“You're very welcome,” said Jenna. “It wouldn't be a meal without you.”
Zachary frowned. “Now we just have to find a way to make sure this isn’t the last meal we ever have.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Challenge
After hours of conversation, during which Jenna and Zachary grew ever fonder of their gentle wasp companion, followed by a fitful night’s sleep, the three prisoners were led from their cell into a small octagonal building. The walls were made of smooth, yellow stone, and brightly colored jewels were imbedded in the floor and ceiling in triangular patterns.
The prisoners were marched in front of a man they were told was the Chief Justice of the world. A world named Mesrobia. Five guards, heavily armed, stood behind the prisoners.
The Chief Justice was behind an elegant, green-marble table, seated on a magnificent golden chair, wide enough to hold his massive kangaroo legs. His face showed more age than the others of his kind they had seen, and he carried himself with an air of authority. He looked down at the docket in front of him. “What do we have today,” he muttered to himself. “Let's see. Two humans, brother and sister. And a Swishmer. Interesting mix.”
He looked up and cleared his throat. “The three of you have been accused of trespassing on our world,” he announced, his voice now booming and taking on an official tone. “How do you plead?”
“Not guilty,” they all said at once.
“Of course you're guilty!” snapped the Chief Justice impatiently. “You're here, aren't you? On Mesrobia. On our world.”
“We know that, Your . . . ahh . . .Your Justice-ship,” stammered Zachary.
“No need for titles. We don't stand on formality here.”
Zachary nodded. “You see, the thing is,” he continued, “none of us are here on purpose, and we knew nothing about your trespassing law.”
“Makes no difference,” snapped the Chief Justice. “Ignorance of the law is no excuse. You'll notice I didn't accuse you of knowingly trespassing—just trespassing.”
“But we don't understand,” said Lisgar. “We haven't hurt anyone or anything. And we'd be happy to leave your world immediately. Why such a stiff and inflexible penalty?”
“I assure you it is quite necessary. At one time we Mesrobians had no such law and it was mayhem here. Our world has thousands of portals and we had an inordinate amount of traffic coming through from every world you can imagine. It was a terrible problem. Criminals came to Mesrobia to escape their own justice system. And many of the species couldn't get along for one reason or another. Fighting broke out almost every day. There were so many different species from different worlds it was impossible to keep them all straight. Mesrobia was overcome by violence, confusion, chaos, and disorder. Something had to be done.”
The Chief Justice paused. “So twenty years ago, I made our world strictly off-limits to outsiders. Visitors were allowed to come here by invitation only. Anyone who knowingly trespassed would be executed.”
“That makes sense,” said Zachary. “Especially the knowingly part.”
The Chief Justice shook his head, or swiveled it back and forth at any rate. “It didn't work. We had just as much traffic as before. Whenever we tried to enforce our law the criminals would insist that they were here by accident, or didn't know the law, and we would have to let them go. Finally, we changed the law so that any trespassing was punishable by execution. Any trespassing. Regardless of the circumstances. And I'm happy to report that we've had very little problem since.”
“But now that you have this law and the other worlds know it, no one would be crazy enough to come here on purpose,” insisted Zachary. “The only beings who come here now are the ones who really do stumble on your world by accident. The ones who really are innocent.”
“Could be true,” agreed the Chief Justice. “Probably is. That's an unfortunate side effect of a very successful law.”
“There has to be some way to fix the law so that it doesn't punish the innocent,” said Jenna.
“Maybe,” grumbled the Chief Justice. “Maybe not. I'll consider it over the next few years and see if I can come up with something,” he said, as though the matter were entirely settled. “In the meanwhile, I have reached my decision.” He paused for effect. “I find the three prisoners guilty as charged of the crime of trespassing.”
He turned to the guards. “Take them out and have them executed.”
The guards came forward.
“Wait a minute,” ordered the Chief Justice, holding up his hand. “I almost forgot. We have a custom. Before you’re executed, I will answer one question from each of you. Whatever it is, if I know the answer I will tell you—as long as it doesn't have to do with the workings of the portals.” He looked at Lisgar. “Ask your question,” he told her.
“Are my children okay?” she asked worriedly.
“I don’t have any idea,” said the Chief Justice. He turned to Jenna. “Next question please.”
Jenna didn't hesitate. This was her chance to find out about her parents. “Have you seen any more of our kind here during the past six months?”
“No,” replied the Chief Justice. “We are aware of every visitor to our world, and you are the first of your kind to ever visit Mesrobia.”
Jenna lowered her eyes and sighed. It didn’t matter, she thought. They were about to be executed anyway. What had she expected, that this was like in the movies? That she’d learn her parents were nearby and they would rescue her at the last second?
“Your turn,” said the Chief Justice to Zachary. “Ask your question.”
Zachary paused for a long while, deep in thought. Finally, he stared deep into the Chief Justice's eyes and said, “How can we save ourselves from this execution?”
The Chief Justice laughed. “Bravo,” he said, clapping lightly. “You'd be surprised how few prisoners ask that particular question. You never know until you ask, do you? We very much respect cleverness here. Well done.”
He leaned forward toward Zachary. “Now that you’ve asked, it turns out that there is a way; one way only. You have to petition for citizenship. If you become a citizen of our world, then you wouldn't be trespassing. You'd be considered one of us. You could then do as you please: stay on Mesrobia, go back to your original world, or go on to another world of your choice.”
Zachary’s eyes widened. “You know how to send us back to our original world?” he said.
“Absolutely. But you have to become a citizen first.”
“How?”
“It's not easy, I can assure you. You would have to pass the Challenge. I told you we respect cleverness here. You and your sister would work as a team. You would have to prove that you're worthy of being Mesrobians. Together you would have to solve six riddles of various levels of difficulty.”
Jenna barely managed to stop herself from grinning in relief. Riddles. Fantastic. Her brother was the best riddle solver she had ever known.
“That's it?” said Zachary. “Solve six riddles and we're honorary Mesrobians?”
“Solving riddles is a good test of reasoning. We pride ourselves on being a very clever species. And we obviously can't give a physical challenge since different species have quite different physical abilities. But don't think it will be easy. Most Challengers can solve one or two of the riddles, but very few have ever been able to solve all six.”
“But every Mesrobian can solve them, right?” said Jenna.
The Chief Justice frowned. “Well, actually . . . no.”
“But I thought it was a test to see if we were clever enough to be one of you,” said Zachary.
“Well, I imagine that some of us could do it. But we were born on Mesrobia, so we don't have to prove ourselves worthy. If you want to be considered a citizen, you have to prove yourselves to be as worthy as the very best of us.”
“Uh-huh,” said Zachary, not fully agreeing with this logic but knowing that an argument wouldn't help. Besides, it didn't matter how difficult the Chal
lenge was. It was definitely better than their immediate alternative. “We’re prepared to take your Challenge. We petition for citizenship.”
The Chief Justice beamed. “Fantastic! We haven't had a Challenge in a long time. They certainly spice things up around here. We can start in about an hour. I'll have to spread the word so we can gather a crowd to watch the festivities. We’ll set up chairs in the grand ballroom.”
He turned to the guards again. “In the meanwhile, take this other prisoner out and have her executed.”
“I petition for citizenship, also,” said Lisgar immediately.
The Chief Justice swiveled his head back and forth. “You can't. You're from an insect world. The law is very clear. Only those from human worlds have this option.” He turned once more to the guards. “What are you waiting for,” he barked. “I want her executed within the hour.”
With that the guards prodded Lisgar with their swords and began roughly leading her away.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The Stakes Rise
“Wait!” yelled Jenna. “You can't do that!”
“Of course I can,” responded the Chief Justice. “It's the law.”
“We can vouch for Lisgar,” insisted Jenna. “She's a wonderful person. Who cares that she has a wasp body? She's every bit as worthy as we are to become a citizen.”
“It doesn't matter,” said the Chief Justice firmly. “The law is the law . . . and it’s very clear in this matter. Before the trespassing law was initiated we especially had trouble with the insect worlds, so we made even harsher laws for them.”
“Did you ever have trouble with a Swishmer?” asked Zachary.
The Chief Justice considered. “Well, no . . . I don't think so. But it doesn't matter.”
“It does to us,” said Jenna defiantly.
“No member of an insect world,” said the Chief Justice, “can take the Challenge. Period. That is the law.” The Chief Justice waved his hands and the guards continued marching Lisgar to the door.
“Wait a second,” said Zachary in desperation. “The law says that no member of an insect world can take the Challenge. But can someone else take it for them?”
The Chief Justice grimaced. These humans never seemed to give up. Lisgar had just entered the open doorway. “Hold on again,” he instructed the guards.
“I don’t know,” he said to Zachary. “I have to admit that it has never really come up. No one has ever been insane enough to want to take the Challenge for a member of an insect world.”
The Chief Justice’s head swiveled back and forth for a few seconds and it was obvious he was deep in thought. “I suppose if a being wanted to do this, since we have no law against it, I would allow it,” he said finally.
Zachary looked at his sister. She nodded vigorously. “Then we will take it for Lisgar,” he said.
The Chief Justice furrowed his brow in disapproval. Finally, he waved his hand for the guards to bring Lisgar back into the room. “Before you make a final decision, you should know this: if you take it for her you must answer an additional three riddles. And it's all or nothing. Either all of you become citizens or none of you do. If you only had to answer six riddles correctly your chances of passing the Challenge are extremely slim—but at least you would have some chance. With nine you are signing not just this Swishmer's death warrant but yours as well. Are you positive you want to do this?”
“Let me be sure I’m getting this right,” said Zachary. “If we pass the Challenge, you’ll return Lisgar to her world, unharmed, and let us go.”
“Correct.”
Zachary didn't hesitate. “Then we're positive.”
“No!” pleaded Lisgar from the back of the room as the guards brought her forward. “You can’t do this for me!”
“Silence!” snapped the Chief Justice. “They have made their decision. I don’t want to hear another word out of you.”
Zachary stared at the Chief Justice defiantly. “And since you think that passing the Challenge is now impossible,” he said, “I propose something else. I propose adding a tenth riddle. If we solve all ten, you agree to change your law so that it doesn't punish innocent, um . . . beings.”
“Absolutely not! That's the most ridiculous proposition I’ve ever heard. Why would I possibly agree to it?”
“Why not? You’re positive we can’t do it anyway, so what have you got to lose? Besides, you know the law needs to be changed. If you're so clever you should be able to figure out a way to design a successful law that's fair.” Zachary raised his eyebrows. “And it might also make for a more interesting contest.”
The Chief Justice frowned. Then he smiled. Then he laughed. “Agreed,” he said finally. “You certainly have guts, I’ll say that much for you. Unfortunately for you, the Challenge doesn’t measure guts. Let’s hope for your sake that you’re also good at solving riddles.”
A little more than an hour later the three prisoners found themselves in a vast ballroom, with a domed ceiling five stories high. Enormous, diamond-shaped chandeliers, made of multicolored crystal, hung down at even intervals to flood the room with a bright, rose-tinted light. The walls and floor of the ballroom were made of the same green-colored marble they had already seen several times. The room was packed wall to wall with Mesrobians. Word had spread fast and the interest in the contest was enormous.
Finally, everything was set. The riddles had been selected. Lisgar was held, heavily guarded, at the back of the room, horrified that the humans were decreasing their own chance of survival for her. The Chief Justice sat at the front of the room at a small table and the contestants faced him, with their backs to the crowd, behind individual podiums made of smooth, yellow stone.
The Chief Justice held up his hand for silence and the roar from the large crowd gradually died out. “You all know why we are here,” he began, his booming voice echoing around the vast room. “The human boy, Zachary Lane, and the human girl, Jenna Lane, have petitioned for Mesrobian citizenship and have agreed to take our Challenge. Furthermore, they will also be taking the Challenge in an effort to win citizenship for the Swishmer, Lisgar.”
There was a loud murmur from the crowd. This was an unprecedented development. Why would anyone offer to take the Challenge to save someone from an insect world?
The Chief Justice waited for the murmur to die down. “Finally,” he continued, “they will need to do more than answer nine riddles to earn their own and the Swishmer's citizenship. In order to win the Challenge, they have agreed to answer ten riddles. In exchange, if they are successful, I have agreed to revise our trespassing laws.”
There was a collective gasp of disbelief from the crowd. There had never, ever, been a Challenge like this one. Very few Mesrobians had believed they could answer six riddles successfully, but not a single spectator in the vast crowd believed they could answer ten.
The Chief Justice was delighted by the reaction but pretended not to notice. “The humans will work as a team. But there will be no discussion or communication allowed between them. I will read the riddles out loud and then display them in writing on this easel behind me for the contestants and the spectators to use for reference. Zachary will be given the first one and will have two minutes to answer it correctly. If he is unable to solve it, Jenna will have two minutes to solve it. If the first riddle is solved, the next riddle will be given first to Jenna to attempt, and then to Zachary if she is unsuccessful. And so on.” He looked at the contestants. “Any questions?”
“Let's get this started,” said Zachary, trying to sound far more confident than he felt.
It was true that he was very good at solving riddles, but even the best riddle-solver in the world couldn't get every one. And that's exactly what they had to do. If they were stumped by even a single riddle, the Challenge was over.
Zachary braced himself. There was no room for error. He knew that they had to be perfect.
Because their very lives depended on it.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
; Riddles
“Riddle number one,” said the Chief Justice. From what can you take away the whole—and still have some left?”
Zachary let out a sigh of relief. This one was relatively easy as riddles went and he came to the answer almost immediately. If they all stayed this easy they were in good shape. “The word Wholesome,” he answered. “Take away WHOLE and you still have SOME left.”
“Ohhh,” murmured the crowd appreciatively.
“Correct,” said the Chief Justice. He cleared his throat. “Riddle number two. Yesterday I threw a ball. It went ten feet, stopped, reversed direction, and then returned to me. It didn’t hit anything and I didn’t have a string attached. How did I do it?”
Jenna took a deep breath and tried to steady her nerves. She had never been as good as Zachary was at riddles but she wasn't bad either. And she had never thought so clearly. She reached in her pocket and felt the reassuring presence of the small generator. Relax, she told herself, and let the thoughts flow freely.
Yesss. There it was. The answer. “You threw the ball ten feet straight up into the air. When it reached its highest point, it stopped, reversed direction, and fell back down to you.”
There was another murmur of appreciation from the crowd. “Correct,” the Chief Justice said again.
He looked at Zachary. “Riddle number three. Two men are playing checkers. They play three games. Each man wins two of them. How is this possible?”
Zachary thought a moment and then smiled. Perhaps the Chief Justice was starting with very simple riddles because he knew they had a long way to go and wanted to build the drama. But so far, so good, he thought. “The two men aren’t playing each other,” he answered.
“Correct,” said the Chief Justice yet again.
The reaction from the crowd was growing after every riddle. These were worthy contestants, indeed.
“Riddle number four,” the Chief Justice said to Jenna. “What word is spelled wrong in every dictionary ever printed?”
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