We waited, as the bodiless voice continued in its explanation.

“This is the gateway. Beyond, lies your personal endeavor for the completion of this Trial, and to move on to the final stage of your Heroes Challenge. You must work with your companions here in this chamber to resolve a solution. When you are ready, speak, and I will evaluate you.”

The voice was androgynous, and it was hard to tell if it belonged to a man or a woman. But I also noticed that as the words were spoken, the gem in the center of the door pulsated with each syllable.

Was the jewel speaking?

“Well, sprites,” the older man said, smiling congenially, “that’s easy enough. Everyone ready?”

“Sprites?” Freya asked, “what are you, our grandpa?”

The man seemed to not be bothered by her question, and just laughed.

“Ah, I concede that is a bit of an outdated term,” he said, “but I suppose I’m an old fashioned sort. Pardon me if that offended you, young man.”

Freya was still smiling under her hood.

“No, that’s fine,” she said, “I’m ready, if the rest of you are.”

There were nods from everyone, save for Gaius, who still rested with his back on the wall.

“Alright, then,” the gray-haired man said, “in that case, let’s get on with it.”

He strode forward, and raised his hand to the jewel.

“Door,” he said in his lazy way, “we are ready to be evaluated.”

There was visible tension among the group, as everyone straightened, and prepared for whatever was going to happen next. I gripped the handle of my climbing hook tightly. A moment passed. Then another.

“Nothing is happening,” said the stone armored man, scratching his head, “perhaps the sentient portal did not hear you?”

The older man nodded, and turned back to the gem, raising his hand again, and shouting this time.

“WE ARE READY TO BE EVALUATED!”

Silence.

“What the hell?” Freya asked, drawing one of her daggers, and pointing it at the door, “evaluate us, door, or I’ll jam a blade in you!”

Still, nothing happened. Freya turned back, and the smile under her hood looked sheepish.

“Well, I’m out of ideas,” she said.

“It were saying that we had to work with one ‘nother to find a solution,” the black haired man with the spear said. His voice had a confident tone, and I noticed a brogue accent to it.

“But that was mentioned ‘fore it said we’d be evaluated. So, mayhaps there’s sommat we’re overlookin’.”

“Companions,” the older man slurred, smiling, “it said find the solution with your companions. We don’t know each other at all, so how can we be companions?”

“There’s a lad,” the black haired man stated, patting the older man on the back, “let’s all get acquainted, then we can tackle this thing.”

I nodded. It was worth a try. Though, it seemed odd that the Trial would require us to befriend one another in an environment of competition like this.

“I’m Luf,” said the older man, “Luf Warwick. I’m an alchemist from Smick, in the Citrine Province.”

He looked around at the assembled group. When no one said anything, he sighed.

“Well, what are you waiting for, sprites?” he said, “introduce yourselves!”

“I am Hutch Carthage,” I said, “a crafter’s apprentice from the Berrywood, in the unincorporated territory.”

Slowly, everyone began to reveal who they were.

The dark-haired man with the spear was Jaco Hastam, a guardsman from a village called Khleev in the Onyx Province. The big man was Wilfredo Vis Teras, the second son of an influential noble in Gilliam. The woman with the bow was named Hestia. We learned from Jaco that she didn’t have the ability to speak, but he informed us that she was from a village nearby his. The two of them had traveled together to Ingvald to participate, and both had been Appointed to Scorpius.

I learned that Freya’s surname was Orpheus, but she was extremely cagey about further details about her life. That included her origins, saying that she was from “the all over the realm… maybe.”

“You’re next, my dear,” Luf said, gesturing to Helene, “go ahead and give us your details, so we can get outta here.”

The quarter-Ilfin woman sighed, and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they had a hard look.

“I am Helene of the Banner House of Artemis,” she said stiffly.

“Ah, yes,” Wilfredo said, bowing suddenly, “I had heard that you were here, though I did not expect you to be so… capable.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

Wilfredo looked down his nose at me and snorted.

“You are a little under informed, aren’t you?” he said, “House Artemis is the second-most influential family in the Kingdom. They are royalty.”

I peered at Helene, but she didn’t say anything.

“So what does that have to do with being capable?” I asked, feeling as though I might be embarrassing myself, but I wanted to know if it was a slight.

“Poor boy,” Wilfredo said, “so unsophisticated in your political knowledge. If you must know, my surprise stems from the fact that manifestum women rarely take up a Heroes mantle.”

“Manifestum?” I asked.

“Why, yes,” he said, smirking as though he was somehow smarter than me, “Lady Helene is--”

“Enough,” said a biting voice. Gaius was standing, and resembled a glowering stormcloud. He marched across the threshold of the corridor, and stood in front of the door.

“I cannot stand to hear all of you fools chumming it up,” he said, “I am ready to be evaluated.”

Suddenly, the red jewel sprang to life.

“Speak your name,” the voice commanded.

What’s going on here? Gaius hadn’t participated at all, and the door was appeasing him for some reason.

“Gaius, of Banner House Artemis,” the red-haired man stated.

“Are you prepared to be evaluated, Gaius, of Banner House Artemis?”

“Get on with it,” he said.

“Very well,” the voice responded, “answer true, Appointed:

What has legs, but cannot run,

Safe ‘til unearthed, from air or sun,

A stem whose flower takes to bloom,

But spoil and rot within it loom?”

Gaius smirked, and turned to Helene.

“Perhaps I need not have tried to bar your passage, dear sister,” he said, “because with the help of these fools, you’ll be trapped here until the Challenge is over.”

Then he turned back to the door.

“The answer to your riddle is: a goblet of wine.”

“You have been evaluated,” the gem said. Suddenly, the glow inside the jewel flared bright, and a single shaft of red light landed on Gaius. It enveloped him, and then suddenly, he was gone.

“A riddle?!” Freya exclaimed, “I love riddles!”

“Well, here’s a riddle for ya,” Jaco said, “why did that git from Capricorn get a free pass, while the rest o’ us are slavin’ away, lookin’ fer an answer like Year One scholars?”

“I--er-- I dunno,” Freya said, slumping slightly. Her head was turned down, and I could see from the way she bit her lip that she was thinking hard about the solution.

“Maybe he’s a cheat?” Luf ventured, scratching his gray hair idly.

“Gaius is an insufferable idiot,” Helene said, “but he wouldn’t besmirch the honor of our House with foul play.”

“But wasn’t it him, who were waylayin’ ya, before?” Jaco asked, leaning forward, gripping his spear and slumping, “that seems a catch cheatery if you ask me.”

“That was… different,” Helene stated seriously, her piercing eyes holding Jaco within their depths. The black-haired spear-wielder straightened up, smiling nervously.

“Not tryin’ to besmirch yer illustrious brother, m’lady,” he said quickly, “just tryin’ to sort out all the facts we’ve got.”

“I don’t know that this door can be fooled,” I said, gesturing to the gem, “I’d be surprised if the premiere system of judgement for such an important thing like the Heroes Challenge could be deceived so simply. All he did was say he was ready, and then answer a riddle.”

“Right,” agreed Helene, “so he must have figured out the true meaning of the words.”

“Well, then that means we didn’t understand,” Freya said, “so learning about one another was useless.”

“Well, we did not learn much about you, anyway,” Wilfredo said, “though I imagine it was likely the same old, tired peasant story. Parents dead. No other family to beg for coin, probably wound up sleeping in pig shit, until you were able to cobble together the idea to attempt to join the Equites.”

“Woah, woah, woah!” Luf warned, “that’s no way to speak to a fellow! This boy has every right to hold his truth close to his chest. There’s no rhyme or reason to speaking in such a way.”

Wilfredo turned with a snarl.

“That is clearly a girl, you absolute fool,” he spit, “and I have every right to lament my misfortune of being trapped in an airtight chamber with a legion of stinky peasants that smell like farts--”

“Stinky!?” Jaco demanded, taking a step forward, “how dare ya insult--”

“Let’s see how bad you smell when I cut your guts out of your belly,” Freya said, flipping both of her daggers out.

“This is Elaquastone armor, pig shit girl. You wouldn’t be able to slice through--”

“...skewer ya, and see how ya fare--”

“...been a while since I’ve bathed, I’ll admit, but--”

“ENOUGH!” I bellowed.

The floor had rumbled, and the braziers in the ceiling shook a little with my roar. Everyone had frozen, staring at me.

Maybe that was a bit much.

“We will all fail if we squabble over petty trivialities,” I said, my voice much quieter and calmer now, “like it or not, we have to work together to resolve this.”

Wilfredo crinkled his nose, and folded his arms in front of his chest.

“I should be here by myself,” he said sullenly, “this would be much less of a hassle. But, I suppose you have a point. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner I can join up with the rest of the Aries and be rid of this entire--”

That’s it!

“Everyone shut up, for a second,” I said, interrupting Wilfredo. The big man glowered at me, puffing his chest out.

“A peasant has no place instructing a noble as to his--”

“Quiet, Vis Tera,” Helene commanded, her voice an icy whip, “you are out of line. We are all here Appointed. If we pass this Challenge, we will be of equal standing in the eyes of the Crown. House ties will be rendered meaningless. You should endeavor to elevate your esteem in the eyes of the common folk, not demolish it. You would be best in remembering that.”

Wilfredo widened his eyes, but then looked to the ground, inclining his head forward.

“It was… remiss of me to speak so uncharacteristically out of character,” he said, “you are correct of course, Lady Artemis.”

Helene is… impressive. I had no idea she was so regal in her bearing.

I thought about how Nox, and the rest of the royal family had presented themselves. They’d been every bit as uncouth as the peasants I’d grown up around. She held herself with a much more commanding nature.

“What were you saying, sprite?” Luf asked, smiling.

“Oh… well, I had an idea,” I said, and then pointed at Jaco.

“You two said you’d been Appointed to Scorpius, right?”

Jaco looked to the silent Hestia next to him.

“Aye,” he said, “and I fear we may be the only ‘uns who made it to this point. Might be a sad celebration if we don’t get through this.”

I nodded, pointing to Freya.

“You’re Libra, you said?”

The woman nodded, but didn’t say anything else.

“I know that Helene is Libra, as well” I began, and then gestured to where Luf and Wilfredo stood, “what Nightsign have you two been appointed to?”

“I’m Scorpius,” Luf said. I watched as Jaco seemed to brighten up with this news.

Wilfredo snickered, and uncrossed his arms.

“I have been placed in Aries.”

“Right,” I said, “so, what if, by companions, the door was referring to our Nightsigns?”

“So you’re saying that one need only request entry with our fellow Nightsign?” Helene asked.

“Perhaps,” I said, “it’s just a guess, right now.”

“Out of the way,” Wilfredo demanded, shoving the others aside, and standing in front of the door, “I’ll test your theory.”

We all watched as he settled himself a few feet from the door, opposite the gem, and looked up at it, smiling.

“I am ready to be evaluated,” he stated.

The jewel blazed, like it had with Gaius.

“Speak your name,” the voice commanded.

“Wilfredo of House Vis Tera,” the big man said.

“Are you prepared to be evaluated, Wilfredo of House Vis Tera?”

“Get on with it, then,” Wilfredo commanded.

“Yes,” the voice responded, “answer true, Appointed:

I sleep beneath the moonlight,

And am eaten by the day,

I am become a burglar's plight,

I burn the bleak away,

You find me in each land,

I sustain the deer and bee,

I’m cherished in each breath and hand,

None live a day sans me,

What am I?

“Good riddance,” Wilfredo said, harumphing, “free of these tyrants of decency. The answer to your riddle is: the dawn.”

“You have been evaluated,” the gem said. Then, just as before, a light of glowing crimson enveloped Wilfredo, and when it faded, he too was gone.

“So, that’s the trick,” Luf said, smiling, “good on you, sprite, for discerning it.”

Then he, Jaco, and Hestia approached the door. They received their question. Though, something began biting at me, and I stopped paying attention to them. I heard Luf respond to the door’s prompt after a moment, by saying the word “sausage”. Then they were gone, disappearing in a red flash.

Dread set into my chest and stomach, and I looked up at the two women remaining in the chamber. Freya wore her wide grin, and flicked the edge of her dagger at the door.

“C’mon Libras,” she said, “let’s get over there.”

“I’m sorry,” I said seriously, a knot forming in the pit of my gut, “but you two have to go without me.”

“What are you talking about?” Helene demanded, “if you do not go, we cannot go. Now is not the time to get cold feet, Hutch Carthage.”

“I--er--I’m not actually a Libra,” I admitted.

“What?” Freya demanded, “but, you arrived with Commander Luciferi and you were chatting with that bruise-eyed Ilfin!”

“So, you lied,” Helene said. It wasn’t a question. She frowned, for a moment, then her face relaxed, and she was the picture of regality again.

“Come, Freya Orpheus,” she said, “we must hurry.”

Freya turned as well, but flashed me a smile.

“Well, I’m not sure why you’d lie about something like that, but I suppose everyone has their reasons. I’m not one to judge a falsehood.”

“I didn’t lie… per se,” I attempted, but then I stopped. The technical nature of my predicament wasn’t worth taking the time to explain, when it seemed there was definitely a finite amount left. I had implied to Helene that I was Appointed to Libra, even if I hadn’t said it outright.

“...good luck, you two,” I said instead.

They prompted the door, and they received their riddle. Much like with the group of Scorpius, I didn’t register the words, I simply let the terrible feeling fill me. I’d truly failed now. I had been dismissed once, and blocked from carrying on farther into the Challenge. I wouldn’t see my father for a long time now. I didn’t know what I would do, but I felt that this was worse than the first time. I’d been given a new hope, and had it pulled away from me.

In my fog of self loathing, I noticed that both Helene and Freya turned to look back at me one final time, and then they faced the door again. They must have answered, for one second later, they were gone, the red light transporting them somewhere else.

I stood in the sealed chamber, alone. I’d likely have to stay here until the Challenge was over. I felt a rumble, and heard my stomach groan.

Just great, I’m trapped in this chamber without any food. Not only did I fail, but I’m going to starve to death.

I sighed, choosing to move to the wall near the door and rest against it, much like Gaius had done.

“So, this is it,” I said.

“Speak your name.”

The voice startled me so much that I almost fell backward. The door had spoken! My heart began to pound.

Don’t you do this… don’t you give me hope!

“I’m, uh, Hutch Carthage… of the Berrywood.”

“I see. That is intriguing,” said the voice, the gem pulsating with each syllable, “we haven’t had one of your kind for a long, long time.”

The change from the canned responses caught me off guard. The knot in the pit of my stomach returned, but it was different now. It wasn’t one of disappointment, it was excitement.

“One of my kind?” I asked.

“Yes,” said the voice, then a pause, before...

“Are you prepared to be evaluated, Hutch Carthage of the Berrywood?”

Gulping, I nodded.

“Yes.”

“Very well,” the voice said, “answer true, Appointed.”