Page 64 of The Fifth Heir

Torren looked at the observation platform.

“She stays alone?” he asked.

“She stays with academy officials.”

“While we’re inside.”

“That is how observation works,” Malcolm said.

Torren’s jaw tightened.

“The fifth beam selected her,” Rafe said. “Perhaps the Trial has an opinion.”

“The Trial is not sentient.”

“The Fifth Wing seems to be.”

Malcolm’s expression hardened. “The purpose of this morning is to assess the four elemental heirs under established conditions, not to encourage speculation about dormant architecture.”

Sebastian looked up at the inscription.

“The rules state that four enter.”

“Yes.”

“But you require five torcs to activate the threshold.”

“We don’t know that yet.”

“Then why summon Talia?”

“Because excluding any recognized heir before the investigation concludes would violate academy law.”

Leander stepped between them before Sebastian could continue.

“We activate the gate,” he said. “If it opens for four, Talia remains outside. If it requires five, she approaches long enough to complete the sequence.”

Malcolm inclined his head. “Correct.”

Leander looked at me. “Do you agree?”

No one had asked me that since the beam struck.

The choice was narrow enough to barely deserve the name, but it was still mine.

“Yes.”

Malcolm directed the four men to stand before the gate.

Their starting positions were marked by elemental runes. Torren took Fire, Leander Frost, Rafe Storm, and Sebastian Shadow. Each torc lit when its wearer stepped into place.

The mountain remained closed.

The runemasters activated the threshold.

Four lines of magic traveled from the men’s feet toward the gate. They met in the center of the arch and stopped.

Nothing moved.