Page 54 of Quarter Labyrinth

“And what do you want from me?”

Once more, August’s gaze drifted to my necklace, but he didn’t speak of it. “Your group has caught the eye of more than one Stone God. The seven of you are growing thick as thieves.”

I willed iron into my spine. “Scared of a little Seaweed?”

“Amused is more like it. I wonder what it would take to break you. In fact, I made a bet with Thief, and I wish to see if I’m correct. One of us bet you’d kill the others if you got the chance, and the other bet you wouldn’t.”

His head cocked to the side.

I blinked at him. “You Stone Gods have too much time on your hands.”

August waved his hand. “That’s neither here nor there. Amuse me. I’ll poison everyone in this group if you wish, with the exception of your lover boy of course.”

I didn’t care for the way he said that, nor for how he put on a mock smile as if he knew everything about me and Clark. I hated even more the thought that we were being watched.

“And in return, what? I owe you three years of my life?”

“You appease my curiosity, that is all. And, if you answer how I think you will, I win my bet.”

“How did you bet?”

“I don’t want you selecting my way on account of your great love for me.” August grinned as if we’d known each other for years.

I had more questions. Who was Thief, why did he keep looking at my necklace, was there any chance the fortune teller at the start of the maze had been wrong, but he had a devilish lookto his gaze that I didn’t trust. Plus, his comfort with poisoning people unsettled me.

Before I could answer no, his head snapped up, eyes pitching to something over my head that I couldn’t see. He lifted his candle to sniff the air.

Then his expression brightened. “Ah, someone beat me to it. You’d better wake up.”

With a snap, his world melted away. I woke, lying on the floor in the forest where I’d fallen asleep, my belly rumbling from hunger and my muscles unbearably sore, and the air much hotter than I remembered.

No, that wasn’t the rumble of my belly. I sat up.

The forest was on fire.

TWENTY-SIX

Flames danced through the trees, crackling like laughter as they consumed bark, leaves, and branches with relentless hunger. Smoke curled upward in thick, choking plumes. It turned the sky an eerie orange-gray, as though the clouds themselves were ablaze.

The fire leapt from treetop to treetop in fiery arcs. Sparks rained down like malevolent stars, igniting the dry undergrowth below. The once-green canopy glowed red and gold, a twisted beauty in its destruction.

Setupon devouring us.

“Run,” I screamed. The others were jostling awake, each of their eyes latching onto the fire before growing wide. I reached to shake Clark. “We need to move!”

He woke and drew in a breath. If we didn’t move now, there wouldn’t be clean air left to breathe.

“Aiden, don’t forget your sword! Astrid, your bag is there!” Harald shouted at us. He made quick work of packing his own things before seeing to Tove, all while keeping an eye on the rest of the pack.

I grabbed my bag, while Clark strapped my axe in. I passed him his sword, then sheathed my own. The fire roared closer.

We helped Gunnar check for a fallen knife, passed Astrid her water flask, and surveyed that everyone was ready.

“Go!” Harald shouted.

We all bolted.

This was no natural fire. Magic bled into it, urging it faster, hungrier, and hotter than it ought to be. It prowled toward us. As we moved, it moved. Its edges closed in. The flames kept with us as if it’d been born out of a desire to burn us, and it wouldn’t relent until it had its taste of flesh.

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