by G. Bailey
“Left,” Dante answers, and Zack keeps my hand in his as we run after Dante. Everly is right behind me when I turn to look at her and she nods her encouragement.
“I’m proud of you for sticking up for yourself in front of the king, Ev,” I shout at her and I hear her laugh.
“You forgot to tell the king one more thing about the women of Onaya,” she pauses as we run around another corner, “that no man will ever use us.”
“Hey, not all men use women,” Dante shouts before I can reply.
“No, they don’t, Ev. Dante is right,” I say, but she doesn’t agree with me. I have a feeling anyone who tries to win Everly’s heart has their work cut out for them. There’s a loud banging noise that makes us all stop, but Zack pulls my hand.
“It’s letting the water in,” he tells us, and he doesn’t need to say anything else to make us move. I trip on a rock, flying onto the ground and feel the water that trickles across the floor next to my face. Zack leans down and helps me up as Dante runs ahead of us, looking back to make sure I am following. We all pick up the pace as we follow the direction Dante is leading. There’s a snapping noise before the walls move quickly. The wall to our right snaps closed in front of us, my hands banging against it, and it hurts my wrist as I jump backwards. It takes me a second to realise that the wall has blocked us off from Dante.
“Cassandra!” he shouts from the other side and I hear him bang his fists against the wall.
“The walls are moving,” Zack shouts back.
“Then I don’t know how to get to the middle anymore. It never did this when we were children. Everything is different, from the glass to the shiny walls,” Dante says, his tone annoyed and panicked. “Dammit, we should have thought about him changing things.”
“We will find a way. Just survive, Dante,” I say as I feel more water around my boots.
“I love you, pretty girl,” he shouts, but I don’t get to reply as I hear him running away. I turn and see the right and left option we have again. I watch as Everly leans down and places her hand on the wet floor and closes her eyes.
“The water is coming from the left, so we shouldn’t go that way,” she tells us, and I have no idea how she would have known that, because there isn’t much water. Zack watches her closely and nods his head in some kind of understanding that I don’t get.
“Smart way to check, blonde girl,” Zack says, and we all start running to the right. The water fills up quickly as we run around walls, trying not to slip on the floor. We stop to catch our breaths when the walls move once more. The water is up to our knees at this point.
“It’s filling up quick,” I say as the wall to our left snaps shut on the direction we ran in. Zack lets go of my hand and walks over to the left a bit when the ground shakes and we all fall to the right. I lose track of everyone as I slide across the shaking floor and my head goes under the water. I choke on it, rolling myself over just as I slam into a wall. The wall moves again and slides me with it as I struggle to get a grip on the floor. I close my eyes until the shaking stops and when I open them, it’s completely dark other than the light from the ceiling, and I’m alone. I flinch when I move my arm, seeing a cut with blood pouring down it. I hold my hand against it as I stand up.
“Zack? Everly?” I shout and wait for their replies, but it’s my father who answers.
“I’m here,” he says to my right, and I run around a wall to find him standing up on shaky knees.
“How are you?” I ask him as I get nearer, seeing a cut on his head.
“You’re bleeding,” he says in response, placing his hand on my cut arm and pulling something out of his pocket. He gets a long piece of fabric and rips it in half before tying the fabric around my arm and pulling tight.
“Thank you,” I say, and he nods, looking away from me to where we are. The water is getting to my waist now, and the coldness from it makes me want to move to avoid freezing.
“It’s nothing, come on,” I say, hooking my arm through his and we start running around the maze, trying to get to the middle, but it’s not long before the water is up to my chest and I start panicking.
“I can’t swim, and I don’t see the middle,” I panic and my father looks down at me.
“I will not let my daughter die here, not for some game played by a king who will be destroyed,” he says and grabs my hand with his hands, “You are meant for more and I want you to save the world. It’s who you are; you are the most stubborn, caring, and beautiful daughter I could have ever asked for.”
“Father,” I whisper. He holds me close, putting his hands onto my back and holding me so tightly that I think he never wants to let go. My father hasn’t held me since I was a child. He never showed me any affection and I can do nothing but stay completely still.
“Your mother would have been so proud of who you are, and I always will be. I’m not a good man, I have never been one, but I know I did one good thing. One good thing in this desperate, dying world,” he says, looking down at me.
“What?” I ask him as he leans forward, kissing my forehead lightly before pulling away.
“I saved you,” he says, then grabs my hand. He keeps pulling me through the cold water, my boots threatening to fall off with every step. We get to the end of a long corridor and it’s bigger than the other smaller ones we went down.
“We should wait for the walls to change again, and hopefully -,” I start to say.
“-The king must be the one that changes them, to stay in control of the game. He won’t move the walls when he knows you are trapped, Cassandra,” father tells me, and I look up at the glass. I can’t see the king, but I know it’s something he would do.
“This bit is a dead end, we checked it already,” I say, getting a little frantic in case my father is right and we are trapped. We will drown.
“It’s the only exit and the end is that way,” he says and knocks the wall.
“How do you know that?” I ask.
“The glass, the way it’s shaped, there’s a slight shimmer in the middle. Can you see it?” he asks me. I look up, seeing the panel of glass, but I can’t see what he means.
“I don’t -,”
“It doesn’t matter. There is no exit in this bit and I won’t see you die,” he says and picks me up from my waist. When I see what he is doing, trying to push me through the small gap above the wall, I try to fight him. He is strong enough to throw me up in the air, and I have no choice but to grab onto the wall’s edge.
“No!” I shout, and he looks up at me as I hold onto the edge with my wet hands.
“Don’t. Let me do this,” he pleads with me, and I don’t know what to do as he grabs my foot and pushes me up further.
“I am so proud…So proud,” he says and gives me one more push. I pull myself up on top of the wall, seeing the small gap between the top of the wall and the glass before holding my hand down for my father.
“Let me help you up, you might be able to get through,” I say, seeing how he is just about holding his head above the rising water. My father stares up at me with a small smile on his face, and I desperately reach my hand down.
“I won’t fit and you know that. I didn’t raise a stupid child, now…go. It’s time I saw your mother again,” he says. And with one more look up, he walks away from me in the water and I’m helpless to do anything but watch him leave.
“I love you, Father, and may the Sea God welcome you into the afterlife,” I whisper as tears fall harder from eyes. I angrily wipe them away before turning. I can’t die now, not after he gave his life for me. I lie flat on my stomach as I pull myself through the gap and wish the tears would stop falling from my eyes. How many people have to die before this ends? My father, Miss Drone, and most likely Livvy. Death. Death. Death. I take a deep breath to calm myself down, telling myself over and over that I’m stronger than this and that my father raised a stronger woman than I’m acting right now. I keep pulling myself through the gap, feeling my clothes stick to the glass and te
ar on the stone below as I pull with everything I have to get to the other side. I pull myself through and fall straight into the water on the other side, because I can’t stop myself. I move my arms and get my head above the water and kick my legs to stay afloat as I look around.
“DANTE! EVERLY! ZACK!” I shout. My head slips under the water once more before I manage to get myself above it again. I use my hands to get to the wall, holding onto a tiny gap I find and try to find another gap to pull myself across when hands go around my stomach. I turn to see Zack pull his head out of the water.
“Zack,” I say, turning and throwing my arms around him. When I pull away, he leans forward and kisses me. I push myself into the kiss, needing to be close to him, moving my lips slowly as his tongue slides into my mouth and my legs go around his waist. I notice his gloves are gone when his warm hands slide under my top and slowly up my sides.
“Little fighter, we need to move. Be strong for me, remember,” he says as he breaks away from the kiss and I take a deep breath.
“I will, for you,” I say, looking back at the wall and the water coming in from the gap above it. I watch the water for far too long, knowing what it means and not being able to say a word.
“Your father is dead, isn’t he?” Zack asks, looking at the water pouring in over the gap.
“He is with my mother,” I reply, and Zack doesn’t say a word as he kisses my forehead. The kiss is enough comfort on its own, words are not needed.
“The middle isn’t far,” Zack says, getting my attention, “Hold on to my back and I will swim us out.” I do as he asks, as he turns his body around and jumps into the water while I hold tightly to his back. The middle is right around the corner, and Dante is sitting on a raised platform with Everly next to him. I give a deep sigh of relief at seeing them both, and they both jump up when they see us. Dante helps pull me out of the water and we all collapse onto the middle platform, all of us worn out and lucky to be alive. All but one.
“Where is your father?” Everly asks me quietly.
“With my mother,” I whisper and look up at the glass above. Even if I cannot see the king looking down at me, I know this was his fault. “That’s two people he will die for,” I say much louder and I hope he can hear me as it is a promise.
12
Cassandra
The guard pulls on my arm as the dungeon doors are opened. After we were pulled out of the maze, the king didn’t look impressed and stormed out of the room. Hunter and Ryland gave me matching grins and looks of concern. It was hard to let the guards pull me away from them again.
“Chaz!” I scream when we are dragged back to our cages and I see him lying in a pool of blood inside mine. I struggle against the guard to get free as I wait as he opens my door.
“Chaz?” I hear Dante ask, but I don’t think he or the others can see what I can. They are still coming down the steps.
“Let me go,” I scream, fighting the guard who just laughs and opens the cage, throwing me in. I stumble, but quickly stand up straight as I run over to him. The door is slammed shut behind me and I fall to my knees in front of Chaz. I stroke my hand over his face, brushing his hair behind his ear and leaning down to listen for his breathing.
“Is he alive?” Zack demands from the next cage as I hear him and Dante being locked in. I gently push Chaz over onto his back and put my head against his chest, thankfully hearing the steady sound of his heartbeat.
“He is alive,” I say, taking a deep breath and trying not to cry as I look down at his swollen face. His eye is completely closed, there are little cuts all over his face, and I’m sure the damage to his body is worse.
“You need to check him for injuries, make sure there is nothing major,” Everly suggests from her cage, but I can’t stop staring at him as my mark starts burning. I stare down at all the injuries on him, feeling like I want to burn the world for what they have done to my Chaz.
“Cassandra, I know, but you need to do this. Snap out of it,” Dante shouts at me from Zack's cage, and I give them a shaky nod as I look Chaz over. I pull up his shirt and fight to hold in a cry at all the purple, blue, and black bruises all over his stomach. They look awful.
“Chaz is the doctor. I don’t know what to look for,” I say as I look at his beaten-up face. “Chaz, please wake up. I miss your voice, I miss you. I need to, I don’t know, hear you tell me a story of the islands you have been to,” I tell him. I place my hand on his cheek, but he doesn’t move.
“He could have internal injuries…Cassandra, I don’t know what to suggest,” Dante says and punches the bars. Zack looks down at us hopelessly and I shake my head, wiping my tears away.
“I will not lose anyone else, not one of my pirates,” I say before pulling his shirt down gently. I rest my head against his chest and close my eyes.
“Sleeping isn’t going to help,” Everly tells me in a worried tone.
“I’m going to hope the Sea God comes to me. Maybe he can help Chaz,” I say without opening my eyes.
“We should all sleep, and pray the same thing,” Zack says, and there’s silence as I hold Chaz close and beg for the Sea God to come to me. Please, don’t let death come for another person I love.
“You called me…it was unexpected,” the Sea God says as I blink my eyes open and naturally try to look towards him. My body stops me, freezing in place, but this time I can feel the warmness of my mark on my forehead. That’s a new thing.
“Chaz is dying…how can I save him?” I ask straight away, and the Sea God laughs.
“Hope,” he replies.
“I can’t lose him. I can’t deal with any more pain. Stop telling me riddles and help me! I will do anything,” I say, feeling like there’s a hole inside my heart at the idea of losing Chaz. Just imagining his swollen face, the bruises, and the blood, makes me feel nothing but anger and pain.
“Love doesn't save you from pain, child, but it heals the pain that is inside of you,” he tells me.
“What if you don't know how to save those you love? What if...there is no hope,” I whisper back.
“There is always hope, even in the darkest of nights. Hope survives, much like you did as a child. But you have love, the love of many...,” he pauses. “Love should give you hope, Cassandra.”
“Love will not heal injuries that could kill,” I pause. “Love did not save my father.”
“Maybe a small trickle of advice from a very old man might help…,” he suggests.
“Are you old? I wouldn’t know as I cannot look at you,” I respond, wondering if it’s his power that makes me unable to look at him.
“Old…timeless…immortal. There are many words for gods,” he says.
“What advice would a Sea God give his changed one?” I ask.
“That a changed one’s chosen cannot be killed unless the changed one who marked them is dead,” he says, and then the waterfall opens and I’m blinded with light before I can even say thank you. Before I can even ask what the cost of the advice is.
I blink my dry eyes open to see Chaz still unconscious on the floor. There is nothing other than the sound of his breathing that I can hear. What the Sea God last said to me runs through my mind. If my chosen cannot die while I live, if I mark Chaz…he might survive. I look down at his pale forehead, the smudges of blood that are there, and I wonder what he would think of me making this choice for him. It would mean we are bonded for life, and I don’t want to make that decision without asking him first, but I won’t watch him die when I know a way to save him. I won’t let him die when the magic I’ve always believed to be a curse, could actually protect someone I care for.
“Forgive me for this,” I say, knowing there is only one choice in my mind and I will not lose him. He can hate me later, and I can beg for him to forgive me, but at least he will be alive to be angry. I climb up, kneeling next to his head and leaning down, pressing my forehead to his without thinking about it anymore. The normal slight burning happens before my body feels warm, and then I pull aw
ay, seeing my mark on his forehead.
“What was that?” Everly asks, and I turn my head to the side to see her watching me.
“He is my chosen,” I say, and she looks between us. I lift Chaz’s head as I sit down and pull him onto my lap as I slowly brush his hair away from his face.
“Chosen?” she asks me. I look over into the cage behind me and see Zack and Dante sleeping.
“I feel drawn to those who are my chosen, and when I touch their forehead with my own, they get my mark and my protection. They cannot die unless I die, and I would die to protect them,” I tell her.
“How many pirates are your chosen, then?” she asks, with a little laugh.
“I think they all are. I felt a connection from the beginning and a draw to be near them ever since. They may not know it, but I am starting to realise old magic is at play here,” I whisper.
“I realised something in the games,” she tells me, and I tilt my head to the side as Everly looks at the ground. “I realised what it is to love someone, to really love them with every tiny bit of you,” she says. Her words are gentle and yet firm, with a passion behind them.
“How did you realise that?” I ask.
“When Zack and I got to the middle, Dante was already there. The worry they both had for you, it was fierce. They both looked like the world could burn down and die as long as you were safe, and then you shouted out,” she pauses, “and I will never forget the relief I saw. They both love you, the kind of love that could make anyone jealous and wish for,” she says.