Page 79 of The Mortal Trials

“There’s nothin’ here!” Niall hisses, his accent thickening with his fear. “Nothing but stone.”

“If this is a recreation of the labyrinth, there’ll be a minotaur. And it will already be hunting us,” Koda soberly says.

“Gods,” Niall whispers.

“We don’t know if this is a true recreation.” Vailea peers farther into the maze. “They might have conjured worse.”

From somewhere deep within the darkened twists and turns, mortal screams erupt. Frantic footsteps pound.

“Leave me here,” Koda volunteers. “I’ll hold the end of the string. If I go with you, I’ll only slow you down.”

My heart thunders NO. He can’t stay here alone.

“I won’t move. I’ll hold onto the string so you can find your way back to the portal,” Koda vows, nodding as he stares into my eyes. “I won’t move, and I won’t make a sound.”

“What if the minotaur, or whatever they’ve made, finds you and we’re not here?” I croak.

Koda offers a sweet smile and points at my spear. “You’ll just have to use that to take care of him for me. And until you do, keep him busy. He can’t hunt me if he’s already chasing you.”

A feeling of unease slithers through my stomach. I look to the others, who also seem to be wrestling with the decision to leave him behind.

“It would be safer – for all of us,” Ulani says, nodding his thanks to Koda. “And we need an anchor if we’re going to get back to this portal. I’d wager the gods made one for each group or individual who entered. That would explain why the other contenders and allied groups aren’t near. I think that to make it to the arena, we’ll have to pass back through this one, and they’ll have strings to use to find the way back to theirs.” He ties the end of the string to Koda’s wrist, knotting it once, then twice to be sure. “Thank you for being brave enough to stay.”

Koda’s red-clad chest puffs at the adulation, even as he waves off the words. “My part’s easy. I just want you all to come back safe. I want to hear the crowd roar your names when we win this and see one of you crowned with laurel.”

Ulani and Vailea lead us forward. Barbed trident and sharp, thin sword ready to strike, they set off into the darkness with only the thread to see by. It’s not enough.

Niall’s in the middle with Elias. The Greek lets the golden string unfurl from his hands as we move.

August and I bring up the rear.

Koda raises a hand to wave as we turn the corner. Even if him staying behind is what we need, I don’t like it. If this is the way to win this trial, it doesn’t feel right. Everything in me screams for us to stay together. And yet, something must anchor the string or we could all die, lost forever in this humid dark hole. The other teams must be leaving someone at their portals, too.

Ulani sets a faster pace, and we cut through the maze. Instead of pausing, we try our luck when we come to a junction. Sometimes we make the right choice. Sometimes we’re forced to pivot, retrace our steps, and go the other way.

Sweat drips down my face, off my jaw, and splashes my chest.

I’m used to arid heat, not humidity. Here, even my palms sweat. My grip on the spear keeps slipping. Ulani and Vailea must feel the same way because they keep adjusting their holds on their weapons.

The golden string attracts bats, eager for the moths and insects drawn to the light. Niall growls and swats furiously when they swoop too close. August tells him to stop flailing and shut up more than once. Niall doesn’t listen.

Aymes eventually snaps, grabbing Niall by the collar. “You’re going to get us all killed!” he hisses into Niall’s ear. “If there’s a minotaur ahead, he’s listening.”

Niall stays quiet after that.

The string in Elias’s hand is getting short. Soon, it’ll be gone.

Just then, a bellowing roar trembles the stone walls around us. Shrill, mortal screams erupt and are abruptly severed. My heart thunders. The passage narrows.

Which group was that?

Ulani waves for us to hurry. With each step, we push ahead and move farther away from Koda.

Vailea and Ulani come to a thick wall. Before they start to turn left, something enormous plows into the other side. Stone breaks and mortar crumbles. We hear its beastly panting and huffing. Hooves scuff the ground.

We take off running as fast as we’re able, trying to stay together. August and I try to keep watch behind us as we flee.

Ulani takes a left, but another few strides and he comes to a corner. We turn around. Retrace the path. Take the right. Another corridor appears.