Yes.

This was, indeed, a very large tabby cat.

Suddenly, a row of torches lit up the length of the corridor, revealing the only feline that even adventurers wouldn’t kidnap. Or at least not without being slightly more drunk than normal.

A sphinx.

Famed guardians of secret places, lost relics and forbidden knowledge.

Winged lions with the faces of mortals.

They were the children of the divine, as dangerous as they were enigmatic.

Sphinxes were sages gifted with enough claws to win every argument by default. They often needed less. Their purpose was to prowl the dark places of the world, guarding the things they deemed worthy of their acknowledgement. 

It was a duty they did well. 

Few could claim to be better than a troll when it came to barring entrances. Even fewer could earn the agreement of the trolls themselves. 

Sitting with a posture as refined as any receptionist, the sphinx with a woman’s face seemed as immovable as the stone around us. Given her lustrously dark fur, she resembled a marble effigy of a panther. Yet despite her very feline appearance, there was no twitching of a tail or lick of a paw. 

She was as still as the silence she guaranteed.

I leaned back. And then I leaned back a little more.

Even so, I could barely discern the sphinx’s size. 

The newly lit torches flickered and danced, battling to illuminate the dark silhouette. They failed. The nearest flames shuddered and died, dousing the creature once more in a layer of shadows it didn’t need.

Even so, the judging glare of those jewelled eyes was clear.

I could only cover my mouth in horror … mostly because Coppelia was reaching out to pet it.

“A sphinx,” I said, the words hushed as they exited between my fingers. “H-How terrible … to think that such a wonderful and prohibitively difficult to hire creature has been imprisoned in such a shoddy, 2.5/10 corridor … !”

Indeed!

There was no other explanation!

A cave barely large enough to fit a bathtub! And it led to an ill-fitting corridor that housed a guardian so famed that nobility would sell all their possessions just for them to flick away whatever spoon remained!

This was appalling

! 

Why, sphinxes demanded only what queens and empresses could offer! 

They were the custodians of hallways etched with more gold than the treasures which awaited … and yet the torches made clear what Starlight Grace already told me! 

This was no royal passage hiding a vault. 

Whatever the dwarves were doing, it certainly wasn’t going to result in anything useful after I’d finished requisitioning it. 

A fact the sphinx clearly agreed with, given the way she didn’t instantly shoo me away.

“A sphinx I am,” she said, her mature, almost playful voice echoing with expression in contrast to her face. “But imprisoned I’m not. I go where I please and leave when I wish. I expect the same applies to you, princess of a human kingdom.”

I blinked.

Then, I lowered my hand and offered a smile instead.

“My, it seems the eyes of a sphinx see past more than darkness. To have so easily seen past my masterful disguise I spent all of 15 seconds choosing is no small feat. But you are correct. I am a princess of this realm. And none has yet to succeed in barring my path.”

If the sphinx acknowledged my warning, she offered not to show it.

Instead, she lowered herself in order to allow Coppelia to better stroke her sleek flank, and in doing so reduced her regalness by approximately 107%.

“My eyes see past veils and shadows, illusions and lies. But such truesight was not needed now. All sphinxes are born of royal stock. We are the rulers of kingdoms, small though our halls and corridors may seem, yet it is enough to recognise those of our ilk.”

“Then I’m afraid we’ve a point of royal disagreement. This is the Kingdom of Tirea. And here, neither sphinxes nor dwarves may claim even the den of a badger as their own. Should any dwarf be quivering behind you, I would ask that you not bar my lawful path.”

Despite the lack of expression on her face, the same couldn’t be said of her jewelled eyes.

They glinted with amusement.

A titbit of delight, of a rescue from boredom more than what she revealed in her voice. Or the soft purr as I stole a few steps closer until my hand mysteriously found itself poking at the exquisitely soft fur.

“There are indeed dwarves behind me,” said the sphinx, as she stretched like a lazing cat. I leaned away in case she rolled over. “Somewhere. Always. They tinker with the stone while wilfully ignoring that the song of their tools is far less melodic to those who have no wish to listen. Should you wish to inflict judgement, your presence is unneeded. Their reprisal will come to them, one day or the next.” 

“I can think of nothing worse. It means they’ll have nothing left for me.”

“You may need to go without redress. No vault is endless. Nor are you the only one who suffers from the hubris of dwarves.”

“And yet this is the only kingdom I know or care about that is shaking from their scheming. As a result, only I may bankrupt them. May I ask what you know about their presence?”

“Very little. I am not involved in the designs of dwarves.”

“Then for what reason do you guard their corridors? Is a hidden trove of riches behind you?”

“If there was, I’d be spared my blushes,” said the sphinx, who wasn’t blushing in the slightest. “... No, I’m simply here to take over from my cub.”

“Your cub.”

“My youngest. A mischievous boy, occasionally charming as he is. Guarding this corridor was due to be his first ever role. Sadly, he was denied access to the Underhalls required to reach here. He failed to fill in the required forms.”

I stared at the steadily lazing feline before me. 

And also the claws that served as a valid entry paper to everywhere except my kingdom.

“I thought you said sphinxes go where they please and leave when they wish.” 

“I said that regarding myself. I am exceptional at what I do. But my offspring are a different matter. Before I’m willing to let them guard sacred relics against the mightiest of adversaries, they need to prove they can guard a dwarven corridor against the lowliest of … adventurers.” 

Her face betrayed the slightest movement as her nose wrinkled. I joined in the gesture.

“... I’m therefore here as a parental favour,” she said matter-of-factly. “But also a professional courtesy. For all their faults, dwarves make reliable partners. I wouldn’t wish to see a relationship sullied over a matter of bureaucracy.”

“Well, I hardly see why any bureaucracy is needed. All dwarves should be glad to accommodate a passing sphinx. If they had any senses, they could even enquire about hiring you. Especially since you cost … ?”

“Nothing. Sphinxes do not require crowns.”

I clapped my hands in delight. 

“My, is that so? In that case–”

“No.”

“E-Excuse me! You don’t even know what I was going to ask!”

“You wish to employ me, and in doing so take me away from here. Such a thing will not happen.”

I gasped at the insinuation.

After all, if it came to be known that I widely hired promising talent, I’d have charlatans at my door every waking moment.

“I see … then if not silver or gold, perhaps a different type of reimbursement? The Royal Villa is home to artifacts so rare that nobody knows what they do and frankly nobody wants to find out. We also have a wide selection of cakes.”

“We do what we do for duty. Not material goods. Or desserts.” The sphinx paused, clearly considering retracting her words. “... We are gatekeepers, arbiters and wardens, measuring those who are worthy to bring about darkness or light. In doing so, we maintain balance between both.”

“Then there shouldn’t be an issue. I see only the darkness of yet another hole which desperately needs airing. I hope you’ll offer no objections if I wish to resolve this.”

“None at all. You are a princess. And you may go where you wish.”

“Marvellous! Then I’ll just–”

“But I am a sphinx,” she said, suddenly rising as several more torches were doused. “And I bar the way for those who have yet to prove themselves before my shadow.”

I leaned away slightly as the creature’s chin rose above me.

Even so, I neither retreated, nor allowed the gleam of my sword to diminish.

“My quarrel is with dwarves. Not you.”

“A quarrel is not needed. I am simply doing what I must. Especially since I also collect letters of recommendation. It is a valuable currency when undertaking social activities. Dwarves in particular are known to be unbiased and truthful in their assessments. Something I find princesses are not.”

I was appalled.

Why, everything I said was both accurate and sincere! And so long as any new hire I was grading didn’t commit a faux pas which had no bearing on their actual jobs, that would forever remain the case!

“... Very well, then,” I said, knowing what must be done. “I see that movement is clearly difficult for you at present. But as important as your duties are, mine are more so. Enough that even a sphinx with addictively soft fur is not enough to cause me to halt. So provide me your riddle so that I may pass.”

I offered a confident smile.

Ohohoohohohoho!

Indeed … here was the true strength and weakness of sphinxes!

More than any bloodshed, they delighted in games of riddles!

For those who failed, only the stone would hear their remorse. But for those who succeeded, all the secrets and treasures a sphinx deemed worthy of their time would be unveiled.

“Oh?” The sphinx suddenly leaned forwards, her golden eyes agleam. “You wish to be tested with a riddle? How bold. Yet before you seek your own demise, know this–none have ever overcome my trial of wisdom. Unlike those of my kin, I possess no memory of my domain being passed.”

I raised a hand to my lips, barely covering my smile.

“Ohohoho … is that so? Then I suppose it would be unkind of me to haunt your nightmares to come. My wits are as boundless as my kindness, so I shall offer this one opportunity. Allow us to pass, or else the walls you inhabit will seem ever darker. Neither a succubus in a door nor a bookworm dragon could defeat me. Your riddles will prove just as lacking.”

The sphinx gazed hard in answer.

She studied my worth, her golden eyes turning as bright as the dawn.

Then, to my confusion, she flattened herself to the floor, before carefully scribbling with a claw into the stonework.

After a moment, she raised herself and nodded. 

I duly lit up the ground with Starlight Grace. 

… Or as the sphinx viewed it, a very large chalkboard.

Let x + 1⁄x = √3, where x ≠ 0.

Find the value of x³ + 1⁄x³.

I gawped at the sight.

“You have 10 seconds,” said the sphinx, sitting up smartly. “You may begin now.”