Page 36

The night passed in an eerie quiet, free from dreams of stone gods or the lurking shadows of wolves. It was also free from the distant sound of other competitors, which hadn’t happened in a while. It felt unnatural, as if the labyrinth itself had paused to watch us. Morning came like a hesitant breath, and most of the day followed without incident, but my ears were trained now for the sound of others. The scrape of boots against the ground, the grind of a weapon being sharpened by rock, the chatter of carefree competitors.

We heard nothing.

The quiet bothered me, but the reason for it bothered me more.

The competitors were dying off. As we got nearer to the end, only the stealthy remained. Those who watched their steps and guarded themselves against sound.

Only the killers lingered, along with a few prey.

The landscapes shifted gradually, as though the labyrinth sought to disorient us. Jagged rocks gave way to thickening groves, and then to stretches of swamp and marsh. The air grew damp, heavy with the scent of decaying vegetation. Pools of murky water gleamed dully in the sparse sunlight, reflecting the gnarled shapes of trees like fractured glass.

Thirst clawed at our throats, a constant reminder that we couldn’t drink the foul, brackish water. By midday, we’d all complained of thirst at least once.

Gunnar was the latest to grumble, his voice rough with irritation, when the stillness shattered. A splash, sharp and sudden, broke out from behind us, sending ripples through the silence. We froze.

“What was that?”

I hissed, my heart racing.

“Alligator?”

Aiden suggested hopefully. One usually didn’t wish for the foul presence of alligators, but here—it’d be better than any alternative.

Clark was already drawing his sword. The metallic ring sliced through the air. He placed himself between the group and whatever made the noise.

“There’s no animals,”

he said flatly.

“Not here. Except the wolves.”

The reminder sent a chill skittering down my spine.

Another splash. Whatever had made the sound, it wasn’t an alligator. And it wasn’t alone.

“We mean you no harm,”

a deep voice broke through the wet marsh. Before we could lower our weapons, he added.

“Not all of you.”

“Not all of us?”

I whispered.

“What does that mean?”

He answered as if he’d heard the question.

“Just the girl. Give us Ren Montclair and we will be on our way.”

Hearing my name was like a knife slicing through my skin. Quick and searing.

Dread snaked up my spine. I pushed to get in front of Clark, as he shouted back, “Why her?”

“Never mind why. We are ten strong. Give her to us, or we kill you all.”

We were cloaked in a thick mist that swallowed sound and sight alike, but it wouldn’t provide enough cover if they chose to shoot an arrow or throw a spear.

“We can’t fight ten,”

I hissed. Behind me, the others moved into a futile fighting position, their stances already tired. Gunnar clutched his sword that had always been too massive for him. Tove was already poised like a coiled spring, her daggers ready. Astrid shifted as if ready to flee.

“Let them take me.”

“Never,”

Clark said as he moved.

Across the bog, the others moved too. From the shapes, I counted five, perhaps six, picking their way cautiously through the marsh, their weapons held high to avoid the sucking mire. Their leader, a man clad in patchwork leather armor, held a shield large enough to hide behind.

“How about this? Let’s split the reward for her. Eight hundred for you, seven hundred for us.”

He didn’t.

My blood turned white hot. Whose money would Leif use to pay my bounty? His father’s? My father’s—when he took control of the Silver Wings?

I grated my teeth together, baring them at the group.

“How about we kill you instead?”

Behind my back, I was motioning for the others to run. From the sounds of it, none did.

“Who is the bounty from?”

Gunnar asked.

The leader of their group stopped twenty paces away. Far enough to give us a fake sense of security. Close enough to see the hunger in his gaze. But they hadn’t fought yet. That gave me hope that they didn’t want to.

I certainly didn’t. I wanted a moment of peace that the labyrinth didn’t seem intent to give.

“The bounty comes from Leif Balgoran. Dimitri’s wolves spread the news this morning. Seems to be an easier prize than finding the center of this endless maze.”

Anger turned to fear. Others would think so too. How many would turn away from their hunt for the center and fix their sights on me?

A young man at the leader’s side notching his arrow with an unsteady hand, twisting his lip between his teeth while his brown eyes tripped from one of us to the other. Clark and I exchanged glances.

“We don’t have anyone in our company by the name of Ren,”

I said. There was always a chance it could work.

But the leader just grinned.

“Leif is an excellent artist. He’s drawn your likeness perfectly.”

I would kill Leif for this. I no longer felt guilty over my plan to trade his life for Delilah’s. I’d set her free and condemn him to an existence as a Stone God without looking back.

But first, we had to survive. All of us.

“How about you take nine hundred and we’ll keep six hundred,”

the leader suggested.

Lies. He’d likely kill my companions and keep the reward for his people.

Thought they’d come for me, their quivering gazes locked onto Clark, and one glance at him told me why. He looked like a spark before it turned to flames, one puff of oxygen away from igniting into the kind of flame that would devour us all.

If I didn’t save him, he might die today. Before I could tell Clark to leave me, the one with the arrow turned his aim away from me and toward Clark.

Without thinking of the consequences, I flung my dagger at him. It sank into his chest.

That ended our negotiations.

Clark charged while they were still absorbing the sudden death of their ally, and we descended upon them.

Two things happened at once. The mist scattered underfoot, proving they only had five—now four—in their company, reinforcing my theory that he was a liar. And two, each of their eyes grew wide.

They didn’t expect us to fight, I realized.

But we’d gotten good at fighting.

Aiden loosed his first arrow, the shaft streaking through the air to bury itself in the throat of an enemy archer. The man gurgled and collapsed, his companions barely having time to react before Gunnar surged forward, his axe cleaving through the mist. He roared as he swung, the blade biting deep into a swordsman’s shoulder.

Clark and I charged straight for the leader. His sword flashing in the dim light. He barely raised his sword in time to deflect Clark’s strike, then had to dive back to avoid my axe. His boots skidded in the mud.

“Grab the girl!”

the leader barked.

But his group was already faltering. Aiden fired arrow after arrow from the shadows, his precision thinning their ranks. Harald was a whirlwind of steel, his blows reckless but devastating, and Gunnar stood right beside him through it.

Their leader braced his feet before striking at us again, feinting to the left before jabbing right. I slashed my axe against his before it could reach Clark, and felt the weight tear from his hands. When I yanked up, I let my steel rip against his thigh.

He cried out. Knees collapsed into the muck.

Clark’s sword came across the skin of his neck before he could stand.

“Don’t move.”

The battle stilled, the last of the rival group either dead or too wounded to fight. Gunnar stood panting, blood dripping from his axe, while Aiden and Astrid emerged from the reeds.

“Leave him alive,”

I said.

“He’s lost everyone else.”

“Surrender now, or I kill you,”

Clark told him, and something in his voice convinced the leader.

With a deep sigh, he dug into his pocket. The confidence in his voice ebbed away, leaving behind something hollow.

“We were merely Seaweeds,”

he said. Our entire group flinched at that.

“When the Pearls come, they’ll destroy you.”

He threw his stone into the sky, and disappeared before it could land again.

Clark dropped his weapon.

“I hadn’t realized there were still Seaweeds in the labyrinth besides us,”

Gunnar whispered.

Now that it’d been said, I noted the rust on their weapons, the poor make of their clothes, and how empty their packs were. They’d been just as worn down and hungry as we were. Just as tired. Just as desperate.

“It was them, or us.”

Clark sheathed his sword.

“We need to keep moving. The star grows close, but the enemies will come faster now.”

I opened my mouth, but Clark spun on me.

“Don’t say it. I’m not leaving your side, no matter how dangerous it becomes. What did I tell you when I entered this forsaken labyrinth?”

He didn’t leave time to reply. His words were rushed and laden with frustration, falling from his lips like a dam come undone.

“I said I’d win this labyrinth for you, and I intend to do that. So stop trying to protect me, and let me fight at your side.”

I clamped my mouth shut. The green of his eyes blazed, while everyone in the group suddenly became very interested in tucking away their weapons.

“Fine,”

I said.

“I won’t suggest you leave again.”

“Good. Now that we got that sorted, let’s move. And if we ever come across Leif Balgoran, I’m going to strangle his pretty neck.”