What is this card talking about?

Hawk frowned, setting down the card and looking around. She was in a luxurious bedroom. The bed was draped with extravagant green curtains, in an art deco style. There were no windows, giving her no context for the room. Why am I here?

She poked around the room for a bit before giving up. It seemed to just be a normal room. The only thing out of the ordinary was herself, really, and maybe the card.

Maybe she should leave the room. There was a door, after all. Hawk pocketed the card and opened the door an inch, looking out.

Oh my gosh.

Wow. Just—wow.

She thought the bedroom was fancy, but this? This was so much fancier.

Amazed, Hawk stepped out of her room, forgetting all reservations. The room was fashioned like a carousel, with a ceiling painted with frescoes and a merry-go-round in the center. She counted eight horses, each one with flowing carvings and glossy pastel paint. Similarly, there were eight doors. Seven of them were identical to Hawk’s, but the final one was larger than the rest. Its grand double doors hung wide open.

Hawk moved to peer out the door curiously. It opened onto a grand balcony, looking down upon what seems to be a ballroom with a checkered black-and-white floor.

“Hawkstar?” a voice said hesitantly.

Hawk whirled around. “Moon!” she exclaimed, recognizing Moon Wolf, who had just leaned out of her own door. “You’re here too?”

“Yeah, I am. Where … is this?”

Hawk shrugged, glancing around. “I don’t know either. It’s pretty fancy though, isn’t it?”

Suddenly, another door cracked open. “You guys!” Wildsong exclaimed, grinning. “How did we get here? And why is it so fancy?”

“Don’t know, don’t know,” Moon said, hesitantly stepping out of her room and shutting the door.

True. Maybe we should figure that out first—how we got here. That seems pretty important. But also … there were seven doors. Did that mean there were more people?

“There must be people in these rooms too,” Hawk said, stepping over to examine one of the doors. “Let’s see. Seven heads have got to be better than three, right? Shall we see if we can assemble a team?”

Turns out, there were people in those rooms. Hawk was delighted to see all the familiar faces. At least those memories hadn’t been lost! There was Pangolin, who immediately began examining every minute detail of the carousel room. Then there was Sempre, curiously looking at the horses; Ash, smiling in relief that others were there; and Celine, examining her letter carefully.

“Do any of you remember how you got here?” Hawk asked, once everyone was all gathered.

There was a round of whispered no’s and shaking heads.

“Maybe we should explore,” Pangolin suggested. “There has to be a way out of here and to … well, where we came from.”

Murmuring.

“All right,” Wild said, taking charge. “Let’s explore, but don’t split up. There’s something weird about this place. Stick together, alright?”

~ - ~

The palace was amazing. It had everything a proper palace should have and so much more. The chessboard ballroom, as Hawk had dubbed it in her head, had tiles so polished she could see her reflection in them. Then there were halls upon halls and rooms upon rooms. Many doors were locked shut, but the ones they did explore proved to be just as beautiful as the carousel room.

There was a kitchen that stretched at least three stories tall, an indoor pool with sapphire-blue mosaics on the bottom, and many small drawing rooms and parlors. Right at the entrance, high windows looked out upon what seemed to be a garden. They tried the front doors, but they were firmly locked.

Hawk paused at one of the hallways on the upper floor, looking at the golden candelabras. It was nice and all, but she still didn’t know why they were there.

“I don’t think we’re going to find anything here,” Sempre reported.

“Why don’t we go back to the carousel?” Pangolin suggested. “If that’s where we woke up, maybe it’s where we’re supposed to look.”

So they went back to the carousel room. Hawk knelt down beside one of the horses, examining it carefully. It was mid-leap, its legs poised in the air. A golden pole ran through it right in front of the saddle, painted a delicate shade of lavender.

Hawk ran a hand over the saddle, then paused. It seemed to have a little give, like it could open.

Experimentally, she pressed down.

With a click, the saddle popped open, revealing a small compartment with two items in it. She drew out an elegant lighter, a cursive T wrought into the silver. Beneath it, there was a small scrap of paper . “Guys,” Hawk said, raising her voice. “There’s stuff in the saddles.

Immediately, everyone went to look at the horses. Each compartment seemed to have a curio and a paper. After comparing the papers with everyone, Hawk came to the conclusion that the papers all said the same thing:

Go to the locked door on the third floor.

“Well,” Wild said, “I guess we’re going to the locked door on the third floor.”

There was a staircase that led up to the third floor, consisting of one hallway. The locked door was at the end.

It was a plain wooden door with a golden handle. There was no keyhole, even though it was clearly locked. Instead, there was a combination lock with a small alphabet keypad.

“So do we have to solve this to get through the door?” Celine asked.

Hawk stared at the door. It looks like it.

“We have to have the answer,” Pangolin said, rummaging through her pockets. She drew out her item, the scrap of paper, and the same card that Hawk had read when she first woke up (Welcome to the palace games. Your objective—win.). “Whoever left the notes there is probably the same person who dropped us here—and they wouldn’t give us a puzzle we couldn’t solve. It has to be written down somewhere, right?”

~ - ~

Welcome to the game.

Celine, your item is a brass key.

Hawk, your item is a lighter.

Wild, your item is a UV light in the shape of a deluminator.

Moon, your item is an antique monkey wrench.

Pangolin, your item is a one-bullet revolver.

Ash, your item is a medallion with a sun carved in it.

Sempre, your item is a medallion with a moon carved in it.

All these items will be used by the end of the game.

~ - ~

Your puzzle is: find the password for the lock. It may be written somewhere.

Your clues are: the card you received when you woke up, appearing blank on one side and with golden lettering on the other.

Your answer will be: an action, using exactly one item and the card.

The next chapter will be posted when someone has solved the puzzle. Best of luck! Also, Celine, please fill out the form <3 Thanks!

@The Keymaster, could you call me Verde, not Sempre?

Verde flipped over her medallion, examining it curiously. It was almost pure silver, with an elaborate design of a moon on the front and some small writing arcing over the back. It read: Property of Baron Tiowri.

She leaned forward, examining the code-lock again. No, not enough letters—the code would be nine letters long, and Baron Tiowri was eleven. Though perhaps that information was equally important—was Baron Tiowri the one who had sent them all here?

“What if we burn the card?” Moon suggested, pointing at Hawk’s lighter.

“You’d need lemon juice if it was invisible ink,” Hawk said, frowning. “And I didn’t see any lemons in the kitchen.”

Pangolin gasped, like they had just had an epiphany. “Maybe it is invisible ink!” she exclaimed. “Just a different kind. Celine, what’s your item?”

Celine held up her item. It was marbled black and emerald, with silver caps on each end and a silver button on the side. Verde immediately recognized it as a deluminator.

“Can I see that?” Verde asked.

Celine handed her the deluminator. Experimentally, she flicked one of the caps open. It revealed a small glass bulb on the end. When Verde clicked the button, it shone with an indigo light.

“And now on the card!” Pangolin said excitedly.

Shining the light on the card revealed a single word, written in pale ink underneath the UV light. Seal.

“Seal?” Verde said. “That’s not nine letters.”

“Maybe it’s this seal,” Ash said, pulling out the envelope the letter had come in. The golden seal was familiar—an emblem of a snake eating its own tail.

“Oh! It’s that symbol! What—what’s its name?” Wild exclaimed, snapping her fingers.

“Ouroboros,” Pangolin said confidently, typing the letters into the code-lock.

With a click, the door swung open. They all hesitated, but Verde was the first to step through, desperately curious to see what was inside.

It took her breath away. It seemed to be a greenhouse of some kind, though the high windows resembled more of a chapel. They were stained all manner of rainbow colors, light glimmering through in mesmerizing patterns. The floor was covered with tangled plants and exotic flowers which Verde had never seen before.

“Amazing,” Verde breathed. She twisted around to see the others’ responses, but to her surprise, there was no one there.

What?

Suddenly, she heard the beating of wings. She whirled around, just in time to see a flurry of white feathers hurtling towards her. Panicking, she ducked.

It brushed by with a gust of wind, something falling to the floor.

As quickly as it had appeared, the bird was gone. Slowly, Verde knelt down and picked up the card that had fallen on the floor. It was thick paper, the same material as the original card. This time, it had words on both sides.

Trust no one, the front read in looping cursive.

The back read something different. It was actually quite long. She read the back, then looked around.

Suddenly, the card burst into a rainbow of flames in her hand. Yelping, Verde dropped the card. She watched it burn into a pile of ashes, then looked up at the domed rainbow ceiling. Well, I guess nobody else is reading that.

And she didn’t plan on telling anyone else either.

Suddenly, vertigo overtook her. Stars swam in her eyes. The world seemed to ripple like a mirage, and then everyone else was beside her again, looking around like they were just as confused.

“How did that happen?” Celine gasped, looking a little green.

“No idea,” Moon muttered, looking around a little nervously. “Who did that? Do you think—do you think they’re watching us right now?”

They all went silent. Verde found herself very uncomfortable with that thought. Though if they were, what could they do about it? The only thing they could do was leave this palace somehow.

“Well,” Wild said cheerfully, in what seemed like an attempt to break the tension, “that’s a thought for another time. Did you guys get a card that said Trust no one too?”

“Yeah,” Hawk said, a little suspiciously. “What did the back of yours say?”

Wild shrugged. “It said that the dining hall was now open downstairs.”

“That’s it?” Verde asked. Hers had been far longer.

Wild looked at her strangely. “Yours was longer?”

“Mine was long too,” Moon jumped in. “And I think I’d rather not share some of the things in there.”

“Yeah,” Verde said. “Yeah. Um … hey, let’s check out the dining hall now, yeah?”

There was a general murmured assent, and they left the rainbow room. As they did, Verde lagged behind a little, watching Wild. There was something strange about this all. Trust no one. And had Wild’s card really been that short? Or could she be … lying?

~ - ~

Wow, Verde thought, entering the dining hall. This palace had to be magical or something, because there was no way someone had built this by hand. The vaulted ceiling was a pale blue, reminiscent of the sky, and thousands of tiny strings of diamonds hung like raindrops from it. Heavy golden chandeliers lined the ceiling above the table, sparkling with candlelight. Beneath the diamonds, a long white table was piled high with every delicacy imaginable. Souffles and roasts and spicy noodles and flatbread and cakes and even a croquembouche as tall as a small Christmas tree.

Now that she thought about it, she was quite hungry.

And the grand clock on the end of the wall, whose hand was currently pointing to the seven o’clock area, marked Dinnertime, certainly justified that. “Let’s eat!” Wild exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly.

Verde found a chair next to Celine, near the end of the table. She tried a little of everything—and it was all delicious. The macarons were her favorite. Throughout the dinner though, she noticed that Celine only picked slightly at her food. She still looked a little pale, her eyes focused straight on the table.

“What’s wrong?” Verde whispered to Celine, while the others were chatting and laughing.

Celine glanced at her. “Um, nothing.”

Verde gave her a look. “No offense, but you look like a ghost.”

Celine exhaled shakily, stabbing morosely at a baked salmon sushi roll with her fork. “It’s … my card. It was shorter than Wild’s, I think?”

“What’s so wrong with that?”

“Well … the only thing it said was: Don’t trust chandeliers.”

Suddenly, a loud creak echoed through the hall. Instinctively, Verde looked up.

The chandelier right above them swayed dangerously. Verde only had a brief moment to realize what was going on before something cracked, and the whole contraption of gold, diamonds, and candles plummeted towards them.

“Move!” Verde exclaimed, shoving Celine out of the way.

There was a crash, a stabbing pain in Verde’s legs, and then something struck her head. Her vision went black.

~ - ~

No puzzle this time! Every other chapter will have puzzles. I’ll try to update soon :)