Labyrinth Wall (9780991531219) (16 page)

As I think about his healing hands and the strange dream about him before our encounter with the Nabal, Korun emerges from the small entrance of the cave. He maneuvers backward carrying something. The entrance is so tight he has to set down the object in his hands and wiggle out before grabbing it again.

Finally he starts making his way a couple feet down the mountain. The unknown item is still emerging from the entrance behind him. After a couple seconds, I identify it as a ladder. Soll eventually comes out of the cave holding the other end, but Keelie doesn’t follow them. The ladder looks fairly lengthy. Valiant as their efforts have been, it doesn’t look long enough to save us.

Korun losses his footing as they inch their way down. Falling to his knees, he jerks the ladder from Soll’s hands. For a moment, it looks like Korun and the ladder might fall into the lava. Small rocks tumble down the incline as his feet swing around to steady his weight. Defiant to the setback, he regains his composure. With one hand grabbing at nearby rocks to balance his body and the other holding onto the ladder, he’s barely able to swing it in the direction of the boulder before he loses his grip. The ladder slides down the slope a few feet. Saige catches it. She props it up on the mountainside as the two men work their way down to join her.

They talk for a couple minutes, pointing at the lava then at us. Soll vaults twice, landing on the boulder directly across from us, about thirty feet away. Korun vaults only once, placing him on the boulder between Soll and Saige. It takes the men a few minutes to maneuver the ladder.

The men lift the ladder in our direction, across the deep lava. Their arms strain as they attempt not to let it touch the orange substance. On our end, Laon and Rifan work together to extend a branch, which they’re able to hook into the ladder, alleviating the weight for Soll and Korun. Finally, they pull the ladder toward us, and it forms a bridge between our boulders.

My heart beats fast as Rifan insists he be the one to cross first and ensure its stability. I’m tired of everyone else putting themselves on the line, leaving me to sit around and watch.

“No, let me do this,” I insist. I push past him.

Korun yells at me from across the lava, “Let him go first, Araina.”

Despite his request, my hands grip the sides of the ladder. It feels pretty sturdy. The colony probably built it using wood from the twisted trees throughout the labyrinth. Crawling across this thing seems like the smartest approach for me. Not only is it easier to maintain balance, but the weight distribution is less likely to strain the wood. Minimizing the chances of it breaking is worth crossing it a little slower.

With every inch forward, the steam’s intense heat engulfs me. Telling myself not to look at the threatening lava below, I focus on the ladder. It feels like every inch consumes minutes of time, but surely my progress is quicker than that. Sweat has become thick on my palms. It’s becoming difficult to grip the wood. Of course, my boots are no help in this situation either. It’s hard to say if I’m getting close, and my eyes won’t leave my path to see how far to my destination. No matter what, I certainly don’t try to look behind me. Progressing slowly, putting weight on the rims of the ladder, I finally see stone in my grasp. As my hand is about to descend on it, my focus wavers, causing me to wobble. Yanking me up effortlessly, Korun pulls me into him, his hand stroking my back.

My heart is beating so fast I can hear it in my ears. He’s holding me in his arms. Like the rhythm of drums, his heart beats at the same pace as mine. “You okay?” he asks with concern.

Suddenly aware that my jaw is hanging open, I jerk away from him “Good. I’m fine.” My fingers straighten out my scrunched shirt. “Thank you.”
Thank you?
This man continuously saves my life and treats everyone in a way I’ve never seen before. Yet, “thank
you” is all he gets. I’m pathetic company.

He nods then lifts a branch at me. Mine is still on the boulder I came from across the ladder. “I want you to go ahead and get to the cave.” He hands me the pole.

“What about all of you?” I ask. “I want to try and help.”

He smiles warmly at me. “You’re so tired and weak from lack of food. And I can tell you are having serious trouble breathing.” His light brown eyes seem to stare right into my core. Then he points to the others. “And there really isn’t much you can do, so use this and go on. We’ll be right behind you.”

I take the branch in my hand and prepare to vault. The small boulders are partially covered now, but a portion of the surface is usable. As quickly as is manageable, I work my way to the boulder where Saige is waiting.

Rase has just made it across the ladder, and Korun has handed her the other branch. She prepares to vault toward us as Rifan is crossing the ladder.

Weak and exhausted, my body props against the slope, waiting for the others to join us. Rase reaches our boulder long before Rifan makes it across the ladder. Crossing the ladder is no short process. He reaches Korun and Soll, so finally, Laon starts his journey across the ladder. Rifan waits with Korun and Soll on the boulder. Now that Rase and I have taken the vaulting poles, the rest of them will have to use the ladder to get here.

After Laon reaches the boulder, once again, Korun and Soll work together to lift the heavy ladder and this time Laon and Rifan also assist. They bring the ladder in and extend it toward the middle boulder. They need to move faster. The lava has gotten so high that the shorter boulders are now completely covered.

Nervous tapping overtakes my fingers. I hate waiting helplessly. For a moment, I become concerned about Keelie, wondering where she is, until it occurs to me she already made it to the den. Evidently exhaustion truly has its grip on me. My eyelids feel so heavy. I’m vaguely aware of what’s happening around me, but I’m partially losing consciousness for moments of time.

It takes only a second, and the men have all made it to the middle boulder. Rifan has already joined Rase, Saige, and I on our boulder. Saige is yanking my arm. “Keep breathing, Araina, we’re almost inside. Come on.”

Everything is so blurry from the smoke. It’s ten times harder to breathe.

“Okay.” The single word chokes from my mouth.

She isn’t in much better shape than me, but she assists me to my feet. Rifan helps boost me up to the rock shelf and Saige next. Rase is holding up in the smoke better than the rest of us but offers no help. Time won’t allow for dealing with her attitude. I put all my attention on forcing my body to make each necessary move. As Saige and I near the entrance to the cave, I glance back to survey the others.

I must be moving pretty lethargically, because now everyone but Korun has made it to the final boulder. Though Saige tries to get me to enter the cave, my gaze won’t disengage from the others. She enters, but I wait to make sure everyone is okay. Korun finishes crossing, and they help each other onto the rock shelf. Lava is now covering a good portion of the large boulders, but everyone makes it onto the rock shelf quickly. At last, we can enter the den.

Without an ounce of grace, I wiggle into the entrance then let myself slide through the twenty-foot tunnel into the cave. My landing hurts a little, but I’m so weak and tired I barely notice. My body moves only a few feet from the den entrance. Fresh air soothes my throat and lungs. It’s dark in the cave, but no one has screamed or indicated any trouble, so it seems we’re safe. I’m too tired to care if we’re not. Every muscle aches, my lungs burn. Rest is what I need, what we all need. As a yawn escapes me, my head nuzzles on top of my bag and I greet sleep happily.

Chapter 17
Fresh Air

In my dream world, sparkling water cascades down layered shelves of ground. It’s so cool and fresh to the touch. No labyrinth walls confine me, and a pale blue sky stretches as far as the eye can see. Breeze flows through my hair. Gentle sounds of nature whisper peace into my soul. Blue is there with me, enjoying the beauty as if she had never known the darkness of the labyrinth. All of it feels so real, and then it all goes away.

A couple times, my mind tries to escape the suspension of consciousness. My eyes bat open, but my body refuses. Reality drifts off again.

It’s hard to say how much time has passed when slumber finally relinquishes its hold on me. My waking thought is a pleasant one as I wonder if a place like the one in my dreams exists on the other side of the wall.

I’m no longer close to the entrance of the den. It appears someone moved me to a fairly comfortable, soft bed. For a moment, I become disoriented and wonder if I’m still in the den at all.

Confused, I sit up fearfully and reach for my dagger in my hair. Keelie is only a few feet away from me, sitting on another bed. Our beds aren’t really beds at all though. Beneath us are piles of clothing.

The den itself is fairly large, which makes sense given that the colony at its max included about two hundred people. Keelie and I are sitting on a natural rock shelf lining the circular cave. Our shelf isn’t the only one. There are actually several at different heights. Two dozen ladders like the one we used to cross the lava stand against walls, used to get up to the shelves. Some of the ladders are much taller than the one we used. Some probably stand about sixty feet. Only a couple ladders go all the way to the top.

Blue and purple stalactites hang across the roof of the place. Some protrude straight down in long cone shapes, while others form unique swirls. Sparkles glisten from the moisture on their surface.

Given the limited resources accessible to the Mahk, it’s hard to believe the elaborate decor of the den. Circles of carved wooden and stone shapes are mounted above the rock shelves. The carvings mimic everything from stars to human forms. The shapes of the swirling stalactites fill the gaps between the carved images.

The most striking part of it all is the fire feature in the middle of the floor. Staggered layers of circular stone form the structure stacked one on the other. Fire burns in every other layer while metallic flower statues reside in the others. It resembles a fountain in shape. Around it sits Saige, Soll, and Korun. Laon and Rifan are probably sleeping somewhere on the shelves. Rase isn’t on the shelves. Where is she? Scrats! After reaching the cave, who knows where she ended up.

Wait. There she is, tied up near the back of the cavern.

Having been so focused on the details of the cave, it just now occurs to me that there aren’t any other people here besides our group. My gaze drifts back to Keelie. This time, her mood captures my attention. Knots intensify in my stomach. Something is terribly wrong. She’s been crying, so I work my way over and sit down beside her. It isn’t easy not to ask a million questions, but that doesn’t seem like the right thing to do in the moment. I’m not good with social interaction. It’s time to wait.

A few more quiet minutes pass. Then tears burst from her eyes, and she practically falls into me. My arms wrap around her tensely. I still haven’t said a word to the girl, but I have no idea what words to use.

After many tears and a few deep breaths, she starts talking to me. Pointing around the cave, she talks about how the colony should have been here when we arrived.

“Where would they have gone without us?” she tearfully questions. “They didn’t abandon us. Simul must have found them!”

“I know, Keelie. I know.”

My hand moves up and down her back occasionally, trying to offer some comfort. I’m amazed by her confidence in the colony. She’s so positive they wouldn’t have abandoned the den. I don’t know how she can trust them so effortlessly.

“It must have been the Creators, you know?” she reiterates. “They did something to them. I don’t know how they could have found the den though. It’s so well hidden. Only colony members know about it.”

“That’s for sure,” I confirm. “Even climbing up the mountain, it wasn’t visible until reaching the entrance.”

“Right… exactly. Something is very wrong! Where are they?”

“You’re right. The Creators must have done something.” I pat her back again “I’m sorry they aren’t here, Keelie, I really am.”

This is what comes from trusting other people: they abandon you
. My finger strokes a random blonde hair out of her face. The colony abandoned Soll and his group, just like Darith abandoned me. In our world, it’s unfathomable that Keelie hasn’t been exposed to more darkness, or maybe she has and doesn’t realize. I see no point in mouthing my opinion to the girl in tears, but I wish she understood the world like I do.

Words seem to be frightened away as we sit together. She’s given up on wiping away the wet liquid from her eyes. A few more minutes pass. Her skinny fingers untangle her long blonde hair.

“You should try to get some rest,” I suggest.

After the last remnants of salty water dry from her eyes, she refuses to attempt sleep. Splotchy cheeked and congested, she grabs my hand. “Thank you for listening, Araina, it means a lot.”

“Oh. Sure, it’s no problem.” Despite how immune I’ve become to the suffering of others in my life, seeing her devastation wells up a knot in my throat. For her sake, I hope her faith in the Mahk isn’t misplaced. On one hand, it would be good if she is right, because that may mean the colony does have a sense of love and takes care of its own. In contrast though, if the Creators do have them, they’re likely dead.