If I wanted.
My head spun with my emotions. I had fallen victim to the whims of my body once again. Choosing temporary pleasure over true clarity.
What was I doing? How many more mistakes could I possibly make.
My thoughts circled back and forth, back and forth, making me dizzy and nauseous.
I stood up, adjusting my now wrinkled tunic. Everywhere I looked were the walls of the Labyrinth. Stone walls everywhere, it felt like they were collapsing in on me.
My throat seized up, anxiety sinking its claws deep into me, scratching down my inner surfaces. I was being suffocated, so suffocated, so stuck in this maze. I shouldn’t have come, should have stayed home. I tried to picture myself back in my alley. But it seemed all too similar. A stone alley. A stone labyrinth. When would I ever be free?
I wanted to scream. I pressed my fist to my mouth, muffling my sobs as I doubled over in anguish and fear.
Leo was next to me but he didn’t touch me, he stood there patiently as if to tell me, I’m here if you need me. Take your time.
But I didn’t need him here. I needed to be alone. I sunk in deeper into myself, deeper and deeper, stifling my screams, begging to be free.
Then I felt a strange tingle, it started inside and then in an instant engulfed me. Darkness was all around me.
And then it was gone. And I was… somewhere else.
I looked around to see rolling hills, trees swaying in the wind, water trickling lazily down a river bed. Fat bluebirds flew by, tweeting and looping each other in flight. The sun was the softest pink, casting a warm glow over the entire world. Flowers grew on the hills, thousands of them, all vibrant colors dancing as one.
I looked to my left and right, but it was the same for miles and miles. It was beautiful, peaceful, a perfect world. I imagined this is what the afterlife looked like.
Am I dead? The thought should have scared me, but it didn’t. I only felt such perfect peace.
There was a tug on the back of my mind, like I was forgetting something. Had something just happened? What was it? I couldn’t remember, and I didn’t care. I wanted to lay down in flowers, to watch them as they soaked up the gentle sun.
I took in a deep breath, inhaling the sweet floral smell in the air, and took a step.
I stepped right into the Labyrinth wall. I shook my head, completely dazed. I was back. Back in the same spot, Leo still standing next to me.
I looked around, confused. Take me back.
Anger rose up in my chest. I wanted to go back, to return to my peaceful haven.
Leo stared at me, as if he hadn’t noticed anything had happened, as if I had been here the whole time.
A shudder went down my spine. Was I losing my mind? I opened my mouth to speak, but something inside me told me not to tell him. He would probably think I was crazy if I did. If he didn’t already.
Maybe Alder would know. I thought. Whatever it was, wherever it was, it had calmed me. I felt angry that I was no longer there, but I was better than before. The peace had calmed the storms inside, at least for now.
Leo hadn’t asked about the dream, hadn’t asked about my visceral response to it. He stayed silent, occasionally reaching out to stroke my hair as we walked the Labyrinth.
He did, however, have a few choice words when Jinx showed up. Smiling at us, as if she hadn’t even noticed we were gone. He rolled his eyes and cursed under his breath. I don’t know why she bothered him. How could anyone not love a dog as cute as her?
I stroked her fur and gave her a kiss. She trotted on ahead of us, enjoying the morning breeze as it billowed in her fur.
How far were we still from the center? We couldn’t see the tower anywhere in the sky, which meant we were likely still a long way off. Or that we were going in the entirely wrong direction. I wondered how many days, months, or years we could spend aimlessly wandering this massive maze.
We had eaten the last bit of our dried meat and fruit this morning. I kicked myself for not grabbing fruit from those trees yesterday. I had been too worried about Alder. I hadn’t been thinking like a survivor. I would have to check the parchment soon to search for water and a garden. But it would have to wait till Leo was asleep or not paying attention. It would be too difficult to explain to him how I got the parchment without mentioning Alder, a whole other conversation I wasn’t keen on having today.
We kept walking in silence, though it was not tense. He understood I needed some space today. He looked at me now and then, checking my face for something, regret perhaps. My thoughts kept me occupied, Leo leading the way as we took turn after turn.
That night we camped in a small corner again. I took the first shift and used the opportunity to check the parchment. There was a blue dot on the opposite corner. It would be too far to walk tonight. I memorized the turns, staring at it for greater than an hour, so that I could lead us there in the morning without Leo getting suspicious.
Alder never showed. I stared at the stars as I tried to keep myself awake. I watched them waltz in the sky as I thought of him. I thought of his glow. His hands on my face. His plush lips. I thought of his emerald eyes and how the gold glinted in them when the sun hit his eyes just right. I wished he was here, wished I could talk to him and apologize for yesterday.
My heart felt heavy. I realized it was longing.
Eventually, when I could no longer keep my eyes open, I shook Leo awake. He seemed a bit grumpy, but I didn’t care. I laid down on the thin bedroll, sleep overtaking me in seconds. I felt Leo’s fingers on my shoulder, tracing soft lines on my skin. But, my last thought was hoping I would see Alder in my dreams.
Chapter 16
The next morning, I scoured my mind, trying to remember the map to the food. I tried not to think about my dreamless night. The ache in my chest, like a piece was missing.
I led us through the turns of the labyrinth, praying I was remembering correctly, until finally we came upon it. I almost cried with relief.
Another fruit tree oasis, a trickling stream splitting it down the middle. We gorged ourselves on the water and filled up our canteens. We ate pears and apples till the juices were running down our faces.
Jinx lapped up her share and ate slices of apples I carved for her. Then she chased butterflies as they fluttered by. They were iridescent purple and twice the size of butterflies back home. They flapped their large wings lazily, as if they had nowhere to be. We sat in the soft grass for an hour, nourishing both our bodies and minds. I didn’t want to ever leave.
We walked for another three days. Each night I would look at the map and try to find the next oasis. We were never hungry anymore, we always had plenty of food and water. It was a blessing that I thanked Alder for every time. But he never showed.
Four days and I had not heard from him. No pulls or tugs. No smirks. I was worried that he had seen Leo and me the night I killed the beast. Or what if he was hurt somewhere? But more than anything, I was worried he was leaving me. Or rather, had left me. Left me to solve this maze without him. Left me without answers on why I was the only person who could do this.
I felt completely inadequate for this mission, blindly searching with little to no idea of what I was searching for. Frustration continually rose in me as we walked mile after mile. I wanted him to return, to come back and give me answers. To help. Just to be here next to me.
I tried to keep my mind occupied during the day as we walked, but at night he was all I could think about. I would fall asleep looking up at the dancing stars, thinking about his eyes. The stars made me jealous at how gracefully they moved with one another. I had never danced with a man before, and as I watched them I thought of what it would be like to dance with Alder.
And I knew all of these thoughts were terrible, so terrible. Leo was right next to me as I thought about another man. But no amount of guilt was enough to make me stop.
On the seventh day since we had entered the Labyrinth, Leo seemed to be anxious about something. His eyes darted across the Labyr
inth walls like he was looking for something. I didn’t ask him what, I just watched him as he went along.
He was leading the way today. We had plenty of food and I was exhausted. Plus, going from oasis to oasis wasn’t getting us closer to the tower. At least it didn’t seem that way. I was content to let him give it a shot for a day or two.
We had walked for several hours when we hit a door. It was wooden with intricate artwork depicting a massive dragon, flames shooting from its mouth onto a large city. The vines did not cover it, did not even touch it, as if someone had been trimming them. Or as if they could not grow on its poisoned surface.
I hesitated, pondering if we should go through it. But Leo did not see the same clear warning and walked straight up to it, his hands outstretched.
“DON’T!” I screamed, but it was too late.
His hands touched the wood, and immediately he cried out. He drew back his hand with an ear-piercing scream, holding it and staring at it in agony. The door swung open right as he dropped to his knees into the opening, his body stiff and his hand turning grey. The grey was moving, slowly creeping up his arm as he screamed. I realized he was turning to stone.
“VALERIA!” he wailed.
“LEO! No!!” I said, reaching out to touch him. But I stopped. What if touching him would transfer it to me? I hesitated, panic tightening in my chest.
“You can still save him, or you can save yourself,” a voice said. It came from beyond the door. I looked into the darkness, searching its depths, but saw nothing.
“How, how can I save him?” I asked the emptiness.
“Come inside and find out,” it replied. I gulped. This could be a trap. I could go in there and die. But if I didn’t, there was nothing I knew to do out here to save Leo.
“Please, help me! PLEASE!” Leo cried, the grey continuing over him.
I filled myself with every ounce of bravery I had inside me, and I walked into the darkness.
“Good… good….” said the voice. It was deep and sickeningly sweet. My eyes darted around the darkness, but still I could not tell where it was coming from. I felt a pull, a draw to the voice.
“Tell me what I need to do. What do you want?” I said, trying to keep my voice from trembling.
Suddenly slivers of light came from in front of me. It was light coming around the edges of another door, an exit.
“I will give you a simple choice. I will reverse the poison on your friend, or I will let you through the door. If you choose yourself, you can walk through that door and enter the next part of the Labyrinth. If you choose him, he is free to go as he pleases, but you must stay here…. forever,” the voice said with a chuckle. “And you must choose soon. The stone poison doesn’t take long before it is… irreversible…”
My heart beat violently in my chest, sobs rose from my throat. I heard a whimper and felt fur brush my leg. I realized Jinx had walked in here with me. So much was at stake.
I turned and looked behind me to where Leo was kneeling, the light from the door illuminating his face as the grey grew across it. He was no longer screaming. The stone had taken over his mouth. His eyes were saucers of fear, swimming with anguish. The door we had gone through had disappeared behind him somehow. There was only forward from here.
An impossible choice. My head spun, nausea rising up. Tears began flowing down my cheeks.
I dropped to my knees, bringing my face so close to Leo’s. I sobbed, looking into his eyes. His face grey and frozen. But his eyes, his eyes, were begging, pleading with me.
“There has to be another way. Tell me what you want from me,” I said to the voice, pain stabbing my heart with every word. I couldn’t leave him here. He would never leave me, he had promised me. And I could never leave him.
“If you choose to bargain with me, tread carefully,” the voice said, dripping with satisfaction. It was as if it was feeding off of my pain, gorging itself with my tears. I realized then that this was what it truly wanted, a bargain, a promise.
“Name your price.”
“When you find the tower, when you reach the top. You must free me,” the voice said, and I could hear the delight dancing on its hidden lips. A strange heat hit me as it spoke, as if there were fire in its words. Fire on its tongue.
“How can I promise that? I do not know how to free you.” My eyes never left Leo’s as I spoke.
“Oh, but you will. You will be able to. Promise me you will, and I’ll let you both go. But understand, an oath with me will be written into the very fabric of this world. It cannot be broken or avoided… not without dire consequences…”
Leo’s eyes seemed to be glazing over, the grey almost complete.
I did not know what was behind the voice, who was behind the voice, or what this bargain would mean. But I knew I had no other choice. I would agree and face the consequences later.
“I agree,” I whispered.
Unnatural light flooded over a single spot in the room’s corner, displaying a large white bowl. I walked over to the bowl. It was such pale white, the color of bone. No… it was bone, the whole bowl made from a massive skull. Next to it was a small knife with a dragon handle, its blade sparkling in the sunlight.
I noticed writing along the bowl. At first they appeared to be runes, like the ones I had seen in The Labyrinth book. Then… the words did not change but… I could read what it said.
Blood is required, blood will be taken, and blood will be spilled if broken.
The ominous runic words wrapped around the front of the bowl. Instructions.
Reaching for the knife, I took it in my right hand and cut across my left palm. The pain seared and the blood pooled. I winced and turned my hand over, allowing the blood to drip into the skull.
I watched the first drop hit the bowl, and suddenly the ground began to shake. The voice cackled, its laughter filling the room, filling the darkness. The shaking became more violent. The ground broke apart, parts of the roof caved in.
I dropped the knife and turned back around to Leo, running to him while dodging the falling debris. He started to move, twitching as the stone fell away. His body seized as it rejected the magic, fighting it to leave. A gasp escaped his lips. The last parts of grey receded on his face.
I grabbed his hand, pulling him to his feet. The laughter around us never ceased as we ran together to the door, Jinx bounding next to us.
We pushed, and it burst open, spilling the three of us out onto the ground.
Chapter 17
I pushed myself off the ground, still panting. I turned to look behind me, but there was nothing but green… a hedge.
The Labyrinth had changed. Instead of stone walls, they were large green hedges covered with blue drooping flowers. The flowers looked like tears, flowing tears. It appeared we were in the next part of the Labyrinth.
Leo was clutching his chest, running his hands over his body. His face was twisted in agony. The stone poison… it must have been torture. My heart broke for his pain.
I reached out to him, he jumped at my touch, as if frightened by the sensation. I withdrew my hand quickly.
His eyes were wild, his breath ragged.
“Leo, Leo it’s ok. It’s over. We’re out.” I wish I knew the right words to soothe him. I reached into my bag and pulled out a canister of water, holding it out to him.
He took it and drank deeply, finishing all of it. He wiped his mouth and dropped it, letting it clatter across the ground. He sat back against the hedge wall, his eyes closing in exhaustion. His breathing gradually became more steady.
A few moments later a soft snore escaped his lips. I couldn’t imagine the energy fighting the stone poison must have taken, thinking of him in pain made me wince.
Jinx sat down next to me, placing her head in my lap. She could sense my fear, my sadness. I patted her head softly. She was such a good girl.
I quietly reached into my bag and pulled out the parchment, unfolding it and praying we were close to an oasis.
I couldn’t
believe my eyes. There were dozens of blue dots now. They were on almost every path.
I wondered what new dangers we would face in this portion. If starvation and dehydration were no longer the primary killers of these harrowing halls, what would be?
I memorized the path to the nearest one and refolded the parchment. Leo was still sleeping. I didn’t want to wake him, didn’t want to pull him from his peace, but it wasn’t safe here. We didn’t know how these walls worked. He needed somewhere better to rest.
I rubbed Jinx. “We need to go get more water,” I said to her. She sat up, her tail wagging at the word water. I stood and walked over to Leo, kneeling before him and noticing a sheen of sweat building on his forehead.
“Leo, I know you’re tired but I think we are near water, I can hear it,” I lied, “Wake up, it’s close.” He opened his eyes, his eyelids still drooping as he looked at me. I stood back up and helped Leo to his feet.
We walked the way I had memorized, my shoulder holding Leo steady as we stumbled on. I was acutely aware that if danger attacked, Leo couldn’t defend himself. I would have to protect us both. I prayed and prayed with each step that the oasis would appear and we would be safe.
And then it did.
It was luscious. Tree after tree with plenty of low hanging fruit. Dozens of pears and apples scattering the ground, ripe and juicy. It sloped down to a massive river. It was probably forty yards across. On the other side lay more of the green walls of the Labyrinth.
I let Leo sit near a tree, helping him to the ground. I placed a hand to his forehead. It felt hot to the touch, feverish. I sighed and walked to the river for water.
Jinx leaned her face in, lapping up the fresh water. The river was moving fast and looked deep. I looked down either ends. It appeared to cut right through the Labyrinth. I wondered where it led.
If only we had a boat.
I bent down and filled the first canister. When I walked back to Leo, his eyes were open and his breathing was slowing. I handed the water to him. He took it and drank, savoring it. He leaned back and let out a deep sigh.
The Labyrinth King (The Labyrinth Series Book 1) Page 9