Lily POV
The black case fit neatly inside the hidden compartment. No lock. No hinges. Just a smooth lacquered surface interrupted by nine small brass tiles arranged in a three-by-three grid.
A puzzle.
Of course.
I picked it up and carried it to the nearest table. The tiles bore simple symbols: A rook. A crown. A stag. A rose. An eye. A compass. Three empty squares. No instructions. No visible mechanism.
Very Keenan.
I rotated the box in my hands. Nothing. Pressed gently against each tile. Still nothing. Then I noticed faint scratches along the edges of the symbols. Not random. Repeated.
Patterns of movement. Sliding pieces.
I smiled. A permutation puzzle, duh.
The objective became obvious almost immediately. I had to arrange the symbols according to importance. Not social importan
