Page 35 of Quarter Labyrinth

I stared at the fountain a while longer, thinking of the girl who I’d met before, who’d been wandering the labyrinth for who knew how long. And she wasn’t alone. “What of the other Stone Gods?”

“There are ten total, and it’s best if we don’t encounter any more. Most entered the labyrinth in a tragic way, and they interfere with the games too much. If we see one of their temples, we steer clear.”

I’d never heard Clark so demanding before. He usually spoke in soft, uncertain terms, as if he never knew if he were allowed to be uttering words at all. But this time, he spoke like his voice laid the law.

Clark waited for me to agree.

He was so serious, I couldn’t poke fun at him. I nodded instead. “Okay. I won’t interact with the Stone Gods.”

At that, Clark rolled up his sleeves past his elbows and swept his eyes over the expanse of the labyrinth. “Let’s keep moving, but keep any eye out for food. Who knows when ours will be delivered.”

Hours drifted by as we wandered through the hedges. The sun rose behind the clouds, then it set again. The star came out to guide us onward.

Food was delivered that night—magically appearing before our noses with scents that made my mouth water. A large turkey leg sat before us, with a small jug of water each. We devoured them both, then took shifts sleeping for a few hours while the other kept watch.

The next day was more of the same. Wandering through the maze, staying away from other competitors when we heard them coming, and taking turns keeping watch at night. Clark had the idea to keep the jugs our water was delivered in, and set them up at night to collect rain water. It wasn’t more than a few drinks, but after a day of no water, I appreciated whatever I could get.

It took two days for us to leave the hedge maze, and two days to see another soul.

We’d come out on the north side, climbed down a ladder, and rushed into a forest of maple trees and uneven terrain. A girl, no more than fifteen, sat with her back against the tree and a collection of roots in her palm that she gnawed on.

Her head sprang up as we stepped in the forest, and her body went limp.

Our eyes connected. Something in hers pained me. She was so young. And from the looks of it, alone. Her clothes were richlymade with fine fabrics that Seaweeds couldn’t afford. She came from money, and it made me wonder if she’d gone into the labyrinth to prove something, or at someone else’s beckoning.

Whatever it was, the labyrinth hadn’t been kind to her. She had cuts along her face, bruises up her legs, and a whimper in her throat.

Before we could tell her we would bring no harm, she dropped her roots, grabbed her dagger, and scurried away.

“There’s a manor up ahead,” Clark said when the girl’s small frame had vanished. “Let’s find shelter from this rain, then scavenge for food.”

“We should keep going. If that small girl had gotten ahead of us, others will be much further.” Like Bjorn. Askel. Or Leif.

“If we keep going without rest, we will be easily killed the next time someone attacks.”

Again, he spoke with new authority that wasn’t there before as if the labyrinth were siphoning courage into him.

“Fine. We can rest for a few hours.”

We pulled our weary bodies toward the manor. The structure sprawled across the forest in shades varying from dark stone to pine trim. Tall, arched windows with wrought iron frames stretched toward a steep, gabled roof topped with chimneys.

“Here’s to hoping no one is inside,” I said, and I pushed open the door.

SEVENTEEN

The door creaked louder than necessary. I glared at it.

“If anyone is here, they must have heard that.” Clark stepped in behind me. We waited for a while in the silence that followed before starting our exploration. The manor held one large room after the other, each laden with dust and empty picture frames. The dirty windows offered a poor view of the labyrinth.

“Let’s jam a door and take a nap.” I reached for what looked like the door to a bedchamber and opened it.

I was right. A massive bed sat inside.

And someone lay on it.

I would have backed up, but the sickening sight of blood came next. The last person to take nap here never woke.

“We need to leave.”

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