The Fortress in the Clouds

THE TEST, LIKE most other tests in life, was harder than Naomi could have ever imagined.

No, it was not physically demanding. It did not make her muscles ache, her lungs burn, or cause her heart to pump at a speed a hundred times faster than usual. Of course, it did not make her perspire insanely, nor did it make her pant like a savage beast.

On the other hand, it was also not mentally challenging. It was not a mathematical sum in which brains could solve. Even with whatever knowledge she had gained from listening in on the chatter of the schoolboys who had the privilege of learning from a tutor, it was not sufficient to help her overcome these tests. That was because it was not a feat of the mind, nor was it something a genius could solve with a simple wonder and a smile.

These tests were all mind-numbing, toes-curling, hair-raising sort of challenges in a way that Naomi could not have prepared herself if Argus had not told her what to expect.

"It will be over soon.”

Naomi remembered Argus’s words like a mantra that she had to repeat to herself. Those words had gotten her through a few of the previous tests, all of which she had barely even noticed. When she inquired about it, Argus only grinned and shrug, refusing to divulge any further information in regards to them.

“Remind me again what is the purpose of these tests?” Naomi sighed, blowing at a strand of voluminous curly hair that had fallen over her eyes. She failed to make it move out of the way even after a few tries and hence had to manually shove them back behind her ears with her fingers.

“It is a test of character, lowlander. To see if you are worthy of being accepted into the fortress.” Argus’s reply was smooth, fluent, practiced. If Naomi had not known better, she might have thought that he had rehearsed it before going out of his way in the night to bring her here.

“And if I fail?” Suddenly, she had found the bravery to ask about the damned.

“Then you will be trapped here in the foot of the mountain for the rest of eternity.”

As if to prove his point, the two walked past a particularly mucky path. Naomi swore that she had stepped on something in which was unnatural when she heard and felt a loud crunch go off beneath the soles of her shoes, making her lips curl in disgust and her skin to crawl.

“How long do these tests go on for?” She decided to ask, just to keep her mind off of whatever she had stepped on. In her mind, Naomi silently concluded that it was a bone fragment.

“The main ones? About fifteen minutes. It depends on the person,” Argus casually answered.

Lies. It felt as though it had been years since she first stepped into the darkness.

“As for the more minor ones, they go on for the rest of your years. They follow you out of the cave, meeting you at every decision of your life, both big and small. Most of the time, you will not even notice they are actually tests but every answer you make counts in the tabulation of your points.”

Naomi’s lips parted for a question, ready to attack with words sharp as the sword that hung on Argus’s belt. Yet, right before she could speak, they came to a sudden halt. Naomi felt her nose brush past something cool, perhaps a sort of metal that had been left in the cold of the winter for a second too long.

“Congratulations,” Argus smiled. By now, she could tell when he was smiling and when he was not. His voice changed whenever he did, making his emotions easy to read. “We have reached the final gate.”

“What? I barely even felt anything.” Naomi scrunched up her nose, the little bit of skin between her eyebrows crinkling when she did.

It was mainly just a long and dark tunnel for her. Her heart constantly palpitated in fear, in worry of what might happen to her in the dark. To think of all the dangers that lurked into the shadows, away from the glorious light of day made Naomi’s very soul scream in fright. Yet, with her hands tightly clasped onto Argus’s, she was surged by a sense of courage she never had before.

Or at least, a courage that was enough to let her go this far.

“That is good. It means that you passed them easily. But the final one always remains the hardest. If you answer it correctly, the gates will open to you. Only you will be able to hear the question asked so I will not be able to help you. Not this. This, you will have to do alone.”

“So be it.”

With a tilt of her chin and calm in her eyes, Naomi breathed deeply in through her nostrils, blowing the air out between her lips just as she heard an unidentified voice whisper in her mind.

“What is it that you fear the most?”