Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Ruwen studied the Founders in the morning light. They stood in front of the Adepts, who had assembled in their Rungs. Ruwen and Sift stood behind Rung Four.

Mist held up a thumb sized metal key. “Every Adept will receive a key today. You are allowed to open one chest per day.”

Thorn pointed to the slope across the canyon with all the chests. “One chest contains the token for this level. We remain here until someone discovers it.”

The Adepts didn’t fidget, their training prevented that, but many of their hearts pounded loudly in Ruwen’s ears. Thousands of chests scattered the far slope, and it could take months to find the correct one.

“Once you’ve chosen a chest,” Mist said. “Use your key to open it and view its contents. To remove your key, you must close the lid.”

Thorn waved a finger. “You may not leave markers or use any mechanism to indicate a chest has already been checked.”

Sift whistled softly, immediately understanding how this made everything more difficult. If the lids remained open, others would know not to waste their one daily choice on it. By keeping the lids closed, the trial became magnitudes more difficult to solve.

“They want us to work together,” Ruwen whispered.

“Ahh,” Sift said, understanding.

The difference between this trial taking a month or taking a year hinged on how well they worked together. If every Rung revealed what chests they’d opened, then other Rungs could avoid them. Ruwen could appreciate the team building aspect of that strategy, but immediately found the issue with working together. What Rung, if they worked together, would get the tokens?

It meant each Rung had to decide if they wanted to work alone and, if they found the tokens, guarantee each of them would get a relic. Or, if all four Rungs worked together and divided the tokens evenly, each Rung would only get two. That left seventy-five percent of the Rung with nothing.

“This is a devious trial,” Ruwen whispered.

Sift had come to the same conclusion. “If one group splinters off, everyone will need to protect their choices from spying eyes.”

“Oh,” Dusk said, as if just remembering. “Some chests might not actually be chests, and some contain very unpleasant items. Please use caution.”

Most of the Adepts now had rapid heartbeats as they pieced together the same scenarios.

The Founders bowed, and the Adepts returned it.

Mist pointed to a table with thirty-three keys arranged on it. “Contemplate the mysteries and let your Steps guide you.”

With those final words, the Founders turned and reentered their large tent. Ruwen hadn’t seen the Addas that morning, so it left the Adepts alone.

Prythus stepped away from Rung Four and faced the other Adepts. “We should work together.”

“Easy for you to say,” Echo said. “You already have relics. Will you give up your share?”

Prythus bit his lip and didn’t answer.

Nymthus spoke up. “If we don’t work together, it could literally take us years to finish.”

Echo shrugged. “I’m not in a hurry.”

“We are,” Sift whispered to Ruwen.

Ruwen sensed an air disturbance coming from the ravine and jumped the fifty feet to the edge. He looked down to find fog slowly filling the canyon. The fact he could still see the ground meant it wasn’t that dense, but it would severely hinder anyone more than a few hundred feet away.

Instead of jumping back to the Adepts, Ruwen walked back, giving himself a few seconds to consider the options. As he neared the group, they stopped arguing and turned toward him.

Prythus asked what they all wanted to know. “What’s in the canyon?”

“Fog,” Ruwen replied. He locked eyes with Echo. “Using observers to watch what the other Rungs do will be difficult and impossible from a distance.”

Echo’s heart rate remained steady, but she frowned in frustration.

Echo pointed at Rung Four. “They already have relics. Rung One should get their keys.”

“Why Rung One?” Sift asked.

“Because we’re the best,” Echo replied. “It only makes sense to give your strongest every advantage.”

Ruwen pictured the five Aspects he’d incapacitated in the Infernal Realm. They perfectly represented the make your toughest stronger mentality that Echo championed. Would it have made a difference in the Internal Realm if the army he faced had been significantly stronger? What if Lalquinrial had invested his resources in his followers instead of his Aspects?

“Your belief leaves the weaker more vulnerable,” Ruwen offered.

Echo sneered. “The weak have no value. They only drain resources. The Founders know this. Why else bother with this trial if not to thin the weak from the strong?”

Ruwen considered Echo’s words. “That is one possibility, I agree, and a very Viper way of thinking. Consider the opposite. A bamboo grove survives the storm even though each stem alone would face certain destruction. Are we not stronger together?”

Echo stepped toward Ruwen and growled. “I need no one.”

Ruwen considered raising his right wrist and displaying the blood name Echo had inscribed on his skin for saving her life in the Novice trial. Without help, she would have either died there, or failed to advance in the Bamboo Viper Steps.

Instead, Ruwen nodded at Echo. “Possibly, but others need you.”

For just an instant, Echo’s iron grip on her emotions faltered, and confusion and joy and fear battled for control. Then her anger reasserted itself and she sneered. “Rung One will find the token on our own.”

Echo marched to the table and grabbed a key. Rung One hesitated and then followed. Ruwen didn’t blame them. They owed their lives to Echo, and even if they’d wanted to work together with the other Rungs, he respected they valued Echo’s wishes because of her previous actions.

Even as Echo spewed her disdain, she had already taken several steps down the path of leadership. The loyalty of Rung One demonstrated that even if she didn’t see it yet.

“Why are you smiling?” Sift asked in a low voice.

Ruwen faced Sift and whispered back. “No reason.”

“Gas?”

“No. And why is that always your first guess?”

“Because you look so grim and grouchy all the time. When you smile, it looks painful.”

“It does not. I look normal.”

Sift winced and shook his head.

Prythus cleared his throat, and Ruwen refocused on the remaining Adepts.

“Do you all wish to work together?” Ruwen asked.

The Adepts looked around at each other until a woman from Rung Two spoke. “Rung Four took none of the relics won at the hilltop on Savage Island. Their generosity earned my trust. I do not speak for Rung Two, but I believe the correct path is to work together and split the relics.”

The murmur of a dozen conversations started. Ruwen let them continue for a minute and then spoke as he turned toward Sift. “How would you handle this collaboration, Sisen?”

Everyone quieted and faced Sift.

Sift narrowed his eyes in thought and rubbed his chin. “I think we should work in teams of three for safety. One from each Rung. When picking a chest, the member from Rung Four will open it since they have nine members. That would allow for an even three tokens to each Rung.”

Ruwen nodded, impressed with Sift’s strategy.

Sift continued. “We will form eight groups of three and when we decide on a chest, the other seven teams will kneel next to the surrounding chests. That will make it more difficult for any observers to know which box opened and keep them from benefiting off our choices.”

Nymthus bowed. “How will keep track of what chests we opened? There are thousands of them.”

Sift pointed at Ruwen. “Our brother will remember.”

Everyone turned to Ruwen. He could easily place a point on his map for every location they chose, but he guessed that went against the Spirit of the trials. Instead, he would need to memorize the locations of all the chests and the geography of the canyon, something he felt sure he could accomplish with a little time.

“I will do my best, Sisen,” Ruwen said.

Prythus spoke next. “Where do we start? There are thousands of identical chests.”

Sift opened his mouth, paused, and turned to Ruwen. “Since I came up with the structure, Adept Ruwen will explain the rest.”

Of course, Sift would leave the hard part up to Ruwen. But fresh off his conversation with Sivart, Ruwen already knew where to start. Just like before the battle on the bridge, they had one resource in abundance.

Ruwen studied the Adepts, most of them unable to hide their nervousness. “The Founders told us what to do, and we have the entire day to complete it. I suggest we each gather a key, and then meditate on the mysteries, letting the Steps guide us. I will use this time to map the ravine and chest locations.”

A distant roar followed by faint screams came from the far part of the canyon. It appeared Echo and Rung One had decided on a chest.

With a nod at Sift, Ruwen strode toward the ravine. He wondered what Rung One had found, and if they now regretted going it alone.