Page 199 of Crimson Promises
Every few twists and turns, we would reach a dead end. When we rounded a sharp corner, Aurora's eyes met mine.
* * *
The transition was immediate. One moment, the maze was a puzzle of hedges and stone. The next, it was an icy fortress gleaming under a dim star's light.
Aurora grasped my arm in an attempt to avoid slipping. The ground was slick with ice.
I sucked in a breath, regretting it instantly. The air was piercing, and it felt as though tiny needles pricked the insides of my lungs. My exhale hung before me, a white cloud of frost forming and dispersing in seconds. The stark difference from the previous zone made my head reel.
Next to me, Aurora seemed equally affected. She hastily drew her arms around her, the fabric of her leathers crinkling against the silence of this frozen enclave. Her voice broke through the quiet, a whisper that sounded like a shout. “The cold here isn’t natural."
I could only nod in response, my gaze drawn to the ice-covered walls stretching endlessly. Tentatively, I reached out, fingers brushing against the frozen surface. It was smoother than I anticipated, yet the cold nearly burned. I retracted my hand, rubbing my fingers together to restore warmth.
"I hate the cold," She murmured, focusing on the floor ahead.
The ice below seemed to shimmer and shift with our weight. My eyes widened at how our footprints would momentarily mar the perfect sheen, only to watch in wonder as the icy ground healed itself, leaving no trace of our passage.
Aurora glanced at the path ahead, her brows furrowing. “This isn’t going to work,” she said. “If we keep walking like this, one of us will end up flat on the ice–or worse...”
I nodded, waiting for her to continue.
“We need to support each other,” she said. “If we link up and move together, our combined balance might keep us alive long enough to make it out of here.”
It made sense. I extended my arm, and Aurora looped hers through, the contact reassuring. With our bodies working in tandem, we moved forward. Every step was deliberate, each movement synchronized.
The deeper Aurora and I ventured, the more relentless the cold became. It settled into my very bones. Our breaths came in ragged gasps.
I kept sneaking glances at Aurora to make sure she was okay. The chill had painted her cheeks a deep rose, making her sapphire eyes appear more vivid and alive against the snowy backdrop.The last time her cheeks were that color was when she was writhing beneath me.
Get your head out of the gutter, Ben.
Suddenly, she halted, her grip on my arm tightening.
Aurora's soft voice filled with wonder. "That's it," she whispered, pointing towards the flower. "The heart of this maze and our key out of here.”
I followed her gaze. It was... magnificent. There it was, only ten feet left stood in the way of us completing the first task successfully. Nestled amongst the ice, illuminated by a dim light, a single, elegant rose stood ensconced within a transparent barrier of ice. Its petals, a deep, velvety crimson, seemed untouched by the freezing temperatures, unfurling in defiance against its surroundings. It was the same flower we had seen earlier, but now changed by this winter wonderland.
But the play of light around me took my breath away.
The dim luminescence I had attributed to the glow of a dying star was, in fact, something more earthly but no less wondrous. The flower wasn't under the direct light of a celestial body; instead, a fractured shard of a nearby glacier–or perhaps a piece of a cliff–angled in such a way that it bore a remarkable resemblance to a withering tree, caught and refracted the ambient light, casting an otherworldly glow upon the rose.
I remember Lucifer's cryptic words: “Under the light of a dying star.” Always one for theatrics, a play on words, ensnaring us in a riddle of perception. With its refracted light, it was his 'star'. The devil was indeed in the details.
Aurora's voice, filled with wonder yet edged with a hint of irritation, broke into my thoughts. "He loves his games, doesn't he?"
I sneered, squeezing her hand in agreement. "He enjoys making us look beyond the obvious. That's Lucifer for you.”
Drawn to its allure, I took a step forward, the attraction almost magnetic. "It's beautiful," I murmured, unable to take my eyes off it.
Aurora's fingers brushed against my hand, the warmth of her touch contrasting sharply against the pervasive chill. "It is," she agreed, her voice hinting caution. "But we can't forget our purpose here. We need it to move forward."
I nodded, pulling my gaze away from the flower and focusing on her. "Together?" I asked, offering my hand to her.
She took it, her fingers intertwining with mine, sending a jolt of warmth up my arm. "Together," she replied, her eyes locked onto mine.
Beyond our path, the maze presented its final test. To get the flower we had to cross a sheet of thin ice, deceptively translucent, dark swirls teasing its unknown depths.
I approached the ice's edge, tentatively placed my weight upon it, and was met with an eerie creak.
