Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

D ropping to the ground, my head dazed from the jarring impact, I immediately try to stumble to my feet to face the threat head-on. But I barely get the chance to move before a hand grabs my throat and slams me back against the wall.

Darkness clouds my vision as I claw at the hand holding me. My Sidus power rises up to slash out against the threat when something cold and hard clamps down on my wrists. The warmth immediately dissipates inside me, and I instantly know what they are.

The bracelets. I force my gaze to focus enough to spot my attacker—and find Levon snarling at me.

"I could easily end this all," he growls as his hand tightens painfully around my neck. The sharp pain burns down my throat, stealing each raspy breath.

"But the Breaker was promised your death." He smiles and the vicious promise in it creeps down my back like ice.

Chuckling to himself, he shoves me hard against the maze wall once more before dropping me to the ground. I crawl away from him, putting some distance between us just as Enver comes around the corner, his eyes widening when he spots me.

"Sir? What is the meaning of this?" Enver asks Levon as he rushes over to me.

Levon takes a step back with a smirk on his face. "Just making sure the last trial is fair for all Caligo. Seren can't have an advantage simply because she is a Sidus."

Enver glares at him, but Levon ignores it as he turns and heads off into another part of the maze, disappearing in seconds.

"What happened?" Enver asks as he helps me to my feet and winces when his gaze finds the marks on my neck.

"It doesn't matter," I rasp, trying to clear my throat. "Did you find the source?"

Enver shakes his head. "No. Not yet, but we're still looking."

We move out of the passageway and into another when a man with long, dark hair walks toward us, a dead look in his eyes and a long blade in his hands.

"Lucius?" Enver says as his eyes widen in shock and horror.

Lucius…

"Wasn't he…?" The man who was covered in the dark cloak.

"Dead." Enver nods. "Yes."

Then how…? Maybe they just assumed he was dead and instead went into a healing slumber?

"Where did you get the blade?" I ask him. Apart from the one in the pit, there has been no other available. Unless the guards handed it to him. Which wouldn't surprise me.

Lucius doesn't reply but continues forward, moving stiffly. My instincts scream at me, telling me something isn't right.

When he gets closer, I realize his eyes are completely black.

Just as he reaches me, he raises his blade above his head. "For the gods."

I duck out of his way and avoid his blade before twisting his arm, breaking it. His blade drops to the ground, but he doesn't make a sound. He should be shouting in pain or screaming at me for hurting him, but he just attempts to get back up on his broken wrist.

It looks awkward and clumsy, but he manages to drag himself closer to me and tries to grab at me again. A swift kick to the head knocks him out.

Enver comes up beside me and slams the blade into his head. My eyes whip to his, and I find his own drenched in sadness.

"He was dead the moment he touched the black water. He would not like to live on like this."

I nod, figuring he would know best what his friend would want.

"Let's head back to the others. Hopefully, someone has found a clue at least," he says as he retrieves the blade with a wince.

We move back through the maze and spot the flames from the fire like a beacon that watches on, taunting us.

"I wanted to?—"

Screams sound out, followed by a loud shriek cutting off whatever Enver was about to say. I share a worried look with him before making a run toward it.

We make it through the maze to the sound and come around a passageway to complete chaos.

A towering beast of a creature slashes out at the others, quickly tiring them out as they attempt to evade its vicious attack.

A soft black leathery skin covers its entire body, and it has thick hooves and small pointed spikes that run along its limbs and head. Its large head displays two large horns and a long snout with deadly fangs and even sharper teeth.

Dark, otherworldly energy is in the air around it as it moves. Its eyes turn to me, and the flames within them flare to life as it rears up with a shriek before slamming its hooves into the ground and rushing straight forward.

Snapping out of my shock, I look for a weapon and realize Enver has one.

"The blade," I shout to him, and he throws it to me without question.

I wait until the creature is close enough, slowing down each breath and tightening my hold on the hilt of the blade.

The creature rises up, ready to slam into me, but I drop and slide under it, slashing the blade across the flank of its body as it moves over me. It shrieks and the sound claws at my ears.

Moving swiftly, I roll to the side and turn back to the creature. "Run," I shout back to the others behind me.

"What about you?" Enver yells over just as the creature gets up, rearing up once more, readying another attack.

"Go!" I shout, twisting the blade in my hand. I might be able to buy them some time to hide.

"She has her Sidus powers. We have nothing. Let's go," one of the others shouts.

"She—" Enver starts to reveal what Levon did, but if they don't all get out now, no one is getting out.

"GO!" I shout once more just as the creature rushes forward.

Tightening the hilt of the blade in my hand, I run and jump, using the wall as leverage to rise up and twist my body over the creature and out of its way.

With the force of its attempt to skewer me, it slams into the dead end, and the maze wall trembles with the impact.

Quickly shaking it off, the creature turns and heads straight for me once more, its large horns bent down and aimed right for me.

But I've already turned and started running, pushing my legs to move quicker and out of the passageway with hopes of finding somewhere I can avoid it.

All too soon, the creature catches up to me. I turn and jump once more, this time slamming the blade down onto its back and pushing it as far as I can into the creature.

Before I get the chance to remove the blade, the creature dips its head and uses its body to slam me into the wall beside it, trapping me.

I hear a crack and wince as a familiar sharp pain spreads across my chest. Pushing down the pain for now, I twist the blade, and the creature bellows out in pain, slightly pulling back from the wall and giving me enough room to free myself.

A sharp burn slices across my side as I begin to move, forcing me to pause. Glancing down, I spot one of its horns bent and angled right at my side. There's not enough room to pass it without touching it, as the other way is blocked by the curved position of the creature's huge body.

With no other way out, I grit through the pain and slowly move around the creature to the front of it.

Grabbing hold of my side, I try to put pressure on the wound as the creature continues to slam up against the wall, trying to free the blade from its back.

With it distracted for a moment, I take a step back, and when it doesn't seem to notice, I get moving as fast as I can toward the flames with hope that the rest of the group will be near them too.

I leave a trail of blood behind me and attempt to push myself to go in multiple directions to throw the creature off, should it catch up to me.

It takes longer than I hoped, moving slower around each passageway, but I eventually find the flames once more, with the injured group all huddled around it.

Relief fills me as I make a start toward them. I'm halfway there when the flames slide open like a curtain, revealing a small path through the passageway and hopefully farther away from the creature.

Fighting the creature must have been part of the last obstacle enabling us to move forward.

"Go. I'll follow you," I shout over to them. There is no point in them waiting for me. I will be with them soon enough.

Enver gives me a worried look but must see my determined, stubborn gaze and nods before moving them all through the path.

Oryn follows him last before turning to me with a hand reached out. But in the blink of an eye, the flames quickly grow, making him snap his hand back just as they close once more, blocking me out.

My stomach drops as a loud shriek sounds out from behind me once more, and I know I do not have long before the creature finds me once again.

My choices are limited. I can either go through the flames and burn or turn back and die by the creature.

I clench my fists, wanting to scream to the heavens. This cannot be it. This cannot be my end. Not after everything. Not with everything I have to do and all who count on me.

I reach down inside me for any of my powers, anything I can drag up to help aid me. But I find none. Not a sliver of warmth or tendril of cool darkness.

But I can't give up. I won't. I keep searching. Looking deeper and deeper, until…

There.

Something flickers to life inside me, a small ember of energy and a fragment of something that doesn't feel like it is mine but at the same time feels familiar.

I pull on it, dragging it upward. Up and up until I feel it at the surface. Opening my eyes, I reach out and push every shred of energy I have toward the fire.

I feel it as it rushes through me. But instead of dark shadows of smoke forming in front of me, a small vortex of wind picks up, growing bigger and bigger, creating a whirlwind that swirls and slams into the flames, snuffing them out before swallowing it whole.

Releasing a harsh breath, I drop my hand and, with it, the whirlwind slowly disappears.

Taking a moment to gather my strength, I drag my body forward, wincing at the pain in my side and stomach before moving.

I head through the path where the fire once was, glancing over my shoulder to make sure the creature has not made it to me and quicken my pace when I don't see it.

I keep going, even when my body wants to give up, when my injuries throb and cry out for a break. I push myself, holding on to that sliver of hope that I will somehow make it and my plan will go ahead. Even when I know Enver and his group have had plenty of time to beat me. I keep going, knowing hope is all I have now.

Limping, I make it around the last corner and come to a complete stop.

There, standing before the exit and entrance of the maze, is Enver and his group. It doesn't look like they have gone through, some of the group still sitting with their injuries while others rest.

Spotting me, Enver stands up from his seated position and moves closer to me. As soon as he moves, the rest follow suit, slowly making their way over.

I ready myself should they wish to go ahead with the guards' deal, but pause when Enver gives me a look full of relief and gratitude.

"You helped us all when you did not have to. You fought for us, protecting us without question. Your place among the guards is well earned." He moves to the left of me, and the others follow, each taking a side until there is a small line each side of me and an open path that allows direct access to the exit.

"After you," Enver says, a gleam in his eyes and a knowing look on his face.

I swallow hard as my eyes begin to blur and burn.

They chose to wait. To let me pass ahead of them. They could have all easily moved through the exit, and one or more of them would have possibly won the trial. But they chose to stay and wait for me.

I glance at each of them, and they all give me warm smiles full of gratitude. There is not one glare or shred of hostility. Some of them are badly injured, and yet they waited. Waited for me to pass first.

"Thank you," I whisper. They will never know how much this means to me. To all the Sidus fighting daily who suffer. They will never know, but I will never forget this nor any one of their faces.

Struck silent with shock and gratitude for their gesture, it takes me a minute to realize that Oryn isn't among them.

"Oryn?" I question Enver, my stomach dropping when he gives me a strange look.

"He already made it through. He said you would understand." He frowns, but I nod, understanding completely.

His sister's life is on the line. I could not fault him for moving ahead. I just hope we both make it in time.

Taking a step forward, I move through the path they have created for me. They follow a step behind as I walk out of the maze and meet Alderic's and Amaro's gazes. Once they realize it is me, their eyes fill with nothing but wild rage.

I ignore them to search for Oryn and quickly find him standing beside another male, with wild bright red hair. I glance around, but there is no one else here, and that is when it hits me.

I've made it.

Relief and happiness seep into every muscle in my body, making my injuries feel twice as painful. But I don't care. All that matters is that I've made it. My plan will go ahead. And in the end, I have the Caligo to thank for it.

Amaro and Alderic storm back toward the palace. I spot Oryn as he makes his way toward me, a look of guilt slashed across his face, but I give him a small smile and it lessens.

Just before Oryn makes it to me, one of the males from Enver's group steps in front of me. His dark brown eyes are hesitant as he rubs a hand up the back of his neck to his wavy brown strands of hair.

When he doesn't say anything after a moment, I go to move around him, but he steps to the side, blocking me as he glances over at the guards.

"Please just give me a moment of your time," he says as he swallows hard. "My name is Sloane. I saw something the other night that I need to tell someone about, but the guards…" He glances back at them, a fearful look creeping into his eyes. "I know it's against the rules, but I snuck out the other night to meet my girl."

I don't really care about him breaking the rules, but I don't think he wanted to talk with me just to confess.

"What happened?" I ask, keeping my voice low so as not to draw attention to us.

He moves closer and lowers his voice. "I heard a noise, so I got my girl to go home and followed it. It was near the bridge, the biggest one, just at the end of it, near the gates. The shadow-jumping block only reaches so far, so anyone can reach it if they have the power. But when I arrived, no one was there." He glances back over at the guards before shaking his head to himself.

"I couldn't… I'm not strong like you. I won't survive it if I go against them."

"Who do you think you heard?" I ask, needing to confirm who I also suspect.

"The guards," he whispers, and my stomach churns at what this could mean.

I glance at Oryn, and he frowns at whatever he sees on my face.

"What did you hear?" I ask Sloane as my gaze stays fixed on Oryn while my mind tries to figure out a way to tell him.

"Someone cried out for help. That they were being kidnapped."