Page 56 of Shadow of Death

“What do you want me to do? I’ll do whatever you want,” I said.

“As I said, you need to pass a series of tests.”

“What kind?”

“Ones we decide will test the core of who you are as a person. We can’t proceed unless we believe you are capable of withstanding being corrupted by the power we might give you.”

I’d wanted a clear yes or no, awe’ll helpor not. Still, I wasn’t in a place to walk away from the offer. “When do we do this test?”

“Now.”

Suddenly I wasn’t in the bedroom anymore but standing in what looked like an ancient arena, walled off by a few rows of old stones. The only reason I thought I was still on Earth was the million dazzling stars up above, although I didn’t know the night sky well enough to say for sure. Everything beyond the wall was pitch black. What was in that darkness was sending off waves of energy that made the air crackle with power. I could hear the dimmest hush of whispers all around, but nothing distinct.

The arena itself was lit bright, and a large glass enclosure stood in the center. Inside the tank was a table floating on air, but I couldn’t see what was on it.

“This is the first of your tests,” Charon said. “You must solve the puzzle inside the tank.”

First of how many? It didn’t matter. I’d take them as they came. At least killing me was off the table for now, although that was an assumption that I hoped wasn’t going to make an ass of me.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. A puzzle didn’t sound too bad. I actually enjoyed puzzles. I could do this. “How do I get inside?”

He waved his hand, and one of the glass walls disappeared.“Once you step in, the test will commence immediately and will not be stopped until completion, so don’t waste time.”

“Got it. Get in and do the puzzle.”

I stepped into the glass enclosure, and the fourth wall returned. I looked up to see there was also a glass panel above me.

I looked at the floating board, taking in the image. It was similar to a checkerboard, but the squares all had small sayings on them. Around the checkerboard were small stones with sketches.

I’d barely started reading when I felt my feet getting wet. This thing was filling with water. If I failed, were they going to drown me? Sure seemed that way. I’d thought not asking what happened if I failed was for the best, but maybe not.

My breathing grew heavy and my hands began to shake. Would Death save me from this? For some reason I doubted it. She might not even be able to sense me here.

I couldn’t panic. I couldn’t think of Charlie, or Kicks, or anyone else. I could only think of this puzzle. I swallowed the panic down, taking slow, deliberate breaths, trying to find a pattern in the chaos of my mind.

I focused on the writing on the squares.

I represent sorrow but bring life.

I scanned the stones with sketches, searching for something that might fit, and found a cloud with a bolt of lighting. A dark cloud brought rain. I put that over the square, and it lit up. This wasn’t bad. Or shouldn’t be if there weren’t so many squares and the water wasn’t already lapping at my ankles.

I can blind, but without me, you would not see.

I found a stone with a sun and placed it on top. It lit.

The farther down I go, the higher I reach.

I sifted through the stones and found a silhouette of a tree.

Okay, I could do this, but I had to go fast. The water was already hitting my calves.

I made my way through the rest as fast as I could. The water was at my chest as I put the last of the thirty-six stones in place. The board completely lit up and the water stopped.

For a moment, everything was still. My ears strained to hear something, either draining or filling. There was a swishing sound and then the tank began to empty. I gripped the board with both hands as I waited for it to completely drain, so no one could see how unnerved I was by the whole experience. The glass on the side disappeared and I was able to step out of the tank.

Whispers filled the air as Charon stepped forward.

“You have passed this test,” he said.

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