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My chest is tight, and memories from the werewolf trials slam into me. Panic tries to overtake me, and I feel frozen, like one of the large trees before me, rooted to the spot. My nightmares are filled with memories from the trials, and the maze was one of the ones that likes to stick with me. If the queen wanted to choose something that would cause me distress, then she picked well, almost as though she knew what would hit the hardest.
A strange tug in my chest distracts me from my panic spiral, and I close my eyes and look inside myself, trying to find the source of the feeling. It’s coming from my bonds, but it feels… foggy. I realise they are waking up, and I pointlessly look around as though they’ll suddenly appear out of nowhere. My brows tug down as I scan the wall of hedges, wishing I could see past them. Somewhere in this room are my mates, and I need to find them before my mystery opponent does.
Attempting to reach out to them, I come across some sort of block. Somehow, the bonds have been muted. While I can feel them and the general direction they are in, I’m unable to pick up on their emotions. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. Taking a deep breath and sending up a prayer to the goddess, I jog towards the entrance of the maze.
Once inside, I force myself to banish all thoughts other than finding my mates and tracking down this opponent, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. When I reach my first intersection in the maze, I try to focus on my bonds, but they are all pulling in different directions, making it impossible for me to focus on an individual. With a grumble of frustration, I look between the two pathways, but they both look the same. Closing my eyes, I call Star to me, instantly feeling comforted by her presence. Glancing down, I see her looking between the two paths, her body relaxed and pressed up against me.
“Which way should we go?” I ask quietly, threading my fingers through her fur.
She turns her large head to look up at me, her eyes sparkling, and then she lopes off to the pathway on the right. Deciding to follow her lead, I huff out a breath and jog behind her, trusting her hearing and sense of smell to lead us to where we need to be.
We jog for what seems like an eternity, but in reality can’t be longer than half an hour, and by this point, I’ve well and truly lost my bearings. My bonds are pulling me in all directions, and it feels like I’m travelling in circles. It’s too quiet here. If I’m in this maze with my four mates, Scott, and an opponent, then I should have heard someone by now, but the only sounds so far have been my steady breathing and the crunch of my feet on the gravel path.
As we turn a corner, I’m staring straight ahead when something shifts behind me. Jerking to a stop, I spin to face the direction I just came from, scanning the pathway, shrubs, and even looking above just in case. There’s nothing there.I must be imagining things, I think to myself, shaking my head and turning to follow Star. I can’t let myself get caught up in imaginary foes when I’m sure I have plenty of ones in real life.
Just as I start to walk, I catch movement from the corner of my eye. IknowI didn’t imagine that, yet when I spin around, there’s nothing there. Star suddenly appears at my side, her hackles raised as she growls at the empty path, sensing the same thing I did. Whatever it is, it feels like a threat. Magic starts to stir in my body, reacting to my fear and pooling into my hands until they glow with the power of the stars.
The atmosphere suddenly changes with the presence of my magic, and as though it calls to them, whatever is following me decides to show themselves. At first, I can’t quite work out what I’m seeing, the hedge on my left bulging like it’s made of liquid. Frowning, I try to keep my breathing steady as I watch the bulge start to form a shape, and not just any shape, but a human form. It separates from the hedge until I’m facing a hedge creature. It’s almost laughable. Is this what I was worried about? Still, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m in danger, especially when Star’s growl doesn’t ease.
Eerie silence makes the hair on my arms stand on end. I’m on edge, something that only gets worse the longer I examine the creature. It has no features or definition, only mimicking a human silhouette. As I watch, my attention is pulled to where its hands would be, and long, nail-like thorns appear, the razor-sharp edges extending several inches.
The creature leaps at me, and it’s only because Star puts herself between us that I don’t end up getting sliced by those thorns. With my heart in my throat, I jump back and watch as Star fights against it, tearing away chunks of leaves and branches, but it doesn’t seem to affect it. No, it acts like it can’t even feel the damage Star is causing. Although it doesn’t have any facial features, I get the feeling that it’s looking at me.
My dark presence rises, prompting me to use my magic. I still don’t have full control over it, and I’ve not had proper instruction on how to use it, so there’s a risk that I’ll only make things worse. I have no other weapons, and Star is doing the best she can right now. With no other choice, I raise my glowing hands and let my instincts guide me. With a pulse of bright light, magic shoots from me to the creature. I’m not sure what I expected, but it catching fire was not it. Eyes wide, I watch as it stops fighting its way towards me and backs up, losing its shape as it burns. It’s oddly gruesome, and I wait until it’s only a pile of smouldering ashes.
“Come on, Star, let’s find the guys,” I call with a shaky voice, backing away from the dead creature.
The two of us run to the end of the pathway, and I allow Star to lead the way once more. On and on we go, taking turn after turn, but there’s still no sign of the guys. We don’t come across any other creatures either, but instead of letting my guard down, I’m more cautious. The attack replays in my mind, and I get the feeling that the creature wasn’t my challenge. It was too easy.
The path ahead of us is bright, so bright that I have to close my eyes. When they finally adjust, I see that we’ve stumbled into a clearing. It’s a square space with one entrance in each wall of the hedge. Each of them looks exactly the same, and even Star seems unsure which one to pick. Stepping farther into the clearing, I spin slowly, waiting for my gut to point me in a particular direction.
Before I can decide, though, a familiar shout fills the air—it’s Joel. Gasping, I desperately look around, but I can’t see him. He must be deeper in the maze. Gritting my teeth, I look at the three directions I could take, running my hands through my hair and making a noise of frustration. None of them are calling to me. Another shout follows, this one is unmistakably Atlas. It’s coming from the same direction, and I think I’ve narrowed it down to the entrance straight ahead and the one to my right.
I’m about to pick one at random when a bellow fills the air, the ground shaking as though in fear of whatever ferocious creature made the noise. It’s none of my guys, and it sounds animalistic in nature, not to mention absolutely furious. More shouting from my mates follows, setting my heart racing. I would bet anything that they found my opponent.
Gritting my teeth, I look between the two pathways, begging for some sort of sign. Almost as if on cue, Star starts to snarl. The feeling of being watched sends a cold chill down my spine, and I turn. Another of the shapeshifting shrub creatures stands in the entrance of the pathway I just came from. As I slowly back away, movement catches my eye, and I see another creature blocking off the pathway on my left. Suspicious of their sudden appearance, I glance over my shoulder and find another one standing in the way of the path straight ahead. Sure enough, when I look at the last remaining way out, it’s empty. They are herding me, but I don’t have many other options, as I’m pretty sure I can’t take on three of them at once.
Decision made, I spin on my heel and sprint to the last remaining pathway. Star follows, snarling and snapping at the creatures as they try to reach me. Honestly, I’m terrified, but I let the adrenaline fuel me as I barrel through the maze, the creatures close behind. I don’t think about what path I take, desperate to get away and find my mates.
Another clearing lights up before me, and I practically throw myself into it, blinking at the bright light until my eyes adjust. Unlike the previous clearing, there aren’t any other exits in the hedge. Ahead of me is a large stone archway, but my attention is beyond that. Scott and my mates are trying to dodge a huge creature that looks like a minotaur. I didn’t even realise those were real. Where in the goddess’s name did they manage to get one? It stands on its back legs and must be at least the height of three men, its broad chest rippling with muscles. Each of its inhuman legs are wider than my whole body, and when its hooves smash into the ground, everything shakes. I know for sure this was the creature I heard earlier.
None of them seem to realise that I’m here, nor do any of them attempt to escape the clearing. Why wouldn’t they try to get away? Unless they are unable to leave for some reason. I frown but don’t stop as I run towards the archway. The closer I get, the stronger the scent of magic becomes, and my suspicions are confirmed that they can neither see me nor the exit.
Barrelling towards the archway, I come to an abrupt halt as a creature made of shadows appears, blocking my way. A sound of frustrated fear rips from my throat as I drop into a defensive position, preparing to fight my way to my mates.
The dark creature takes on the form of a man wrapped in shadows. Its whole body comes in and out of focus as though it’s made of smoke. Only its pale face is visible, its pitch-black eyes staring back at me as its wide mouth full of needle-like teeth smiles at me.
“Laelia,” the creature hisses in greeting. “Welcome to the archway of truths. I am the keeper of the arch.”
Taken aback, I look it over again. While I’m sure it could be deadly, my gut is telling me that it means me no harm. At least, not right now. It reminds me of Ivar with its inky black eyes and the sense of darkness around it.
Star yips in pain, and with a gasp, I turn to look back at her. She’s currently holding off the three creatures at the entrance to the clearing, using every scrap of her power she possesses, but it won’t be long until they get past her. One of the bonds in my chest twinges, and I spin to look past the arch before I even realise what I’m doing. Syn is clutching his left arm, holding it close to his body, his blood soaking through his shirt. My panic grows. I need to get to them now.
“Are you ready to pass through the archway of truths?” the keeper asks, pulling my attention back to him.
“Yes,” I snap impatiently, trying to step past him and through the archway.
“Don’t be so eager.” He doesn’t touch me, but the change in his tone makes me pause. “Many don’t leave the same way that they enter.”
