Page 43 of Hallowed Games

I swallowed hard. Someone was on fire.

As if answering my thought, agonized screams rang out from the labyrinth, piercing the quiet. Up ahead, in the distance, two figures raced closer from another converging path.

And behind them, I could see what they were running from: a wall of fire that was moving closer. Flames writhed and danced in the passage, rolling like a wave through the labyrinth.

“Obviously the wrong way.” Godric grabbed my arm. “Let’s go. Now!”

But my eyes were on the two figures because as they ran closer, I recognized them.

Gwyneth’s white-blonde hair flowed behind her. And by her side, Lydia ran, her face bright red with the exertion. Smoke billowed into the air behind them.

They were only twenty feet from us now, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away. Lydia was the reason I was here—but she’d also once been the most exciting friend I’d ever had. The person who’d convinced me to sneak into taverns and slip behind the bar to steal drinks, or to swim in the ocean under the stars late at night.

“Archon save me!” Gwyneth shrieked. “Archon save me! I am your most faithful—”

As Gwyneth’s foot slammed against a stone, arrows shot out of the wall. It all happened in just a moment, the bolts piercing her and Lydia.

Godric tugged my arm again. “Elowen! Let’s go.”

I stared with dawning horror as each of them staggered forward for a few moments, then slumped to the ground. Behind them, the flames rolled closer. Shafts jutted from Lydia’s shoulders and her thigh.

“You go!” I shouted. “I’ll catch up.”

My breath shallowed. Lydia could heal herself, but someone would need to get the arrows out of her. And if it didn’t happen now, she’d burn to death before my eyes.

The smoky wind whipped over me, carrying with it the smell of blood. I sprinted for Lydia, feeling the heat of the fire moving closer. As I ran nearer, my gaze flicked to Gwyneth, her pale eyes staring blankly at the sky. An arrow jutted from her collarbone, and her chest had gone still.

Tears and cinders streaked Lydia’s pale skin, and I ripped the arrows from her as fast as I could.

Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth, and she stared at me with an agonized expression as I pulled the last arrow free. Her blood streaked the cobbles. But once I’d ripped out the final shaft, her body was already starting to glow with her healing magic.

If she was lucky, none of the Luminari would notice the forbidden power under the haze of smoke.

“Run!” I screamed at her.

I turned to run, trying to sprint after the others. But as I ran, pain shot through my leg as some of the stitches tore open. I winced, trying to block out the pain to just move.

Above, the darkening sky made my heart thunder. It wasn’t just the smoke. Already, night was falling.

Smoke coiled around me as I ran, and I came to a fork in the passage. When I turned to look to the right, I found Hugo running back for me, his blond hair matted with sweat.

“Elowen!” he shouted, skidding to a halt. “Hurry! It’s getting dark.” He pointed at a giant chasm in the ground. “Look out for the hole!”

He pivoted, running away from me again. As I ran after him, I saw the others in the darkening distance. My heart fluttered as I looked up at the sun disappearing behind the western walls. The growing shadows made my nerve endings snap with rising panic.

Up ahead, the large hole gaped in the passage, taking up most of the way. This was exactly the kind of thing I’d miss completely in the dark.

As I started to edge around it, the sound of footfalls turned my head. I expected to see Lydia coming up behind me, but instead, I found the tattooed man, his lips curled back from his teeth in a snarl.

The moment I looked at him, whispers started echoing in my mind.

You’ll never make it out of here.

Give up now.

You’re all alone.

The voices grew into screams in my skull, dizzying me. My thoughts whirled with a vortex of confusion. I clamped my hands against my head, stumbling.

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