Page 65 of The Fifth Heir

Malcolm signaled for the runemasters to repeat the command.

The result did not change.

Sebastian looked toward me.

“The sequence is incomplete.”

Malcolm did not answer him. He turned to the headmaster, and the two men spoke too quietly for me to hear.

The headmaster ended the conversation by motioning me forward.

I left the observation platform.

No fifth position had been marked on the ground. I stopped several feet behind the four heirs, uncertain where the Trial expected me to stand.

If it expected me at all.

The crystal torc warmed.

A clear rune appeared beneath my boots.

It had been invisible against the pale stone.

The moment I stepped into its center, the four incomplete lines changed direction. Instead of meeting inside the arch, they bent toward me.

Fire, Frost, Storm, and Shadow reached the clear rune.

Their power struck together.

For one breath, every color blazed beneath my feet without mixing.

My torc flashed.

The Crown Gate opened.

Stone separated down the middle and withdrew into the mountain. A large entry chamber waited beyond it, illuminated by four distant colors. Red glowed from one passage, icy blue-white from another, silver lightning split the darkness of a third, and violet shadow breathed from the last.

Five smaller floor runes appeared between the outer threshold and those paths.

Malcolm addressed the men.

“Enter together. Once the gate seals, proceed to your assigned routes. Your objective is to reach the Crown Gate at the opposite side of the mountain. The first heir through it will complete the Trial.”

He looked at me.

“Talia will cross the threshold to finalize the activation. She will then return to the observation platform before the outer gate closes.”

“How long will she have?” Torren asked.

“Enough time.”

“That isn’t a measurement.”

“The closing sequence will not begin until all four elemental heirs reach their inner paths.”

Leander examined the entry chamber. “She’ll be behind us. We proceed to our marks, then wait until she is outside before entering the paths.”

“That delay will affect your result,” Malcolm said.