“And nothing,” she said firmly. That was part of her deal too. They were equal—she was never supposed to choose between them. “We’re in this together. Full stop. Stop being silly and listening to people who don’t know us. Okay?”

He inhaled through his nose, a deep reverse-sigh, and let it out quickly. “Yeah. Yeah. Sorry.”

Luna held his hand, leading him forward. Same as always.

When their challenge arrived on their tablets, they hadn’t been given a code to enter the room because there wasn’t one. A long rectangular hallway, clinically clean with soft lighting, stretched before them.

“It’s like a museum in here,” Alex said.

Each portrait had its own spotlight and the same deep gold frame. Luna read some of the names as they passed them—Philistine, Gertrude, Augustus, Agatha—and stopped counting when she reached twenty. How many generations of Van Hanens could there possibly be?

At the end of the hall, empty black squares framed in gold, arranged in a grid of ten by ten, covered the majority back wall almost up to the ceiling. There was a clear line of extra space before the last row of frames began—animal portraits. Luna reached out and touched one of the black squares. “It’s velvet.”

“One of these portraits is not like the others.” Alex’s mischievous smile had returned. He pointed to the portrait in question. It was slightly larger than the others; the nameplate read ROGUE AND MERCY VAN HANEN UPON THE OCCASION OF THEIR WEDDING. Rogue looked so pleased with himself, standing with his chest puffed out in pride in a black suit and bow tie with a white shirt and very large gold cuff links. Mercy’s white dress was huge and ruffly, nearly swallowing her whole. She wasn’t smiling. Instead, she looked like a cat who had just knocked a glass off the counter while looking you dead in the eye.

And their envelope had been tucked into the corner waiting to be found.

Nepotism and inherited wealth are never fair

But all are equal in the land of the dead

This time there is one treasure to share

A bracelet hidden in the hall of the dead

Step One:

Fly with the bird to the correct fallen soul.

Step Two:

Unlock the sweet secret hiding in plain sight.

Step Three:

Use your present as you see fit.

Press BEGIN when you are ready.

Luna read it again, then once more to be sure. Reaching out, she tested one of the black portraits, trying to move it, but the entire thing had been secured firmly to the wall, all four sides. Just as she suspected.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” She shoved her tablet at him to hold along with her satchel.

“I highly doubt it.” He took the items anyway.

“I’m going up.”

“Up? Up where?”