by J. G. Massie
“Yeah, me neither,” I groaned back. “But it’s over now, right? I’m done with this damn place and I can finally go home?” His response was little more than a low, rumbling laughter with the occasional cough. Not the most reassuring sound.
“Indeed, you are one step closer,” he admitted, slowly sitting back up. “But it is not yet over for you.” He pointed across the way to a door that wasn’t there before. Gleaming white, sparkling as if it were made of diamonds, it looked to be glowing all on its own. “There is where you will face your final challenge.”
Just struggling back to my feet was beyond difficult. My shoulder was bloody and my body ached from head to toe. If it was anything other than a butterfly on the other side of that door, I was in no condition to face it.
“I have no idea how I’m going to do this.” Dealing with my own aches and pains, I looked the minotaur up and down. I wasn’t the only one who was banged up, and in that moment I actually felt sorry for him. “Hey, are you okay? Is there anything I can do for you?” His jaw was really messed up, and one of his eyes was practically swollen shut. “So what’s going to happen to you now? Will you be punished or something? I mean, isn’t my victory also some sort of failure as far as you’re concerned?”
“Indeed it is,” he admitted. But with the way he was smiling, one might assume that he was the winner, not me. Out of nowhere, a ghostly mist rose up and engulfed his body. Swirling around, it revealed the once invisible chains clamped around his arms and neck. The chains shattered, each link cracking in half before falling away. Free from his burden, his smile deepened.
“My failure is also my victory. Having lost my usefulness, I am no longer bound to this place. I am a prisoner no more, and it is you I have to thank.” The mist drifted outward in wider and wider circles until is whooshed over me as well. Icy and wet, it felt soothing to the touch. The cut on my shoulder closed, and all the pain and weariness fled from my body.
I shivered once, then blew out a cool cloud of minty fresh mist. The white ball of icy frost rolled over my head for a few seconds before rising up into the blackness above. “Thank you,” I gasped with relief. Until that moment, I hadn’t even realized how much pain I was in.
“No.” The minotaur stepped over and took me by the hand. “It is I who am grateful. My name is Asterion.” With my hand engulfed in the largest meat club I’d ever seen, I wiggled my shoulder up and down in hopes that it might somehow resemble a proper handshake. “For what it’s worth, I wish you luck in your final test. I fear you may need it.”
“Er... Thanks?”
He released my hand and went galloping off into the darkness. I had already begun to make my way toward the door when his massive outline reappeared from the corner of my eye. “If you are ever in need of anything, if you are ever in trouble, Tessa, just call to me. I shall not abandon you. Know this, I am forever in your debt.” He turned and dashed away before I could answer.
I was sad to see him go, but at the same time I was happy that he gained his freedom. “Good luck to you too,” I whispered into the darkness. As an afterthought, I frisked myself down without really needing to look. My weapons had all returned just as I suspected they would.
The door had no handle or knob, its mass made up entirely of polished diamond. Preparing to solve yet another puzzle, I started off by placing my hands flush against it. It was surprisingly warm to the touch. I didn’t need to do anything else as the door panel slid straight back and up. Immediately bathed in brilliant white light, I was forced to cover my eyes and look away. Stumbling back, I blinked away the fuzzy afterglow while trying to focus on what was in front of me. The last thing I needed was to get sucker punched, or worse, just because I couldn’t see.
I wasn’t about to take anything for granted. Hey, who says these trials had to play fair?
Seconds later, the light was still plenty bright, but tolerable as my eyes slowly adjusted. Strange, considering there didn’t seem to be a light source of any kind. I stepped into the white room and made my way toward a marble podium in the corner. I dropped down to one knee and read the gold plaque.
The chosen is a special one
Whose powers know no limit
But before they can be recognized
They must now prove their magic
“Magic! Oh no...”
No sooner had I dreaded where this might be going when four separate sections of wall went grinding up.
Appearing simultaneously, four cloaked figures stepped in. Each cloak was a different color: red, blue, green, and brown. Faces hidden beneath their dangling hoods, they reminded me of demonic monks. With each of their hands tucked into opposite sleeves, there wasn’t an inch of exposed skin to be seen. They were just moving cloaks as far as I could tell. And they weren’t even walking—at least, not in any traditional sense. Hovering slightly off the floor like ghosts, their feetless bodies just floated along.
“Hey, guys, can’t we talk about this?” Still advancing toward me, they didn’t really seem all that willing to listen to reason. “Four on one, eh? So that’s how you roll? Pfft... Where’s the honor in that, tough guys?” Still they advanced, each one drifting toward me from a slightly different angle so it was hard to maneuver past them. “Okay then, you asked for it!”
I drew both my swords and lunged at the closest one. I wish I could say I was surprised when my blades crisscrossed right through his body, but I’d be lying. Some part of me suspected that solid blades weren’t going to work. Let’s be honest here, I’m just not that lucky.
Anticipating a counter move, I dropped my blades and leapt back. Springing off my hands, I completed two handsprings and landed in a crouched position. But the fancy schmancy dodge was all just a waste. Not only had there been no counter strike, but all four were still just advancing in that slow, methodical fashion. Although it seemed like a lazy attempt to corner me, they really didn’t need to rush. After all, there was nowhere for me to run. In that sense, I was cornered no matter what they did.
Dashing toward the other side of the room, I pumped my hands against my chest as I split between two of them. But when I heard the ring of metal clanging against stone, I knew my daggers had passed straight through them and hit the walls to either side. Well, that was it, plans A, B, and C were now in the books. Aside from testing out my boxing skills, it seemed like no physical attack was going to work.
Backing into a far corner, I gripped another set of daggers just to make me feel better. Again the methodical beings came drifting toward me. Robotic and slow, it was like being hunted down by toy soldiers. I could probably evade them all day, but that just meant they would never stop coming. Truly a master plan if my strategy was to never leave this room again.
All right, magic... You don’t like me and I don’t like you. But I’m never going to get out of here unless you help me out. So cut me some slack, will ya?
My eyes drifted out of focus as I turned my attention inward. It was hard to ignore that I was being pursued by mindless monk zombies, but I had to try. Emptying my mind, I tried to fill myself with an energy I still didn’t understand. My body was an empty vessel, ready to accept the gift of nature’s wrath. I could only hope that she was ready to work with me as well.
The closer they got, the harder it was to ignore the impending danger. My concentration was faltering, and still I was no closer to using any sort of magic.
My focus shattered when my inner alarm went nuts, screaming out a warning that sent my nerves into overdrive. Diving to the side, I could feel the trailing heat as a torrent of flame licked the walls beside me. Flipping away, I caught a glimpse of the red monk with his hands extended, shooting fire from his hands like a spout.
“Ah, so you must be the fire guy.”A close call indeed. But aside from a medium rare backside, I was no worse for wear. The monks’ lack of speed was a blessing, but in these tight quarters it was only a matter of time before they cornered me. I needed to get some magic rolling, and fast!
I
completed the second flip, stopped on a dime, and spun back. On pure instinct, my hands flicked outward, spraying another two sets of daggers. Each blade a perfect strike, the monks’ bodies distorted briefly when the blades passed through and clanged against the stone. Impervious to anything physical, it was like fighting holograms.
For a fleeting moment, I began to question if they were even real. But if nothing else, that scorch mark left on the wall was real enough, and I certainly hadn’t imagined the heat. I may not know much about this place, but knew when something could hurt me.
Having bought a few extra seconds, I tried to empty my mind again. Hard to do under any circumstances, but nearly impossible under this kind of pressure. Come on, come on, come on. I know you’re in there. If there was ever a time I needed magic...I envisioned my body as a giant sponge, drawing in magic the way a sponge pulled water. Work, damn it! What the hell do you want from me?
Through my peripheral vision, I could see the blue monk getting a bit too close for comfort, advancing straight as an arrow while displaying no caution whatsoever. None of them showed the least bit of respect for me, and why should they? Up until know I had proved to be about as dangerous to them as a rabbit.
He came to a stop and raised his hands, then lowered one and pointed at me. Beneath that shadowed hood was a chilling, evil smile. I felt it more than saw it, but that didn’t make it any less real.
A swirling cone of misty ice came spiraling from his bony white fingertip, expanding outward like a sideways tornado. I cartwheeled away as it twisted up against the wall, instantly coating the stone in a sheet of crystal-clear ice. A tiny bit of the bluish funnel barely nipped the back of my heel, but it was enough to send pain shooting up my entire leg.
I screamed, totally shocked by how much the icy attack hurt. Had that hit me flush, it would have meant instant death for sure. Hopping on one foot, I tapped my fingers against my frozen heel. Numb to the bone, I couldn’t feel anything. In my heel anyway, but to my fingers it was like touching a block of ice.
“Okay. Water elemental. Got it,” I growled, cringing against the shooting pain. I stomped my numb foot several times, the contact sending a torrent of pins and needles all the way up to my hip. Unpleasant to say the least, but I had to get the feeling back in my foot again.
Enough was enough. They were just going to pick me apart if I didn’t mount some kind of offense. I pushed off my frozen foot and charged the nearest one. Maybe if I get off before he did... If I could just beat this one to the punch...
The brown monk flicked his hand, and the stone at his feet rose to form a solid pillar. Already at full speed, I tried to slam on the brakes, but it was already too late. Crack
I saw a flash of white as I hammered into the stone face first. Falling to my back, I clutched my bleeding face while fighting to stay conscious. Oh man, that hurt! With my forehead cut and my nose a mess, I blinked though the blood as I gazed up at the ceiling. At first I thought it might be my rattled brain playing tricks on me, when the stone above started to jitter...
Luckily I rolled away just in time.
I rolled and rolled as stone pillars hammed the floor, each one smashing the spot beside me. Knowing it would take too long to get back on my feet, I just kept on rolling. Consumed by panic, I didn’t even bother looking up anymore. The stone pillars were coming down like rain, each consecutive one missing my head by inches. But with every revolution, I could see the far wall getting closer and closer. I was running out of real estate fast!
After I quickly reversed direction, another stone pillar slammed down next to my head, the loud bang causing my ear to ring. I rolled two more times, trying to stay calm enough to form an accurate count in my head. One one thousand...two one—Again a heavy pillar slammed down, this one pinning down a fair amount of my hair. It ripped free as I completed the roll. It hurt like hell, but I figured a little hair loss was the least of my worries.
Praying the time between falling pillars remained consistent, I used the full one and one half seconds to spring to my feet and move aside just before the next one came hammering down. I’ve had enough of this earth elemental. Running straight toward him, I launched myself into a Bruce Lee flying kick. Of course I passed straight through him, but at least the pillars stopped when his body distorted for a second.
Landing on the other side, I turned to face him with my hands stretched out. “Fire!” I screamed, hoping to bring my magic to life through sheer will alone. “Water, earth...something?” The green monk drifted to my back, hands raised and clearly up to no good. Oh, great.
When he thumped his hands to the ground, a rush of electricity came weaving towards me. The zigzagging bolts looked like white eels swimming across the floor. Hopping from one foot to the other, I was somehow able to able to avoid them through a ridiculous-looking hot potato dance. And last but not least, you must be the air elemental.
Leaping the entire string of sizzling snakes, I raced to the far wall and turned to make my final stand. Slow and steady, knowing they had me completely cornered, they began to converge from every angle at once. I held my breath and threw up my hands. Oh please, please, please. It’s now or never. Please, I’m begging you.
Feeling them converge, their energies building as they fed off each other, I closed my eyes and reached out with my mind. I tried to pull it in, to absorb the power that always seemed to be just out of reach. I wanted it, needed it, would claw it in with my fingernails if necessary. My eyes jetted open as I thrust out my hands outward. “Let’s smoke these guys!”
Surrounded, I could actually feel their mocking grins taunting me from beneath their shadowed hoods. Suddenly, an explosion of pain washed over me like a wild river. Blinding, stupid pain, it was so unreal that I truly believed I might lose my mind.
I screamed, thrashing against the swarm of grabbing hands. “Tessa. Tessa, snap out of it!” My wrists locked in his iron grasp, Isaac gently lifted me from the floor. His scent, the feel of his rock-hard body pressed against mine, it was all so familiar that I wailed with relief and threw my arms around him. Squeezing him so hard, I buried my face in his shirt as I sobbed. “It’s okay, I’m right here,” he whispered in my ear. “Everything is going to be just fine.”
“It was horrible,” I sobbed against his chest. But in truth, much like waking from a dream, I was already having trouble remembering the details. “It...” I hesitated, pushing myself away from Isaac’s chest. “The last thing I remember was...” The memory of those monk creatures bathing me in their elemental powers came flooding back, the pain, the fear...
I glanced around the room, now noticing everyone else for the first time. Their solemn expressions spoke a thousand words. “I-I failed, didn’t I?” When their gazes dropped straight to the floor, I knew it was true. In that moment, I wished I could perform magic just so I could bring lightning down on myself.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. Everything is going to be just fine,” Isaac said, cupping my hand in both of his. I loved him to death, but he was a terrible liar.
“Everything is fine?” Lura echoed, her throaty rumble more of a growl. “Oh, I can assure you that everything is not fine.” Exasperated, the towering woman threw her hands in the air and spun away. “Nothing is fine! I put my reputation at risk because I was willing to—” She turned back and eyed me up and down. Considering, questioning, she seemed to have a thousand thoughts going through her mind at once. “And I was so sure,” she said quietly, as if thinking out loud.
“But none of that matters now. You are not the one my people have been waiting for.” Her biting bluntness cut right into my heart. “This has been nothing but a waste of time. And still, despite the fact that you are nothing special, you still remain a marked woman. Your enemies are searching for you as we speak. Your mere presence is a danger to us all.”
Lura turned to leave, the monks following closely behind like lost puppies. She stopped at the doorway and peeked back over her shoulder. “I want you, all of you, gone
by morning.” She left without further instruction.
My friends converged as I flopped back down on the floor, all speaking over each other in a gush of encouragement. I was long accustomed to their endless support, but it wasn’t going to help. Not this time.
“Guys.”
“Don’t listen to her,” Margie interrupted, rubbing my knee as she knelt down beside me. “That cat has no idea what she’s—”
“Guys, please.” I said it a little too harshly the second time, but I just couldn’t listen to this anymore. Not when I already knew the truth. “I just need a minute, okay?” After some reluctant posturing, they finally honored my wish and left me alone. Isaac was reluctant, but he, too, eventually left. I was finally alone with my thoughts.
“She’s right, I am nothing special,” I whispered into the darkness. I always knew that was true, but the words seemed particularly sharp this time. I had been a fool. I was actually starting to believe. Hope can be a cruel thing sometimes.
Head down, face buried in my hands, I sobbed like it was the end of the world.
Chapter 17
I couldn’t say how many hours passed while I sat there alone, crying my eyes out. I let them down. I let everybody down! And now all I could do was think about my mom. She gave up everything so I could get to this point, and I blew it. What would she think of me right now? Would she be ashamed? Would she hate me?
No, of course not. I knew better than that. No matter what I did, she would always support me just like the rest of my friends had. I didn’t deserve any of them, and I certainly didn’t deserve her. How was I ever going to make up for this failure?
“They were counting on you and you let everybody down!” I slammed a fist down onto my thigh. Maybe I was being too harsh on myself, but someone needed to hold me accountable. But I meant it, I was totally disgusted with myself.