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Some of them weren’t even close, but others got near enough that I felt the brush of air displaced by their path. And several nailed me, leaving stinging welts and scrapes on my skin.
We hurried through, keeping our guard up.
When we finally reached the center, I pointed.
“There!”
A scroll hovered just above a large pedestal in the middle. The three of us stared at each other for a half second, distrust filling the space between us. But before any of us could speak, two other contestants reached the middle of the maze, coming from different directions. Alaric and Chetna.
Without thought, the men and I all took off running, heading as fast as we could toward the scroll.
I knew I couldn’t trust these guys, and they felt the same way about me. The only thing I could trust was to get that scroll in my hands. I used my magic, throwing my hands behind me and sending a blast of power out, giving myself a surge of speed. As I neared the pedestal, I leapt up onto a large rock, kicking off as hard as I could as I flew through the air.
Alaric was wiry but fast, and he jumped at almost the exact moment I did. He stretched his arm out, but I managed to wrap my hands around the scroll just an instant before he did.
I landed hard and rolled, coming back to my feet in a smooth motion.
Alaric cursed, and I heard two low voices growl as I took off toward what I was hoping was the exit.
I wasn’t necessarily splitting away from Lachlan and Merrick, but I was definitely trying to get away from the other two, who were looking at me with murderous eyes.
Well, maybe I was planning on ditching my two “allies”, but it didn’t matter. I never got the chance.
Lachlan tackled me to the ground just as I neared the exit to the maze. I had a sudden flashback to the night before as once again, the two of us went down hard. He grabbed me around the waist and flipped me onto my stomach, pushing my face into the floor.
“I’m all about teamwork, but no one screws me over,” he growled.
“I’m not trying to screw you over,” I mumbled against the packed dirt, heart thudding hard in my chest.
Had I been? I honestly wasn’t sure.
He scoffed at me. “Oh yeah? What exactly were ye doing making a run for it? If ye’re going to be a team player, then be a team player.”
He had a point. And I didn’t know at what point during this whole thing I would need him again.
I relented, bending my arm and handing the scroll back to him. He snatched it, then climbed off me, waiting and helping me up off the floor. I half expected him to make a run for it, but to my shock, he didn’t.
Merrick rounded the corner a second later, just as Trace joined us in the entrance to the maze. They each sent out bursts of magic, defending us from the other contestants who were trying desperately to get to the scroll.
I looked around wildly, knowing we didn’t have time to climb all the way back up. “We need to find a w
ay out of here. Fast.”
“Come on!” Merrick shouted, and all four of us sprinted out of the maze, still sending blasts of defensive magic behind us.
Merrick led us back to the wall, and I was about to point out that we’d be easy targets if we tried to climb back up to the opening at the top. But before I could say anything, he rolled up his sleeves and rubbed his hands together, his large muscles tense.
“I’ve got this.”
I wrinkled my brow, unsure if he realized he was standing in front of a wall.
Energy vibrated around him, moving through his veins and surging into his fists. Then, with a feral yell, he pulled his arms back and smashed his hands into the stone wall. The entire dome seemed to shake, and cracks spread from the place his blast had hit.
Two more pulses of energy, and the wall broke.
It exploded outward, opening a hole in the dome to the jungle.
My eyes went wide, but I hurried through, looking at him strangely as I passed.
