Frustration wrapped around the teens like the cold wind biting at their faces.
They had barely caught their breath from the chaotic interception of the Italian weather. Joyce attempt to open a portal failed and she insisted they try again. Kevin muttered under his breath, Cole paced in tight circles, and Lenora stared hard at the map Mrs. Mason had given them — as if staring long enough would make it glow with answers.
"Somewhere isolated," Joyce said, scanning their surroundings. "We need somewhere no one will see us."
"You can go to the back of this building" Mrs. Jenny told them and Cole looked at her for perhaps, the very last time.
"Thank you Ma,"
"Go!"
They found it — a narrow clearing between tall trees, their branches tangled overhead like clasped fingers. Joyce placed her hands forward, whispering the incantation carefully this time. The air began to hum. A thin line of silver light sliced through the space in front of them, widening into a swirling portal.
Kevin exhaled sharply. "Please let this be home."
They stepped through. The wind that met them was merciless.
Snow whipped across their faces. The sky above was a dull sheet of gray. Towering buildings loomed in the distance, onion-shaped domes rising in striking colors.
Cole blinked. "I don't think this look like home."
"Not again, Man!!" Kevin exclaimed.
A red-bricked fortress stretched along one side of a vast square.
Lenora slowly turned, her boots crunching in the snow. "Oh no!...."
In the distance stood the unmistakable silhouette of Saint Basil's Cathedral, its bright domes rising like painted flames against the winter sky.
And for the first time, Kevin actually recognized a country "Russia? We're in Russia?!" He groaned loudly.
The open space around them — likely Red Square — buzzed with distant movement, though thankfully no one had noticed their sudden appearance behind a cluster of trees near the edge.
Joyce looked horrified. "I—I don't understand. I followed the alignment exactly."
"You always say you follow the alignments well!. We are not in the U.S!" Kevin yelled.
"When I doubted, you kept a stubborn head. There is no Mad Man here to save us!" He added
Cole pulled his jacket tighter. "Well, your 'aligment' just sent us thousands of miles off course."
Lenora grabbed Joyce's arm gently before the tension could explode. "Okay. Blaming each other won't help. We just need to try again. Perhaps somewhere more hidden."
They hurried away from the open area, weaving past narrow streets until they found a quieter alley shielded from view. Snowflakes clung to their hair. Joyce's hands trembled — whether from the cold or nerves, no one knew.
"This is harder than it looks," she whispered. "The portals respond to intention. If my focus slips even a little…"
Kevin sighed. "Then focus harder."
Joyce closed her eyes. The others formed a small circle around her, shielding her from the wind.
"United States," she whispered. "Back to the U.S..... Back home.". It actually sounded funny to Kevin but he just couldn't laugh under the intense situation.
The air shimmered again. A brighter portal opened — unstable at first, flickering — then steadied.
"No sightseeing this time," Cole muttered.
They stepped through together — Warmth. Not scorching heat. Not snow. Just a balanced warmth and the faint scent of pine.
They stumbled onto familiar soil. Dirt instead of ice. Trees they recognized. The sky a clearer blue.
Kevin dropped to his knees dramatically. "Thank. Goodness!"
Joyce swayed slightly, exhausted. Lenora steadied her.
"You did it," Lenora said softly.
Joyce gave a tired smile. "I'm getting there. Can't wait to master how to do it properly"
Cole scanned their surroundings cautiously. "Are we sure this is the U.S.?"
Lenora unfolded Mrs. Mason's map immediately. The old parchment had tiny symbols etched along the edges — markings she hadn't fully understood before. Her finger traced the path toward a region marked with a faint crescent pierced by three vertical lines — the same symbol they had been chasing for weeks.
"That's the deep forest," she said quietly. " I think Mum had marked it . She said some places would appear on this map."
Kevin leaned closer. "So… where exactly are we?"
Lenora turned the map toward the sunlight, aligning the drawn rivers with the distant hills ahead. Her heart began to pound.
"If I'm right," she whispered, "we're closer than we've ever been."
The forest ahead looked ordinary at first glance — tall pines, dense undergrowth, shadows stretching longer as the afternoon began to fade. But something about it felt different. Heavy. Watchful.
Cole followed her gaze. "That doesn't look welcoming."
"It doesn't have to be," Lenora replied. "It just has to have the artifact."
Joyce took a slow breath. "No more portals unless absolutely necessary."
Kevin nodded quickly. "Agreed.". They began walking.
Each step toward the forest felt deliberate. The ground grew softer beneath their feet, the sounds of civilization fading behind them. Soon, the trees swallowed them whole.
Inside, the temperature seemed to drop slightly despite the sunlight filtering through branches. The air was thick — almost humming, like it held secrets in its silence. Lenora stopped suddenly.
"What?" Cole asked.
She held up the map again. According to it's markings, there should have been a clearing ahead — a circular space marked with the crescent symbol. But all she saw were trees.
"Something's wrong," she murmured.
Joyce stepped beside her. "Or… something's hidden."
Lenora swallowed. "Of course the Artifact is hidden"
Lenora closed her eyes. She pictured the symbol — the crescent pierced by three vertical lines. She thought of their failed attempts, their near-misses, the museum in Italy that led nowhere, the accidental trip to Russia, the exhaustion in Joyce's eyes.
"We didn't come this far to miss it," she whispered. "We can't leave here without it" She added
When she opened her eyes again, the wind shifted.
The trees ahead seemed to part ever so slightly — not physically moving, but no longer blocking the view. A faint circular outline shimmered between them, almost invisible unless you were looking directly at it.
Kevin's voice dropped. "Tell me you're seeing that."
Cole nodded slowly. "Yeah. I am."
Joyce exhaled softly. "I think It's responding to us."
Lenora's heart pounded louder than ever. The clearing had revealed itself.
And at its center — barely visible through the shifting light — stood something dark and ancient, half-buried in the earth.
They had finally found it. Or at least… the place it was meant to be.
Lenora folded the map carefully and slipped it back into her bag.
"No more wrong turns," she said quietly.
But deep inside, she knew one thing:
Finding the forest was the only beginning...