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“You have to.”
Wincing, like she’s bracing for the worst, she releases my wrists.
Immediately, with expert precision, I use my sword, cutting through the vines.
Joining my plan, Ro grapples with the dagger in her pocket. She gets ahold of the weapon, but it’s not going to do her any good in this instance. The blade is still sheathed, and even if it wasn’t, she’s too restrained to use it.
She flails while I pluck at the plants.
Right as I sever the last vine, something shoots out from the bushes and bites me on my left forearm. I look over to see a purple rose with its teeth sinking into my skin.
The flower has an actual mouth.
I twirl my machete, successfully slicing the stem and trimming away some of the hedge around it.
Unfortunately, the growth is fast, and more roses replace the one I cut.
The carnivorous flowers swarm Ro. Their teeth latch onto the material of her robe, all along her back and arms. It’s disturbing, seeing them chomp and hearing the fabric rip as they try to get to her flesh.
Soon, she could be swallowed up.
Thinking fast, I discard my weapons, dropping them on the ground so I can use my hands. Then I grab the material on either side of Ro’s chest and rip as hard as I can.
Buttons fly and the robe begins to slip away.
Hooking my arm around Ro’s waist, I fall backward, letting gravity take us the rest of the way out of the maze as we abandon her outfit.
My back hits the solid surface of the ground, and a half-naked Ro lands on top of me.
Teeth snap at my boot.
Doing a sort of crabwalk, I scoot a few feet away, putting some distance between us and the maze.
Shrieks of displeasure come from the roses when they realize they won’t be getting a bloody meal, and the sound of their loss is music to my ears. I know defeat when I hear it, so I can assume we’re out of the danger zone. For now.
“Shit,” I hiss, collapsing on the lawn.
The lush and vibrant lawn.
The cool softness of overgrown grass is like a pillow beneath me. The suns shine brightly, warming my skin, and the smell of soil baking invades my nostrils.
“We’re in The Day Realm.” Disbelief tinges Ro’s words as she runs her fingers through the green blades by my head. “How? How are we here?”
“We’re not here,” I answer with certainty, blinking while I adjust to the new light. “Armand can’t send us to another universe. He doesn’t have that power, so it has to be an illusion, just like the end of the maze.”
“An illusion doesn’t leave bite marks,” Ro quips. “You’re bleeding.”
Grasping my forearm, she examines the wound the flower gave me. I don’t pull away from her this time. No, now, I silently beg her to never let me go.
Without even giving it a glance, I claim, “It’s nothing.”
“Kai.” She sounds alarmed, her focus still on my arm, and she wildly gestures to it.
“Really, I’m fine. Just a scratch.”
“No, it’s not that. You… your scars…”
Now she has my full attention.
