Claire shook her head. “We’re overthinking it. It’s a logic problem, the answer must be simple. We just have to work it out. What combinations make up seven?”
“You can have four girls and three boys,” Megan said. “Or four boys and three girls. Or six boys and a girl, or six girls and a boy…”
Rachel scratched her head. “Or, they could be all girls…”
“That’s it.” Claire looked around the circle at her closest friends. “Do you trust me?”
The three girls nodded. Claire stood and faced the Sphinx; she looked terrified. “The children are all boys. Half are boys, and so is the other half.”
The Sphinx blinked her sapphire eyes and smiled. For a moment Megan was sure the beast was going to open her jaws and snatch them all up. “That is correct.”
Megan’s shoulders slumped and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Good job, Claire.”
I knew I could count on her.
One down, two to go.
The end of the Sphinx’s tale flicked. “Riddle the second. How many letters are in the alphabet?”
“That’s simple,” Harriet blurted out. “There’s twen—”
Claire slapped her hand over Harriet’s mouth. “Don’t you dare.” She pulled Harriet toward her. “It’s a trick question. The answer is not twenty-six.” She lifted her hand.
Harriet shot her an exasperated look. “Of course it is. There are twenty-six letters in the alphabet. Nothing could be simpler.”
Megan got where Claire was going. “It can’t be that easy. I mean, a five-year-old could answer it. It’s not a riddle, then, either. Just a question. She could mean the Greek alphabet or something.”
Harriet crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “Wouldn’t she have said so, if that’s what she meant? And what are you doing?” She looked at Rachel, who was muttering to herself and counting on her fingers.
“Eleven,” Rachel said.
“Huh?” Megan said. “Where did you come up with that?”
“The alphabet. T-H-E-A-L-P-H-A-B-E-T,” Rachel put up a finger with each letter she named. “Eleven letters.”
Claire raised her eyebrows. “Bloody brilliant. How did you figure that?”
Rachel shrugged. “It was the way she said it, I guess. The answer just came to me.”
Megan smiled and hugged Rachel by the neck. This is going to be a piece of cake. “Okay, you tell her.”
Rachel stood up and faced the Sphinx. “Eleven. The answer is eleven.”
The Sphinx cleaned herself while she waited. She stopped licking the back of her paw and gazed at Rachel.
“Very good. Many do not answer correctly. They look for the easy answer. I have eaten more than one human because of that riddle.
“There is one more riddle to answer before you may enter the chamber of the crown. Be certain before you answer. As with the others, there is only one chance. An incorrect answer brings death. Are you ready?”
Megan hesitated. This was the point of no return. “Yes.”
The Sphinx cleared her throat. “Riddle the third. I soar without wings, I see without eyes. I’ve conquered the world, yet I’ve never been anywhere but home. What am I?”
Harriet inhaled sharply. Rachel’s eyes grew wide. Megan and Claire both knitted their brows.
“How do you expect us to answer that?” Rachel said.
“I don’t,” the Sphinx said with a shrug and a grin. “I’m rather hungry after my long rest. But there is an answer.” She returned to her grooming.
Megan pulled her friends a few feet further down the passage. Her insides were made of lead. “Please tell me one of you knows the answer.”
Ohpleaseohpleaseohplease.
Harriet chewed on a fingernail and shook her head. “What in the world do you think it could be? We’re going to die, aren’t we?”
“I don’t know. No, we’re not either.” Claire raked her fingers through her short hair. “But we have to figure it out. Being eaten alive is not what I wanted to do with my day.”
“How long do you think we have?” Rachel said. “I don’t think she’s going to let us think about it for the next century or anything.”
“Probably not long,” Claire said. “So let’s work it out. What soars without wings?”
“A leaf?” Harriet suggested. “You know, once it falls from a tree. It kind of soars.”
“No, I would call that falling,” Megan said. “Or floating. What can see without eyes?”
“My mother,” Rachel said. “I swear she’s got a pair in the back of her head. She always seems to know what I’m up to.”
Claire smirked. “I don’t think that’s the answer. Besides, has your mother ever conquered the world without ever leaving the house?”
“Not that I know of, but I don’t watch her every minute of the day.” Rachel covered her face with her hands. “Sorry. I joke when I’m upset. It’s a defense mechanism. Ugh, this is impossible. I can’t think of anything that it could be.”
Megan had an idea. “Maybe it’s not a thing. I mean, maybe it’s something you can’t touch, like the wind, or just air. The wind doesn’t have wings. Do you think it soars?”
“Nope, just blows,” Rachel said. “Kind of like this situation.”
“But you could argue that it sees without eyes,” Claire said. “I don’t think that’s the answer, but I think you’re on the right track, Megan. Think of other things that exist but you can’t touch.”
“Sunshine.”
“Love.”
“Peace.”.
“Trust.” Megan looked at the faces that surrounded her. “Or friendship.”
“Emotion.”
“Thought.”
Claire held up her hand. “Wait. Let’s explore that one. What kinds of thought are there?”
“What do you mean?” Rachel said. “You either think, or you don’t. Pretty black and white, if you ask me.”
“But it’s not.” Claire scratched her head. “There’s logical thought, there’s subconscious thought, conscious thought, artistic or creative thought, daydreams…”
Megan looked at the floor for a few minutes, her brows knitted. Then she knew. She couldn’t say how, but it was as if the answer just appeared in her head.
No, that can’t be right. Can it? I mean, how can it be? I never know the answer.
But no matter how many ways she thought about it, it made sense. She whispered into Claire’s ear. Claire’s face brightened, and she nodded. She whispered into Harriet’s ear, who passed the message to Rachel.
“Do we all agree?” Megan said. She hoped she had the answer. If not, it would be her fault they died.
The others nodded.
“Are…are you sure?” Megan said. “I mean, if there’s a better answer…”
“Oh, stop it already,” Rachel said. “We don’t have anything, because that’s the answer.”
Megan pushed the fear down as far as possible and swallowed. “Okay.”
They walked, side by side, to the Sphinx. Megan’s stomach churned, her hands shook. Rachel stood on one side of her, Claire on the other; she could hear both taking long, ragged breaths.
“Do you have your answer?” The Sphinx smiled broadly, revealing two rows of sharp, cat-like teeth. “Are you prepared to meet your end?”
“And what makes you think we’ll get it wrong?” Rachel said.
The Sphinx chuckled. “Because no one has ever answered it correctly.”
Claire reached out and squeezed Megan’s hand.
“Go on. You can do it. I believe in you.”
Megan licked her lips and took a deep breath. “Imagination.” Her voice cracked. “The imagination can soar without wings, see without eyes. It can conquer the world without ever leaving the imaginer’s head, which is where it lives.”
The silence that followed stretched out forever. Megan had to remind herself to breathe. Did they win the crown, or did her wrong answer get them a painful death?
“Well?” Rachel sa
id. “Is that the right answer or isn’t it?”
The Sphinx lowered her head and looked at them through her long lashes.
“As hungry as I am, I cannot lie.” She stood and moved from in front of the door. “Enter. You have proved yourselves worthy.”
Everything turned surreal. Megan wanted to jump for happiness, but her feet had turned to lead. She tried to lift them, but they felt so heavy. The other girls threw their arms abound her. Tears of relief and joy streamed down her face.
“Who can’t figure anything out now?” Rachel crowed. “You did it!”
“Yeah,” Megan said, still in a little bit of shock. “Now let’s get the heck out of here.”
Together they approached the door. The Sphinx bowed her head as they passed, then disappeared.
Megan could hardly believe it. They made it through to the end, passed all of the tests, beaten all of the beasts, and had earned their way home, all in one piece. The door didn’t move further away or disappear. It was real. She ran a hand across the inscription on the smooth stone. It had only been days since she had first seen it in the diary, but it seemed like years. Centuries. Beneath the Greek was written:
Beware! The Crown of Knowledge is not to be sought without temperance.
“Temperance?” Rachel said. “I could care less about temperance. I just want to get the stupid crown and get out of this bloody book.”
There was no knob or pull, so Megan pushed. The door swung open with a grinding, stone-on-stone sound. Inside was a small cave. The room had a low ceiling, and the walls were rough stone, the walls uneven—a natural cavern. A raised stone dais was in the center. On the dais stood a rectangular stone table, like an altar. Strange symbols, some like the ones in the underground temple at home, were carved into it. The room was lit by two torches on long poles set into the ground. A singular, diffused beam of light came through the ceiling to fall on the center of the altar.
Three velvet pillows the color of blood, edged in gold braid and tassels, were placed across the top of the altar, one next to the other. In the center of the each perched a circlet of gold. All three were different. One was tall and studded with rubies. The one in the center was decorated with golden laurel leaves; the third was a simple gold circle with single, sparkling lightning bolt attached.
“Which one is it?” Rachel said. “Does anyone know?”
Megan shook her head and cursed. She couldn’t believe it—how could Sir Gregory do this to them? “How are we supposed to know which one is the real one?” she muttered, more to herself than to her companions.
“There’s something over here,” Rachel said. On the wall next to the door, beneath a small olive tree carved into the stone, was one last clue.
You’ve made it this far
You’re to be commended
Now claim your prize
And your journey is ended.
“Beautiful,” Harriet said. “What happens if we pick the wrong one?”
“I don’t think I want to know,” Claire said.
“Temperance,” Megan said. “We sought the crown, we need restraint, self-control. If we grab the wrong one, we lose.”
Harriet sat on the edge of the dais and put her face in her hands. “You’ve got to be kidding,” she sobbed. “We’ve made it all this way, we’re so close we could literally reach out and touch it, and we don’t know which one it is?”
Rachel ran her hands through her hair. “That clue over there doesn’t tell us which one to pick. Let’s think about this for a minute. Is there anything we know about Zeus or Archibald that would tell us which one it is?”
Claire rubbed the knuckles of one hand across her brow. “I can’t think of anything.”
Megan circled the pedestal, her jaw set. She refused to be beaten, not now. She carefully examined each crown, tilting her head first one way, then the other. Then she saw it. “Hand me that torch,” she said to Rachel.
“What are you thinking?” Rachel pulled the torch out of its holder and handed it to her.
“Look.” Megan moved the torch along the edge of the altar. Each crown winked in the firelight as the flame passed.
“What?” Rachel said. “I don’t see anything.”
“I do,” Claire said. “No shadows. Two don’t have shadows.”
Megan nodded. She pointed to the ruby crown, her finger almost touching, but not quite. She wouldn’t put it past Sir Gregory for the fake ones to be booby-trapped. “It’s an illusion of some kind. But this one,” she pointed to the one in the center, with the laurel leaves, “does.”
Claire shook her head. “Simple. One last, simple trick, only discovered by a little…patience.”
“Brilliant!” Rachel said. “Then that’s the one. “Let’s take it and get out of here.” She reached for it.
“Wait!” Megan said.
“Why? What now?” Rachel said.
“I think if you touch it by yourself, we’ll get left behind,” Megan said.
“We didn’t have to be touching to get into the story,” Rachel said. “The book just sucked us all in.”
Megan thought about that. “Okay, you’re right. But the clue says we have to claim the prize to end our journey. What if that means the crown itself is rigged to transport whoever grabs it out of the book. I mean, I don’t see another way out, do you? I’d rather not take any chances.” She stood in front of the true crown. “Come on, Harriet, stand up. Time to go.” All four girls gathered around the crown.
Megan grinned—it really was time to go. There were times when she never thought they would get here, never see this room or the crown. She and her friends were made of stronger stuff than Sir Gregory thought they would be. They had won.
“Are we sure?” Rachel said. “That this will take us home, and not someplace else? Someplace worse?”
“I don’t think Archibald was that kind of person,” Megan said. “I know it’s been horrible, but he’s played fair. This is our reward. What’s the worst that can happen?”
“Last time you said that, we wound up being sucked into a book,” Harriet said.
Please don’t remind me. “Everybody hold hands.” Megan took Rachel’s, who took Claire’s, who took Harriet’s. “I’ll grab it, and it should take all of us with it.”
“Okay, then, do it,” Claire said. “Everyone hold on tightly. I’m not coming back into this book to fetch anyone who gets left behind.”
“On three.” Megan squeezed Rachel’s hand until her knuckles were white. “One, two, three.”
She gently grasped the crown. In the center of the pillow a pinprick of light appeared. It grew quickly, opening like an iris, until it filled the circle made by the crown. Megan felt herself rise from the floor.
Like going over a waterfall, she plunged headfirst into the light. She felt Rachel’s hand in hers, but the light blinded her. She couldn’t see if Claire and Harriet were still with them. As when they entered the book, there was a noise like a mighty wind that filled her ears. They fell.
The light softened, the noise dimmed and Megan bellyflopped onto something hard. All the breath was pushed from her lungs. Something landed on her back.
“Ow,” she gasped as the space between her spine and her belly button decreased rapidly.
“Sorry.” Rachel rolled off Megan and onto the floor. She pushed herself to a sitting position. “Some ride, huh? Is everyone here? Did we all make it out?”
Megan, not willing or able to get up, turned her head to one side. Harriet lay nearby. She was unconscious, and a purple bruise erupted on her forehead. Claire knelt next to her, trying to wake her. Megan still held the crown; the points of the leaves dug into her palm.
She regained her breath and stood up. They were back in the library. The book with the blue cover, that had taken them on their adventure, sat on the table, closed, appearing perfectly innocent. She was again wearing black jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.
Harriet groaned; her eyes fluttered open. “Are we there yet?”
“Yes,” Megan said with a smile. “How do you feel?”
“If we’re home, then I’m perfect. But can someone please help me off the floor?”
Claire extended her hand and pulled Harriet up. She hugged Claire. “Thank you, thank you.”
Rachel pointed to the crown. “What do we do with that thing?”
“I can help you with that,” a man’s voice said. Megan spun, ready for a fight. Bailey stood in the library’s center aisle not far from where the girls landed.
“Did you have a pleasant journey?”
Chapter Fourteen: Revelations
Megan took a step backward, and hid the crown behind her back. “What are you doing here?”
Bailey’s face broke into a smile—the expression looked foreign on him. He chuckled warmly. “I should be asking you the same question. This part of the house is not usually…used.”
Rachel’s mouth dropped open. “You know about this? The hidden stair, the temple, the library?” She narrowed her eyes. “The books?”
Bailey gave a small shrug. “Of course.” He put his hands behind his back and rocked on the balls of his feet. “I am the butler, after all. It is my responsibility to keep the house in good condition.”
He brandished his feather duster at them. “The entire house.”
Megan put a hand on her hips and thrust her chin outward. “Why didn’t you tell me or my father about it?”
Bailey inspected a fingernail. “Quite simply, it wasn’t any of your business.”
Megan fumed. How dare this man keep so large a secret? If they had known, they could have avoided this entire mess. “Not any of our business? This is our house.”
“Yes, you live here, but it is not yours.” Bailey’s tone was like a schoolteacher giving a lesson. “I had no say over your coming to live here, that was young Mr. Baird’s choice. The secret of the Library of Athena is to be preserved at all costs. It was not your concern.”
He pursed his lips, and his gaze traveled from one girl to the next. “Come with me, please. And bring that.” He pointed to the book on the table, turned on his heel and walked away. Halfway down the center aisle, he turned right and disappeared into the stacks.
The Crown of Zeus: The Library of Athena Book 1 Page 19
