cried.

Merek grabbed her from behind, holding her as she struggled.

“This is necessary,” Seth said.

“He’s right,” Merek confirmed. “Let him do it. We’re sacrificing something great for something better.”

Seth pressed the dark blade against the golden string, and, for the first time since he had started using the knife, something resisted the edge. The string refused to break. Bracing one hand against the top of the Harp, Seth pushed harder with the long knife, and it jerkily cut through the first two strings, making a pair of ugly twangs, before stopping against the third.

“This is hard,” Seth said.

“Hurry,” Merek encouraged.

Seth forced the blade forward, strings making tortured sounds as they parted in ones and twos. Soon only one remained. As Seth added pressure, the last string snapped with a discordant clang that sank into the earth and sprang into the sky.

Seth no longer knelt on a hilltop.

The Harp was gone.

He still held the Unforgiving Blade, but he knelt on a marble floor in a light and airy room of modern design, as if severing the final harp string had altered reality. Seth stared in confusion at a white grand piano, chrome fixtures and furnishings, and oversized windows.

“Congratulations,” a voice spoke from behind.

Seth knew the voice. Standing and turning, he faced Humbuggle. The dwarf grinned hugely.

“Where are my friends?” Seth asked.

“Right where you left them,” Humbuggle said.

“Will they be all right?” Seth asked.

“That is up to them,” Humbuggle said. “And partly up to you.”

“Where are we?” Seth asked. “Humburgh?”

“No, my boy, this is my treasury,” Humbuggle said. “It’s where I keep the good stuff. Nobody knows the location.”

“I cut the harp strings,” Seth said, holding up the Unforgiving Blade.

“My compliments,” Humbuggle said with a bow. “You are the champion of the Titan Games.” Almost as an afterthought, he threw a handful of sparkly confetti.

“The Games are over?” Seth asked.

“That is up to you,” Humbuggle said. “But you have indeed won the Wizenstone. Shall we adjourn to the relevant treasure room?”

“How much treasure do you have here?” Seth asked.

“Plenty,” Humbuggle said. “But all my other riches combined do not approach the value of the Wizenstone. Come.”

Humbuggle led Seth to an elevator.

“You have electricity here?” Seth asked as he stepped inside.

“All of the modern conveniences,” Humbuggle said. “This is where I do most of my actual living. The manor in Humburgh is primarily for show. I prefer refrigerators, hot showers, the indoor saltwater pool, my theater room—the good life.”

Humbuggle pressed the bottommost button, labeled B3. The elevator started down.

“Seven floors?” Seth asked, checking the buttons.

“Six with natural light,” Humbuggle said. “My treasury is built into a hillside. I didn’t expect you to win so quickly. I thought it would be another seven years before you could access the Dragon Temple.”

“We worked fast,” Seth said. “My sister helped.”

The elevator doors slid apart, and Humbuggle led Seth down a short, carpeted hallway. A single door awaited at the end of the hall. Humbuggle opened it with a snap of his fingers, revealing a pristine room where a white pedestal sat upon a red platform. Atop the pedestal rested a multifaceted gemstone the size of a baseball. The crystalline jewel contained scintillating refractions of all conceivable colors.

The sparsely decorated room also housed a few exotic potted plants and a wooden treasure chest that looked like it belonged aboard an old pirate ship. A piece of cubist art hung on one wall, and an impressionistic painting adorned another.

“Are those paintings originals?” Seth asked.

“Only the best,” Humbuggle said. “A Picasso and a Van Gogh. Neither painting is known to the mortal art community. I acquired them directly from the artists, years ago.”

Seth looked at the intricately cut jewel on the pedestal. “The Wizenstone is mine?”

“You have won the stone,” Humbuggle said. “It is yours for the taking.”

Seth had seen others disintegrate when they tried to take the Wizenstone. He knew the transfer of ownership would be more complicated than Humbuggle made it sound.

The treasure chest shuddered, then bounced a little. Seth shuffled a couple of steps away from it.

“What’s in the box?” Seth asked.

“An alternate prize, if you prefer it over the stone,” Humbuggle said.

“Do I have to choose without knowing the contents?” Seth asked.

“No, my boy,” Humbuggle said. “The box contains your memories.”

Seth stared at the dwarf.

“You surrendered them voluntarily,” Humbuggle said. “If you would prefer being united with your memories to claiming the Wizenstone, I am offering the option.”

“What will happen to the Wizenstone if I choose my memories?” Seth asked.

“It would remain in my care,” Humbuggle said. “And I would organize new contests.”

Seth sighed. “Can I think about this for a moment?”

“Outside, the world is burning down,” Humbuggle said. “In here, we have all the time you like.”

Seth went and sat on the red platform near the pedestal. He looked at the dark blade in his hand. He could use it to kill the dwarf. Would he get the Wizenstone and his memories? Would he stop the Games forever? Free all the captive contestants?

Seth stared at Humbuggle.

“You see a third option,” Humbuggle said.

“Maybe,” Seth replied.

“I’m unarmed,” Humbuggle said. “But I’m very powerful.”

“Yeah,” Seth said. “And I’m pretty sure you’re not telling me the whole truth.”

“Tell you what,” Humbuggle said. “I’ll officially give you a third option. If you want to strike me down, I won’t stop you. Few things could kill me, but that blade would do the job. I’ve been at this for a long time, Seth. If you want to slay me and accept what comes, that is also on the table.”

“Do you have a death wish?” Seth asked.

The dwarf looked at the Van Gogh, a sun rising over a field of haystacks. “You know how life can be. I am weary. There are burdens I would like to set down.”

“Can we talk it through?” Seth asked.

“Be my guest,” Humbuggle said.

“Celebrant is after the Wizenstone,” Seth said. “I sacrificed one of our best weapons against the dragons to win it. If I come away without the Wizenstone, we lose a

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