Page 23 of Only Rogue Actions
After several vicious twists, I yanked the trident free.The Scarab’s arms and legs fell limply to its sides, and not so much as a single mechanical finger twitched.I had disabled the awful machine.
I stepped forward and bent down so that I was staring into the Scarab’s eyes, which were still glowing a bright, vivid green.Just like with the overhead camera, I got the sense of someone looking at me through the lenses.My skin crawled with a mixture of anger and revulsion.
“I don’t know who you are or what you want, but we’re playingmygame now,” I snarled.“And you’re going to lose a lot more than just this blasted machine.”
The Scarab’s eyes widened, almost as if whoever was on the other side of the lenses was gaping in shock.I raised the trident high and buried the prongs in the Scarab’s right eye.
Pewp!
A strange electronic wail erupted from the machine, almost as if it was begging for mercy, and its entire body shuddered, as though I had just struck the most vital part of it.The green lights flickered, dimmed, and died in its eyes, and the Scarab sagged against the ground.I yanked the trident free, raised a shaking hand, and wiped the sweat off my forehead.
A flare of light caught my eye.I tensed and straightened up.For a moment, I thought my magic was pointing out another object or enemy, but this time, the light was coming from the holocuff clamped around my wrist.The device was showing my rapid heart rate, and I was willing to bet it was still transmitting my hologram to the control room, along with my location in the maze.
I crouched down, set the trident aside, and grabbed a chunk of the mermaid statue.Then I smashed the jagged stone onto the holoscreen embedded in the silver cuff.
Crack!
The screen shattered, but I kept going, hammering at the surrounding metal again and again.
Crack!
I finally hit the locking mechanism, and the cuff popped open and dropped from my wrist.Disgust curled through me, and I stood up and kicked it away.
“Try tracking me now,” I snarled.
I plucked the trident off the ground and once again considered my options.I could move deeper into the maze and try to find Kyrion, or I could go back the way I’d come and try to figure out what was going on in the facility.
Kyrion?Kyrion!
I called out, but he didn’t answer me, and I didn’t get the sense I was any closer to him.Frustration and worry pounded through my body in equal measure, but I forced myself to think coldly and logically.
As much as I wanted to find Kyrion, I was closer to the maze exit than I was to him.Plus, I didn’t know how many more Scarabs or other enemies might be between us.The smartest course of action was to backtrack and get out of the maze.
I hesitated, torn about leaving Kyrion behind, but the rogue Arrow could take care of himself.Right now, I needed to figure out exactly who and what we were up against.I also needed to learn what had happened to Siya and Asterin.My friends wouldneverunleash a real Black Scarab on me, not even in a training exercise.Every instinct I had was screaming that someone else was controlling the maze, which meant Siya and Asterin were in just as much danger as Kyrion and I were in.
I stared at the path that led out of the far side of the biodome and deeper into the maze.I’m coming back for you, Kyr, just as soon as I can.
There was no response, and I had no idea if he’d heard my whispered words or teasing nickname.But just making the promise sent fresh purpose, strength, and determination flowing through me.It was time to get out of this blasted maze and find out who was really pulling the strings around here.
My hand clenched around the hilt of the silver trident, and I twirled the weapon around into an attack position.Then I stepped over the lifeless shell of the Black Scarab, left the garden biodome behind, and went back the way I’d come.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
VESPER
Iquicklybacktrackedthroughthe maze.
One of the good things about being a seer was that I never forgot anything I saw, did, or experienced, so it was easy for me to remember the twists and turns.I retraced my steps to the entrance only to find the wall was still in place, trapping me inside.Annoyance shot through me.Of course it was.
Nothing in the galaxy could ever be that blastedeasy.
I ran my fingers over the wall, but the metal was thick and solid, and there was no way I could move the heavy slab, not even with Kyrion’s telekinesis.Next, I went over and gave several experimental yanks on the honeysuckle vines clinging to a nearby wall.The thick vines might form a solid mass, but they tore down easily, and they simply weren’t strong enough to support my weight and let me climb up and over the slick wall.
I let out a frustrated snarl and paced back and forth.One blasted wall stood between me and ...well,freedomwasn’t the right word, but I’d rather be outside the maze than inside it.
Think, Vesper, think!
I kept pacing, studying the wall the same way I would a faulty brewmaker or a misfiring blaster in the R&D lab, but there wasn’t much to see.Just a big ol’ slab of metal perched on tracks that let it slide back and forth.
