by Brandon Mull
The bronze doors swung outward.
Identity
Seth went through the bronze doors behind Tregain and Obregon. A foyer awaited beyond, the walls lined with weapons and shields; then a wide hallway proceeded onward, ramping steadily upward. Tregain grabbed a shield and a sword, as did Obregon. Lomo drew his sword, and Seth did as well. Pietro selected a knife.
From the back of the hall marched a group of clay figures, armed with spears, axes, clubs, and swords. A few carried shields. There must have been twenty in all.
“For glory!” Tregain called, sword held high as he charged up the incline.
Obregon followed him closely, then Lomo next. Seth brought up the rear beside Pietro. Seth wanted to be first into the gauntlet, but hoped hanging back while the others fought might provide an opportunity to slip ahead.
Either Tregain, Obregon, and Lomo fought well, or the clay figures fought poorly. The clay warriors proved brittle, shattering when contact was made. Obregon soon discovered that bashing them with his shield was perhaps more effective than hitting them with his sword, and Tregain copied the technique.
Two of the clay warriors slipped by Tregain, Obregon, and Lomo. One focused on Seth while the other came for Pietro. Seth ducked a clumsy swing from a scimitar and, while down low, slashed his sword through two clay legs, shattering them into bits and fragments. The torso burst apart when it hit the floor. Glancing over, Seth found that Pietro had demolished his clay warrior as well.
The three men in the lead finished off the clay warriors and advanced to where the hallway leveled out. Most of the clay figures had broken apart so completely they might have been smashed pottery. Seth and Pietro followed the others, but Seth worried that he was lagging behind too much.
Holes riddled the floor, ceiling, and walls of the hallway in this level section. Spikes thrust out from and retracted into the holes at random, threatening to stab anyone attempting to pass. Seth quickly realized the trick was to never line up your body with holes, which was a challenge, with opposing walls to consider as well as the ceiling and floor. There were some resting areas without as many holes, and also some areas so perforated that anyone hoping to pass had to trust a little bit to luck.
Seth paused where the holes began, watching the other men dodging, ducking, and jumping. A spike from the wall grazed Obregon’s shoulder. One from the floor tore Tregain’s pants.
Pietro sprang nimbly forward, moving with more grace and control than the younger men, dancing from one foot to the other, twisting, hopping, and sliding. Seth did not relish being in last place, so he rushed forward as well. He soon discovered there was a quick hiss of air right before a spike emerged, and he tried to use that as insurance against getting skewered.
Seth followed the route Pietro was taking, a student imitating the master. He checked the holes himself as well, but he consistently found the old man’s path to be about as good as the patterns of holes allowed. Though Seth had a few close calls, he made it to the far side of the many holes untouched.
The hall elbowed, and Seth found Tregain, Obregon, and Lomo once again battling clay soldiers, even more than before. With a rumble, the walls of the corridor began closing together.
Seth and Pietro charged forward. Seth dodged the downswing of an ax and pulverized the attacker with a blow to the chest. Obregon, Tregain, and Lomo fought their way past where the walls were closing, leaving six clay soldiers behind. By retreating strategically, Seth tried to isolate them and take them one at a time. The clay fighters seemed to reach back before every swing, giving him time to anticipate and either counter or dodge. With weapons whistling nearby, Seth dispatched one after another, smashing four of the six. Pietro dodged and slashed, taking care of the other two, but receiving a lance through his thigh.
The hallway was now less than half the width than it had been when Seth had started, and it kept getting narrower every moment. Seth still had a good way to go before passing the closing walls, and a quick glance back showed him that Pietro was on the floor. The old man tugged the weapon out of his thigh and tried to stand, but his leg buckled and he collapsed. Pietro tried to rise again and fell again, slipping on his own blood.
Seth paused, the walls grinding ever closer together. A big squish was coming for anything caught between them.
Tregain and Lomo looked back from beyond the moving walls. Obregon was already running ahead. After a moment, both men turned and chased Obregon.
Seth ran to Pietro.
“Go,” Pietro said. “It’s too late for me. There is serious damage to the muscles and tendons.”
Seth regarded the walls. They would collide shortly. He couldn’t let the old man get mashed. “I’ll drag you.”
“We won’t make it,” Pietro said.
He was right. Seth was sure he could still sprint past the moving walls, but not while dragging somebody. But he might be able to get Pietro clear if he went back toward the start, which was closer.
Speed would be everything. Seth doubted he could carry the older man fast enough, so he hooked him under his arms and started pulling, dragging the injured man behind him, the lean, shirtless body inadvertently sweeping up clay fragments. With the hallway tightening, Seth saw he had a chance but knew it would be close. The only sure thing would be leaving Pietro behind, but Seth refused to let that be an option.
Legs churning, muscles burning, Seth watched the walls close in until he could have reached out and touched them in either direction. With a final burst of effort, Seth made it past the narrowing hall, and a few steps later had dragged Pietro clear. The walls ground together with a crunch of clay fragments and then became still. Since the moving walls stretched from the floor to the ceiling, there was now no way to proceed.
“Thank you,” Pietro said, panting.
“You’re welcome,” Seth replied, gasping for air.
“You won’t win the trophy,” Pietro said.
“I couldn’t leave you,” Seth said.
“Why not?” Pietro asked.
“There was a chance I could save you.”
Pietro reached into the pocket of his pants and produced a jade key. “And I saved this for you. There is indeed a trophy at the end of the gauntlet, but it doesn’t matter. The Key of Forgetting is the reason you all came here. Go, I’ll be all right.”
“Are you sure?”
Pietro stood, smirked, took a spinning jump into the air, and landed as a dwarf. He winked, clapped his hands, and vanished.
Seth was baffled by what he had just seen. The old man was clearly magical. Some kind of shape-shifter? Holding the key tightly, Seth turned back toward the start of the gauntlet. He found that no spikes issued from the holes anymore, but he kept a wary eye on them until he had crossed that area. He ran down the incline and out through the bronze doors, then charged into the black rectangle in the wall.
Kendra withdrew down a hall beside Lockland, about a dozen golden figures coming their way at the speed an ordinary person would walk. The movements of the statues were not fast, but they were no longer terribly slow, either. Kendra knew there was no way to dodge forward through so many.
She held the Banishment Rod, having taken it from the atrium. She and Lockland had retreated farther away as the golden statues began to show up. Unfortunately, removing the rod from the socket had not hidden the black door.
“This way,” Lockland said, guiding her around a corner. Kendra suspected that without his knowledge of the castle’s twists and turns, the golden figures would have already apprehended her.
They rounded another corner to find eight golden statues coming down the hall. “They’re getting faster,” Kendra said.
“From now until sunrise, it only gets worse,” Lockland said. “Change of plans. Follow me.”
She stayed right behind him, but before long another group of golden statues cut them off. They doubled back to find y
et another group closing in.
“We’re in trouble,” Lockland said. “I didn’t want to get too far from the atrium. I wanted to work around them and keep a way back open. And now we might be sunk.”
“What do you mean?” Kendra asked.
“They’re making a coordinated effort to cut off all escape routes,” Lockland said. “Earlier we might have tried splitting up. That will no longer help much. One last chance.”
He went through a door into an empty room. It connected to another vacant room. And another. They came out into a hall with a dead end in one direction and a bunch of golden statues coming from the other way. Doubling back, they found golden statues striding through the rooms they had just crossed.
“What do we do?” Kendra asked, trying not to let panic take over.
“Create what space we can,” Lockland said. He led Kendra back out into the hall, and they ran to the dead end. At least twenty golden statues advanced toward them.
“They can’t change you while you wear the glove,” Lockland said. “But they can grab you. Turn me to platinum.”
“No,” Kendra said.
“Hurry, or they’ll turn me to gold and I’ll be working against you,” Lockland said. “Turn me to platinum, tell me to protect you, then follow me. Once I make an opening, move as fast as you can. Don’t let them take hold of you. There is still a chance you can slip through without getting apprehended.”
With the nearest of the golden statues less than ten paces away, Kendra took Lockland by the hand with her gloved hand. Platinum spread quickly down his arm and across him until he was entirely transformed.
“Protect me,” she said, feeling terrible for changing him and worried that it would all be for nothing.
The platinum statue of Lockland walked toward the golden statues, moving no quicker than they did. He locked hands with the first statue he met, twisting her aside, and jostled into some others. Kendra dashed into the narrow gap he made. The golden figures crowded together, hemming her in. The Banishment Rod was wrested from her grip. And then metallic hands closed around her wrists and ankles, holding her firmly.
Key of Forgetting in hand, Seth stepped into the atrium to find Celebrant waiting with at least forty golden statues. Down one hallway, golden statues were fending off silver ones. A couple of the golden figures held Kendra between them. She still wore the platinum glove. Celebrant held the Banishment Rod.
Seth’s memories returned in a flood. He recalled not just what had happened inside the gauntlet but all his old memories as well. He tried to subtly slip the key into a pocket.
Humbuggle appeared just a few feet in front of him. “Well done, lad,” the dwarf said. “I’m surprised you have come so far so fast. One last rhyme before the end.”
“Do not interfere with my advantage, dwarf,” Celebrant said.
Humbuggle raised both hands. “I don’t play favorites. I’m here with information. You should want it as much as they do.”
“Go on,” Celebrant said.
Humbuggle cleared his throat and straightened his vest, then recited:
The power of the Wizenstone
Was never meant for man to own
A single door impedes your way
Where golden crest shines in the day
The prize beyond compare is near
You still have reason left to fear
If you should choose to turn the key
The price is your identity
“My identity?” Seth asked.
“Key of Forgetting,” Humbuggle said. “Steep price for a big prize. Good luck!” The dwarf clapped his hands and vanished.
“You have the key,” Celebrant said, glowering at Seth.
“Maybe not,” Seth replied.
“I saw you put it in your pocket,” Celebrant said.
“Maybe that was a candy bar,” Seth tried.
“It was a key made of jade,” Celebrant said. “And Humbuggle congratulated you.”
Seth removed it from his pocket.
Celebrant smiled. “Well done. This has been quite a game.”
“If you say so,” Seth said.
“What if I gave you and your sister a sporting chance?” Celebrant said.
“I’d be incredibly suspicious,” Seth said.
“Taking the glove from Kendra and turning her to gold would be no problem,” Celebrant said. “Same with changing you to gold. But that would end our game, and dragons love a good hunt. I haven’t had such sport in ages. And wouldn’t you prefer a small chance over none?”
“I’m listening,” Seth said.
“Do you know where the golden crest shines in the day?” Celebrant asked.
Seth glanced at Kendra. She shrugged. “Not really,” Seth said.
“The second-highest tower of this castle has a golden crest on the outside,” Celebrant said. “The tallest tower does not. There are only two locked doors in this entire castle. Have you noticed the doors are all unlocked? Even in the dungeon.”
“Now that you mention it, yes,” Seth said.
“The room atop the tallest tower is locked and holds the king and queen,” Celebrant said. “The second-highest tower is also locked. And there is a golden crest on the outside of the tower. And the room has no windows.”
“Sounds like a candidate,” Seth said.
“You get there by taking that hall,” Celebrant said, pointing. “Turn left at the first intersection. After the turn, the hall leads into a room with a big chandelier. At the rear of the room are two staircases. Take the right one. Go down the hall and up the stairs at the end.”
“This seems like a lot of help,” Seth said.
“I am giving you a head start,” Celebrant said. “Use it how you prefer.” He turned toward Kendra. “Release the girl.”
The golden statues holding Kendra let go of her.
“Clear the way,” Celebrant said, and the golden statues opened a path to the hall he had first indicated. He repeated his instructions.
“Can we have the rod?” Kendra asked.
Celebrant grinned. “I can’t make this too easy. Go, if you choose. I won’t be far behind.”
Seth glanced at Kendra. She gave a nod. They started running.
“You know this is a trick,” Seth said. “He just wants us to open the door.”
“And it’s the one chance we have,” Kendra said. “Better than getting turned to gold.”
“I agree,” Seth said. “Celebrant had us. Now we have some room to move. Where is Lockland?”
“We got cornered, so I turned him to platinum,” Kendra said. “It was to keep him from getting changed to gold.”
They reached an intersection. To the right, Seth saw golden statues approaching at a quick walk. He and Kendra turned left.
“Obregon and Tregain joined Lomo and me in the gauntlet,” Seth said. “If they all live, they’ll come out before long.”
“Nobody else?” Kendra asked.
“The dwarf was there in disguise,” Seth said. He noticed more golden statues coming their way down a side hall.
“We still don’t know who made the gong ring,” Kendra said. “The late arrival.”
“Stay ready for anything,” Seth said.
They arrived at the room with the large chandelier.
“Do we go to the tower?” Kendra asked.
Seth slowed, walking toward the stairs at the back of the room. “What if we run off and hide? Could that work?”
“I don’t think so,” Kendra said, wishing she could say otherwise. “We can’t leave the castle, and wherever we hide, they will eventually find us.”
Seth nodded. “Plus I think the statues are corralling us. Or maybe just still after us. They won’t slow until sunrise.”
“But to risk your identity?” Kendra asked. “To forget yo
urself?”
“It’s obvious Celebrant wants somebody else to unlock the door,” Seth said. “Enough that he’s letting us do it unsupervised.” They reached the right-hand stairs at the rear of the room.
“Do you think turning the key has to be voluntary?” Kendra asked.
“Looks like Celebrant thinks so,” Seth said. “The poem talks about choosing.”
“Do we keep going?” Kendra asked.
Golden statues entered the far side of the room. Seth started up the stairs.
“If we’re too slow, Celebrant may catch up,” Seth said. “Getting to the door first is better than getting caught again.”
“Lomo will get mobbed when he comes out of the black door,” Kendra said. “We’re out of allies.”
“This door is the last obstacle,” Seth said. “We can do this. I’m going to open it. Once I do, I’ll probably forget a lot. When I went for the key, I lost so many memories, but I kept a sense of who I was. Losing my identity sounds more extreme. Hopefully, when you get the Wizenstone and end the game, my memories will return like they did when I left the gauntlet.”
They rushed down a hall to a winding stairway. No golden statues were currently in view.
“I don’t have the Banishment Rod,” Kendra said.
“If the Wizenstone is so powerful, you can use that to fight off the demon,” Seth said.
“I don’t know how the Wizenstone works,” Kendra said. “The poem warned it’s not for people to own.”
“We can’t let Celebrant get it,” Seth said. “We have to flip this on them somehow.”
“We could try to ditch the key,” Kendra said.
They were passing doors as they climbed the stairs. “They have our escape routes cut off,” Seth said. “If we chuck the key out a window, they’ll find it before long. We’re cornered. We have nowhere to hide.”
“It seems clear that Celebrant wants us to open the door!” Kendra said. “Isn’t that the last thing we should do?”
“It’s going to happen either way,” Seth said, panting with the exertion of running up the stairs. “If we wait, he’ll have somebody else do it. If we unlock the door quickly, maybe you’ll have a chance to do something before Celebrant arrives. Lock him out? Destroy the stone? Use it?”