Mallory withdrew her sword, flashing a wicked smile. "With pleasure."
Without warning, she struck out at Aaron, nearly taking off his head with the first blow.
Not waiting to see what happened next, Rich castled out to his mother. He only had time to grab her hands before the ground crumbled, sending them plummeting downward. He glanced backward and saw Aaron pinned to the floor, Mallory raising her sword for another strike.
He castled again, being sure to keep a tight hold on his mother. He arrived at Aaron’s side just in time to bring Zahn up to deflect the falling blow. His heart swelled with anger and he lashed out, driving Mallory to the ground instead. Before she could blink, he had his sword at her throat.
Mallory looked up in puzzlement, just a hint of fear in her eyes. "Hey, you asked me to do it," she said. "And it worked, didn't it, Richie? Back off."
"She is right," Zahn said, growing cold in his grasp. "Now you are allies. It is not the paladin way to hurt an ally."
Rich withdrew his sword and sheathed it. He turned and helped his mother to her feet. His hands shook as he imagined what could have happened, and he could hardly believe his good luck that they both were safe. When she was situated, he helped Aaron up. "Sorry about that. It was the only thing I could think to do. You all right?"
"Oh, I'm fine," Aaron said with a hollow chuckle. "But I do wish I could have seen it coming. Let's not try that one again, okay?"
“Yeah, I promise."
Together, they moved on to the hallways, and the place looked much like it had before. Endless twists and turns, all with the same strange writing on the walls. They encountered several other rooms like the first one that required a rook piece, which everyone passed quite easily because they could simply walk in a straight line to get to where they needed to go.
The next room with a bishop piece was a little bit trickier, going at diagonals and making sure no one used one stone too much, but they also all crossed safely. Rich found himself hoping that there wasn't a room that would require a king or queen piece because he knew no one had one.
With no light overhead to mark daytime and nighttime, they simply walked until everyone was too exhausted to continue. They stopped at another dead end that required a pawn and gave them a little more room to spread out. A disadvantage of this part of the maze was that they didn't have foliage to make comfortable places to lie down. Instead, they had to curl up in the corners of the room.
Rich’s feet hurt, and his body ached. It was a welcome relief simply to sit down. He didn't care much that it wasn't the softest place. After a few minutes, Aaron joined him, leaning in close and lowering his voice. "I think the others are distracted enough for me to tell you now." He glanced from side to side again just to make sure. "I can't tell you anything, but I think Jezreel tried to kill your mother."
Rich tensed, looking over to where his mother sat to make sure she was okay. Most of the time lately, she’d asked to be alone. She looked exhausted and had her head leaned back against the wall.
“What do you mean?"
Aaron scowled, his face becoming darker than Rich could ever remember seeing. "You know how paladin bishops have the ability to create order? Well, nemesis bishops have the opposite power—to create chaos. Jezreel is a bishop. I was watching her when your mother was trying to create a platform to reach the next square. I think she used her chaos power at the same time your mother was using her order power. It’s the reason she stumbled and almost fell into the abyss. If it hadn't been for your quick thinking and me acting as bait, your mother would be dead."
The sentence chilled Rich so much that he literally felt that he couldn't move or even breathe. It wasn’t the paladin way to hurt an ally, but it probably was the nemesis way. "Why would she do that? I mean, besides the obvious—that she's a horrible person."
Aaron shook his head. "I believe they have a rivalry that goes way back. Sometimes a nemesis can grow fixated on their paladin counterpart. Your mother is the wife of Jezreel’s paladin opponent. Perhaps it makes her jealous that another woman gets more attention. Maybe she knows more about your father than she's telling us."
Aaron met Rich’s gaze unblinkingly. "Whatever the reason, you need to keep a close eye on your mother. Jezreel doesn't want her getting out of here alive. All the better if she can make it look like an accident."
Rich stood, ignoring his aching legs, and took his place by his mother. She was already fast asleep when he hunkered down next to her. Even if she had been awake, Rich wasn’t going to let her protest anymore.
He lay on his back, not able to sleep. He would watch all night if he had to. Although it wasn’t the paladin way to be the aggressor, he was certain that if he saw Jezreel trying to harm his mother again, he would do whatever it took to keep her safe.
CHAPTER 12: Fog of War
Nadia spent a night with ghosts, their pale forms moving in and out of her vision in her dreams. Her parents appeared, Trent paid her a visit, and Bianca floated past, as did dozens of others from school and the community center. Their faces were masks of shock and pain, wailing pitifully as they went.
Several times, her eyes shot open, and she could swear the ghostly images remained for a few seconds before dissipating again. She wished she could banish them, make them all leave her alone so she could rest. Not that sleep came easy. In the jungle, they had managed to pick fruit to eat, but here, they had to live off limited rations that consisted of bricks of dried bread and meat. Not exactly five-star-restaurant fare.
At last she gave up trying to sleep and instead stood to take a walk around the room. She passed Bruno muttering in his sleep, something about a person named Johann, and saw that most everyone else besides Jezreel was asleep.
“Thinking about your test of will?” Jezreel asked. “I have a few ideas.”
Nadia turned her back on the dark knight, shaking her head. “I never asked to be part of your little club in the first place. Never liked chess too much anyway. My dad was too obsessed with it.”
Jezreel snickered, giving Nadia a wry smile. “You think this is about chess? Chess is just a pale intimation of us. Why do you think it’s one of the most ancient games?”
Nadia kept her back turned. “Whatever.”
With a low growl, Jezreel grabbed Nadia’s arm and spun her about. “You would be wise not to take this lightly, pawn. The days are coming when it won’t be possible to sit on the fence anymore. You will be with us, or you will be reduced to ashes.”
As she spoke, flames flickered across her skin and in her eyes, making her grip uncomfortably hot. Nadia squirmed to get away, but she could not escape. “Fine,” she whispered. “Sorry. I’ll listen to your ideas. Just let—“
Nadia lost her train of thought as she caught sight of something down the hall that had not been there before. A clump of curling white mist approached, creating strange patterns and shapes as it came near.
Jezreel relaxed her grip and turned to see what Nadia was looking at. Her entire body burst into flame, and she withdrew her slender blade. “Wake the others. I think we’re under attack.”
Nadia leaped into action, grateful for an excuse to be away from that awful woman. Rich and his mother were closest, so she shook them awake first. As they woke, they stood with their backs to the wall, their weapons withdrawn.
“What is it?” Angela asked at Nadia’s side.
“Can’t be anything good,” Aaron said. “Having weather indoors is strange, even for the maze.”
Rich stepped into the center of the group, motioning for Jan to join him. “I don’t think we should let the mist touch us if we can help it. Jan, why don’t we try to fit everyone in our shields?”
With a tense nod, Jan mo
ved in closer. “Luckily, I make a mean shield. Sorry, everyone—you’re going to have to pretend you like each other. Move in.”
With only a bit of grumbling, the entire group pressed in together, trying not to accidently impale anyone with their drawn weapons. Nadia had a clear view of the hallway, and it seemed like the mist rushed at them faster and faster. It approached like an advancing wave, and her stomach tightened, bracing for the moment the mists overtook them. In the last section of the maze, the shadows had proved deadly. She could only imagine what kinds of creatures could lurk in this mist.
As it approached, she could see that it formed unnatural shapes, like grasping claws and tiny mouths full of jagged teeth as though the mist were made up of the ghosts of thousands of tiny predators.
The mist broke into the room, rushing in like a torrent of water, but making no sound. Rich and Jan activated their shields, creating an invisible bubble around the entire group. The barrier barely fit them all in, and the mist roiled just outside.
“How long can you keep this up?” Nadia asked.
Rich cleared his throat and spoke, his voice sounding strained. “Not sure. Whatever it is, it’s not just fog. It’s eating away at the shield little by little. Can the rest of you see anything in the mist?”
Nadia stared into the swirling clouds and thought she saw some of the same images from her dreams—people’s faces floating by, looking like something from a high-budget haunted house.
“I see faces,” Aaron whispered. “Faces of those I knew long ago.”
“So do I,” Maria added. “All of them people who are gone.” She paused for a moment and then spoke again. “Well, most of them. I see my parents, but they aren’t …”
Nadia tensed. Maria’s parents were important paladins. Could the dark knights have hit the keep already? She squirmed, but had nowhere to go. She felt like screaming or lashing out, but instead felt everyone press in closer as the shield shrank a bit.
“I see the faces of those I’ve defeated in battle,” Jezreel said calmly, as though she had been commenting on the weather. “But they look much more substantial than mist.”
Rich groaned and wiped his brow, his cheeks flushed. Beside him, Jan coughed hard, trying to manage a smile. They weren’t going to be able to keep this up much longer.
“Jan, Heinrich, I’m going to try to burn it off,” Jezreel said. “You should conserve your strength. Lower the shield on my mark.”
“Who put you in charge?” Aaron asked. “Can’t we think of anything better than that?”
Rich let out a forceful breath. “For once, I agree with her. We’re not doing that much good. Don’t move if you can help it. Grab on to your traveling partner and stick together.”
“Three...two...one...”
The shield fell, and the mist flooded in around them. Nadia had just enough time to grab Angela’s hand and squeeze tight. The mist was bitter cold, the sudden sensation raising goose bumps on her skin and making her teeth chatter. Icy air filled her lungs, robbing her of a breath. When she gasped in painfully, it took her a few moments to recover.
Everything around her went silent. She tried to focus on the warmth and feeling of Angela’s hand, but in a few moments, even this faded away. Cold whiteness surrounded her, blocking out every other sensation.
It didn’t take long for the faces to come again. Because of this, she thought she might be unconscious. Perhaps the mist had put them to sleep, and she was back in the land of her dreams.
Everything felt so real, though. She had never felt so cold in her dreams. She looked around for anyone else, but found herself alone. When she tried to speak, it felt as though the words froze in her throat.
In front of her, the mists swirled in densely, forming a tall figure. It started out hazy, but got clearer by the second. She might have gasped if it wouldn’t have been so uncomfortable. The figure was an exact copy of herself.
“Hello, Nadia,” it said. “It’s been too long.”
“Really?” Nadia said, finally finding her voice. “Since I’ve talked to myself?”
The other Nadia laughed, the sound crueler than anything she’d heard from one of the dark knights. “You could put it that way, though I guess I’m greedy. I’d talk to you all the time if I could.”
As Nadia listened, she realized she did recognize the voice. It spoke to her often, usually after she failed at something. The voice that told her she was worthless, that she should stop trying.
“I do know you. But I don’t know what to call you.”
“I’m still you,” the other Nadia said. “Maybe you can call me Nadi.” Nadi stepped closer, and the air chilled even more. “It’s time we had a talk.”
Nadia shivered violently, unable to warm her body. She remembered the “talks” she’d had with this voice inside herself after failed tests, botched tryouts, and even careless words she’d said. If this talk was like one of those, she didn’t want to have it.
“I don’t want to talk to you. Let me out of here.”
Nadi clicked her tongue. She was now an arm’s length away. “It’s the only thing that’s keeping you alive. This mist around you isn’t fog. It’s a living being, feeding on all of you. The fact that you are seeing me now means that your mind is breaking down. The creature is speaking to you through me.”
Panic spread through Nadia’s shivering body, and she squirmed to try to bring feeling back into her numbing limbs. “I won’t let you do it. You can’t have me. I still have too much to make right.”
“Too bad,” Nadi snickered. “You are destined to fail at this, Nadia. Just like you’ve failed at so many other things. You betrayed your friends, and when they find out, they’ll never be able to forgive you. Why would you want to live for that? The paladins will shun you, and the nemeses will abuse you.”
The cold pressed in on her, preventing her from even shivering. It felt like a heavy ice pack falling in on every side. Perhaps this really was her voice of reason, the part of her that saw the stark reality with no sugar coating. The straight medicine, or should she say poison? Even if she sugarcoated poison, it would still kill her in the end.
But no. There was one person who would forgive her, even after all she had done. She was sure of it. Rich was just that kind of person. Making a conscious effort, she pushed back the dark images in her mind with the image of Rich’s face, the relaxed, happy way he’d looked at the gazebo that night.
“You’re wrong, Nadi,” Nadia said. “I may fail at all sorts of things, but there are people in my life who don’t care about that. I won’t give you my mind while I still have that hope.”
Nadi opened her mouth, revealing rows of fangs and a forked tongue. Her entire face contorted like a demon, and she raged at Nadia’s words. “You must submit to me! I am the truth...I am you!”
Nadia closed her eyes against the awful sight, not knowing if they’d freeze shut. She pictured her quirky, brilliant father and her kind, courageous mother. They would forgive her too. “No,” Nadia said, her voice weak. “You are only something I’ve let live in my head for a while. But no more. It’s checkout time.”
Her eyes snapped open, and she suddenly found the power to move her limbs. She reached out with both arms and grasped Nadi by the shoulders. With a single heave, Nadia threw Nadi to the ground. The strange, demonic version of herself froze over into something like an ice sculpture and shattered into countless pieces when she hit the floor.
The mist around Nadia parted so she could see around the room more clearly. Not far away, she saw Angela hunched over, frozen in place with her arms wrapped around her body. When Nadia placed a hand on her shoulder, she could see the other version of Angela kneeling across from her, speaking words only An
gela could hear.
Leaning in close, Nadia whispered in Angela’s ear. “Don’t listen to it, Angela. It’s not you. It’s going to lie to you.” She held Angela’s arm, trying to spread her warmth. “It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, Angela. I’m going to be here for you. You don’t have to worry.”
In a triumphant instant, Angela broke free, smashing the invader into pieces. Her breath came in gasps that formed clouds of fog in front of her mouth. She spun and threw her arms around Nadia, shaking like a scared child. “Thank you. I don’t know if I could have gotten out of that myself.”
Together, they turned to the others, working together to free first Rich, then Aaron, then Maria, and finally Jan. Both Mallory and Jezreel snapped out of it themselves, who then worked to free Bruno. With each freed captive, the mists withdrew until they vanished completely.
As Nadia tried to put herself back together, she felt the pawn in her pocket glow with heat. Apparently, her ability to overcome the creature had counted as her test of will. On one hand, she loved the feeling of warmth after so much cold. It helped her stiffened limbs and brought some blood back into her hands and feet. But then again, it meant she was one step closer to becoming a dark knight like Jezreel wanted her to be.
“I say,” Jezreel said. “We should get going. Come with me or don’t, but you won’t get to the door without me.”
Nobody objected.
CHAPTER 13: TWO BROTHERS AND A SISTER
Rich was getting really tired of hieroglyphs. He thought it had been about another three days of walking the same sorts of hallways, though it was hard to be sure. He had paid enough attention to see that the glyphs repeated themselves after a time, telling the same story over and over. What story could be so important that someone would take the time to repeatedly carve it into the walls?
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