I rub my forehead. “That would make sense if there were more variety, but without long bones or skulls, there’s nothing to assemble.”

Talon mops his brow with his sleeve. “If the goal is to get out of here, maybe we should look for another door.”

Niklas leans his forearms against the table. “I doubt it’s going to be that simple.”

“Or maybe it will be,” Talon counters. “Maybe it’s like a riddle where the most obvious answer is the correct one.”

“Let’s just start with a general exploration of the room,” Bram says. “Each of us can take a quadrant and look for clues.”

“Or doors,” Talon says.

Bram laughs. “Or doors.”

The four of us peel apart. I head for the far side of the room, but Bram spins in the same direction. Our shoulders collide in the small space.

“Oof.” He reaches an arm out to steady me. “Sorry. I thought you were going over there.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I don’t quite meet his eyes.

Talon looks back and forth between us. “What’s with you two?”

“Nothing,” Bram and I answer at the same time.

But Talon doesn’t let it go. “Lover’s quarrel? You better patch things up quickly; we don’t have time for fighting.”

The tips of Bram’s ears turn scarlet, and he mumbles something before turning and heading in the opposite direction.

The room seems even warmer than when we entered, and I’m not sure if it’s my discomfort or if the temperature has actually increased.

I run my palms along the smooth metal of the wall farthest from the entrance, searching for anything that might indicate an escape route. No luck.

I crouch down and my eye catches something—a series of indentations on the floor that look much like the thumbprint locks I’ve seen on some of the doors at Ivory Hall.

“I think I found something.”

Bram, Talon, and Niklas rush to my side. Their upper lips are both beaded with sweat. The room is getting warmer. And smaller, too. Are the walls closing in?

“Is it a door?” Talon asks.

I move to one side and point to the row of depressions. “No, but it could be a lock to one.”

Bram runs his fingers along the wall. “There’s a seam here. I think Saskia is right. The lock must open this wall.”

Niklas crouches down too. “Maybe it works like the puzzle box. Should we all try it together?”

“But there are seven spots and only six of us,” Bram says.

My heart sinks. He’s right. “Do you think Rasmus was meant to be here after all?”

“I hope not.”

Tessa comes up from behind. “What did you find?” She has one arm around Jacey’s waist. Jacey’s breath is shallow and she looks green around the mouth.

“We’re not sure yet,” Talon says, then turns to Jacey. “Feeling any better?”