“I knew it.” Puck shook his head. “There’s always a catch.” I ignored Puck, taking a step toward the hooded figure. “I’m ready,” I said, searching for a face behind that dark cowl, finding nothing.
“Whatever you throw at me—gauntlets, tests, anything—it won’t matter. I’m ready. What do I have to do?” The Guardian didn’t seem surprised. “This trial is not only for you, knight,” it said, sweeping a robed arm at the group behind us. “Anyone who wishes to see the End of the World must first make it through the gauntlet. Alone, you will fail. Together, you might have a chance to overcome the challenges. But know this—not all who enter the temple will leave. Of that, you can be certain.” My stomach dropped. I didn’t doubt his words, much as I hated to accept them. The Guardian was telling us that not everyone would survive the gauntlet. That one or more of us was going to die.
“One thing more.” The Guardian raised a hand in the silence of that revelation. “You do not have long to find me, knight. Once the doors 195/387
open, at both ends of the gauntlet, they will not remain that way forever. If you are still in the temple when they close, you will be trapped there until the end of time, joining those who have already failed. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” I said numbly. The cowl nodded once.
“Then I will see you at the End of the World, knight. Where, if you make it through, your real trial will begin.” And just like that, it was gone. It didn’t fade away or vanish in a puff of smoke or even disappear like Grimalkin, becoming invisible. It simply wasn’t there anymore.
I stood at the top of the stairs, feeling my companions’ gazes at my back, and raised my head.
“Anyone who wants to turn back, should,” I said quietly without turning around. “You heard what the Guardian said. Not all of us will make it out of here. I won’t hold anything against you if you want to leave.” I heard Puck’s snort of disgust as he climbed the last of the stairs and stood before me, crossing his arms. “What, and let you have all the fun?
You should know me better than that, ice-boy. Though, I will admit, the thought of being trapped with you forever makes my skin crawl.
Guess we’ll have to make sure that doesn’t happen, huh?”
“I’ve come this far,” the Wolf growled, padding forward to stand behind Puck. “No good turning back now. I said I’d see you to the End of the World, and I will. The cat can leave if it wants. That would be in tune with its cowardice. But the story must go on.”
“Please.” Grimalkin trotted up the steps and turned to glance back at me, twitching his tail. “As if I would allow myself to become trapped 196/387
with the dog until the end of time.” He sniffed and curled his whiskers.
“Fear not, prince. There is no doubt that I will leave if I think that you are close to failure. But these gauntlets always have some sort of ridiculously aimless puzzle or mind game to solve, and you will likely need someone with intelligence before it is done. Besides, you still owe me a favor.”
I nodded at them all and turned to Ariel a, still standing a few steps down, gazing through me at the temple. “You don’t have to do this,” I told her gently. “You got us this far—you’ve done more then I could’ve asked for. You don’t have to go any farther.” She smiled that sad little smile and took a deep breath. “Yes,” she whispered, meeting my gaze. “I do.” Climbing the stairs, she came to stand beside me, taking my arm. “To the end, Ash. I’ll see you to the very end.”
I put my hand on hers and squeezed. Puck grinned at us, and the Wolf snorted, shaking his head. With Grimalkin leading the way, the five of us approached the massive stone doors to the temple. With an earth-shaking rumble, they slowly opened, showering us with pebbles and dirt. Beyond the doors, everything was cloaked in darkness.
We didn’t stop. With Ariel a and Puck beside me, the Wolf loping behind us, and Grimalkin leading the way, we crossed the threshold and entered the gauntlet.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE GAUNTLET
As I expected, the temple, though huge from the outside, didn’t con-form to normal space. The first room we came to, past the long, narrow hallway, was a large, open courtyard, surrounded by walls and covered in moss. Strange beams of light slanted down from somewhere above, and broken statues, pill ars and enormous stones were scattered throughout. The chamber looked like a miniature labyrinth of crumbled walls, archways and columns, covered in vines and shattered with the weight of time.
Ahead of us, a pair of huge double doors stood atop a platform, guarded by two hulking stone creatures, one on either side. The statues looked like a cross between a lion and some sort of monstrous canine, with broad heads, curling manes and thick, clawed forepaws.