The Fifth Healer

35.

The blocks of the floor begin to separate, slowly scraping apart to form a stone staircase that goes deep into the ground. It's too dark to say where the steps lead. But it's very far down.

There's that other clue: You'll find me at the bottom of the steps.

The large stone block I'm standing on starts to move slowly forward, and I notice all the steps are grinding smoothly, not just down but also forward. Like...like an escalator. I'm riding a stone escalator. The steps are larger than on a regular escalator, big enough for a wheelchair or stroller.

As I near the bottom, I see a growing dot of light. As it comes into view, it becomes clear it's a lantern. Which turns out to be hanging from Sloan's hand.

"Took you long enough," he says.

I step off the bottom of the escalator. We're in an underground nook leading to a narrow tunnel carved into solid rock. The passage is only wide enough for one person to walk through at a time. The lamp he's holding, which is shockingly bright for how small it is, like a tiny handheld sun, is the only light source.

"Off we go," says Sloan. He heads into the tunnel, taking the light with him. I take a step forward and then stop. I turn back to that moving staircase, imagining how it would feel for someone afraid of heights to find herself riding down that escalator in pitch darkness.

"Hold on," I say.

He turns back and holds up the lantern. "What?"

"We have to wait."

"You have the feather, don't you?"

I take a deep breath, running my fingers over the outside of my vest, feeling the outline of the vial inside.

"Well, yes," I say. "But the truth is, we worked together. Ainsley has it."

He glances theatrically from left to right. "Funny thing, I don't see Ainsley."

"She had a blackout. A little ways back."

"And you just abandoned her? You call that working together?"

"I-figured you might be waiting. It seemed like I should go ahead so you didn't give up on waiting for us."

He makes a grunt sound, indicating he buys that explanation.

I hear the escalator creak to a stop. The lantern creates stark shadows, so it's hard to see exactly how it all works, but all the stairs are being lifted-almost floating-back up into the ceiling.

"What is this thing, anyway?" I say, pointing at the escalator.

"That? Ain't you seen an escalator before?"

"Not one made of stone."

"Why's it matter what it's made of?"

"Because that escalator is incredibly old. There's moss growing on its steps. Plus, I know the gatehouse was built two hundred years ago."

"And?"

I incline my head toward the escalator. "No electricity back then to power something like this."

He scoffs. "Electricity." He says it like I'd just said the escalator was powered by the tooth fairy.

"Then what powers it?" I ask. "Water?"

"Time."

"Time?" I say, confused. "Time for what?"

"No, just time. Time itself. Only true power there is. Well, that and the sun."

Right-time. Time power. Because that makes sense...

The air smells dank and musty. Feels like this escalator doesn't see a lot of riders. "Seems like a lot of trouble to build for occasional use. Why not just regular stairs?"

"Considering what type a individuals come through here, we need an accessible entrance, don't we?" he says. "We were the ones invented lifts, all sorts of 'em, thousands-well, a long time ago. You got any more of these pointless questions?"

I shake my head and look away.

"You sure you don't want to go now?" he asks. "If it were me, I'd be claiming that victory myself. Keep the reward for myself, too."

Reward?

I sigh. I'm not sure it's the path my parents would recommend, but leaving everyone else behind feels wrong. Plus, if I'm being honest, I'd just miss Ainsley's company. "I'm sure."

He shrugs. "Suit yourself."

There's an awkward pause lasting eight minutes, broken by the arrival from the dark passage of Dr. Khan, also carrying a lantern. Sloan tells her my story about Ainsley passing out as we walked here. Dr. Khan doesn't say anything but looks at me carefully.

It's another twenty-seven long minutes before the escalator cranks back down from the ceiling. Ainsley's the first off. I turn toward her.

"You waited," she says to me. She sounds surprised.

"I told them how you passed out on our way over," I say, hoping it's not too dark for her to see my attempt to communicate through my eyes-please, go along with this story. "So I thought we should wait for you."

A line forms between her eyebrows. "Right," she says. "My blackout."

Just then, Wally gets off the escalator. I give him an I told you so look. 1:15 is a place, not a time. He has the grace to give me the slightest nod, which I interpret as acknowledgment he was wrong. Or it could just be a crick in his neck.

Niles is right behind, wide-eyed as he takes in the underground space.

"Nikolai, the feather," says Dr. Khan, her expressionless face up lit by flickers from her lamp.

I hand her the vial.

Dr. Khan holds it in front of lamp and nods. "You may choose to declare yourself the sole winner or split your winnings with any of the others."

I look at each of them. In her eyes, I can tell Ainsley wants me to share. But that would mean I'd only get a fourth of the prize. My parents wanted me to win. The prize could be important to their plan. Declaring myself the winner isn't selfish if I'm doing it for the sake of my family, right?

"Well...the truth is..." I say, making up my mind. "I couldn't have gotten the feather without Ainsley causing a diversion with her wig-that is, her wiggling. Her wiggly, uh, dancing distracted the guards." Ainsley directs me with her eyes to Niles and Wally. OK, fine. "And...Niles and Wally, err-were nice enough to wait with her just now when she blacked out. So I guess we won together. I choose to share the victory."