“No, we wouldn’t,” Kyrine said. “A dungeon core is a very slow growing thing, and we come to maturity after more than three thousand years. With you guiding my work, everything I have done, everything I am, everything I will be, could be worth something.”

”What’s the catch?” I asked.

”Well, you must pass a test. One that determines whether you are fit for my power.”

“I thought I already passed your test,” I said.

“That was the first test of two. It ascertained whether you were physically fit, and I’m pleased to announce that you are, indeed, physically fit.” There was a strange tone to her voice, as though she was somehow admiring and taking pleasure in my fitness. “But now,” she continued, “I must turn my assessment toward your mental state.”

I grimaced. I didn’t consider myself to have any mental problems, but the person making that judgment was an entity who was nothing if not homicidal. I didn’t trust her to make an accurate assessment. Still, I’d come this far. . .

“And if I fail?” I asked the dungeon core.

Kyrine laughed but didn’t answer. I figured that meant I would become like all the other would-be Keepers.

Food for the dungeon.

“The second test is not so challenging as the first,” Kyrine continued, leaving the threat of violent death unspoken. “You must answer a series of questions, truthfully, without a hint of guile. Should I deem your answers appropriate, then the true process of merging can begin.”

Chapter 10

The cavern around me faded into darkness.

For a long moment, I felt that I was floating, alone in an empty space with nothing but the sound of my own heartbeat and the enveloping presence of Kyrine all around me.

Then the total blackness faded, and I found myself standing in the center of what looked like a small bedroom.

The first thing I noticed was the change in temperature. The air here was cool and pleasant, and it had a fresh smell, like clean sheets that had dried in the wind.

I breathed deep, basking in the sensation of being out of the oppressive, sulfur-stinking red heat of the lava chamber.

After a moment, I turned slowly around in a circle, taking in the room.

It wasn’t modern in the slightest, and reminded me of nothing so much as a medieval bedchamber from a fantasy movie. It was not much bigger than my own bedroom at home, but unlike my room at home, it was circular, as if it occupied one floor of a tower. Maybe I’d somehow entered Rapunzel’s bedchamber? Except there was no beautiful woman with mile-long hair. A slight disappointment, perhaps, but I continued to inspect this strange place I’d found myself in.