by John Corwin
"Wait." I grabbed his arm. "It might be a trap."
"Like the snakes?" He snorted. "This time we'll know anything that comes at us is fake."
"I doubt they'll use the same trick twice." I knelt and examined the floor and the walls to make sure they weren't booby-trapped, but didn't see anything suspicious. Putting my eye level to the floor, I tried to see if any bricks rose higher than the others since I didn't want to step on a pressure plate. But after staring across the floor, nothing obvious stuck out.
Harris raised an eyebrow. "Well?"
"Everything looks normal—well, at least for this place."
He stepped forward. "Let's go."
I followed his lead. At first, nothing stood out of the ordinary until I realized it was taking us longer than expected to reach the end of the hall. "Is it my imagination, or are we not getting any closer to the cake?"
Harris broke into a run and I hurried to follow. The end of the hallway remained tantalizingly close, but we weren't closing the gap. I looked at the floor to see if we were on a conveyer belt, but the red brick path looked no different than before.
Panting, Harris stopped and I ran into him. We both sprawled on the floor, chests heaving.
"What's happening?" the other boy said breathlessly.
I sucked in a breath. "It's like a dream where you run as fast as you can, but don't go anywhere." Closing my eyes, I hoped for some insight from my parents, but their soul shards remained quiet. Think, Conrad. The goal was the cake, but walking toward it kept it out of reach. I propped on my elbows and looked behind us. The door remained twenty feet in one direction. I glanced toward the cake and estimated it seemed only slightly farther away.
"Maybe directly approaching the room is the issue." I stood up. "Let's walk away from it and see what happens."
Harris pushed himself up. "I'm willing to try anything at this point."
We walked to the door and tugged on it again. It remained locked.
"Any other bright ideas?" the other boy said.
I came up with one. "Let's walk backwards and not look at the cake."
"Backwards?" He groaned and threw up his hands. "Fine."
"How far does that look?" I asked.
"About fifty paces." Harris shrugged. "Let's count our steps."
I nodded and turned away from the room. "Remember, don't look back."
"I won't."
Keeping our eyes on the door, we walked backwards. "One, two, three," we counted, putting distance between us and the door.
"I think it's working!" Harris said.
I wasn't ready to congratulate myself just yet. Once we hit about twenty paces, the door remained the same distance. We took a hundred steps back but failed to enter the room and even worse, failed to get a piece of cake.
Harris blew out an angry breath and looked back. "It didn't work."
I paced back and forth, but couldn't figure out the puzzle.
"I just want to leave," Harris whined. "This is a stupid test. I'll bet the cake tastes bad anyway." He continued to gripe, and I let him, trying to sort this out in my head.
I looked down at the red brick path. It continued straight to the room. Earlier this test had forced us to stay on a marked route. But now it wasn't leading us where we needed to go. What if we aren't supposed to stay on the path anymore? "Step off the red bricks," I said and walked onto the bare stone to the side of the pathway.
"This is a waste of time." Harris rolled his eyes and stepped to the side with me.
We walked forward, but still remained stuck in place. I was about to join Harris's complaints with my own when I thought about the earlier part of the trial. I looked at the wall. Maybe we have to go farther off the path. I put a foot on the wall and stepped forward with my other one. I grinned as gravity shifted and let me stand on the wall.
Harris gasped. "But there's no path up there."
"I think that's the point." I pointed toward the door. "Back there, the test made us stay on the path, but sometimes, you have to leave it. Sometimes you have to take your own way."
"I am Harris Ashmore, son of prophecy," the other boy said, and stepped up the wall. He stood beside me and belted a laugh. "We're gonna get that cake."
We walked all the way up to the ceiling and continued toward the room at the end. This time, we reached it. I walked across the ceiling behind the cake and strode down the wall. Harris and I reached the floor and stood two steps from the goal.
He took a deep breath. "Here goes." Harris reached forward and touched the table.
"Yes!" I shouted. Hesitantly, I reached for a slice of cake and took it. It smelled heavenly and looked so moist.
Harris took his slice and held it up. "Here's to having our cake and eating it too."
"Cheers," I said with a grin. I hope this cake doesn't do something terrible to us. I took a bite and moaned with pleasure. "It's so sweet." Every bite melted in my mouth like strawberry ice cream. I finished it off regrettably fast.
Harris swallowed his last bit and brushed crumbs from his mouth. "I was wrong. The cake is really tasty."
A click and a creak echoed behind us. We turned and saw a door that hadn't been there before open into a brightly lit room. I retrieved my instruction sheet from my pocket.
Congratulations, you've completed the test. Proceed to the main hall and await your results.
Harris showed me the same message on his parchment. He pumped a fist. "We did it, Conrad! We won!"
We were finished with the test, but that didn't necessarily mean we'd passed. I kept that thought to myself. Harris and I stepped through the doorway and found ourselves back in the main hall near the front entrance to the university. Disoriented, I turned back around and saw only a small closet through the doorway.
Harris and I exchanged confused looks.
"Magic," Harris said with a shrug.
I nodded. "Magic."
Dozens of other students sat in the hall, some of them looking downcast while others laughed and talked excitedly with their friends. I didn't see Max or Ambria. Then again, they were probably only now taking the path trial.
Harris clapped me on the shoulder. "I was wrong, Conrad." He flashed his teeth. "I think we can be good friends."
Lily walked around the corner and saw us. "You're done!"
"Just now," Harris said. He nudged my arm. "Conrad here saved the day."
"Oh?" Her eyes grew curious. "Do tell."
"Well, you know, the path test," he said.
Her forehead pinched. "Path test?"
Harris nodded. "You know, where you have to walk on the ceiling, and the snakes come, but you get delicious cake at the end."
"I didn't take that test," she replied. "I had to carry a candle through a windy room without it going out."
"Hmm." Harris shrugged. "That sounds hard."
"Couldn't you just hold your hand over the candle?" I asked.
She giggled. "No, silly. The wind shifted in every direction at random. "
I tried to imagine the situation. "Did you have anything to enclose the flame?"
"Nope." She bounced on her heels. "Guess again."
"Well, it's rather hard to do that without more information." I considered the path trial. "What happened on your way to that room? Were there other features of the room that might help you?"
"Conrad's brilliant," Harris said. "He came up with ideas I never would have considered."
"He's definitely a thinker," Lily said. She tapped a finger to her lips. "Well, I had to escape a maze of rotating tubes before I reached the windy room."
"Were the tubes movable?" I asked.
She tilted her head slightly. "Yes…how did you—"
"You moved the tubes from one room into the windy room and placed them in a row." This time, my father's knowledge filled in the gaps. "When the tubes rotated, they redirected the air using the Magnus effect."
"Wow." Lilly stared at me. "I'm speechless, Conrad. I studied everything before this exam, even Scien
ce Academy texts. That's how I figured out what to do."
"Well, the Magnus effect seems like magic, but it's actually science." I smiled. "I studied the Science Academy texts too."
"Amazing." Lily shook her head slowly. "I was going to use the tubes to make a wall, but there weren't enough of them to block both sides of the path. That was when I remembered how spinning cylinders or spheres affect airflow."
Harris put a hand on my shoulder. "I don't think we met on accident, Conrad. I think this is fate."
"I agree," Lily said. "I haven't met many people as smart as me."
While I appreciated the compliment, it seemed that Lily and Harris were a bit full of themselves. Lily was obviously smart, but it felt like she'd talked down to me with that comment.
"What's going on out here?" Baxter, red faced and dripping in slime stepped out of the closet Harris and I had exited. Behind him emerged a slimy, frustrated Ambria.
"Whoa, what was your final test?" Harris asked.
Ambria growled and glared at Baxter. "We had to defeat a giant frog. How I ended up in the same test as him, I'll never know."
"Defeat a frog?" I asked. "Did you have to kill it?"
"It was blocking the door," Baxter said. "We couldn't move it, and when we cast spells at the bleeding thing, it smacked us with its tongue."
Lily burst into giggles. "How did you beat it?"
"You crawled through it, didn't you?" I said. "That's why you're slimy."
Harris chortled. "Like I said, genius!"
Baxter narrowed his eyes. "Yes, you wanker, we had to crawl into its mouth and out its bum. The next thing I saw was your ugly mug when the door opened."
"We had delicious cake when we solved our puzzle," Harris said. "It was the best cake ever."
Ambria stomped her foot. "You got cake?" She held up her arms. "Look at me, Conrad! Just look at me! I'm covered in filth. If anyone deserves cake right now, it's me."
"You two stink," Harris said. "You deserve a bath."
Ambria scowled and stiffened her shoulders. "Maybe you deserve a hug."
"No." Harris held up his hands in surrender. "I don't want one."
"Well, you're going to get one." Ambria ran at him.
He dashed around the group, gripping Lily's arms and hiding behind her. "Stop!" He burst into laughter as Ambria dodged back and forth. "Stop it!"
Before long, we were all laughing at their antics. Ambria flicked her fingers and sprayed Lily and Harris with slime, then crossed her arms and glared at them. "Fine, I won't hug you."
That brought on another round of laughter.
I saw Max exit a door on the opposite side of the hall. He flinched when he noticed Harris and the others, but I motioned him over.
"Hey," he said in a meek voice. "Are you all finished?"
Baxter sneered. "What was your test, Cryberius?"
Ambria slapped the unpleasant ginger on the shoulder. "His name is Max, you rude boy."
"Well, I had to walk through a dark room filled with monsters," Max said.
Only then did I realize how pale his face looked. "How do you know there were monsters in there?" I asked.
"They grabbed me, and some of them bit me." He shrugged. "Every time I tried to illuminate using my wand, this scary white lizard would bite my ankle until I put it out."
"How awful," Ambria said. "Is your ankle okay?"
He nodded. "They didn't bite hard."
"I'll bet you cried and wet your pants," Baxter said.
Max stared at him. "I can tell you that after walking through a pitch black room of horrors, I'm not afraid to admit how scared I was." A wan smiled touched his lips. "When I reached the door on the other side, the lights came on and nothing was there."
"Not even the white lizard?" Ambria said.
He shrugged. "There were holes in the walls, so I guess all the monsters went in there." Max shivered. "I certainly wasn't going to look in those holes."
Rhona Trask appeared alongside Gideon Grace and began calling out names and handing out envelopes.
"Conrad Edwards," Grace said.
I walked over and took the envelope. "Thank you, sir."
He didn't reply and handed out more envelopes. Before long, most of us had an envelope. Lily tore hers open the instant she received it. Her eyes lit.
"I passed! I'm in!" She jumped up and clapped her hands.
"Me too," Harris said as if it couldn't have gone differently.
Baxter stared at his envelope and finally opened it. The resulting smirk told everyone he'd passed, but he still held up the card inside. Passed.
Ambria let out a long sigh and slumped. "I did it, Conrad." She wiped a tear from her eye. "I passed."
I looked long and hard at mine. Surely if Harris passed, then so did I.
"Tiberius," Gideon Grace called in a condescending tone.
Max gulped and went to retrieve his envelope. He walked back over, gripping it tight enough to make his knuckles go white.
"Well, aren't you going to open it?" Baxter said.
I broke the wax seal on mine and looked inside. It did not say Passed, nor did it say Failed. Instead it bore the word Exemplary.
Baxter snatched Max's envelope from him and held it out of reach. "What's the matter, Cryberius? Afraid to see if you made it?"
Ambria stomped Baxter's foot. "Give it back!"
Baxter yelped and jumped back. "You're so mean!"
"I'm mean?" Ambria sounded absolutely indignant. "You're the mean one, Baxter. Now give Max his envelope."
"Fine," Baxter sneered. He opened the envelope, took out the card, and tossed the envelope to Max. He looked at the card and howled with laughter. "Oh, this is brilliant!" Baxter turned the card for us to see. Failed.
Ambria's mouth dropped open. Max's eyes went dead. He turned and ran away without another word.
Chapter 9
"I wish I could turn you into a roach and squish you," Ambria said to Baxter in a low hiss.
"That was mean," Lily said and shook her head. "Boys are just awful sometimes."
"It was hilarious," Baxter said. "Besides, the Tiberiuses should be banished from the Overworld."
"They supported the Overlord," Harris said in a quiet voice. "I think they should all be jailed and executed."
"Max never did anything to anyone," Ambria said. "Come on, Conrad. Let's go."
"Conrad, why don't you come with us?" Harris put an arm on my shoulder. "We could use someone really smart as a friend."
My heart felt light with joy. These were the kids everyone wanted to be friends with, and now they wanted me to be part of their group. I'm special!
Ambria looked at me with disbelief. "Well, I guess you have new friends now." She ran after Max.
"Why would you two hang out with that loser?" Baxter said.
"Let's go get some more cake," Harris said. "I know a great place that always gives me free food."
"Lily frowned. "Baxter, I can't believe you did that to poor Max."
"Poor Max?" Baxter snorted. "Don't feel bad for that loser."
A part of me desperately wanted to go with them, but a gut feeling told me it would be a mistake. The path trial had told me a great deal about Harris Ashmore. For one thing, he gave up easily. Instead of passing the test on his own merits, he planned to use his connections to get a passing grade. Plus, his best friend, Baxter, was a mean-spirited bully. Lily seemed nice enough even if she liked to brag about her intelligence.
"Well, are you coming?" Harris said.
"Exemplary?" Baxter snatched my card from me. "What's this mean?"
Lily's eyes widened and she snatched it from Baxter. "The last person to receive an exemplary was—" she swallowed hard.
"Was who?" Harris said in a low voice.
Lily laughed nervously. "I thought I remembered, but I forgot."
"Is it something special?" Baxter asked.
"By its definition, exemplary is special," Lily replied, a hint of jealousy in her voice. Her eyes narro
wed. "I'd be interested to see your written exam score, Conrad."
"Let's go, let's go," Harris said impatiently. "I want some more cake."
I took a step back. "Please go without me. I have to catch up with my friends."
Harris and the Baxter froze in place, eyes wide, mouths hanging open.
"We're your new friends," Harris said in a querulous voice.
"Maybe we can become friends," I said. "But Max and Ambria are my true friends, and if Baxter can't be nice, then I can't be friends with him."
"And to think I thought you were smart," Harris said. "Do you know how many people want to be our friends?"
"I want to be your friend." I looked at Baxter. "But Baxter is ruining it for you." Before they could reply, I turned and ran after Ambria and Max.
When I exited the building, I saw Ambria racing toward the forest near the cliff overlooking the valley and ran after her. When I finally caught up, she was already talking to Max.
"There you are," I said.
She flicked her head toward me. "I thought you were hanging out with your new friends."
I walked up to Ambria. "After all we've been through, what makes you think I'd abandon you just like that?"
Max grinned. "Well, hey, at least you get to be friends with a loser like me."
"You're not a loser, Max." I bit my lower lip and stared back at the university. "How do you think you did on the written exam?"
He shrugged. "I knew everything on there, or at least I thought I did." He shook his head. "I must've failed the psychological scenario, or done something wrong on the final trial."
"I assume you performed the candle test?" Ambria asked.
He nodded. "Took me two minutes."
"Something's not right." I motioned them to follow. "Let's ask to see your written test."
Blue stood outside the entrance. Her eyes brightened when she saw us and she loped over. "Hey, I was looking for you, Conrad."
I took a step back and gulped. "Oh? What about?"
She frowned. "I was looking around in the front hall for you when I heard that awful Baxter kid talking about Max."
Max looked down. "Yeah, he doesn't like me much."
"Oh, well it's worse than that." Her eyes darkened. "He said he switched your test for one he filled out with the wrong answers."
