Labyrinth Wall (9780991531219) (14 page)

Small vibrations stretch across my tongue in reaction to my grinding teeth “I don’t want to hear any more. Let’s just get to the colony and get to the other side of that wall.”

I’ve heard enough of their explanations. My speed picks up. I’m more than ready to get to our destination. I didn’t need them before. I don’t need them now.
 

Chapter 14
The Surge

This is my existence, walking down the paths of a deadly world with people who can’t be trusted. No one else can be blamed though. This mess is my own doing. Maybe I could blame Darith. He did help get me into all this, but it’s not likely I’ll ever see him again.

Wearily, one foot and then the other treads beneath me. Attempting to focus on something, anything, proves useless. Emotions refuse to let my brain find clarity. The rippling wall and Korun’s abilities come to mind followed by being certain Darith meant only to kill me, but he hasn’t, at least not yet. Now seeing that some Mahk aren’t what they seemed to be has me analyzing everything. I’m really starting to question my perception of the world.

Then Sir Riddles creeps back into my thoughts with his rhymes:

There are so many things

We can’t explain.

Yet it is so true.

If we open our eyes, they are so very plain.

I chew on that for a few minutes and then question my sanity for repeating that crazy monster’s words in my head.

My mind won’t let me find solace until Blue enters my thoughts. Her innocence and sweet demeanor are so unique in this world of saturated killing…or so it seemed.

She’s my friend. Being without her is like being lost in a desert. Letting us get separated was a huge mistake. It’s not too late to abandon this group to go find her, but to what end? This group may be the only way to survive the labyrinth attacks. Without Rase to get us through the wall, Blue and I would wind up stuck in this death trap with no hope anyway.

A few days ago, it was me and Blue. Now I’m surrounded by a guard, Mahk, and the man in white. Sometimes, it’s like this is all a dream. How did everything get out of control so quickly?

Bodies surround me as we move forward. Speech tries to infiltrate my ears, but the words are easy to ignore. Even the peeking sun rays that had cheered my soul are now gone, leaving behind only dark walls and deadly blades. The world is a haze, seeming to laugh at my troubles.

Suddenly, Sikla grumbles ferociously, louder than ever before. Her growls are followed by what sounds like thunder claps. The ground shakes again like it did before the blades and swords sprang up.

Everyone knows something terrible is about to happen, but it’s anyone’s guess what to expect. We run at full speed to the closest boulders and trees. We’re all able to fit on the boulders nearest to us, but for some reason, Soll chooses to climb a tree. In the blink of an eye, he’s several branches up.

Fearfully, we all stare out at the labyrinth floor, waiting for disaster to strike. Sounds resembling that of a tormented prisoner yell out from Sikla, interspersed with threatening hisses.

Yet only sounds come for us. No blades or swords emerge. Everything is the same. We wait for ten, twenty, then thirty minutes.

“All right, we’re very close to the den,” Soll finally yells to us “It seems to be safe to move forward.”

As the words leave his mouth, we see something in the distance coming toward us.

Advancing fiercely, orange goopy substance approaches, covering every bit of the ground and working its way around the sharp blades. Like a cloak of boiling death, it threatens to wrap around us.

“Lava!” Keelie’s hand rushes up to muffle the shriek that bursts out of her mouth.

She’s right. The red hot lava flows toward us at a steady pace. The force and height of the surge is alarming. Instinctively, we all start to run in the opposite direction. Charging our fastest, we make our way farther from the den. As we feared, Sikla’s screams were a warning of danger.

My mind tries to plan out a wise escape; however concentration is difficult amidst Keelie’s screams. Climbing the walls the rest of the way to the den could work, but that’s risky. I’ve tried climbing them before, only to discover how brittle and unsteady the material is.

So focused on my own survival, I only notice now that the rest of our companions have fallen behind.

Korun is at the back of the group, helping those who trip and refusing to leave anyone. I’m not surprised to see Keelie is the closest on my heels. Her lightning speed comes as no shock. Rifan is near to Keelie, but Soll, Saige, Olum, and Laon are pretty far behind. Every second the lava gains on us.

“We aren’t going to outrun this!” Korun exclaims.

“Just keep going,” I respond, “It has to end at some point.”

“Some point might be too late,” Soll interjects, “I have an idea.”

What could he possibly be thinking? This situation seems insurmountable. Still, my pace slows, my ears eager to hear a reasonable solution. Despite Rase’s efforts to push forward alone, we lessen our pace to wait for the group.

“This may seem to be a long shot but try to trust me. Everyone start climbing the closest and tallest boulders you find.”

My fingers tap at my side.

“If you’re planning to sit out the lava until the flow is done, we could starve to death,” Korun says. Sweat pours down his brown face. It’s gratifying to finally see him break a sweat. “For that matter, these boulders might not be tall enough to keep us above the lava.”

He took the words right out of my mouth. Making a run back to the Blood Caves seems smarter than waiting out the lava. We have no idea how long it might last, or how deep it could get. Personally, I’d rather run back to the Rotting Pass and climb the trees.

“We have backtracked a little, but we still aren’t far from the den. All right? Trust me,” Soll insists, “I can get us to the den. Run for those boulders near that tree. Now!”

Soll, Korun, Saige, Keelie, and Olum have already started climbing some boulders next to a tall twisted tree. Just as their feet vacate the labyrinth floor, lava rushes over to erase their footprints.

Time for debate has diminished. Soll’s right. There’s no chance to outrun the lethal scorching liquid on our heels. Rase fights, making me drag her toward the nearest boulders. She insists we should run the other way. We’re starting to make our way up when Soll yells at us again, reiterating to run for the boulders near the tree, even though they’re across the passage from him. He gestures frantically, signaling us to hurry.

“Are you crazy?” I protest.

“More like too smart for other people to get. Do it… quickly before the lava reaches you,” he insists.

“Ugh, his pride is nauseating” Rase comments.

Rifan and Laon have already climbed the boulders Soll directs me toward.

Twinges of pain race through me at the mere thought the lava might get the best of me. “Come on,” I yell at Rase, jerking her rope.

We sprint back in the direction of the lava, and regret builds within me with every step. Keelie’s making noise again, like usual. She’s trying to cheer us on, but she lets out the occasional fearful scream.

Within minutes, Rase and I manage to join Rifan and Laon atop the fifteen-foot stack of boulders.

“And why exactly was it so important to run for these boulders, instead of those?” Rase demands, as she points to the other boulders. “You almost got us both killed.” She yanks her maroon guard jacket off to utilize as a fan.

Soll doesn’t even glance at Rase but looks instead at me. His actions are certainly reasonable. I’m not Rase’s biggest fan either. “You should be able to reach that tree,” he says to Rifan, Laon, and me.

There’s a tree over to our left, but what’s it got to do with anything? This might have been a big mistake.

“For Grol’s sake, we’re all going to die!” Rase exclaims. “You Mahk are such useless excuses for human existence.” She rolls her eyes before she plops down on her side as if she plans to take a nap in the middle of the crisis.

“Why do we need the tree?” I inquire as calmly as I can manage.

“We grab the branches and vault boulder to boulder. We have got to move fast, but we can still make it to the den.”

“Without you, we’d all be dead.” Saige smiles at Soll. I’m a little peeved to pick up on her flirtatious tone in the middle of our peril.

He nods with gratitude at the compliment. “We need to move quickly. After we get our poles ready, we need to vault off of the shorter boulders scattered between the tall stacks. If we don’t move quickly enough to utilize those small boulders, I’m not sure how long our wooden poles will last in this lava.”

It’s irrational not to admit that Saige is right, despite my irritation with her. Soll is brilliant and the only one of us smart enough to think of an escape out of this mess. A small twinge of jealousy hits me. He’s had the opportunity to earn respect from the colony. He wasn’t left alone in this forsaken place. Saige, Keelie, Rifan… all of them care about him. Again, I feel deprived of something non-existent in my life: companionship.

Guilt beats heavily in my chest. That’s not true. I’ve had Blue. She’s shown me unconditional love.

“Help them!” Rase demands, snapping me out of my wandering thoughts. She looks over to Rifan and Laon who are strategizing. They need to reach the tall tree.

She has some nerve, but there’s no time to deal with her right now. There wouldn’t be anywhere she could run to and she doesn’t have a weapon, so I tuck her ropes into her belt. Rifan and Laon are trying to reach the nearby tree. It isn’t quite close enough.

“Someone is going to have to jump,” my wavering voice responds. Every breath brings tighter restriction of my throat.

They nod, unable to provide a better solution.

“I could try, but my dagger isn’t going to cut through those limbs so I’ll need to use something else.” I look for a different weapon.

“No, you stay here,” Rifan insists as the large-boned man pulls a small axe from a satchel across his back. “This should do the trick.” Judging by his hairline, I’d say he’s likely older than the rest of the group, perhaps in his thirties. He tucks the tool back in the bag before working his way to the farthest end of the boulder. Laon, Rase, and I clear a path. Rifan runs past us before launching his weight through the air toward the tree.

“Okay,” I call after him quietly.

Only fragments of what’s happening are visible through smoke and ash. He grabs onto the tree a bit lower than he intended to, causing him to let out a grunt. After he gets settled in the tree, he immediately lifts his axe to hack at the bark ferociously. Pressure clearly increases his strength, and he works at a fairly impressive speed. The rest of us wait helplessly, hoping for the best. My dagger isn’t going to be useful for chopping wood. Laon only carries double daggers and a club, so he can’t offer assistance either.

Across the lava, Soll uses a sword on his own branches. Korun helps as well. His axe is turning out to be extremely useful.

Smoke thickens in the air as the men work. The lava taunts us. It remains about a foot deep for a while, but at any moment another surge could come through, deepening the deadly substance.

“If we don’t get to the den fast enough, the smoke might kill us before the lava does,” I say calmly.

They’re working quickly but probably not fast enough. A strip of cloth from my Nabal bag now covers my nose and mouth. I tear off a couple more strips, tossing them to my companions. Across the lava, Korun tears more fabric from his white clothing. Then they follow our actions. It seems to help a little. My throat no longer feels as tight. Deep breathing offers little relief. The threat of death looms just feet away. Finally, we each receive our branches. About half an hour after the lava first covered the ground, we’re finally all equipped for Soll’s plan.

“Only a couple hops over some lava and we’re home,” Rifan states sarcastically.

“Right, that’s all,” I respond.
 

Chapter 15
Boulder to Boulder

Another surge of lava rushes toward us, doubling the height of the original flow. There’s no time to waste. Every minute brings us closer to our potential demise in Sikla’s boiling outpour.