by WB McKay
I sang with them and mentally ticked off the seconds. All of us dropped out after about fifteen seconds, except for Enid, who went about twenty-five. Each of us were breathing noticeably harder afterward.
"I see what you mean," said Owen.
A memory flashed through my mind of a particularly bad day, and Owen singing guitar solos to make me smile. "Right," I said, bringing myself back to the moment. "So, I want two at a time on a note. Enid will provide the pitch and cover the transitions between notes. I'll pair up with Owen. When I can't sing any longer, I'll signal him. Ava, you're with Art. That way, two of us are always resting."
We ran through a quick practice. Enid gave us the first note. Ava and I matched the tone; the small bridge and the first platform glowed to life. We were all standing in a circle. I realized that wasn't realistic because we would have to go single file across the small bridge. I put us in order with Enid right at the edge of the stone platform. Ava was next, followed by her partner Art. Then it was Owen, with me bringing up the rear. When I was about out of air, I tapped Owen on the shoulder. He immediately took up the sustained note, and I tried to calm my breathing. He raised his hand when it was time for me to take over again. We repeated the cycle several times. Art and Ava did the same.
"Great job everyone," I said, calling a halt to the exercise. "Now it's time to do it for real. Just make sure you signal your partner with enough time for them to start singing before you stop." It was going to be a lot harder when we started moving, but there was no reason to freak everyone out by saying so. "Don't rush across the bridges. Make sure you keep your note going and walk calmly."
Judging by the looks and the hard swallowing of the team, everyone was as freaked out as I was, but they all met my eyes and nodded their assent. I'd picked a damned good team, brave enough to follow me across a pool of lava.
"Then it's time to sing like our lives depend on it," I said. My motivational lines could really use some work.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Enid sang the first note and stepped onto the first bridge. It was lit in pale pink, making her look like a poorly colored doll. In another situation, the lighting and the theatrics of the lava mixed with Enid's singing would have made for a fantastic concert. Context is everything, I guess.
Owen and Art started singing and we stepped onto the bridge one after the other. Each bridge was around twelve feet long and about eighteen inches wide, narrower than my original guess. Not something you wanted to sprint across with death on the line. Still, we probably took it a bit slower than necessary. We made it to the first of the five platforms without any trouble. Ava and I took our turns to sing at about the same time.
Moving onto the next bridge required a change in notes. Enid raised her voice to sing above Ava and I. Her note provided a nice harmony to ours. Art and Owen picked up the new note and we moved forward onto the second bridge with Enid in the lead.
In no time, we'd made it across three bridges, but my throat was growing hoarse. I could only assume the same thing was happening to the rest of the team. My plan to have two people singing at a time was definitely the right one. On the fourth bridge, my voice wavered and cut out entirely for half a heartbeat. I was still pushing air, but I couldn't make any sound. I got it back and signaled for Owen to take over.
My singing break was a welcome relief, but I noticed that Art had the same trouble I did. We were tiring out. I tried to stay in the moment and not look ahead, but I couldn't help it. The space in front of us was as long as the space behind. We were only at the halfway point. There were still the two bridges to the last two platforms, and the final one that would take us off the obstacle course.
It was my turn to sing again. I redoubled my effort and waved to Enid, signaling her to go a bit faster. She got the message and we picked up our pace. I knew that singing was hard, but this was intense. I suddenly had a whole new respect for professionals who put on concerts that went on for over an hour.
It wasn't long before our singing time had decreased to five seconds a stretch, and the combination of who was singing together shifted to where it had become impossible to track. I was glad that I only had to worry about Owen as my partner. If I had to keep track of anyone else I would have been too confused.
Our voices continued to crack with increasing frequency. While we were crossing onto the last platform, there was an eerie moment of absolute silence where Owen and Art's voices broke at the same time. The platform, a sickly pale green, began to fade. Everyone started singing the note again at the same time, our eyes wide with shock.
We made it to the final platform, all of us still singing. Enid sang the new note to light up the purple bridge that would bring us to safety, then she pointed to Ava and I. We switched to the new note and everyone shuffled forward. When I was clear of the platform I waved to Enid, who had Art and Owen switch to the final note with everyone else. Just a dozen feet and I would be safe on solid ground that probably wouldn't disappear from beneath my feet.
My eyes turned involuntarily toward the closing door that was now only a few yards away. I bumped into Owen in my eagerness to get off the bridge and through the narrowing crack that was left in the wall. My mind was so frazzled I nearly stopped singing to apologize. Instead, I squeezed his shoulder. He turned his head to meet my gaze and gave me an encouraging grin. We were almost there.
A few seconds later, I stepped off the final bridge, and back on solid stone. I closed my mouth, swallowed three times. I wasn't sure I'd be able to talk for a while. I gestured frantically for everyone to get to the door. It was a bit small for Owen and Art, but Ava and Enid did okay. Once they were all safe, it was my turn to struggle through the tight squeeze. I had to wriggle on my belly and bumped my head on the underside of the thick stone door a few times. I'd have thought that with a pool of lava behind me and all the small spaces I'd already been in during the course of the day that my claustrophobia wouldn't have bothered me, but it was there, making sure that nothing I did could ever be simple.
When I made it through without letting the panic take over, I felt embarrassed at how proud I was.
I dusted off my legs and backside and took a look around the huge cavern. I would have preferred open sky, but this would have to do. Thankfully, this time there was no lava. Most of our view was obstructed by a large stone wall.
I took a few moments to breathe since there didn't appear to be any immediate time crunch. Owen paced the room and then waved everyone over to a stone basin protruding from the wall. It held clean, cool water.
All of us took a little until we realized the basin was refilling. Then we drank our fill and splashed it on our faces.
I was the first to talk. My voice was still crackling. "Enid," I said, waving her over. She looked surprisingly timid. "You were a rockstar. We couldn't have done that challenge without you. I just spent what felt like forever holding those notes, and I probably still couldn't remember them the way you did. Great job."
To my surprise, a fae that was hundreds of years old could still blush. "It wasn't anything any other nereid couldn't have done."
I gave her a playful glare. "Take your praise and enjoy it."
"Okay," she said, her shy smile brightening. "I appreciate it."
"Good," I said, clapping my hands. "We don't have time to wait around. There's no way we wouldn't have at least seen some sign of the pirates by now if we were on the same course. That means we have no way to know if we're ahead or behind. Let's keep going."
I walked toward the wall that stretched halfway to the fifty foot ceiling and separated us from the majority of the room. There were a set of stairs to my right, and an archway through the wall to the left. I was hesitant to walk through the archway, thinking it might indicate a choice to take it instead of the stairs.
I backed up a step, surveying the area for anything I might have missed on my first sweep. In front of the archway I found a stone bowl on a small table. Inside, it contained four oblong capsules. A few feet aw
ay was the basin of water. Of course the water wasn't an act of mercy for our sore throats and dehydrated bodies. The water was to make sure we could swallow the pills. But not all of us--there were only four. Above the bowl of pills was more chicken scratch.
"Owen, you were good with all of that writing in the underwater cave." I pointed at the markings. "Do you know what this says?"
Enid stepped up beside me, answering before Owen could. "Those markings outside weren't words. They were symbols that formed a pattern. It was a logic puzzle. These are words."
I shrugged. "Whatever, it's all Greek to me."
Owen stepped up beside us and laughed.
"What's so funny?" I asked, quirking a brow.
"It's ancient Greek." He snorted. "So it literally is Greek to you."
"I guess that was bound to happen at some point or another on this case," I said, cracking a smile. "Can you read it?"
"No. I'd need a bit of time and a few books to translate it."
"It says, 'A good shepherd watches over their flock,'" said Enid, her lips turning up at Owen's look of surprise. "Being the old lady in the bunch has its advantages."
"Four of us take these pills," said Art, reaching into the bowl and grabbing one. "And you, Sophie, watch out for us from high ground." He pointed to the stairs well off to the side.
Unfortunately, that sounded accurate to me. "I don't like it."
"I'm not very fond of taking magical, mystery pills left in a cave designed to try and kill us," said Owen, "but if we don't do it, we're not going anywhere." He knocked on an invisible barrier that covered the archway. "You'll probably find the same at the stairs."
He was right. I knocked on the invisible barrier there and walked back to my team. "If you don't want to take the mystery pills, I understand. We can work to find another way through this." I didn't know that we would be successful, but I was willing to try. I didn't want any of them to feel helpless in what we were about to do. They needed to have choices, even if it went against the mission.
Owen, Ava, and Enid all grabbed a pill and joined Art at the water basin.
"We should take them at the same time," said Owen.
For a moment, I considered arguing with that. If the pills hurt them, it would be better to minimize the damage. But they were bound and determined to take them anyway, and seeing what would happen to one of the others would only frighten them further. They were all correct that this was necessary; I didn't see how else we would ever leave the room. Still, it would have been easier if I was one of the people taking the pill.
They swallowed their pills and I watched carefully for signs of distress.
Ava was first. Her hand reached out at empty air, eventually gripping Owen's shoulder. "Are you all still there?" she asked, her eyes wide and lower lip trembling.
"We're here," I replied. "What's happening?"
"I can't see," she said, sounding distant. "I believe the pill has blinded me."
"Me too," said the others.
"Well, shit," I grumbled, and then caught myself. This was my flock. It was my job to keep them calm; they were counting on me now more than ever. "Is everyone fine otherwise?" My gaze stayed focused on Ava. All she'd ever told me about her time trapped in a pixie pocket was that it was dark. "No pain or other sensory issues?"
There was a round of sniffing, clapping, and pinching. Everyone reported their other senses were intact.
"I think we're fine," said Ava, sounding more confident. "We should get started. We don't want the pirates to finish first."
"All right, everyone grab onto the person next to you," I said. "I'll lead you to the archway."
It took them several seconds to sort out getting into a line, but it was as good as I expected from a bunch of newly blind people. I took Owen by the hand and led him to the archway. "The barrier is still there for me," I said, lifting his hand. "Can you get through?"
His hand passed easily through the opening. "I guess so?" he asked, his hand waving through the air.
"You're through," I said, stifling a laugh. I looked over my flock. "I have swords for two of you." I hated handing them over. It was like handing over a limb. I generally only allowed Art the use of them when absolutely necessary. Art had his water magic, Owen had fire. "Ava, Enid? How do you feel about taking care of my swords for me until we've completed this challenge?"
Ava rolled her eyes. "If I must."
Enid gave a much more enthusiastic, "Hell yeah!" Sometimes it was difficult to remember she claimed to be very old. How old could someone who said "hell yeah" really be?
"All right." I put Epic and Haiku carefully in their hands and watched until I was sure they knew how to hold them without cutting up their legs. "Stay there until I get into position and call out to you."
"You got it, boss," said Owen, saluting the space to my left.
That time, I did laugh. I walked to the top of the steep set of stairs, the invisible barrier previously blocking my path now gone, and looked out on the room from a platform twenty feet in the air. The team was to my left. Owen stood inside the arch. The rest of the room stretched in front of me, divided into four straight paths with eight foot walls separating them. The paths were empty, but I was sure they wouldn't stay that way. Whatever traps were waiting to be sprung, my people were about go through them blind. I was their eyes.
"Owen," I called, "Go forward. Turn right when you feel the wall in front of you!"
He did as I said, slowly walking forward until his outstretched hands found the wall. There was no way to tell what traps lay in each section, so there was no determining who should go where. It would be easiest to put each one of them in front of the first path they came to.
I wanted to discuss my decisions with them. It only seemed fair to at least explain what I was thinking and what was happening, but shouting at them from a platform didn't lend itself to that sort of thing. If I wanted to be able to tell them what was important, I needed to conserve my voice. It was cruel of the person who designed the test to put this challenge after the singing obstacle. A leader needed to be able to talk to their people.
"Stop," I called to Owen. He obeyed immediately, as did the others. I'd have to remember to use names. "Owen, stay. The rest of you continue until you come to the next gap in the wall. Each of you stop at one of the gaps."
"We're being separated," observed Art. "Is Patricia still with you, Ava?"
"Yes, she is," said Ava, her nose twitching. "She's chattering at me like a nanny watching over a three-year-old." If her nose was twitching, she wasn't as annoyed as she sounded. "Be careful, selkie."
Art released his hold on Ava's shoulders when she stopped at the second path. "I will," he said, smiling sweetly at her. If only she could see it.
Art stopped at the next path, leaving Enid to the last. They were all in position. Time to begin. There was no way I could direct four people at a time, so it was best to go one by one.
"I'm going to put Owen through first. The rest of you stay still until I call your names." There was a round of nods and thumbs up vaguely in my direction. "Owen, forward. Pause after each step and listen for me to tell you when to stop."
Owen advanced down the path, his hand brushing lightly against the wall. Each path was eight feet wide and a hundred feet long.
After three steps, a metal door set into a stone wall appeared in front of Owen. Four ropes dropped down to hang from empty space. Each one held a bulging bag.
"Stop," I told him. "You're in front of a door, Owen. There are four holes in the door in the shapes of a square, a triangle, a star, and a circle." It was like a child's puzzle. I'd had one of those balls as a kid where you put the shapes in the right holes. "To your left are four bags hanging at head height."
That's where things went into slow motion. It took Owen days to find the bags, and even longer to untie the first knot so he freed the triangle shaped puzzle piece. One by one, I guided him to the door and then back to the bags. I had no doubt this was the tamest obs
tacle we would find in this challenge, and I was already about to lose my mind. "Owen," I called, wondering how I would ever keep my voice intact enough to guide the others. "The last bag is to your left. Left. Don't go right. It's further to your left." Finally he got his hands on it and untied the knots. I guided him back to the door and the location of the final hole near the top right corner of the door. "You got it. We can do this!" I said, trying to say something that sounded positive while still feeling true. We could definitely do this. The question was whether we could do this before we all died of old age. "Open the door."
Once he was through, the door banged shut and the holes in it disappeared. There was no going back. While the walls were only eight feet high, I had no doubt there was an invisible barrier above that would stop him from climbing into another lane. It was forward or nothing.
"One step at a time," I told him again.
Only about five feet past the door, there was the clank of metal and then a continuous banging echoed through the room. Owen stopped without having to be told. "Stay there, Owen." I looked for the source of the noise and found spikes shooting up through the floor in all three of the other lanes, just a few feet in front of where the others stood. The spikes were a foot tall and a couple of inches wide at their base. They were spaced only inches apart and popped up in different patterns in each channel.
"Owen, feel around the wall. Press the stones. Maybe there's a switch." He groped around the wall from top to bottom for several feet and repeated the process on the other side. Nothing changed. "Come back toward me," I said, and he obliged.
Once he returned to the spot where the spikes first started churning, they stopped, disappearing into the floor with no sign of holes in the floor to indicate their presence.
"Owen, stay there."
I looked to the other three members of my team. One of them had to test my theory that the spikes wouldn't come out unless Owen triggered them. I knew that I wasn't supposed to play favorites, but I barely knew Enid, and she was so much older than even Ava's seventy years. Every part of me wanted to choose her. And I almost did until I thought about who would be best for the task.