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He stops and narrows his gaze on me, baring his teeth in a snarl. “If you don’t come with me now, you’ll fail, and the council will have the excuse they need to kill you. Is that what you want?”
Feeling dizzy, I press my hand to my forehead, wishing the world would stop spinning so I could focus on what’s happening. “No, of course not.”
“Then stop fucking around and come with me.” He raises his brows and waits expectantly.
Feeling like the worst friend in the world, I nod my head and take his proffered arm, leaving Nicolai behind once again. As we work through the desert part of the maze, weaving through raised sandbanks, I have to admit that I would probably be more of a hindrance to Nicolai at the moment. My head pounds with each step we take, the pain working its way up my legs, and more worryingly, my feet have become numb. However, I don’t complain, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, even when that means I have to drag them.
Eventually, Syn curses. “We’re going too slow.” Bending, he wraps his arms around me, and before I know it, the world is shifting and I’m cradled against his chest, and the walls zoom by us as he runs. “Curse me out about it later,” he mutters into my ear, barely sounding out of breath.
I don’t fight him, simply snorting. Usually, I’d be barking at him that I can look after myself, but I’m just sodamn tired. His body is warm, and I snuggle against him, resting my head on his chest as shivers rack my body as the poison works its way through my veins.
“Who did you see?”
His question pulls me out of the stupor I was slowly falling into. It confuses me, mainly because I don’t know what he’s talking about, but also because of the fear that he’s not even bothering to hide in his voice. Syn always wears a mask, and he rarely lets his true feelings show, so the fact that he’s doing so now should concern me. Blinking owlishly, I force myself to concentrate.
“What?” It’s hardly the most comprehensive of questions, but I can’t seem to form a longer response.
He glances down for a second, scanning my face before his gaze returns to the path, never once faltering in his race towards the centre. “In your challenge. Who did you see?”
When I don’t immediately reply, he growls with impatience. “Come on, talk to me, Laelia.”
Groaning, I press a hand over my eyes, the brightness of the sun making my headache worse. “What do you mean?” I grumble, annoyed that he keeps pressing me for answers when all I want to do is sleep. However, as I let his question sink in, I frown and swim through the fog in my mind. “How did you know I saw someone?”
He seems relieved that I’m talking, pausing at a crossroads. “All of the rooms were spelled. The person on the other side of the room would appear as the person you love most.”
“Oh.” Well, that answers my earlier question about how they managed to do it. It also means that everyone saw someone they loved be attacked—or at least they were made to think that. Slowly, I shake my head, disgusted at the council’s tactics. “I saw my father,” I finally reply, remembering my fear when I first saw him tied up on the other side of the room.
Choosing the path to our right, he clicks his tongue, his expression dark. “Did you manage to rescue them?”
My eyes squeeze shut, my silence an answer in itself. Guilt continues to hound me. The idea that I might have been able to rescue the stranger makes my chest ache. When I open my eyes again, I find Syn grimacing.
“If it makes you feel any better, neither did I.”
In an awful, selfish way, it does make me feel a little better. It was an impossible task, and knowing that someone else didn’t save their loved one makes me feel like less of a failure.
A wave of nausea hits me so hard I think I’m going to vomit all over his shirt. Taking several deep breaths, I try to focus on not throwing up. I need a distraction.
“Who did you see?” Glancing up, I watch his face. “Your mate?”
His jaw clenches tightly, and just when I think he’s not going to answer me, he looks down at me, his gaze intense. “Yeah, something like that.”
I’m about to question him about his answer when we round a corner and the words die in my mouth.
The beacon is right there. All five environments merge together, and a huge stone sits in the middle. There are rings of small stones encircling the pillar. I can’t work out the purpose of it, but the council doesn’t do anything without having a reason.
Exhaustion pulls at me once more, and I let my head drop back against Syn’s chest. He curses quietly, lifting a foot to step out into the central area when a buzzing noise fills the air.
“This is your two-minute warning. Anyone who doesn’t reach the beacon in time will fail the task,” a disembodied voice announces, but I try to block it out, my eyes sliding shut. Just a short nap and I’ll feel better, warm now despite the shivers that still shake my body.
“Almost there, Laelia, stay with me,” Syn orders, his body jerking as he runs across the circular area towards the beacon.
I vaguely wonder where the rest of the champions are as we race forward. Other than Syn, I’ve not seen anyone in the maze. However, this doesn’t seem important to me right now. Sleep, yes, sleep is important.
My eyes just drift shut when Syn shakes me. “Laelia.” His voice is sharp, and his arms shift until he’s placing my feet on the ground and helping me stand.
Groaning, I look around with bleary eyes and see we’re within touching distance of the beacon. Syn supports me with a hand on my back as I sway. He’s so close, his breath tickles the skin on my neck, and I struggle to concentrate, knowing that what he’s trying to say is important.
“I’ll help you, but you have to be the one to touch the beacon on your own, unsupported. If I do it for you, they won’t accept it,” he instructs, his voice clear. “I’ll follow you through as soon as you’re gone.”
