Inside the circular (and surprisingly small) blue room was a table with one
chair on the side opposite them. Standing at each of the other three sides
was a centaur. In the center of the table was a deck of cards.
"What is this?" asked Helga.
"A card game," said Salazar. "Poker if I'm not mistaken."
"Correct boy," said one of the centaurs. "Now, which one of you will join us?"
"None of us are joining you," said Salazar, his face set. "This is a game of chance, not a test! It's just whoever owns this castle toying with us! Plus we have nothing to wager."
"Nothing to wager, hm?" asked another centaur looking at Salazar and then at the other humans. He made a small, quick gesture with his left hand and Rowena let out a small cry and fell to the ground, one hand on her neck.
"What did you do to her?!" screamed Salazar.
"Poisoned her," said the third centaur calmly. "Now her life is in your hands. Once you get through this room and the next you will be given the antidote."
"The only problem," said the second centaur, almost laughing, "is that she doesn't have much time."
"Now I ask again," said the first centaur, "which of you will play?"
"I will," said a very angry Salazar as he sat down and began shuffling the cards.
The game seemed to go on for ages. During it Salazar noted the looks on his oponents faces when they took certain cards, unfortunetly centaurs weren't big on facial expressions. He had to force himself to stop looking over at his new friends. Helga had put her shawl over Rowena's prone form. The girl was pale as death and didn't even respond to her birds urgent cries and pleas.
When two of the centaurs folded Salazar barely noticed, but he did notice when his final oponent layed down his cards: a full house. Salazar almost jumped for joy, but he knew that they still had one room to go before Rowena was safe. He quickly layed down his four of a kind and ran over to Rowena, completely forgetting that he had taken off his cloak during the game and it still lay on the back of his chair.
"Let's get her out of here," he said quickly and picked the girl up. He carried her into the next room and noted that there was no rhyme on the door, only one word:
"Hurry!"
The indigo room was- well, empty. There was nothing there, nothing except a square design on the tiled floor. It was a picture of a knight fighting a dragon, seen through a gap in a flowery hedge. Suddenly the center tile diappeared, and all the others began to shift around. Helga and Godric jumped, while Salazar manuvered his way to the sides of the room. By now you may have noticed that all the rooms, save the first one, are circular.
"So we just have to put it back the way it was, right?" asked Helga.
"I guess," said Godric.
"This will take ages!" yelled Salazar as he layed Rowena down.
"Then we'd better start now," said Godric, laying a hand on Salazar's shoulder. "Right, Salazar?" Salazar took one look back at Rowena and nodded.
"Did I ever mention how much I hate puzzles?" Godric said almost two hours later.
"Would you be quiet?" asked Salazar. "You're wasting valuable energy that you could be using to solve this thing."
"Touchy."
Salazar didn't seem to notice though, because Rowena had just taken a particuarly ragged breath which cuased him continue the puzzle with a renewed sense of purpose.
Half an hour later Pest was perched on Rowena's chest. His master's lifesigns were fading and he didn't know what to do. He was about to go and get the human that had traveled with them for the past few days, he would want to be with her when it happened, when he heard a sound. The bird looked up to see that the three humans were working on the top half of the puzzle, their backs to the door they had come in by; on the side of the puzzle that the children could not see the tiles were picking themselves up and moving to their correct places. Pest almost called out to the three humans when a translucent form appeared and put a finger to its mouth silencing the hawk. The form was a man, obviously a projection of the man's true self. He placed a hand on Rowena's forehead and the girl seemed to breathe easier. Once the man seemed sure that Rowena was going to last a bit longer he nodded to Pest and disappeared.
The humans turned around five minutes later to find that the puzzle was done. A small bag fell from nowhere, into Salazar's arms. There was a bottle inside along with a note, it read:
"Give her the whole bottle."
Salazar ran over to Rowena, pulled her into a sitting position and slowly poured the elixer into her mouth.
"But-" started Godric, looking at the finished puzzle.
"Don't," Helga said, laying a hand on his shoulder, "just don't."
"What-" said Rowena as her eyes fluttered open, "what happened?"
Salazar had the urge to hug her but ignored it. "Those centaurs poisoned you so we'd play the game."
"Who played?"
"Godric," Salazar said quickly.
Rowena studied at him for a minute, as if searching for something. When she seemed satisfied with what she found she stood.
"Are you sure you're ready for that?" asked Godric.
"Yes, I feel fine now. This isn't the room with the centaurs."
"No," said Helga, "we had to beat them, then put these tiles back where they belonged to get the antidote."
"Oh. It is very beautiful," Rowena said as she looked at it.
"It is, isn't it?" said Salazar as he looked at her. Pest suddenly flew by him though, scratching his ear, then landed on Rowena's shoulder and began talking to her endlessly.
"Oh really?" asked Rowena when he finished.
"What?" asked Godric.
"Nothing important," Rowena said absentmindedly. "Shall we go on then?"
"Let's."
And so they all passed through the door that read,
"Six are won,
now only one
left to be done."
They stood in a violet room with six levers on either side between the two doors, each one about three yards above the floor.
"What are we supposed to do in here?" asked Godric.
"Maybe we pull the levers and face whatever comes out," suggested Helga.
"Might as well try," said Salazar. Just as he was about to pull a lever Pest cried out from above their heads. Rowena made a series of bird calls in return which Pest answered.
"He says," translated Rowena, "that something is written on the wall up there. He says it looks like a poem."
"A poem?" asked the others in surprise. Just as they did though holes in the wall directly beneath each of the levers opened up and ice cold water poured in.
"Kick off your shoes!" yelled Salazar as the water level reached their waists. Everyone did as they were told.
Rowena made a series of calls up to Pest, who began calling back down very slowly. When Pest was done Salazar called over the sound of the water, "What was that?"
"He was reading me the poem!"
Salazar was about to ask, "He can read?" but a swell of the water caught him off guard. Although the water level continued to rise the levers moved up the wall so that they could stay just above the wave's reach.
Rowena suddenly called out, "I've got it!" She swam over to one of the levers and, after being tossed about by the streaming water, grabbed on, said, "I hate water," and pulled down as hard as she could. Slowly the water level stopped rising, and the water began to trickle out holes at the base of the walls.
"What happened?" asked Godric when they were all back on solid ground, dripping and shaking.
"Pest read me the poem," explained Rowena, "it had clues as to which lever would get rid of the water."
"Oh."
"Very lucky that we have a bird," said Helga, "and someone who can talk to birds."
"Yes," said Salazar quietly, "quite good too."
Suddenly the door opened and the four made their way out, Pest flying overhead to keep dry. This room was huge. It seemed to be the castle's ballroom, although none of the children thought that there were balls held there. There was light streaming in through windows at the tops of the walls and a few candles closer to eye level. In the center of the room sat a table, and at the end of it was a man who was clapping.
"What is this?" asked Helga.
"A card game," said Salazar. "Poker if I'm not mistaken."
"Correct boy," said one of the centaurs. "Now, which one of you will join us?"
"None of us are joining you," said Salazar, his face set. "This is a game of chance, not a test! It's just whoever owns this castle toying with us! Plus we have nothing to wager."
"Nothing to wager, hm?" asked another centaur looking at Salazar and then at the other humans. He made a small, quick gesture with his left hand and Rowena let out a small cry and fell to the ground, one hand on her neck.
"What did you do to her?!" screamed Salazar.
"Poisoned her," said the third centaur calmly. "Now her life is in your hands. Once you get through this room and the next you will be given the antidote."
"The only problem," said the second centaur, almost laughing, "is that she doesn't have much time."
"Now I ask again," said the first centaur, "which of you will play?"
"I will," said a very angry Salazar as he sat down and began shuffling the cards.
The game seemed to go on for ages. During it Salazar noted the looks on his oponents faces when they took certain cards, unfortunetly centaurs weren't big on facial expressions. He had to force himself to stop looking over at his new friends. Helga had put her shawl over Rowena's prone form. The girl was pale as death and didn't even respond to her birds urgent cries and pleas.
When two of the centaurs folded Salazar barely noticed, but he did notice when his final oponent layed down his cards: a full house. Salazar almost jumped for joy, but he knew that they still had one room to go before Rowena was safe. He quickly layed down his four of a kind and ran over to Rowena, completely forgetting that he had taken off his cloak during the game and it still lay on the back of his chair.
"Let's get her out of here," he said quickly and picked the girl up. He carried her into the next room and noted that there was no rhyme on the door, only one word:
"Hurry!"
The indigo room was- well, empty. There was nothing there, nothing except a square design on the tiled floor. It was a picture of a knight fighting a dragon, seen through a gap in a flowery hedge. Suddenly the center tile diappeared, and all the others began to shift around. Helga and Godric jumped, while Salazar manuvered his way to the sides of the room. By now you may have noticed that all the rooms, save the first one, are circular.
"So we just have to put it back the way it was, right?" asked Helga.
"I guess," said Godric.
"This will take ages!" yelled Salazar as he layed Rowena down.
"Then we'd better start now," said Godric, laying a hand on Salazar's shoulder. "Right, Salazar?" Salazar took one look back at Rowena and nodded.
"Did I ever mention how much I hate puzzles?" Godric said almost two hours later.
"Would you be quiet?" asked Salazar. "You're wasting valuable energy that you could be using to solve this thing."
"Touchy."
Salazar didn't seem to notice though, because Rowena had just taken a particuarly ragged breath which cuased him continue the puzzle with a renewed sense of purpose.
Half an hour later Pest was perched on Rowena's chest. His master's lifesigns were fading and he didn't know what to do. He was about to go and get the human that had traveled with them for the past few days, he would want to be with her when it happened, when he heard a sound. The bird looked up to see that the three humans were working on the top half of the puzzle, their backs to the door they had come in by; on the side of the puzzle that the children could not see the tiles were picking themselves up and moving to their correct places. Pest almost called out to the three humans when a translucent form appeared and put a finger to its mouth silencing the hawk. The form was a man, obviously a projection of the man's true self. He placed a hand on Rowena's forehead and the girl seemed to breathe easier. Once the man seemed sure that Rowena was going to last a bit longer he nodded to Pest and disappeared.
The humans turned around five minutes later to find that the puzzle was done. A small bag fell from nowhere, into Salazar's arms. There was a bottle inside along with a note, it read:
"Give her the whole bottle."
Salazar ran over to Rowena, pulled her into a sitting position and slowly poured the elixer into her mouth.
"But-" started Godric, looking at the finished puzzle.
"Don't," Helga said, laying a hand on his shoulder, "just don't."
"What-" said Rowena as her eyes fluttered open, "what happened?"
Salazar had the urge to hug her but ignored it. "Those centaurs poisoned you so we'd play the game."
"Who played?"
"Godric," Salazar said quickly.
Rowena studied at him for a minute, as if searching for something. When she seemed satisfied with what she found she stood.
"Are you sure you're ready for that?" asked Godric.
"Yes, I feel fine now. This isn't the room with the centaurs."
"No," said Helga, "we had to beat them, then put these tiles back where they belonged to get the antidote."
"Oh. It is very beautiful," Rowena said as she looked at it.
"It is, isn't it?" said Salazar as he looked at her. Pest suddenly flew by him though, scratching his ear, then landed on Rowena's shoulder and began talking to her endlessly.
"Oh really?" asked Rowena when he finished.
"What?" asked Godric.
"Nothing important," Rowena said absentmindedly. "Shall we go on then?"
"Let's."
And so they all passed through the door that read,
"Six are won,
now only one
left to be done."
They stood in a violet room with six levers on either side between the two doors, each one about three yards above the floor.
"What are we supposed to do in here?" asked Godric.
"Maybe we pull the levers and face whatever comes out," suggested Helga.
"Might as well try," said Salazar. Just as he was about to pull a lever Pest cried out from above their heads. Rowena made a series of bird calls in return which Pest answered.
"He says," translated Rowena, "that something is written on the wall up there. He says it looks like a poem."
"A poem?" asked the others in surprise. Just as they did though holes in the wall directly beneath each of the levers opened up and ice cold water poured in.
"Kick off your shoes!" yelled Salazar as the water level reached their waists. Everyone did as they were told.
Rowena made a series of calls up to Pest, who began calling back down very slowly. When Pest was done Salazar called over the sound of the water, "What was that?"
"He was reading me the poem!"
Salazar was about to ask, "He can read?" but a swell of the water caught him off guard. Although the water level continued to rise the levers moved up the wall so that they could stay just above the wave's reach.
Rowena suddenly called out, "I've got it!" She swam over to one of the levers and, after being tossed about by the streaming water, grabbed on, said, "I hate water," and pulled down as hard as she could. Slowly the water level stopped rising, and the water began to trickle out holes at the base of the walls.
"What happened?" asked Godric when they were all back on solid ground, dripping and shaking.
"Pest read me the poem," explained Rowena, "it had clues as to which lever would get rid of the water."
"Oh."
"Very lucky that we have a bird," said Helga, "and someone who can talk to birds."
"Yes," said Salazar quietly, "quite good too."
Suddenly the door opened and the four made their way out, Pest flying overhead to keep dry. This room was huge. It seemed to be the castle's ballroom, although none of the children thought that there were balls held there. There was light streaming in through windows at the tops of the walls and a few candles closer to eye level. In the center of the room sat a table, and at the end of it was a man who was clapping.