My heart raced so fast that I thought it might explode in my chest.It’s not real.The sounds are fake. They’re basically just another obstacle—it’s all part of scaring you to put you off your game.
I took a fortifying breath. Yes, it was all bullshit. There was no minotaur.
There was, however, a pit of snakes.
Turning back to the crevice, I groaned. The only thought that gave me any motivation to move forward was that I was almost at the heart of the labyrinth now. There would be no more climbing, balancing, hanging, leaping, or crawling. I just had this one ditch to cross, and then I would be done.
Done.
Such a lovely word.
Holding my breath, I hopped onto the closest stepping stone. A relieved exhale stuttered out of me when the stone didn’t dip or shake. But then it very slowly began to turn.
I remained still, panic squeezing my throat. What the hell? The stone remained in its exact location, but it continued to sluggishly turn in a circle—never stopping, never speeding up, never changing direction.
I parted my lips. Was it not bad enough that I was standing over a pit of snakes? Was that not enough danger to please whatever sadist built this place?
Clenching my jaw, I braced myself to head for the next stone. When the moment was right, I made my move, muttering prayers of thanks to the universe when I landed safely. Prayers that died on my lips when the stone started to twist just as the first had.
I’d anticipated it, of course, but that didn’t make me any less angry.
Gods, I was way too dizzy for this. My heart was having a nervous breakdown in my chest.
You can do this. You can get out of here. But only if you keep moving.
And the longer I stayed where I was, the dizzier I’d feel.
Again timing my jump just right, I hopped to the next stone. Which, of course, also began to turn. I swayed, nearly losing my footing.
Cursing, I balled up my sore hands, ignoring the twinges. I continued moving from stone to stone, feeling more sickly and light-headed the further I went. By the time I reached the second to last one, I thought I’d puke my guts right into the pit.
Once I arrived at the final stone, I clenched my jaw as I eyed the distance between this and the edge of the crevice. It was spaced a little further apart than I … My thoughts trailed off as the stone turned toward the direction from which I’d come and I saw something moving along the passage wall. A shadow. A shadow of somethingbig.
My gut dropped.
I didn’t know what was coming. Didn’t care to know. I just wanted to be gone before it arrived. The moment the stone was facing forward again, I didn’t hesitate—I jumped. By some miracle, my feet safely hit the ground at the other side of the passage. A gust of sand rose up and puffed my face, causing my eyes to water. I didn’t care.
I ran for the turn that I could see up-ahead, a mixture of joy, relief, and satisfaction swimming in my blood. I’d done it. I’d actually done it.
I shoved my way through yet more dangling moss.
My scenery changed again. No sand or cacti or stifling heat. But there was no Talon or any of the Marshalls either.
I was in what appeared to be a small cavern. It was dark. Dank. Thickly shadowed. Had the dreary feel of a dungeon.
A shimmer of damp coated the stone walls that were scabbed with mildew, algae, and black mold. Twisting tree rootsmeandered along the arched ceiling, dripping oily water to an uneven ground that sported dubious red stains. Moss climbed over every statue, totem, and spire—all of which had been crushed almost to pieces. The air was warm, stuffy, andreekedwith the pungent scents of old blood, sweat, decay, and mold.
My nape prickling, I walked a little further into the cramped cavern, accidentally kicking a loose rock. It went tumbling into a thick carpet of leaves and grass that littered one part of the ground, looking almost like a bed. I swallowed, stepping toward—
Something crunched beneath my foot.
I looked down, and my heart stopped.Bone. It was then that I realized there were more of them. A pile was stacked in a nearby corner among more fresher kills—corpses of rodents, snakes, and other bats. The carcasses were covered in clingy strings of fat, meat, and skin. Gore and blood spatter coated the walls near the collection like a macabre painting.
My belly churned as bile burned my throat. You would have thought that the corpses would be swarmed by droning flies or foraging rats, but it was almost as if the live insects and rodents didn’t dare come here.
I caught sight of dirty footprints on the floor. Prints that belonged to someone with large feet. Either one of the candidates had removed their boots before traipsing through here or … or I’d have to face what I’d be stupid to ignore.
This place wasn’t a mere cavern. This was a lair. Something lived here.
