I wasn’t sure what sort of animals lived here, but I saw enough scat, rake marks, clumps of fur, and teeth-gnawed bones to know that the minotaur had quite a selection of prey to choose from. I couldn’t help but wonder who he once was; if he’d been human or godkin; what he’d done to so earn the wrath of Minos thatthiswould be the consequence.
Or maybe he hadn’t done much of anything to deliberately anger the Sovereign. Perhaps Minos simplyfeltangered by something this man had done. Half-bloods could take offense quite easily, from what I’d observed.
I slowed as stomach-churning scents tainted the stale air. The unmistakable smell of animal dung and … something else. Ugh, what now?
I kept walking, frowning when I realized that the walls narrowed in these parts. Narrowed to the point where I soon had to turn my body sideways in order to squeeze through the gap.There was a lowripas the back of my tunic caught on the rough wall.Great.
Finally, the gap began to gradually expand until the curved walls were once more spaced well apart. The nauseating stench was strong here, and I soon saw why. I’d arrived at a shallow trench, and at the bottom of it was a sludgy pile of manure and some kind of pus—I didn’t even want to know what exactly the latter was.
I did know that I wasn’t going to wade through it foranyone.
Biting on my lip, I judged the width of the trench. I could cross it if I timed my jump just right. Probably.
Cursing beneath my breath, I took several steps back. Clenching and unclenching my fists, I heaved in a mound of air. My pulse was racing, and a sense of nervous anticipation waded through my blood.
I took off. I sprinted hard and fast, praying to the gods for aid. Then I jumped.
I went airborne for what seemed like a mere millisecond before landing on the ground.Ground.Ha!
My smile of triumph faded as the shale underfoot abruptly gave way. I dropped downward as the floor disappeared, throwing out my hands to latch onto something. A tree root. I caught hold of a tree root.
Dangling there, I ground my teeth. Gods, it was like the swamp pit all over again. I used my grip on the thick root to haul my body out of the trench and onto the ground. Breathing hard, I flopped onto my back, wincing as my head hit a small rock. “Ow.”
Sitting upright, I rubbed at my now-sore scalp. At least I’d managed to clear the trench. That was something.
I pushed to my feet, determined to go on. Spotting a few dried muddy boot prints, I winced. Either some poor soul hadfallen into the trench, or they’d willingly dragged their crazy ass through it.To each their own.
I continued onward, arriving at a sharp U-turn. Wondering if I’d now reached the second circuit of the labyrinth, I pushed my way through a curtain of dangling moss.
And suddenly found myself in a supremely hot and muggy passage.
A dozen smells punched my senses. Overly sweet fruit. Decaying vegetation. Damp earth. Animal musk.
Glancing around, I felt my lips part. Branches with tropical fruit and gleaming leaves winded along the stone walls. Ropy vines curled around spires and statues and totems.Dead leaves and pebbles were carried along the ground by rivulets of dirty water. Ants were swarming pieces of fallen rotten fruit, and colorful frogs and lizards were perched on branches.
It was as if this particular cavern was located in a rainforest or something. I could only assume it was the power of either the gods or Sovereigns that had made the temperature switch so abruptly from relatively cool tooh my God, I feel like I could suffocate on this air it’s so thick.
For that reason alone, I was eager to move onto the next circuit. It was genuinely possible that I could pass out in this heat.
Batting away a droning fly, I started walking. Crap, the foliage was thick here. And unfriendly. I steadily barreled through it, gritting my teeth against the stings and scratches of thorns and spines.
I would love to know whose grand idea it was to send those participating in Xalbia down here. Then I could at least imagine how it would feel to choke them.
I wondered if the Sovereigns had ever taken a walk through the labyrinth.Doubtful.They seemed to avoid placing themselves in any form of danger.
Stepping sideways to avoid a twisted tree root, I flinched as something touched my shoulder.Vine.I took a relieved breath and walked on.
Hunger pangs gnawed at my belly. Still, I felt no temptation to try any of the fruits hanging from the branches. For one thing, I wasn’t so sure that I could keep food down while my stomach was so unsettled. For another thing, I couldn’t trust that they weren’t as poisonous as the critters that roamed here.
An alcove was on my left. I narrowed my eyes, wondering if it was merely decorative … or if it was in fact one of the minotaur’s ‘doors.’
Shoving that thought out of my mind as fast as it came, I eased my way around a spiky pineapple bush, hissing as it pricked my already injured knee. I was covered in grazes and tiny puncture wounds at this point. The beads of sweat trailing down my skin made the small wounds sting and throb.
So hot I felt like a wilting plant, I pulled my water pouch from my pocket and took a long swig. It didn’t do much to help me cool down—the liquid had gone warm with the heat. Lovely.
A far-off female scream rang out, filled with terror. I halted, my blood chilling, my heart bashing my rib cage. Sensing that it had come from somewhere far behind me, I whirled around. A second scream split the air—this one ringing with pain. The sound died abruptly … and I suspected that whoever it had come from was now dead too.
My gut dropped, and I squeezed my eyes shut.Fuck, fuck, fuck.
