29. Deacon

Finn and Marcus do an exceptional job retrieving our next clue. We hit one small snag on the way down when a branch snaps before they could move off of it. Finn dropped a good foot before Marcus was able to grab his arm and pull him back to the stump that remained.

Being on the ground for the climb was helpful from a team perspective, but I hate feeling like I'm not contributing, so I did everything I could to guide them back to safety. The next clue gave us our directions to what was referred to as the decision center.

We spent half the day following the steps listed on the envelope, walking in what feels like circles half the time until we finally approach our last turn. The maze opens up to a giant circle at the center. From our entrance point, I can see four other paths in the opening that lead to this location.

That must be how the other groups are accessing the center.

Stationed on a platform at the center of the maze are four women, kneeling in a single file line. Bound, blindfolded, and gagged. Each is wearing grey sweats with black tennis shoes in addition to a large color-coded sign bearing the name of each team they belong to around their neck. North, South, East, and West.

Their faces are obscured by the thick blindfolds covering their eyes and mouths, but the stains on their cheeks have etched lines onto their skin revealing the tears that have fallen since they were left here. Even from a distance, I can smell the blood clinging to them like a death stench.

What happened to them? How did they end up here?

Tentatively we step up to the platform, each of us looking to the other for what to do next.

Certainly, these couldn't be the items we needed to retrieve?

Humans?

There are strict rules in our society that have been ingrained in us since our Awakening. We cannot be found out. Our species cannot be revealed. Any human who stumbles into our world, or knowledge of it, is eliminated, never to be heard from again.

No exceptions.

So why do they have four human females playing a part in the game between Alphas?

As I ponder the why of it all, Marcus takes a step onto the stage, dropping to his knee in front of the woman marked as ours. He speaks to her gently as he unties the fabric from her eyes and mouth.

"Ma'am, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to take this off," he says, his words low and reassuring as he slides the blindfold from her eyes, causing her to flinch at the onslaught of light before her eyes go wild. Without warning, she attempts to lash out at him, falling backward and kicking out a leg. He blocks the move easily and holds his hands in the air in surrender, trying to calm her.

"Hold on, hold on. I'm just trying to help you," He continues, not lowering his arms and keeping them where she can see them.

Finn and I remain still, not wanting to add to her distress by intimidating her further with more men in her face.

She stops attacking but keeps her distance now closer to the center of the stage. The other women try to shout around their gags as she assesses Marcus, and eventually allows her eyes to move from him to us.

As her chestnut eyes meet mine, I'm surprised to see no fear in them. Confusion, anger, even hate, but no fear. She holds my gaze for a moment before dropping her eyes to the ground in a sign of submission she wouldn't be able to help.

We're Alphas, and part of that is dominating others into submission. Some Alphas are stronger than others, but we all possess the ability to force lower ranks to yield.

Her assessment continues as her eyes slide to Finn, taking him in as she did Marcus and me. She keeps her chin up and her shoulders back, refusing to crumble before us in a way that makes me proud.

"Can't I take off your gag without you biting me?" Marcus asks quietly, pulling her attention back to him.

We all hold our breath as we wait to see how this is going to go. We need to get the clue from her neck, but we aren't monsters. Slowly, she nods, moving herself back to a kneeling position and closing her eyes.

Marcus moves carefully behind her, removing the sign and handing it to Finn before he sets forth, untying the knots at the base of her neck and on her wrists. As soon as she is free, he moves back over to us, giving her as much room as he can.

"Thank you," she whispers, rubbing her wrists, which are red and swollen from the ties. Marcus offers her water, which she reluctantly takes as Finn removes the note from the sign.

Before he can even begin to read the clue, the woman stands and walks over to another one of the women, reaching to untie her. I move before I can think twice, grabbing her by the waist and lifting her before moving back to our place on the platform. She's lighter than I expect in those oversized sweats, and I end up slamming her back into my chest with the force I put into the lift.

She cries out, kicking before wiggling to break free. My hand flies over her mouth to quiet her yells so she can listen.

"You're hurting me!" she screams through my hand.

"Hey! We don't know what the rules are yet. You need to wait. If we are allowed to free them, we will. But for right now, I need you to wait while we figure out this next fucked up puzzle. If we choose wrong, you all could die, understand?" I finish forcing command into my voice, and the fight leaves her. I wait a minute to ensure she is no longer going to yell before releasing my hand from her mouth and placing her feet on the floor. My grip on her waist loosens but remains steady as I look back at my team for answers.

Finn takes that opportunity to read the information from the sign.

"Congratulations on finding your item. This human contains the map you need to find your way to the finish line. The map is all you must provide to complete the trial. How you accomplish this task is up to you; however, remember, should your human see or hear anything that they are not allowed to know, they will be eliminated. You may not remove any of the other humans or their maps from this platform or release them, or they will also be eliminated. Your human"s only chance at survival comes down to your choices. May The Fates guide you."

Contains the map? What the fuck does that mean?

The question rolls around in my head, and I think the rest of them are wondering the same based on the looks on their faces.

Finn hands the paper to Marcus, who rereads it himself, his brow creasing more with each sentence.

"We need the map," I say, voicing the question we are all thinking about as our eyes scan the platform, searching for the missing piece.

"I'm the map," the woman says, startling me.

"So you know the way?" Finn asks, his tone shifting to sound more hopeful.

The woman shakes her head.

"What do you mean ‘you're the map'?" Marcus asks.

At his question, she lets out a sigh. "If he will release me, I can show you."

My eyes meet Marcus's, and he nods slightly, giving me the ‘go-ahead' to let her go. Slowly, I release her, stepping back to give myself enough room to respond to an attack.

We all stand at the ready as she turns away from us and pulls the sweatshirt off her body, revealing bony shoulders and vertebrae that stick too far out. We can even see the lines to her ribs as they connect at the center of her spine, but the thing that catches our attention most is the freshly-inked tattoo spanning from her shoulders to hips.

Small blood droplets sit newly opened in several places as she waits with the sweatshirt covering her chest, back to us, and allows us the time to examine it.

They permanently tattooed the map onto her back.

If there was ever a doubt of how fucked up the politics at the LLC are, this is a perfect representation of what they are capable of.

Guilt hits me, knowing that grabbing her just now only added to the pain they inflicted, knowing I tore open her healing back.

"What is your name?" Marcus asks, his voice gruff and full of emotion. "How did this happen? How did you end up here?" he rattles off each question, not waiting for a response.

"Amira. I'm Amira, and that is a long story," she replies, pulling the sweatshirt back down lightly over her back before turning around.

She is the map.

She is a human.

Does she know about shifters? She couldn't. She would be dead.

"It might be a long story, but we"re going to need the abridged version, Amira," I say, crossing my arms to keep myself in control. Marcus's eyes flash to mine, and I can see his disappointment in my bluntness.

"We aren"t the only ones heading this way," I add, reminding him that this is part of the trial and any of the three other teams could come running into this clearing at any moment.

"Well, if I knew where ‘here' was, I might be able to better explain how I ended up ‘here,'" she says, not losing any of the ferocity in her gaze.

She's got moxie for such a frail thing. I like her.

"You're in the woods just east of the Colorado River, in Colorado State," Finn supplies her with the answer, which has her nodding absently, her focus drifting up to the sky as if she is trying to remember something.

"And what's the date?" she asks tentatively.

"January 2nd," I respond.

"What year?" she finishes, and all of our eyes squint slightly at the question. Silence hangs in the air for a moment before Marcus responds.

"What year do you think it is?"

"1976?" she asks, with no confidence in her tone.

Well, shit.

My eyes flash to Finn and then to Marcus a million questions sit unanswered as no one speaks.

"Tell me," she demands, looking from Marcus to Finn before finally locking eyes with me.

"1983," I respond, giving her the information she wants, but not knowing how she will react to the fact that she is missing six years, at least six years of her life.

Amira's legs give out, and she crumbles to the platform, all her bravado leaving her at that moment. Tears begin to slide down her face, and she stares off into the distance.

The three of us stare at each other, none of us knowing what to do or say at this moment, but knowing that we need to figure out our next move before Saint, French, or Clark roll in here. Every team has at least one of Saint's worshipers, so none of the teams are safe to run into.

After allowing her a few moments to process, Marcus kneels, setting his bag on the ground behind him in order to get to her eye level.

"Amira, I have no idea what you must've been through, and I understand you have a lot of information to process, but we need to get out of here before the others show up," Marcus says, his voice gentle as if speaking to a child.

She nods absently before her eyes grow large, and her head whips back to the other three women who are back to silently kneeling behind her.

I know her question before it leaves her lips, "We can"t. The rules say we can't take them with us.

Her face falls.

"But we can't just… leave them…" she whispers as another tear falls, and she swipes it away with the back of her hand.

"They will be brought out of the maze by the groups we're trying to beat. Can you walk, or do you need to be carried?" I ask, trying and subsequently failing to keep my tone polite.

This is the final trial. I need to get through this so I'm one step closer to seeing Grace. As much as I feel for these poor women, I didn't put them in this position. We can't ruin our chances of winning to save their lives.

"I can't. I can't leave them," she says again, shaking her head this time as if convincing herself as much as us.

Before I can push back, the sound of footsteps approaching from the far end of the clearing reaches my ears, and I snap to attention. At my movement, Finn turns slightly, and I see the moment he hears them, too.

Someone's coming.

Everything just got infinitely more complicated. Normally, I would relish in letting my wolf have a chance to fight, but we can't shift without costing Amira her life. If she hasn't been exposed to our world, she has a chance at returning to her life when all of this is over.

Fuck.

Marcus is too absorbed in calming Amira to realize we have company, so I lift my hand, waving it at him and putting a single finger to my lips. His brows drop in confusion before I point in the direction of the team that is now advancing on us.

"I'm sorry, Amira," he whispers, "We have to leave. Now." His voice is low to ensure it doesn't carry across the space, "I promise you that I will do everything in my power to get you all out of here safely, but you need to trust me."

"We need to find cover," I state, keeping my voice as low as possible before scanning the area to find our only option in some oversized bushes near the south entrance. Finn's already moving before I can even finish my statement, his swift movements nearly inaudible as he tucks himself behind the closest shrub.

The footsteps grow louder, and the snapping of broken twigs reaches us. Out of time, I step closer to Amira, attempting to grab her arm so I can guide her to the edge of the clearing, but she pulls out of my reach, stands, and moves ahead of me toward the bushes.

Marcus turns back to grab his duffel, which sits on the platform step in clear view, and I send up a ‘thank you' to The Fates that he remembered because it would have immediately given us away to whoever was about to arrive.

Amira slides her small frame behind the largest bush, and I join her, noting there isn't enough time to get any farther, and knowing I need to keep her close.

She's a wildcard.

Once his bag is back on, Marcus moves at a speed that shouldn't be possible before he dives, gracefully rolling behind the last bit of vegetation large enough to cover him.

Seconds later, movement at the east opening pulls my gaze as Brad Sullivan, Conner Saint, and Veronica Kent enter the center and cautiously approach the platform.

Not. Fucking. Good.