Eventually Jacey curls up in a corner and falls asleep. I wish I could do the same, but I doubt I could rest right now if my life depended on it. My mind is still reeling, tripping over my worries. The vision of Latham felt real in a way that the other illusions didn’t. Maybe it was the same for all the apprentices—that their own fears were more alive than the fears of someone else. But still, my stomach feels like a writhing nest of snakes.

Finally Niklas holds up the femur bone and blows on it gently to remove the last of the dust. “Finished.”

The flute is delicate. Beautifully carved. And suddenly I’m impressed that Niklas could create such a thing in so little time instead of frustrated he couldn’t make it faster. Niklas gives the instrument to Talon.

“Moment of truth,” Talon says. He brings the flute to his mouth and plays a sorrowful melody. A few moments later, a dark shape darts in front of the window. A flap of black wings. A gentle tap of a beak against the glass.

Jacey presses her palms together. “Thank the bones it’s working.”

“What do you see?” Tessa asks. But Talon ignores her and keeps playing. The bird disappears from sight. The tune goes on and on, and it feels like a raven—like sadness and bad omens and death. But it’s also beautiful.

The melody drifts away and Talon lowers the flute. “There’s a lever on the outside of the building that opens the door,” he says. “The raven wasn’t strong enough to lower it.”

“Then how do we get out?” Jacey asks.

Talon goes to the far wall and runs his palms along the stones. “There must be a way to access the lever from this room. If I could just find a loose section—” One of the stones wiggles a bit, and Talon’s eyes light up. He yanks harder and the stone comes away in his hand.

“And that’s how it’s done.” He places one arm over his waist and gives a deep bow, as if he’s onstage.

We give him a smattering of applause and his face breaks out in a wide grin.

Tessa peers through the opening. “So where is the lever?”

“It should be below,” Talon says.

Tessa sticks her arm through the hole in the wall. “I can’t find it.”

My heart sinks. I should have known it wouldn’t be straightforward. Every time we think we have a solution, the ground seems to shift beneath our feet. Talon picks up the bone flute. “Let me see if I can guide you to it.” He plays a short melody then lowers the instrument. “I don’t think your arm is long enough. It’s directly below you, but I’m not sure you can reach it.”

“Who has the longest arms?” Tessa asks.