Jane
What could possibly be next?I thought as we walked down the endless hallway. So many doors lined each side of the corridor, all with different shapes, colors, and designs. I stuck close to Tor, enjoying the feel of his larger hand in mine. As my curiosity grew, I gave voice to my most pressing question. “Lorn, are all the tests the same?”
“Oh no.” Lorn cast a glance over his shoulder at me. “They’re tailored to the needs of the seekers.”
Tor caught on to my wavelength, asking, “Who designs the tests?”
“Well,” the Kinsian looked straight ahead once more, but continued talking as we walked, “it’s a combination of factors. My people built the Prism Palace to be intuitive. It is not sentient, but it can sense the needs of the seekers who join us here.” He stopped before a circular door constructed of a gleaming gold metal. “The original architects programmed the palace to test the seekers in three distinct trials relevant to themselves and the knowledge they seek. Calia and I host the visitors.”
A knot formed in the pit of my stomach. “What if a person fails the trials?”
“Then, I’m afraid they are unable to claim what they seek.” Lorn pushed open the golden door to reveal a vast forest. “But I am confident in your pairing. Go and be of true voice.”
His cryptic parting message had my eyes narrowing as I passed him and entered the room. Trees and flowers of every shape and color surrounded a field in the center. It reminded me of the first room in its circular shape. Yet, where the first was empty, this place was packed to overflowing. Everywhere I looked plants bloomed, stretching their petals toward the golden light that streamed from an artificial sky.
“Calia will meet you for test three.” With that, Lorn shut the door behind us.
I shot Tor a cheeky grin. “So, you any good at gardening?”
He snorted. “Somehow I doubt that’s the test.”
I laughed. “Probably not.”
Heading to the center of the room as we had with the first test, we walked into a circular field of blue grass. It was the only spot that had any open area, the rest of the room being covered in an array of flowers and trees. Around the edge of the circle, gray, furry plants lined the perimeter. About as big as my head, they appeared like soft rocks, shaping the field. We stepped over the nearest one, careful not to disturb it as we did so.
The sunlight warmed my skin. I spun around, enjoying the feel of it while also remaining vigilant for hints of our trial. I stopped my twirls and tucked my fist under my chin. “Any ideas?”
“Nothing yet.” He tapped his foot on the soft grass, clearly as anxious as I to get through these trials. “I had a sense of knowing what to do before, an intuition, I suppose.” He scrubbed his hand over his neck. “But there’s nothing like that now.”
“Yeah,” I drew out the word, distracted by a slight rocking on the edge of the field. I wasn’t sure if it were an optical illusion or a problem with my eyes, but the furry rocks appeared to be swaying. I grabbed the hem of his outfit and tugged. “Tor, are you seeing this?”
As if on cue, the furry rocks, which apparently were not rocks at all, floated off the ground until they reached about my eye level. Then, they cracked open!
“What the—?” Tor’s question mirrored mine, but we didn’t have time to react.
From their split centers vines shot forward faster than a snake strike. Blue slithering vines as thick as my wrist wrapped around us. The largest circled our waists, hoisting Tor and I into the air, while the rest held our arms and legs in an X shape.
I screamed. Snakes were a secret fear of mine, not having even told my sisters about it, and these vines reminded me way too much of the slimy creatures. “Fuck. Shit. I can’t move.”
“Calm down, ljona. You’re breathing to fast.” Tor was held equally captive by the vines, but he wasn’t panicking like me.
“I can’t. This freaks me out.” Tears sprang too my eyes, and I couldn’t control a sob that wracked my body. “Can you get loose?”
He flexed and pulled hard, the muscles in his biceps straining. “It’s no use. They’re bound too tight.”
The vines had gone taut, holding us in place. It helped ease the fear slithering through me, but I was not anywhere near chill about our situation. “We need to get free”
“Agreed.” Tor strained again, managing to budge the vine on his right wrist a fraction. “These crexers are strong.”
Okay, relax. Breathe. You can do this.I closed my eyes and imagined the vines loosening their hold. The Kinsians said the palace reacted on the needs of the seekers. And I needed these damn vines off me. I opened my eyes to find we were still suspended in by the creepy bastards. Panic rose in my throat. “Nothing’s working.”
“Jane.” His firm use of my name had me turning my gaze to his. He was bound directly across from me, no more than two arms’ lengths away. Out of reach, but near enough to see the fire in his eyes. “Breathe in and out through your nose. Count to twelve. And then, tell me what’s wrong.”
“Besides being captured by creepy vines?” My snarky attitude wrapped around me like armor.
“Yes,” he said patiently, no longer battling the vines but focusing his attention exclusively on me. “Besides that.”
A tugging sensation in my chest compelled me to do as he said. I took in a few breaths, the air sawing in and out my nose. I counted up to twelve and back again. Then, I met his intense stare. “I’m afraid of snakes.” The truth soared from me like a space fighter launching into orbit. “When I was five, my parents, my biological ones I mean, took me hiking. Earth doesn’t have many spots left for that sort of thing, but they loved nature. Any chance they could they’d show me all the plants and wildlife the planet had to offer.” Tears stung the back of my eyes as the precious memory of my parents collided with what happened next. “We were walking up a hill, and I was getting tired. My dad picked me up and carried me, while my mom went ahead to scout us an easy trail back.” I sucked in a ragged breath. “I was sleepy and whiny, and he was more focused on me and my needs, so he didn’t see the snake crossing the path. It struck him in the leg.”
