Still, no one spoke.
“What’s that?” someone in the crowd called out.
Everyone followed the speaker’s gaze upward and saw a device hanging above the door, resembling the helm of an old ship.
It was a double-layered wheel, one large and one small, carved with an ornate design of a dragon and phoenix intertwined. Inlaid with mother-of-pearl and iridescent shells, it shimmered in the sunlight, looking stunningly beautiful and lifelike.
At first, everyone assumed it was just a decoration, but they soon realized something was off.
The two layered wheels were constantly turning, the smaller one in front moving quickly, the larger one behind it rotating more slowly.
Each spoke had a hole in it, inlaid with shell to form a magnificent phoenix tail.
Every time the holes on the front and back wheels aligned, a different image would appear in the center of the wheel—sometimes a painting of flowers and birds, sometimes a landscape, and sometimes a dragon and phoenix…
The more the crowd watched the wheel, the more amazed they became.
“The craftsmanship is exquisite!”
“This must use some long-lost clockwork mechanism. It looks incredible!”
“As expected of the Jarvis family. What an eye-opener!”
…
“Does opening the door have something to do with this wheel?” Charlie asked, looking up.
Jonathan watched the patterns align as the wheels turned. After a moment of thought, he turned to Millard, who had followed him. “Get me a ladder!”
“No need for that!”
Xavier stepped forward, holding a long wooden box. He presented it to Jonathan with a faint smile.
“There was supposed to be another small challenge before this—finding the bow and arrow. But I’ll give Estelle a hand this time and present it to you myself. Ms. Sampson said this challenge is called ‘The Arrow That Flies But Once.’ You can’t turn back, and you can’t hesitate. You have one chance. If you miss, the door might lock for good, and you’ll have to come back another day!”
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Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
Just smiling and smiling and smiling reading the proceedings of this story. Loving it to the max...
Excited for all the events leading up to Jonathan getting his bride. Thank you for the updates....
Beautiful how everything is flowing together. Thank you for the updates....
Appreciate the storyline and direction.. Nothing seems rushed and patiently focusing on each and every character of the story, leaving no stone unturned. Even more intresting to read by the day...
And the plot thickens…thank you for the updates....
Ooooo, thank you thank you thank you for continuing to update the novel 🤩...
Ooooo, thank you thank you thank you for continuing to update the novel 🤩...
No updates??...
Now Xavier needs to get with Nora and Gabriel needs to get with Sylvia....
Thank you for the update. You are a blessing to your readers....