“I think you and I should go in first, Arrow,” Lynx declared confidently. “Myself as the leader of the guild, and you as our newest member.” I shot him a nasty glare, yet he persisted. “Congratulations, Arrow! Let’s get going.”

Finally, he removed his arm from my shoulders and marched onward toward the door.

Well, I’ve come this far… The mansion still gave me an unnerving feeling that made me reluctant to venture in, but I knew I had to do it. After all I had put my body through just to make it there, it was impossible for me to turn back without seeing the mission through to the end.

I trailed behind Lynx toward the grand doors, which almost seemed to watch us approach. He placed his hand on the door on the left, as I did the door on the right. The wooden surface felt smoother than its appearance had led me to expect. I gave a light shove, but as I had suspected, the door was much too heavy to give way that easily. Lynx and I locked eyes, shared a nod, then forcefully thrust the mansion doors open.

I wasn’t sure precisely what I had expected upon seeing the inside of the mansion for the first time, but I certainly wasn’t expecting the sight I beheld. The first display to surprise me was the light emanating from within. There were rows of lit torches lining every wall, meaning that although the outside was dark and gloomy, the indoors was bright and radiant. Though the bright lights should have put me at ease, they left me contemplating the logistics – there was no way they had been manually lit decades ago and left unattended all these years. Either someone was already here, tending to the torches, or they were a product of an enchantment. The idea of either possibility being true tightened the knot in my gut.

As creepy as they were, the lights did a phenomenal job at showcasing the extravagance of the mansion. The entire building was shining from top to bottom, without even a single speck of dust touching any surface. A rich burgundy rug lined the hardwood floors, tracing out a path to each room that extended off the foyer in which we stood, and up two large spiral staircases. The staircases were lined with golden handrails, which matched the lavish gold accents decorating the walls. The light from the torches – which were held in countless glass spheres covering the place – glinted off the gold, creating a shining and shimmering spectacle of the whole interior.

The rest of the group flowed in behind us. People entered the foyer, paused to gawk at the astounding image before us, then wandered off to further explore the various rooms: the large, open area up ahead of us, the hallways to our left and right, and up the stairs to see what the other floors held. Not me, however; I stood in place, paralyzed by what I was witnessing.

“Everything alright?” The voice was one I did not recognize, but when I turned to face it, I realized it belonged to the mage who had created our green spell. Her sincere eyes peered out from behind large spectacles. Unlike most of us, she wasn’t wearing armor; instead, she wore a long, flowing dress. I suspected she must have never intended to get too close to the maze until a path was forged through.

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“Oh. You’re Echo,” I recalled. I dodged her question and looked at the nearest torch. “What kind of magic is this?”

“The lights?” She followed my gaze. “It looks like a simple illumination enchantment.” She looked back at me. “Why do you ask? Are you afraid of magic?”

“What? No!” I shook my head assertively. “But, can an enchantment really last forever like that?”

“Well, I suppose if they have enough fuel.” She shrugged. “Illuminations don’t consume much fuel. It wouldn’t be hard to set one up to go on for many years.”

I crossed my arms. “So, what about the rest of it?”

“The rest of it?” She looked around. “You mean the cleanliness?”

“Yes, the cleanliness!” I threw up my hands and gestured all around. “The polish! The absolute pristine condition of the place!”

She laughed brightly. “Well, I suppose I would like to know the answer to that too! Whatever enchantment this is, I ought to cast it onto my own house.”

Great. So not even the mage knows. “Is that so? Your own house?” I asked. “So you’re not planning on moving in here?”

Echo stopped laughing and gave me a thoughtful look. “Well, I suppose I don’t quite know yet.” She took another look around. “What about you? Will you be making your dwelling here?”

I shrugged. “I haven’t quite decided either. Though I must say, the idea does seem rather…far-fetched.”

She nodded distractedly as she studied the building. “I suppose I agree with that.”

“You sure do suppose a good deal,” I sighed.

Her cheerful laugh returned. “Yes, I suppose I do.”

I turned around to face the still-open front door. The fence was visible from where I stood. I observed the gaping hole, which had been enlarged by those who forged through after me. “That was quite some spell you created.”

“Oh! Thank you!” she replied. “I’ve been working on it for quite a long time for just this purpose.”

“For just this purpose?” I turned back to face her. “You mean to weaken the maze?”

“Yes, that’s right.” She nodded. “I’ve always wanted to figure out a way through it. I figured if it wasn’t physically possible, maybe it was magically possible.”

I marveled at her. It was clear to me that she was brilliant, given that out of all of the many mages I had met, she was the only one who had managed to impress me. Evidently, she had been one of those types to get wrapped up in the maze and mansion hype, but I couldn’t blame her for being drawn to its mystery – especially not when she had been the one to crack the case.

“I got in touch with Lynx as soon as I figured it out,” Echo went on. “He worked to put together this team while I worked on the spell.”

“Impressive,” I mumbled. “Echo…let me ask you one more question.”

“Hmm?” She smiled warmly.

“Do you think…” I hesitated. I knew I was being overly cautious, but I couldn't overcome my feeling of dread. “Do you think this mansion is…safe?”

“Safe?” She paused to consider the question. “Well, I suppose it’s possible there could be a trap in here, but I’m not sure what it would serve to accomplish.” She shrugged. “I’m sure that with all the skilled guild members we have, there’s no danger that could overpower us.”

She had made a good point. “Well,” I sighed, “I suppose so.”