Page 21 of Quarter Labyrinth

He asked the question loud enough for others to hear, but either they didn’t know, or no one deigned to share. I wouldn’t, if I knew.

“Excuse me, Seaweeds.” Someone dressed in leathers with a sturdy pack pushed through us as if we were stray cats in the road. He pulled out a key and stuck it in the hole. The golden key vanished, and the gate opened.

Everyone threw themselves toward it at once. But it was as if there was an invisible force keeping them out. It threw everyone back ten paces, their bodies sliding in the dirt. A few didn’t rise. They landed in uncomfortable angles, their limbs bent wrong and eyes rolled up.

The man stepped over the fallen bodies and crossed harmlessly into the labyrinth. “Take my advice and go home. Seaweeds die in the maze.” he said to us. Then, with a look at the fallen, he added, “Some die outside the maze.”

I stared at the slip of inside the labyrinth, hardly making out shapes before the gate snapped closed again, and a black veil threw itself against the bars. Not only could we not enter, we couldn’t even see inside.

Someone released a blood-curdling scream, throwing herself at one of the fallen boys. She prodded him as her tears fell like rain on his skin, but he didn’t stir. His chest didn’t move.

My stomach dropped. Just like that, three had died.

Those who took the death quicker than others were already at the gate again, trying to get in. When nothing else worked, they climbed. It’d be a long ascent—and a fatal fall—but the risk was easily worth taking.

A few steps up, and the girl who attempted screamed. She fell, then looked at her hands. Seared, red marks spread, followed by blisters.

“It burns you if you try to climb!” She shouted. The others who’d just started quickly let go, save for one. When he too got burned, the rest stopped trying.

“This isn’t the way in,” I whispered. “Not for Seaweeds.” I was doing my best to not stare at the dead bodies. More Pearls came by, showing off their keys and waltzing into the labyrinth. This time, none tried to sneak through when the gate opened.

Clark surveyed the expanse of the walls. “You’re right. Let’s try exploring. To the west is sharp cliffs. I’d wager our entrance lies the other way.”

We took off, our feet making hardly a sound as we raced toward the east. The labyrinth seemed to watch us as we went, the leaves turned when we passed and trees inside rustling like laughter. This was fun for it. We were nothing but rowboats and it was the mighty ocean, playing with us as we pretended to be in control.

The labyrinth cut inward sharply, the island rushing to the sea on one side and the hedges racing inward on the other. We took the turn, spilling into a round clearing. The labyrinth walls formed a half circle with the far edge meeting the edge of the island, breaking into cliffs that fell toward the sea. The other way was where we’d come.

“This must be it,” Clark said, walking to the center of the circle.

I joined him. “But where?”

As far as we could see, there were no doors. Just a labyrinth that stretched almost to the clouds. It looked so perfect though, so immaculately kept, that it was hard to image it as anything other than the entrance. And it was so still. The world held its breath for what would come.

A few other competitors found us. Their steps slowed as well, taking it all in.

The ground had changed from rocks to stone pavers. They formed the symbol of a star underfoot. The stars had led us here. I followed the point that faced the labyrinth to reach the wall, and put my hand against the hedge.

As far as I could tell, it was an impregnable wall. Not a door, not an entrance, not a clue. Just a wall.

But not a hedge, as I’d originally guessed. Stone. Beneath the brambles lay ancient weathered stone blocks, their surface rough to the touch with deep grooves and jagged lines. Moss clung to the crevices, and thin veins of ivy snake upward, their tendrils grasping for moonlight.

If it was a hedge, we could cut through. But there’d be no forcing our way through rock.

Clark took his time walking the area, searching everything. Other kids tried climbing or shoving their way through before finding the stone as I had.

We all kept side eyes on each other. Once one found the door, the rest would follow.

“It’s too dark to see anything,” Clark whispered when our paths crossed next. “Let’s find a safe place to sleep, then come back in the morning.”

My insides twisted. “I’d feel safer sleeping if we were already inside.”

More competitors arrived now, each seeming excited to see the area. This had to be it. Everything else was unruly and wild, but this one area looked clean in an intentional sort of way.

I went back to the star in the center. It must mean something. I dropped to my knees to study the stone better. A faded yellow color, though I saw nothing else yellow around us. A streak of orange running through the center. Still, no other orange in the clearing. Seven points. Perhaps that meant something? I pried my fingers into the markings, pulling against the pavers until my fingertips bled.

At some point, Clark had knelt beside me. “Does the star have a name?”

I looked at him. “A name?”

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