Page 87 of The Stars are Dying

Movement below made me stumble back a step. The lines shifted, reorganizing themselves. Stacking and angling. When they stilled, I was sucked into a memory so fresh, staring at a far smaller version of this game made out of matchsticks on a beaten, ale-soaked table. Cassia’s phantom laugh punched me with sorrow and yearning.

“The lines will shift every thirty seconds to a new version of the puzzle.”

“Please help me.”

With a gasp I snapped my eyes up from studying how the lines formed. A small girl stood at the far end, in front of me. Nerves turned to trickling pressure as I realized the stakes that were about to be added to this taunting game.

“You have until the end of time on the third try to save her. Or continue for more tries to win your key.”

Outrage overcame me, almost spilling from my parted mouth when a light gloved hand clamped over it. I didn’t immediately meet Nyte’s eye as a huge gray wolf emerged, making me jolt again. At Nyte’s interception, I landed my look of horror on him.

All he gave was a slow shake of his head. A warning.

She was just achild.

Sweat started to bead on my forehead before it could begin. Three tries. Thirty seconds. I was fast at the inn, but notthatridiculously skilled.

Nyte eased away when he deemed me no longer at risk of doing something foolish.

My body strained to save the girl whose cries flexed my fists. This was sick and twisted. I glanced up at the floating key piece I needed. Then my eyes closed as I shook my head. I had to save her, and I needed that damn key.

“Do you accept?” the Crocotta asked smoothly.

I took a single breath and nodded.

“Then let’s begin.”

The clone of me walked off until it was lost in shadow. I followed the moving lines on the ground frantically until they stilled. Then thirty seconds began on a countdown above it.

“Move six to create six equal diamonds.”

Shit.In my frantic state at the timer and hyperaware of the threat to the girl’s life, I wasted many precious seconds before I even focused right on the matchstick puzzle. The image made a star, and just as I beamed knowing which ones I wanted to move, a ring chimed through me, and the lines rearranged.

My fists clamped in frustration.

One time Hektor had brought me an invention of two pieces that could come apart, and the trick was to figure outhow. The focused anxiety of that came back now. He had been unable to pull me away from it, and no matter how much he taunted me no one could figure it out, I couldn’t leave it unsolved.

It had taken me four days.

The next arrangement formed a pyramid of triangles.

“Remove five lines to get five equal triangles.”

With ten seconds left, my hands lifted, the lines moved to my gestures, my pulse raced, and my body tensed, but before my final two could slide into place it began to wipe itself again. My mouth opened, but my groan of anger didn’t get to spill at the unfairness of the impossible timer before Nyte spoke to my mind again.

“You have to give up.”

“No.”

“Astraea, it is testing you.”

“I can do it.”

“That is not the point you have to make here.”

The new puzzle formed, and at the blink of the thirty-second marker I flashed my eyes to the girl. The wolf eased down, primed to lunge.

My last attempt, or I had to admit defeat and save her.

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