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“If either of you dies, then the challenge is over, and I win.”
“In the case of my death,” Ro presses, “Kai will still get to leave, right?”
“Yes.” There’s a tick of annoyance in the overlord’s jaw, like he doesn’t enjoy being pestered to give away facts that might actually help us.
“So, the only way Kai doesn’t regain his freedom is if he dies in the game?”
“That’s what I said.”
Pursing her lips, Ro nods once with determination.
I’m in awe of this woman. While she’s entering a perilous contest, she’s more concerned about my life than her own. Her fear for me is apparent, and I find it a bit heartwarming that she wants to ensure my survival.
I wonder if she’s afraid for herself. Maybe not. If she’s determined to die, maybe she’s glad to be participating in a game where two out of three outcomes end with her dead.
Once we’re near the beginning of the maze, Armand halts and turns toward us. “One more thing… If, at any point, you want to surrender, just say so.”
“What kind of frilly poetry will you want for that?” I quip, being a smartass.
He gives me a chilled smile. “Oh, I won’t need rhymes when you admit defeat.”
“When?” I parrot, just like Yugo did when I used the word.
Armand doesn’t answer with a reply. He just keeps that grin plastered on his face, snide and arrogant as if he knows my fate.
But he doesn’t knowme.
He has no idea how far I’m willing to go for victory.
Ro
“Off you go,” Armand says behind us, impatient to get the game started.
Looking ahead, I scan the entrance of the maze that’s just a few steps away. The first path into the labyrinth is long, framed by tall walls made of brittle twigs. Pebbles and dusty rocks cover the ground of the aisle that’s six feet wide.
Other than being ugly and creepy as hell, it doesn’t look like a torture chamber.
Kai and I move forward.
As soon as we cross the threshold, I wince, bracing myself because I expect to see some obvious threats. Maybe a booby trap. Sharp blades or fire shooting from the shrubbery.
But nothing happens.
“Get behind me, and keep close,” Kai mutters. “You will still stay within two feet of me at all times, unless I’m fighting. In that case, you will maintain a minimum distance of eight feet while remaining in my sight. Understood?”
“Yes,” I immediately whisper.
Bossiness suits Kai. He’s not like other warriors who might tread lightly around my opinion. I’d much rather he bypass asking for my permission and just take charge. It makes me feel taken care of.
Positioning himself in front of me, Kai shields me with his left arm while holding his sword up with his right hand. I do as he says, trying to huddle in without latching myself to his body like a frightened child.
I don’t want to look like a total wimp, but I am, unlike Kai, who’s obviously in his element. He’s not even tense. His movements are stealthy, and there’s an air of calmness about him. Every time he takes a breath, it’s measured without a hint of panic, and I watch the scars on his back stretch as his lungs expand slowly.
We get ten feet in. Fifteen. Twenty.
Swallowing hard, I listen for any sound that will tell us what’s coming, but all I hear is the wind, my lungs working a little hard to keep up with my racing heart, and Kai’s boots crunching over the gravelly trail. My footsteps are much quieter than his, but that’s because I have no shoes.
I’m instantly regretting my decision to refuse the boots I was offered because the rocks are rough and jagged. Even if it would’ve been like having cement blocks around my ankles, at least all these painful pieces wouldn’t be digging into my feet.
