Labyrinth Wall (9780991531219) (19 page)

We try to move at a fast pace while still remaining cautious. As the crusted black lava occasionally crunches under my feet, it occurs to me how many dead Mahk we might be walking across. I wince, and my stomach tightens. It’s like we’re stomping across a giant fresh graveyard.

“How long do you think this route is going to take?” Keelie interrupts my thoughts.

“Oh, probably about two days. Now that we’re all rested, we could possibly do it in a day and a half.”

“And what about the snake pit I heard someone mention? Why are we taking a route that involves snakes?”

Her inquisitive nature is a bit entertaining. “Don’t worry. It’s a pit, so they can’t get to us as long as we cross the bridge over them.”

“Assuming that bridge is still there,” Soll points out.

I shrug. “Even if it’s not, we have tools. We can utilize a nearby tree and make our own bridge.”

“I never knew about a snake pit,” Keelie pipes up. “Did you know about that Soll?”

“Yes, I knew.” He chuckles.

“Couldn’t we have been hunting the snakes for food?” she questions.

“Um, trust me,” I answer, “be glad you didn’t try that.”

She glances at me, perplexed. Long eyelashes cast shadows over her questioning eyes.

“I’ve seen people get desperate enough to try and eat those snakes, and it killed them. They must be poisonous to us.”

“Why are they even there if there’s a bridge over them anyway?” Keelie continues.

“I honestly have no idea. Why don’t you go ask Rase some of these questions,” I suggest sarcastically, “seeing as how she’s a Creator.”

To my surprise, she nods, halts, and swings to the middle of the group to strike up a conversation with Rase.

“Now look what you did,” Soll huffs at me.

“Sorry,” I defend, “I didn’t think she would take me seriously and actually try to be friendly with a Creator guard.”

“You don’t know Keelie very well,” he responds harshly, like I did something wrong.

“I don’t need your scrutiny.” I set my focus back on our journey.

Occasionally, I glance over my shoulder, expecting to see Keelie in tears after Rase has said something harsh to her, but instead they’re carrying on a friendly conversation.

There she goes again
. That girl needs serious protection. Even living in the colony, it’s astounding she could be so sheltered and naïve in this world. Fortunately, her stupidity isn’t my problem, but I have to admit she reminds me a little of Blue and I have a soft spot for anyone like Blue.

Recent events haunt me. Darith’s last words play in my head: his threats about Blue. Between him, the blades, and the lava, what’s become of her? She may not still be alive. She must be okay though. Any bird that’s survived years in this wretched place could survive anything. When we’re reunited, we’ll make for the other side of the wall. All this mess will be forgotten. We may even find the cascading water from my dream world on the other side.

Every now and then, a conversation strikes up among the group or between a couple people, but for the most part, our traveling is fairly quiet. Quiet is probably best, given that guards could be around any turn. Surely it is imagined, but sometimes the others seem to have the same insecurity and fears. For the first time, I try to perceive things from other perspectives. Korun must barely be sane, having lost his memory and been thrown into this mess. Everyone else lost their entire community and watched a friend die painfully in the lava. I’ve never been part of a community, so I have no idea what they’re feeling, but I suspect it isn’t pleasant. Getting everyone to the wall is the best I can offer them.

Most of the day passes quickly. We take a few water breaks to rest our feet. For the most part, we’re making good time. As anticipated, it’s looking like we’re coming up on the snake pit in the mid afternoon. It occurs to me as we draw closer that the lava probably killed the snakes.

As we approach the pit, everyone is getting tired.

“Once we’re past the snakes, we can rest a few hours,” I announce.

That plan pleases all of them.

The bridge comes into sight, which makes me anxious to find Blue and reach freedom. The next several hours can’t go by fast enough.

“We should be careful,” Soll warns. “There could be a trap here… I have a bad feeling.”

I nod, but he’s probably overreacting. I don’t see anything suspicious.

Upon closer proximity, it is clear the stone bridge itself is covered in the cooled lava and walls are now standing on either side of its entrance. Strangely, the usual strong sour scent of the pit is gone.

“Simul protected the snakes.” I can’t tell if Soll is commenting or asking.

“I guess,” I respond.

We inch cautiously toward the bridge, wondering why such efforts would have been made to protect the small snakes. As Keelie already questioned, why were they ever there in the first place?

Toes only inches from the bridge, I prepare to shift forward. Korun reaches out, his strong grip pulling me back. He and Soll step in front of me, insisting they go first.

This is so typical of them both. It’s fine this time, but they don’t need to treat me like I’m helpless.

“Here, take some rope, in the event it collapses. We’ll keep a hold on you,” I suggest before they begin crossing. All of us grab onto the other end of the rope as they proceed.

They walk into the middle of the bridge, and nothing happens. Suspiciously, each of them glares over the edges, probably checking the condition of the snakes. Unsettling silence lingers around us.

Korun looks at us densely. “The snakes aren’t even there.”

Rase shifts her nervous eyes.

“Do you know why that is?” I press accusingly.

“I don’t know,” she insists.

My fingers tap my hip impatiently. “Really? Because you looked like you knew something important.”

“I swear,” she pleads, and then looks at Keelie. “I really have no idea why that would be.”

Now that Keelie has been friendly with her, she thinks she has an advocate.

Eyes wide, we all stare accusingly. Troubling quietness extracts more of her diversions, “It doesn’t make sense that they put up walls to divert the lava from the pit, especially if the snakes aren’t even there.”

“Fine.” I don’t believe her at all, but she obviously isn’t going to tell us anything useful.

Korun and Soll have now safely made it to the opposite side of the pit.

“I don’t know,” Soll calls out across the stretch of space. “No sight of the snakes, but no sign of trouble either. I suggest you come over two at a time while we keep holding onto the rope for extra security.” The two men grasp the rope tightly in their hands.

“All right, Keelie, let’s get you across and Saige.” I tug at their arms.

The duo begins to cross slowly. Soll’s thundering yells bring them to a halt. Both girls scream frantically as he jiggles the rope.

Their shrieks are followed by Soll’s loud laughter. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” He smirks.

Holding tight to one another in terror, they break away from each other.

“Ugh, you’re a rat, you know?” Keelie grunts as she darts the rest of the way across and punches at his muscular arm.

Saige is more amused with his actions than Keelie. Quietly, she joins them on the other side, a scarcely noticeable frown on her face.

Rase and I follow. Laon and Rifan cross last.

“Looks like you really did pick a good route,” Laon comments.

“I was nervous for a minute when I saw those walls, but I guess this worked out fine,” I tell him.

“Right, time for a rest?” Keelie inquires anxiously.

“Not quite,” I answer. “Even though I said we’d rest right after the bridge, this place makes me nervous. I’d feel better if we continue a little while then make camp.”

No one argues with my plan. The empty snake pit is probably as unsettling to them as it is to me.

Charred smells linger in our noses as we continue. Closer proximity to Sikla grants us some higher ground on the dried lava. Who ever knew we’d be walking on blades? What else could be deeper in the ground that we have never known we stomp across? A question only a Creator is likely to know.

Only a few Darktouch flowers have made an appearance since the lava. My eyes shift upward. It’s possible they fled up the walls. They may be deadly little things, but their purplish hues are a refreshing contrast to these black surroundings.

Half an hour later, my feet start dragging. We need to stop. We settle down into our own little groups, and Laon offers to keep watch for three hours then switch off with Rifan. I’ve definitely worked off the potato from before we left the den as well as the few crackers since then. Diving into one of my tightly packed food bags, I extract some bread and raisins. They’ll do the trick. The taste of something remotely sweet is rare to me. My tongue wrestles with their tacky texture and graininess.

Saige and Keelie chat for a few minutes. Soll is deep in his own thoughts. His playful stunt on the bridge really surprised me. It was freeing to see Keelie actually smile for a moment when she punched his arm after the fact. Again, I’m jealous of his ability to do and say the right things at the right time.

Korun must be pretty tired because he falls asleep almost instantly. The dwindling light brings a nice cool air with it. I settle down, using my clothing bag as a pillow, then force myself to relax. Sleep will make the next six hours fly by. Then I’m off to find Blue. Thinking of Blue brings nostalgic dreams as I drift out of consciousness.

A gentle tap from Keelie on my shoulder wakes me from my peaceful escape. My body almost feels like it’s getting spoiled by the long hours of sleep it’s been claiming. My arms stretch. I glance around. Everyone is accounted for. The trip to the wall is proving to be much less eventful than I had feared. It’s possible the Creators assume the blades and lava killed all the Mahk.

Darkness still prevails around us, but evidently someone lit a torch at some point, so we have a decent range of vision around us. We take a couple moments to eat and strap on our gear. Everyone knows each step brings us closer to danger, but also closer to our potential freedom.

Chapter 20
Fangs and Fire

A year ago, I never could have predicted the massive turn of events I’ve recently experienced. One unexplainable phenomenon after the other has shaken reality. Korun walking through walls and being capable of healing wounds still seems surreal. Realizing there’s more to existence than what I’ve known ignites hope inside. Happiness feels like it’s finally in my grasp. Or this is what it feels like before all is lost.

Averting conversations that come my way proves simple. Pretty soon, everyone traveling beside me is going to go their own way and I’m going to be with Blue. But sporadic conversations do grab my attention. Rifan doesn’t open his mouth much, but when he does, he usually shares some pessimistic view of the past or future. Keelie now has Korun caught in her question web. She asks him how he heals people and what the other side of the wall is like. He plays off his lack of knowledge, telling her that he would hate to ruin the surprise.

Since she can’t extract any information about the other side of the wall, she keeps to small talk.

“You know, I’m a really good cook,” she brags.

“Really?” Korun responds.

“Yes, I am. I’m really creative with it, you know. I like to make raisin paste bread and cheesy potato soup.”

“I guess that’s good,” he compliments awkwardly.

“Don’t worry. Sometime I’ll make it for you.” She laughs and points at his stomach.

It’s difficult not to be amused by her display. What’s funnier than her flirtation is his awkward attempt at aversion.

“I don’t really cook much,” he tells her.

Her bubbly eyes glare slyly at him through her long eyelashes. A teasing smile sits on her face.

“So I don’t know much about cooking,” he reiterates, a crack in his voice.

She pauses and looks at him, then giggles. “You’ll really like my food then. I’ve spent a lot of time creating worthwhile recipes, which isn’t easy to do around here.”

Everyone is quiet but the two of them. The others also seem to be enjoying their conversation, but a strange background noise I’ve never heard before diverts my attention from them. It isn’t loud, but it’s certainly distinct. It sounds like a hushed hiss.

A nervous glance over my shoulder reveals nothing alarming.

“You hear that too?” Soll whispers.

I nod and rotate my neck to see if the others have reacted. No one else has picked up on it, or if they have, they aren’t showing it.

Rase discretely leans in toward me and whispers, “All right, I’m ready to tell you what I was thinking when we saw there were no snakes left in the pit.”

Stress jumps down my throat at her sudden need to confess, and my fingers graze my neck nervously.

“Look, I didn’t tell you before because I’ve only heard rumors.”

I shake my head but remain quiet so as not to upset the group. “Rumors?”

“It’s almost more of a legend than a rumor. There are stories about twin Buyus.”