Page 12 of Only Rogue Actions
“I would expect nothing less,” I murmured.
Asterin waved a hand at the maze.“Everything in there is designed to draw your focus, use up your energy—physical, mental, and psionic—and disrupt your bond, just like a real-world enemy would do everything possible to keep you and Vesper apart.How fast it takes the two of you to find each other will indicate how quickly you can identify and solve problems, both as individuals and as a couple.”
I looked at the towering walls.“And I’m guessing that Vesper and I using our psionic abilities along the way should also help us understand how much psion power we can pull from each other without completely draining each other’s energy and abilities.”
Vesper and I had already been testing those limits, but so far, our collective well of power was much deeper than I had ever imagined it could be.
“Yes,” Asterin replied.“The training should give us a baseline of how strong your bond is compared to other bonded couples who have also been through the maze.”
“Sounds like it will be a real challenge,” I drawled, “in every sense of the word.”
Asterin nodded.“That’s the idea.Good luck, Kyrion.”
“Thank you.”I nodded back at her, then squared my shoulders, strode forward, and stepped into the maze.
The instant my boots touched the gray stone path, electricity crashed over my body like a tidal wave.I jerked to a halt.The uncomfortable sensation crackled across my skin for several seconds before dying down to an annoying hum.Psionic dampeners always made me feel like mosquitoes were whining in my ears.
More doubt flooded my chest, but I swatted it aside.The purpose of training was to hone your abilities and push your mind, body, and psionic powers to their utmost limits.Our enemies wouldn’t show us any mercy, and Vesper and I had to be at our best and ready to protect ourselves, especially against Callus Holloway.
We needed a fresh challenge to keep us on our toes, and I was determined to overcome every obstacle in the maze, just as I had vowed in the cold depths of my heart to do whatever was necessary to protect Vesper—no matter what it cost me.
I glanced back over my shoulder and waved at Asterin.She returned the gesture, then hit another button on the panel.The metal wall rolled forward, blocking the exit and sealing me inside the maze.
CHAPTER FIVE
VESPER
Iwalkedalongthepath, studying the dark gray flagstones underfoot, the dense honeysuckle vines covering the metal walls, and the domed ceiling high above.I couldn’t be certain, given the distance, but it looked like it was snowing even more heavily than before outside.A strange, uncomfortable weight dropped over me, as though I could feel the cold, wet press of the snow despite the thick solar panels.I shivered and moved on.
The entry path shot straight into the maze, and I walked about a hundred feet before it branched off in three directions.Each path looked the same, and I didn’t spot any obvious traps.Two paths curved in opposite directions, but I needed to find Kyrion in the center, so I took the path that led straight ahead.
Despite my desire to find Kyrion as quickly as possible and score well on the time element, I moved slowly, stopping every few feet to look and listen and examine everything through the lens of my seer magic.Nothing moved or stirred, and even the pink-star honeysuckle blossoms were frozen in place on their green vines.
The deeper I went into the maze, the more I noticed a soft, steady hiss that was just a little bit louder than the scraping of my boots on the flagstones.I stopped, wondering if I had tripped a hidden trap, but everything was the same as before.Flagstones underfoot, vines and walls on either side of the path, snow covering the domed ceiling high above.
I kept glancing around, and a tiny wink of silver caught my eye.Off to the left, a metal nozzle jutted out of the wall, almost completely hidden by the vines.The hissing grew louder, and white clouds spewed out of the nozzle.
I tensed, wondering if the clouds contained knockout gas or another hazard, but condensation quickly beaded on the honeysuckle blossoms, ran down the pink petals, and dripped onto the path.I exhaled.It was just water.
The nozzle spewed out more vapor clouds, which quickly drifted out and down and settled along the path.Within seconds, the area in front of me was cloaked with dense white fog, making it hard to see what lay ahead.The dampness added a sharp chill to the air, and I shivered, despite my tempered-silk clothes.
I lifted my hand and reached for Kyrion’s telekinesis to sweep the fog aside, but to my surprise, I couldn’t grasp his power.
Ever since I had rescued Kyrion from the Serpens Corp mercenaries, I had been able to use his abilities much more easily than before, although I still wasn’t nearly as precise, skilled, and powerful as he was.But here in the maze, Kyrion seemed far, far away, like he was on a different planet.His telekinesis was shrouded in the same fog that was covering everything in a white mist, and I couldn’t quite find it through the cool haze.I felt like I was trapped in a dim, distant dream and struggling to wake up and find my way back to him.
I’d experienced this same sort of odd, muffled disconnect when Esmina Reston had injected Kyrion with chemicals that had disrupted our truebond when she kidnapped him from the Collier estate.Unease simmered in my stomach at the eerie similarity.
Instead of reaching blindly for Kyrion’s telekinesis through the mental fog, I focused on the bond itself.The sticky little cobweb that was Kyrion’s presence in my mind, body, and heart was anchored firmly in place, and the threads were bristling with tension.I was still connected to Kyrion, and our bond was as strong and solid as ever, no matter what tricks the white fog and psionic dampeners were playing on my senses.
Above my head, a soft whir sounded, and a black camera dropped down, swiveled around, and focused on me.
I looked directly into the lens.“You’re going to have to do better than a little fog.”
The red lights on the front remained bright and steady, staring at me like judgmental eyes.I snapped up my hand in a mock salute and walked on.
I eased along the path, once again looking and listening.If I were Jeffrey, the maze technician, I would use the fog to hide another, more challenging obstacle, since I couldn’t avoid a trap I couldn’t see.
But where would I place such a trap?The vine-covered walls on either side of the path were too obvious and still fairly easy to see, even with the fog.I doubted the camera tracking my movements would detach itself from the ceiling and crash down on my head, so that left only one option: the ground.
