Page 41 of They're Watching You

“And the colored chamber? What do you think that was?”

Gavin’s growl echoes through the corridor. “So, what is this Mount Olympus, then?”

“We came down a staircase at the very beginning of the game. We have to get back up to that level, but on a different set of stairs at the far end of the catacombs.” I reach the doorway, pausing to double-check my map. Voices float through the upcoming passageway, and I spin around, pressing an index finger to my lips. I grab Gavin by the bicep and drag him behind a pillar opposite the alcove. Together, we duck down as the voices near the chamber.

Gavin’s breathing is ragged beside me. The footsteps in the doorway compete with my heart pumping in my ears. A shadow crosses the threshold, and the lanterns cast a glow over the approaching face: Remington’s.

Gavin jerks forward, but I dig my stubby fingernails into his arm. He turns to object, and I clamp my hand over his mouth.

Because Remington isn’t alone.

A girl trails after him. The one with the sleek brown bob—Jordan’s other “guard.” So what is she doing with Remington? A hot sensation rolls through my stomach.

Gavin wrenches his arm from my grasp. “Call my phone,” he whispers into my ear, each word punctuated with fire.

But I can’t afford another duel. I already have my two coins. All I need is to get out of here and reach Jordan. If Bob Girl notices us—if the sound of the phone draws attention from other knights—it could be disastrous. “Forget your phone,” I say, and across the vault, Remington’s head snaps in our direction, eyes wary for a moment. But then his attention shifts back to the girl.

“Probably no signal anyway,” I whisper, my lips pressed close to his ear. “We’ll get it back after we win.”

Gavin looks ready to leap to his feet, and at this point, all I can do is shut my eyes and hope he doesn’t do something moronic.

“I think you’re headed the right way,” Remington says to Bob Girl. “See if that passage goes through. I’ll check this sarcophagus and catch up with you.”

Bob Girl nods and scurries through the archway. The moment Remington disappears into the alcove, Gavin and I stand, tiptoeing past the pillars.

“Guys,” Remington hisses, and my heart seizes. I consider making a break for the doorway, but his hulking figure is on us in seconds.

I spin to face him. “Hey!” I force a note of surprise into my voice. “You won your duel.”

“Yeah,” he says, drawing the word out. “And now I’ve caught up with you, to find Jordan. So…” He casts a sharp glance at Gavin. “What’s he doing here?”

“Call my phone, Maren,” Gavin says, crossing his arms.

I press my fingers into my temples until it hurts. “Seeing as how Remington made a newfriend,” I say, incapable of keeping the venom off my tongue, “we have to stay quiet.”

“You’re really going to take him with us when he tried to sabotage me?”

“Sabotage you?” Remington asks, looking at me for answers before turning on Gavin. “You abandonedus, and you’re really going to claim I tried to sabotage you? Which would be a complete waste of energy, by the way, seeing as how you’re a natural screwup.”

“Maren,” Gavin starts, but I hold a hand up.

“I don’t care. You’re forgetting that Jordan is trapped in a sarcophagus somewhere. She’s all alone, and you two idiots are still fighting over this game.”

“Sorry,” Gavin mumbles.

“I apologize,” Remington says, head lowering. “Let’s go find Jordan.”

I lead the way, past the mother of all sarcophagi tucked within an alcove the size of a chamber. But I’m not tempted to check the space. I have my map; I have to trust that it’s leading me to Jordan. “What about your newfriend?” Gavin asks Remington wryly. “Surely, you weren’t intending to abandon her?”

“Yes,” Remington blurts. “I mean…she found me, and I had to align myself with her for a while, only until I could find you again. Maren, you know how important it is that I win this.”

I shush him, because we’ve reached the staircase on the map. The one that leads to Mount Olympus. My chest inflates so big it could carry me to the top, if not for these bickering boys. Instead, I have to force my leaden legs one stair at a time until, huffing, I make it.

Candlelight flickers at the top of the stairs, illuminating a passageway that continues in either direction. But something straight ahead captures my attention. A cutout in the wall containing an enormous fresco: two eyeballs overlooking a mountain as a bloody battle plays out below.

I shudder. Tucked beneath the image is a display table filled with wine chalices and loaves of bread, just like in the antechamber. With one major difference.

This table has been crafted with human bones. Lengthy limb bones make up the legs and the bumpy tabletop, while a skull’s hollow sockets stare from each corner.

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