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CHAPTERTEN
Micah
As Cam smilessheepishly at the council, I try to sneak a glance at Grandmother without her catching me. I still don’t know what has her on the warpath this morning, but she’s not in a good mood. She’s been positive about the impact the cave could have on the village, so I’m pretty sure that’s not it. I’d know if someone in the family was sick—I spoke to my mother this morning.
Whatever’s pissed her off, I hope it’s not something I did.
“The process is simple,” Cam’s saying. “Whoever designed this wanted people to be able to open it.”
“That’s highly doubtful,” Grandmother scoffs. “If they wanted it to be opened, why would they make the key so difficult?”
“Fun,” Cam corrects, and there’s this moment of suspended horror from the rest of us. People don’t justcorrectGrandmother. Not when she’s in this kind of mood. But Cam doesn’t seem to notice. “The puzzle needs to be solved, sure, but all the components are there, in numbered groups. If they didn’t want the door opened, they could have jumbled everything together randomly, or even not had them there at all. Then you’d need to work out what pieces were required and source them. Some of those components are definitely not available mass-produced these days, so you’d need to commission a blacksmith or a factory to make them to spec… which you’d need to calculate and draw.” He smiles. “That would have been fun.”
Grandmother glares. Cam’s eyes widen a little, and he inches his chair closer to mine.
“Since the components are all there,” Jesse interrupts, getting things back on track, “how will you approach things?”
“Well, with the crates all numbered, there are only five possible options for the first component, which is great. The trick will be finding the starting point on the door. I was looking last night, and while there are several patterns that seem obvious at first, they’re false leads.”
“You went to the cave last night?” Grandmother asks sharply, and I try not to hold my breath. There’s no reason why Cam shouldn’t have gone to the cave last night, officially, but Grandmother’s been around for a long time and prefers some of the old-fashioned formalities—like meeting the town council before any other steps are taken.
“I have pictures,” Cam says smoothly. “Alistair sent them to me when he told me about the project. I hope that’s okay?”
It seems I’ve underestimated him—not a word of a lie was told, and yet the danger has passed.
“So how will you find the starting point?” Jesse seems quite desperate to keep this from devolving into an argument—or worse. He’s an excellent species leader, but Grandmother doesn’t make it easy for him.
“Trial and error, probably. I’ll keep looking for patterns, but it’s most likely I’ll find it by accident. Once I have it, it’ll be easier to pick out the pattern I need to follow and start solving.”
Mayim, one of the younger members of the council, leans forward. “So the hard part is finding the first step? And once you have that, because the components are in numbered boxes, it will be easy? Anyone could do it?”
I look at the table so nobody can see my wince. What a great thing to say to a subject matter expert.
“Anyone could do it now,” Cam counters. “It would probably take them longer to work it out if they don’t have as much experience as me, but you don’t need special training to solve a puzzle.”
My wince turns to a smile. I should have known that when it comes to anything puzzle related, he’d be able to hold his own.
“I think Cam’s being modest,” Garrett interjects. “Micah, you’re an engineer. What are your thoughts?”
Wow, he’s still getting revenge for that whole “poops glitter” thing. Definitely never getting on his bad side again. “I agree; he’s being modest. I’ve spent some time studying that wall and still haven’t found the starting point. But even if I had, and even with the numbered crates, there are dozens of options to consider for each step. Yes, eventually anyone could solve it, but without an understanding of mechanical puzzles and a lot of experience, it could take years.”
“Years?” Grandmother stands and plants her hands on the table. “You’re exaggerating.”
I shake my head. “No. The first crate has five possible components that can be attached to each element on the door. We don’t know which element is the first one that needs to be solved. Those door elements also move in several directions. They have to be in the right position with the right component attached. I didn’t check all the ways they could be positioned, but my guess is about twenty possible combinations for each element. And then—” I glance over at Cam, who’s watching me with a soft smile. It’s nice. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but without knowing the exact sequence, each time you complete an element, you’ll need to check all the ones surrounding it to find which is the next one?”
Cam nods. “Yep. Once the pattern’s established, it will go faster, but for the first twenty to fifty elements, I’ll be working without direction.”
“So you’re looking at about a hundred and sixty or so possible options with each step… once you’ve found the starting point,” I conclude, and Grandmother sinks back into her seat.
“I see,” she murmurs. “And do you still think it can be completed within a few months, Camden?”
“Cam,” he says instantly. “Sure I do. I’m not very good at keeping the fridge stocked or cleaning the house, but I’m excellent with puzzles. The first week will go slowly, but after that, the pace should pick up. I’ll keep you informed, anyway.”
She nods. “Then we’ll leave it in your capable hands. We apologize if we implied your skills weren’t extraordinary.” She side-eyes Mayim, who shrinks back in her chair.
Cam cocks his head. “I like you,” he tells Grandmother, and I tense. “You’re scary as fuck, but not everyone will admit they might have been wrong.”
