Have I ever mentioned that you guys are awesome? Oh and I'll be 100% honest and say this is a pretty boring chapter, but it did have to be written.
Chapter 29
House of Tasks
"What do we do now?" Rufus asked staring at the closed door in front of us. "I don't see any challenge."
No, this wasn't the type of challenge you just see, "See that tunnel? Inside there is a lever that you pull. Give me a minute."
"Hold up," Eddie called grabbing my shoulder. "Isn't this the fear test? You don't have to do this Nina; I will?"
The sentiment was nice, but I wasn't actually born in 1915. "You may be my protector," I whispered in reminder. "But you don't have to protect me from everything. You're way too big to fit; I'm the smallest of us so it makes sense for me to do it. Anyways, I'm the only one whose practiced dealing with my fears. I'll be fine."
Eddie clearly didn't like the idea of me doing this, but my logic was well, logical. Anyone could see just how tight the tunnel got, and considering I'd lost weight since I went in there last year it was logical for me to do it now. Dropping to the ground I pulled myself into the darkness quickly wishing I'd brought a flashlight. It doesn't matter anyways. Whatever magic Robert used to find our deepest fears knows the dark is one of mine.
Magic. Last year when completing these tasks, I'd often wondered how they worked. Robert was a genius, no doubt about it, but I didn't think even geniuses could make lockets that only work for the Servants and glow magically around locks. No, Robert Frobisher-Smythe probably used magic to protect his daughter, and in an odd way that meant he must have had some godly powers as well. Was Robert the Chosen One of his day? Unfortunately, he was dead and I'd never know.
Unless I asked him when I died as well, which considering my line of work would probably be sooner rather than later.
I wasn't even a foot in the tunnel before I realized that my fears had changed. None of my surroundings bothered me, but the words in my head, which, unfortunately, were now mine.
Chosen One. The voice taunted. How can you be the Chosen One? All you do is get people killed. And those who die are the lucky ones. They don't have to stick around as you ruin their lives like you do everyone. You're a disease Nina, a callous disease. If you'd just taken the hint and not gone back to school, none of this would have happened. Time would have been as it should be and your friends would all be happily together in 2012.
But if you had Rufus would be dead and evil. I repeated in my mind trying to block out the dark thoughts. You've saved Rufus and given him and Sarah a future together. You've made more lemonade than anyone, and you do it well.
"I do it well," I whispered as my hand clamped onto the lever and pulled it down. Breathing a sigh of relief I backed out quickly and found myself in Eddie's arms quickly. "I'm okay," I told him realizing that he felt all the terror I had. "None of it was real."
Eddie nodded looking relieved, but I realized we weren't out of the woods yet. That task was the least of our problems for the danger we faced was actually real, and highly deadly. Deadly as the red thread I now faced.
I hadn't been very good at it the first time around, but without Fabian to help me Eddie, Sarah and I would have to do. Carefully I removed the baby spiders I'd grabbed earlier and handed one to each of my friends, "Remember I don't know what the red does, but I'm pretty sure it'll kill us?"
"Kill is?" Rufus repeated eyes bright. "By God Sarah what was your father thinking."
Sarah shook her head, "I don't think he was. He didn't want anyone getting this Mask."
Mr. Rodenmaar snorted a laugh, "Well Robert never was one to get his wishes. Move along now, we don't have all night."
Technically, we did, so the three of us moved cautiously to our posts. To my great relief, the door opened quickly only a few silver-stings later. (Most of which came from Eddie being a cluts.)
Next we reached the chemical chamber, and I stopped dead in my tracks. Had we really solved this before, or was I going to doom us all by just relying on what I knew. "I don't know how to solve this one." Everyone, Eddie especially, looked at me shocked. Mr. Rodenmaar looked so close to hitting me that I moved to explain quickly, "I mean I know we have to take 6 chemicals and put them in those wholes to open the door, but I'm not quite sure which ones."
Mr. Rodenmaar scowled, but looked over the words on the wall in haste, "Well then all of this has been useless because I have no idea."
"It's actually quite simple," Victor whispered and 10 eyes looked at his in surprise. Moving quickly the shy boy picked out the six bottles and easily mixed them together. A brilliant light flooded the tube as the door opened and I realized I'd made the right call. Whatever we'd done last year hadn't opened the door; it really was Victor. (At least now I understood why Senkara was so mad.)
"How did you do that?" Mr. Rodenmaar asked glaring at his son. "How did you know the proper chemicals?"
Victor shrugged lightly, but a smile lined his cheeks, "It's all in the clues. I've done some research on alchemy and I just knew it."
Mr. Rodenmaar didn't say anything, and Victor's face deflated. For once he'd done something truly amazing, yet his father still didn't acknowledge it. "Well I think it was brilliant," Rufus praised clapping his friend on the back. "Nice one."
Pulling out the ox-bell I'd barrowed from Clara, (Heaven knows why she had one), I stepped in front of the horns. "None of you happen to know the Song of Hathor, right?"
It didn't surprise me a bit that Sarah, Mr. Rodenmaar, and Victor all knew it. Each taking one horn, we quickly played the tune ending with the cowbell. I almost panicked when the door didn't open immediately, but finally it creaked and I could breathe again. "Mr. Rodenmaar, you have your pocket watch on you, correct? He nodded, and I took the watch to place it with the other reflectors in each hand.
"Wait a minute, those hands weren't there last time," Eddie realized and whispered in my ear. "Patricia had me solve a task on a date! I knew something was up."
To be honest I was now surprised his Osirian senses weren't activated then in there, but apparently my mortal danger from Senkara wasn't quite mortal enough yet.
"This is a Senet board," Mr. Rodenmaar realized as we stepped closer. "And there's the Mask."
I nodded; yup, there was the so incredibly real Mask we'd all risked our lives for. "We have to play our way across."
Mr. Rodenmaar didn't seem to like that, and when Sarah spoke I knew why, "But we're fighting my dad. No one could beat my dad and he taught us all to play."
"That's not true," Rufus kindly reminded her. "The last time you two ever played you won. We can be the pieces and Sarah will direct us. We'll all get across safely, get the Mask, and be fine."
The little color left in Sarah's face quickly paled, "Just because I won once doesn't mean I can win again! What, what happens if I don't get you across safely?"
"You will," I assured her despite knowing that wouldn't be the case. "I trust in you."
Sarah shook her head, but we all knew we didn't have a choice. Mr. Rodenmaar wasn't going to let us leave without the Mask. "Alright then," Sarah conceded. "Nina, take one step forward."
