If I admitted it to myself, I’d always had an affinity for using the magical enhancements that came as standard with household goods when I was a little kid. Sometimes, Uncle Phil would tousle my hair and give me a somewhat guarded look when I worked one of the magical puzzles that had been frustrating him.

I seemed to hear my own childish voice in my head, speaking from a long time ago. I’d handed Uncle Phil a solved magitech Rubix cube, saying, “Look, Uncle P, it’s easy!”

He glanced over the dinner table at Aunt Betty and their eyes met. “Talented kid,” was all he said. If I was honest with myself, there had been loads of small things like that.

Could it be true? Could I really be a race other than human? Well, there was only one way to find out, and suddenly I felt a surge of excitement. Yes, I decided, I was willing to follow along until I could confirm or disprove it for myself.

Ultimately, there was really no turning back, anyway. I had killed a bunch of those PentaTech guys. If called to do so, could I prove that it was in self-defense?

Maybe.

But I wouldn’t want to bet the rest of my life on it.

If these two Outworlder women were really working for some government agency, then this might be my big shot, the one I’d been waiting for.

I inhaled deeply and took the plunge.

“All right,” I said. “What next?”

Astrid smiled and looked with satisfaction at Belinda, then spoke to me. ”We’re running out of time. The dungeon should be prepared by now, and there’s a bit of a time limit on things. For now, we’ll start with the basics. You need to meet your dungeon, Kyrine.”

”The woman you said was like a sister to you is a dungeon?” I asked, wide-eyed.

”Sure is,” Astrid said, nodding briskly. ”And she’ll be your dungeon. Well, as long as she likes you. I really hope she does like you, because it would be so annoying to have to find yet another Keeper.”

“Another Keeper?” I asked. “There were others who entered the mansion like I’m about to?”

“The operative word there is ’were.’” Belinda fixed me with a cold stare. “You either convince Kyrine to like you, or you’ll end up like the others.”

“I don’t like the way you’re saying that,” I said. “You make it sound like Kyrine killed them.”

“I’m afraid that’s exactly what she did,” Astrid said.

My stomach muscles clenched, and a trail of ice-cold sweat trickled down my back. My commitment of a moment ago wavered.

Everything I’d ever heard about dungeons said that they were deadly, but now Astrid was stating plainly that this dungeon had killed candidates just like me already.

Despite my resolution, this was a little shocking to say the least.