"Like I said, it was a gift," she said, squirming a little because the whole thing was still quite surreal. "Last month, she caught up a bunch of us and tested us to survive her trial. And I did." She paused. She didn't want to sound like she was bragging--because she absolutely wasn't--but to clarify, she added, "Three times."

A few times too many, really. But Ariadne was still more than a little convinced that she'd never actually been in real anger.

The snake had saved her. Several times! And Varen and Lorna and Steve too.

"But I'm not sure about the type, exactly," she added. "I made three requests. And I've only figured out the one so far." She held up her hand. It took quite a bit of effort on her part--she still didn't know how to focus her mind the right way--before a small, swirling portal opened in front of them, roughly the size of a doorway. The space beyond was a watercolor of white, pink, and blue. "It's...empty. But if I go inside, the doorway closes and I'm alone."

A sort of magical escape room.

"I've been told that my ancestors could do such magic. And I said something to Baba Yaga about living up to them."