I mull it over in my head
Suddenly, a stack of books collapse
On top of Tom's head
“Mind my stacks!” Aurora snaps
“You damage anything and you're dead!”
Aurora's voice echoes off the walls
“That's it!” I call
“The answer is an echo!”
The sphinx scowls and gives a growl
“Correct.” Her tone not at all pleased
“I'll need to up my game. Consider that a free tease.
Your reward as promised:
The dragons sit just a few blocks from here
In a biker garage. I suggest you stay clear.
Now, what is your second question?”
I step forward
“How do we break a curse of Death's reanimation?”
Aurora let's out a vicious roar
“You fool!
A question like that will get all of us killed!”
She takes a breath
“Not that it matters. You won't crack this next riddle.
Not even close, not even a little.
For the next puzzle, you may only answer one or two.
Any answer that is not,
And you automatically lose.
You have ten seconds to answer.
This time the girl shall be the respondent.”
“Wait, me?!” Leigh says surprised
“Don't fret though,” Aurora grins “it's only victory or
you die.
My rules, remember? You cannot decline.
Your best friend and your brother
Have been taken captive.
You must betray one to save the other.
Whom do you choose?
One or two?”
“What the hell kind of question is that?” Tom shouts
“Different people answer that in different ways.
There's no right answer!
There never has been!”
Choosing your brother or your best friend?
This riddle couldn't have come at a worse time
“Speak out of turn again,” Aurora growls
“And you all lose!
You and your friends!
Choose girl.
The clock starts now.”
I see the struggle in Leigh's head
Her eyes panicked
Her lips tight
She doesn't want to answer
She's afraid of what it might...
“Three seconds. Choose or die!”
Leigh can't take it; she's gonna cry
“Choose!” The sphinx roars
I can see Leigh cracking down to her core
“Time's up.” Aurora sighs
“Quite the gamble girl.
Did you already know the secret,
Or were you just worried of what your answer could
mean?”
She glares at Leigh, whose eyes full of tears, gleam
“I wasn't for sure,” Leigh wipes her eyes
“Until you pressured me to choose.
If you really wanted us to lose, then why would you be
so insistent?
Tom's words helped as well.
Either answer would send me to hell.”
“So then I'm curious,” Aurora asks
If you were truly presented the choice?”
“My brother.” It bleeds from Leigh's voice
That is how much he means to her
“Aurora?” I say “Our answer.”
The sphinx growls
“I've never met a pair of humans so clever as you.
The answer you seek resides in the Styx.
Sometimes fire and water do mix.”
“What do you...? Leigh begins to ask
As suddenly through the wall he blasts
The undead Troah quickly lunges forth
Grabbing his sister
And through a flaming portal they soar
No time to think
Not even to process
I watch as a pain surges through my chest
Reaching out my hand
I call her name
Grabbing nothing but air, I yell “Leigh!!!”
Trial 14: Dragging dragons
Falling to my knees and slamming the ground
Fear and panic making me drown
My partner, my friend
Gone without a trace
Into their clutches
The cruelty of fate
I feel the tears forming in my eyes
I feel them swell as I'm about to cry
“Pull it together man.” Tom yanks me to my feet
“She's not gone.
Remember his objective as a thief.
If we can get to the next one before he does
We can set a trap. Effect and cause.”
He's right, now's not the time to despair
She's a tough cookie
To harm her, they wouldn't dare
“I'm warning you both.” Aurora chimes in
“To even approach the dragons
Is a foolish whim.”
“We don't have a choice.” I respond stern
“We have to rescue our friend.”
“And what about me?” The Sphinx scowls
“Thanks to you this place is in shambles now.”
“We'll come back and help you clean up.” I say
“I promise.
Let's get moving Tom.”
And out we rush like a couple of comets
Approaching a sketchy area of town
It's eerily silent – Our footsteps being the only sound
We arrive at a biker bar
Tom grabs me and points his finger
“The mana here's heavy and hard.
This has got to be the place.”
I jump at the backfire of a car
We make our way in through the door
Full of hustle and bustle
The smell of beer and wall mounted swords
The moment we enter the commotion stops
Everyone in here glaring at us
Do they know we're cops?
“This isn't the place for children.” The bartender
breathes
I catch a glimpse of his tail
As from his mouth bellows steam
“Organization Detectives.” Tom says
“We're here to check on your Sin.”
Instantly, one of the bikers has us both pinned
Up against the wall
His human facade fades away
Revealing a beast wanting a taste
Crimson scales and golden eyes
Claws and fangs daring us to lie
“We don't need Organization help!”
His booming voice encouraging me to pee myself and
yell
“Are you so sure?” I ask
“The thief being Death himself.
Or as a dragon do you not fear the fires of hell?”
“You look familiar.” He growls
“Have I threatened you before?”
“He's the plumber,” Chimes in another “who came
earlier through the door.”
“The plumber had red eyes, his are blue.”
Tom and I give each other a look out of the corner of our
eyes
“They've been here already!” I bark “Crap!”
“No choice then!” Tom calls
“Ready to rumble?”
“I hate you.” I sigh
“Let's get in trouble!”
With a massive blast of mana we both knock the dragon back
Into a
