CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Beams took a step backward away from the box and the Skyward Stone. He felt the necklace again, vividly remembering just how painfully it had tightened around his neck and nearly choked him to death.
Do I even want to do this anymore? Beams thought. I have two attempts left. If I fail both, the necklace will choke the life out of me. Going through the Gauntlet suddenly doesn’t seem like such a good idea anymore.
Beams shook his head. He needed to stop panicking. It wasn’t like he had any choice. Both Scorius and Guide had made it clear that Beams could not simply quit the Gauntlet and go home like some kind of video game. He’d have to see it through full to the end, whether that ‘end’ was his death or his victory.
Even so, Beams wasn’t eager to try the puzzle box a
