All That Lives Must Die - Eric Nylund [135]
“That was my guess originally,” Jeremy muttered. He strode toward it.
They crowded about the brass plaque on the wall and read:
Order from the oldest to most recent these mortal magical families: Covington, Scalagari, Kaleb, Van Wyck, De Marco, Janis, and the Isla Blue Tribe.
This was followed by a blank space on the plaque. “Kaleb,” Amanda and Sarah said together.35 Amanda took a step back, blushing. Sarah touched the name.
The raised brass letters of “Kaleb” sank through the other letters, and settled to the top of the blank space. Sarah then pursed her lips, concentrating, and twined a lock of her red hair as she considered the other names.
“Oh, get on with it,” Jeremy hissed. “It’s Kaleb, Isla Blue, Van Wyck, Scalagari, De Marco, Covington, and then Janis.”
Sarah took a deep breath and held it, as if to keep the words she wanted to say to her older cousin contained. She quickly touched the names in the order Jeremy suggested. They sank and arranged themselves in a list.
As the last one fell into place, there was a click.
The portcullis noisily ratcheted up.
“Now what?” Robert asked.
“I believe I go through,” Sarah replied.
She sashayed through the arch, but as soon as she crossed the portcullis, it slammed down behind her.
They all jumped.
“Remember Miss Westin said we’d be graded individually?” Mitch whispered. “I think we each have to answer to get through.”
Fiona saw the ordered list of families on the plaque vanish . . . and the names return scrambled to the top portion, except the Janis family became the Clan Soto.
“Ah,” Jeremy said, leaning over her shoulder and noting this as well. “Nothing to it.” He rattled off the proper sequence.
Fiona touched the names, the gate rose, and she marched through—then the gate slammed shut after her.
Sarah exhaled, relaxing now that she was no longer alone on this side of the arch.
One by one they went through, Jeremy finishing last and following.
“So far so good,” Fiona declared.
The room they stood in was lined with brick and looked like the interior of a blast furnace, with scorch marks and patches white from extreme heat. Fiona didn’t like it . . . wondering if the place would fill with fire if they missed an answer.
No way. She couldn’t believe they’d really hurt students who failed. Miss Westin had to be psyching them out. That’s all.
Still . . . she had no intention of finding out.
There were three exit arches.
“So which way?” Robert asked Eliot.
Eliot nodded to the gate on their left.
Fiona examined the plaque by it. There was the impression of a tree with many branches, each with a tiny blank rectangle. At the base of the tree trunk like so many fallen apples lay jumbled the names of gods and goddesses.
This would be easy.
She directed Amanda how to arrange the names in the family tree of Immortals.
. . . even the Fates on their own separate branch.
The portcullis rose.
There was a commotion in the main cavern. The next group had entered. They scattered—each student running toward a different gate and question plaque, and each covering their answers so none of the others could see.
One boy from Team Eagle ran toward the gate that led to this room, but seeing them all inside, he halted, confused—and then turned away.
“Hurry,” Sarah rasped to Amanda. “Before the others understand what we are doing.”
Amanda moved through the arch, and the portcullis dropped behind her.
Fiona watched as the names in the brass trees fell to the bottom. “Aphrodite” faded, and “Loki” appeared in its place.
But Fiona knew them all still, and she helped the rest of her team through.
She paused just before she walked through. This was easy. Was it cheating?
She didn’t think so. As Jezebel had said, Miss Westin hadn’t prohibited them from pooling resources. Maybe no one at Paxington had thought about it because working together for a common good was an alien concept for them.
So selfish.
Team Scarab efficiently moved through four more passages and four more rooms.