

     "JARVIS," I whispered into my sleeve.

     "Yes sir?" he spoke into the earpiece.

     "Record this conversation. Translate it," I murmured. I tried to get as close as I could to the two without being obvious.

     "Indawo enye iyavela kabini phantsi kweveki? Kufuneka ukuba," T'Challa said.

     "Le ndawo ishiywe," Shuri murmured.

     "Kubonakala kungekhona," he said back.

     "Sidinga ukufumana oku phantsi kolawulo. Oku kunokuba kakhulu, kubi kakhulu," Shuri replied.

     "Ndiyazi," T'Challa said with a sort of finality. No one else seemed to be fazed by the conversation that was happening in front of us.

     "This will take a minutes sir, it's not a very common language," JARVIS said.

     "Double time J, we're on the clock," I hissed. We passed through glass doors and into the palace behind it.