If the left tunnel was full of giant star voles hellbent on eating them, the right tunnel posed a unique and equally difficult challenge.

  Or it would have, if Gerda wasn’t in their party.

  “The answer is that blue triangular stone.” She said, pointing at the one Visha needed to press.

  They were all standing in front of a dead end with a colourful mosaic floor.

  Visha, as the most dexterous of the group, was following Gerda’s direction to by-pass the puzzle. The elf’s left leg was a red circular stone, her right leg was in an almost full wide split to access the green square tile opposite, her right hand was pressed on a yellow swirl directly underneath her torso - propping up her body - and the left arm reached up to touch the blue triangle.

  Nothing happened.

  “What next?” Visha asked, her voice strained. She wasn’t uncomfortable, with a 38 Dexterity this would be nothing.

  “You need to release your mana into each stone.” Gerda explained. “It’s why one person has to do it– the mana signature has to be the same across all four points.”

  “Alright.” Visha did as she was instructed, and the four tiles lit up with the soft green colour of her magic.

  “Now you need to release the pressure on the tiles in a new sequence. First, your right hand…” Gerda trailed off, noting that was the hand she was using to hold up her entire body.

  “Of course.” Visha sighed. She clenched her core muscles and tilted forward so that her body was balanced on the sole of one foot and the toes of the other.

  The problem, of course, was that now she was starfished with one hand in the air.

  “Next, lift your left leg,” Gerda said, indicating the foot balanced on the sole of her feet, forcing Visha to balance on the toes of her right foot and her outstretched left hand. She tilted her body sideways to the floor to do so, but looked concerned.

  The tiles that she’d released continued to glow with a faint green magic.

  “Now the right leg.” Gerda said.

  Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

  Visha braced her fingers out and then pushed off the red circular stone into a handstand. “Now what?”

  “Can you jump back over here?” Gerda asked.

  “Only if you all move out of the way.” Visha replied, and the group moved back to give her room. “Somebody catch me if I slip up.”

  Tully put down his warhammer and held out both hands.

  “Not you.” Visha ordered, and the paladin just smiled. She bent her elbow, flung herself in an elegant arch and then landed perfectly on the other side of the mosaic.

  “It’s still not working.” Pram drew their attention back to the floor.

  “One last thing,” Gerda said, pointing at a hole on the opposite side of the way. “Visha has to hit that with an attack infused with her mana.”

  Without preamble, Visha threw a dagger across the room, landing it square inside the hole. The entire wall shuddered and then dropped into the floor, opening the path.

  “Good job!” Sir Tully hefted his warhammer back onto his back and made to walk onto the mosaic.

  Gerda caught him before he put down his first step. “Ah, no. Don’t you remember the floor spikes last time?”

  She shook her head and pointed at the red circular stone, “To jump across, we have to go in order of tiles. The first person needs to step on the red circle, the second on the green square, the third on the yellow swirl and the last on the blue triangle.”

  “But there aren’t four of us,” Pram said, “There are seven.”

  “I’ll take Tully across.” John said, disappearing into the shadows with the paladin even as Tully tried to protest that he should take someone else.

  “Gerda?” Julian unequipped his shield and sword, storing them temporarily so they would be out of the way.

  Gerda lifted her arms and wrapped them around Julian’s neck, her smooth muscular body holding on tight. He scooped her legs out from under her and hooked an arm behind her shoulders in a princess carry.

  “Good job getting us through here.” He pitched his voice low and spoke into his troll’s ear. Julian smiled when she shivered.

  “You’re lucky I was here.” She poked his cheek.

  “Very lucky.” He agreed.

  “Especially when someone blocked the other tunnel.” She poked him on the cheek a second time.

  Julian turned at the last second and kissed her finger.

  “Very, very lucky then.”

  Visha had crossed first, then Pram, then Jeffry. Lastly, Julian crossed without incident.

  Feeling playful, Julian didn’t let Gerda down, holding her as they continued down the tunnel. After his earlier battle, his body might have been repaired but he was starting to feel a deep sense of wariness sink in.

  Holding Gerda made him feel like he could go another twenty-four hours without rest no problem.