by Joshua Roots
“Nope, not gonna happen. You,” I pointed at Broken Leg, “are Click. You,” I pointed at the other one, “are Clack. Capisce?”
“Crick. Claork,” they repeated.
“Close enough.”
Howls echoed off the stone walls, sending chills up my spine. My skin crawled as the unholy sound reverberated down the Labyrinth. Scooping up my sword, I knelt and pointed to my back.
“Hop on.”
Clack grabbed me around my neck like pro wrestler. I loosened his grip slightly, but only so I could breathe. Once he was secured, I repositioned my sword in my hand, then gathered Click in my arms and stood.
Crap, the kids were heavy.
I looked up at the crowd that seemed evenly split between stunned silence and rabid betting. Steve grimaced and pointed in the direction Enneticia had traveled.
Aw hell.
“Okay, time to go.”
Hauling my precious, hefty cargo, I lumbered as quickly as I could through the carnage of the destroyed traps, around another decimated pile of arrows, and under the remains of some giant spike-covered logs. I had no idea what constituted a normal run of the Labyrinth, but considering the devastation in Enneticia’s wake, I was willing to bet she was making record time.
The ground shook as a roar filled the Labyrinth. Above us, the crowd’s attention shifted and Minotaurs began moving quickly farther down the maze. Another roar followed by a cheer from the spectators.
Maybe Enneticia actually stood a chance of beating the damn thing.
Ducking down pathway after pathway, I soon realized just how mind-numbingly awful the maze was. Most of the paths led to dead ends or fatal traps, all of which I’d have confronted if I wasn’t able to trail Enneticia.
But while I appreciated the sheer volume of her collateral damage that had unintentionally cleared a path for me, it didn’t do much to get me ahead of the howling that crept closer. I’d been lucky staying a step ahead of whatever was pursuing me, but eventually my luck would run out.
Finally, it did.
Sucking wind, I rounded a corner, then screeched to a halt. The Labyrinth opened into an enormous area the size of a football field. At its center was a pit of flame. Enneticia stood at the edge of the maw, trading blows with a creature of fire and brimstone. From the amount of lava seeping from its wounds, she was winning.
“Called it,” I muttered.
The creature roared as Enneticia stabbed at it, but rather than strike back, it recoiled into the flames. It sank quickly and the fire turned to steam as the gaping hole began filling with water. Enneticia approached the pit cautiously, then spun on her heels.
“What in Tartarus are you doing in here?” she demanded, her face a painting of sweat and rage. “And are those children?”
I staggered over to the wall, easing Click to the ground. Clack immediately slid off of me, rushing to his brother.
“Long story,” I gasped, sitting heavily next to the kids.
Enneticia stormed over to me.
“This is my run,” she snarled. “Mine alone. You violate our traditions with your presence. You have no right to enter the Labyrinth.”
“Trust me, lady, the last thing I want is anything to do with this hellhole. I’m just helping these idiots who fell in. You do your thing. I’ll just keep out of the way till this is all over.”
She darkened. “That’s not how it works. The Labyrinth adapts to each additional challenge. With the three of you here, it will recalculate as it sees fit to deal with all of us.”
In response, the howls echoed all around us and the ground shook. Enneticia swore violently.
“You stupid ass. You’ve changed the game.”
A heartbeat later, a column of water exploded from the pool that now filled the area. The crowd above gasped as a large scaled head emerged. A second one followed, then a third. Clawed feet gripped the edge of the pit, the muscles of the legs flexing as the mythological beast hauled its bloated, scaled body to its full height. The Hydra’s six yellow eyes scanned the opening, snapping their focus onto us.
“I loathe you,” Enneticia muttered.
One of the heads cocked slightly as a pack of wolves charged around the corner and into the opening.
I snapped to my feet, sword in hand.
“You deal with the Hydra,” I shouted. “I’ll handle these things.”
The woman cursed, then charged the massive creature.
As she engaged the monster, I drew the Glock and unloaded on the approaching wolves. The first three rounds clipped the stone around the pack, but the fourth caught the lead wolf in the skull. It dropped, sliding to a bloody halt ten feet from me. I fired at the other two, but saw nothing except a flash of gray fur as another of the beasts slammed into me. I flew backward, gun and sword sailing from my grip. We crashed to the ground in a mess of limbs and paws.
Hot, fetid breath warmed my face as the powerful jaws snapped at my jugular. I twisted, narrowly avoiding a bloody death. But while the teeth missed my neck, they found my shoulder. I screamed in agony as the jaws clamped down, punching through my coat. White-hot fire raced down my arm as I heard, more than felt, the creature tear into the muscle.
Using my free hand, I powered up my Skill, then drove a fist into the side of the wolf’s head. The blow did little to dislodge the jaws. I hammered the skull two more times, but to no avail. Desperate for relief, I felt around for my Glock, but found only cold stone.
Then the gun was shoved into my hands. I gripped it as Click scooted away on his backside. Without waiting, I pressed the barrel against the wolf’s skull and blew the damn thing’s brains out. It never made a sound, just collapsed on top of me, blood gushing from the injury.
Heaving with all my might, I rolled the corpse off of me, pausing just long enough to toss a quick Healing Spell on my shoulder to stop the bleeding. I didn’t have the time or Skill left to fully heal it.
The third wolf galloped toward me as I pushed myself upright. I raised my gun, but Clack crashed into the creature before it reached me. The Mini-taur rolled, coming to a halt on top of the wolf. The startled animal snapped and snarled, but the kid caught the jaws with both hands and pulled with all his might. The wolf shrieked as Clack broke the snout apart with a sickening snap. A second later, he put the animal out of its misery by crushing its jugular with his tiny fist.
“Holy hell, kid,” I whispered as he slid off the wolf and trotted over to me. He peered at my injury with a frown, then tenderly wrapped an arm around my good side. For a moment, the warmth from the Mini-taur washed away the pain coursing through my system.
The respite was short-lived. Nearby the Hydra bellowed as Enneticia jabbed the tip of her spear into the underside of the right-most head. Black blood poured from the wound. It thrashed, ripping the spear from the woman’s grip and hurling her to the ground.
Click cried out in surprise, startling Enneticia as she recovered. She turned and nearly had her head lopped off by a massive claw. Twisting, she avoided another swipe, then danced out of the way as the middle head snapped at her. The left head swept downward and she barely raised her massive shield in time to intercept it. The metal bent, and the blow drove her to the ground once more. She rolled with the impact, popping up in a defensive crouch. She blocked a second strike, then a third.
Without her spear, however, it was only a matter of time before the Hydra pounded through her defenses. And if she went down, there was no way in hell me and the Wonder Twins were getting out of the Labyrinth alive. Heck, uninjured, she was barely able to keep up with the creature. What chance did I have?
But while I might not be up to the task of taking it down solo, that didn’t mean I couldn’t provide some support to the woman who could.
Raising the Glock, I aimed at the various heads. The middle one was a blur of scales as it s
truck Enneticia again and again. The left-most head was also damn-near impossible to get a bead on, moving back and forth as it searched for weaknesses in the woman’s defenses. Thankfully, the skull with the spear in its jaw was moving slowly, painfully. Locking my sights on it, I squeezed the trigger.
The Glock boomed and a small pinhole of black blood appeared below the Hydra’s eye. The creature screeched, thrashing harder as I pumped another round into the scaly hide. Granted, whatever damage I was doing was minimal, but apparently it was also annoying.
Which was exactly what I wanted.
As the damaged head twisted to get a better view of who was taking potshots at it, it swept over the warrior woman. She reached up, jerking her weapon from the jaws as it passed. In a single motion, she drew back and drove the spear into the neck of the creature. The Hydra shrieked as the head wobbled, then crashed into the pool. Blood poured from the wound, darkening the water around it
Cheers erupted from the crowd above.
One down, two to go.
Enneticia yanked the spear from the dead head, but as she struck once more, another head rammed into her. Caught off guard and off balance, she flew backward, losing both her weapon and her shield. She landed poorly on an arm, the bone breaking with an audible snap.
As if sensing the sudden shift in momentum, the Hydra swooped in for the kill. Enneticia recovered, avoiding a gruesome death by inches. She spun, dodging another strike, but she was slowing.
Holstering the Glock, I gathered my sword and hauled myself forward.
“Hey, lizard-breath!” I shouted, waving my blade. “Check me out. My human exterior hides a warm nougaty center!”
One head stayed focused on Enneticia, but the other turned to me. Yellow eyes flashed as the creature sized me up. Apparently it considered me a threat, because the jaws swooped down.
Rows of white fangs rushed toward me. At the last possible second, I tapped what little Skill was still in my system and spun. As the head rushed by, I dragged my blade across the creature’s skin. Scales split and flesh tore as I carved a neat line from the snout to the eye. When the tip reached the soft yellow orb, I pressed forward with all my might.
The Hydra wailed and jerked away, trailing gore. Black liquid poured from the ruined socket, and the creature thrashed in agony. The second head recoiled, then twisted to engage the new threat.
The distraction was all the relief Enneticia needed. As I dove out of the path of death, she gathered her spear and charged the Hydra. Holding the weapon in her powerful snout, she launched herself at the middle neck, gripping the scales with her good arm as she thumped against its side. She mounted the creature quickly, clamoring up its back like a monkey.
Realizing too late what had happened, the middle head tried in vain to shake her off. Crushing scales between her powerful legs, Enneticia spat the spear into her hand, raised it high, and drove it through the back of the creature’s skull.
The neck went limp immediately. Enneticia rode the dead limb down, leaping gracefully to the ground as the head crashed onto the edge of the pool. Above us, the crowd burst into wild applause.
Despite killing two-thirds of the threat, the Hydra was still no slouch. Dragging the limp skulls, it spun around and swiped at us with its tail. Enneticia easily avoided the blow while I ducked and raised my sword arm. The tip met my blade, which severed the meat like a knife through warm butter. The creature bellowed as the bloody hunk of meat landed with a thump at my feet.
As the Hydra turned back to us, Enneticia threw herself at the body once more. This time, however, she led with her spear. For a heartbeat, the image of her suspended in the air was frozen in my mind. Busted arm limp at one side and weapon gripped tightly in the other, she was a like a stunning angel of death riding the wings of fury. A vision of rage and might, this was her moment of glory.
Time returned to normal and she slammed into the chest of the Hydra with the force of a cannon shot. The spear plunged deep into the creature, burying itself halfway up the shaft. The Hydra bucked, tossing her off like a rag doll, but she twisted in midair and landed on her feet.
The creature, however, wailed and thrashed as blood spewed from its chest. It pawed at the weapon with a foot, staggering sideways in the process. Losing its balance, it collapsed to the ground where it struggled to rise.
Enneticia stomped over to me and held out her good hand.
“Sword,” she demanded.
I offered it to her without question. She grabbed it, then marched over to the surviving head and sliced its neck wide open. Gore pumped as the creature whimpered once, then went still.
Far above us, the crowd exploded into a deafening roar. Minotaurs clasped arms and raised their fists as they gazed down at the carnage below. A handful looked distraught, apparently having bet on the Labyrinth instead of their kinswoman, but most seemed elated at the outcome. None so much as the Mini-taurs’ father, who whooped and cried with joy.
Europa appeared in the mix with Steve by her side. She raised a hand, silencing the spectators. A disturbing quiet fell over the Labyrinth, which chilled me more than the cold that was settling back into my body.
“A highly unlikely run,” she said, her voice echoing through the maze. “And while the results may be unorthodox, there can be no denying that this is one of the most memorable attempts in our history.”
Cheers.
Europa hushed the crowd once more. “However, my euphors and I will need to meet to determine whether or not the human’s involvement negates this event. We must also determine what is to become of Melcitus’s offspring as they, too, survived only through the aid of Warlock Shifter.”
My heart sank. “You’re kidding me.”
“Until that decision is made,” the Alpha continued, her face filled with anger, “an official proclamation of Enneticia’s status will be postponed.” She glared at me. “This hereby ends the run.”
The reaction from the crowd was a mixture of confusion and shock. Some offered weak cheers while others tried to console the father, who stared blankly after the Alpha.
Enneticia, however, was nothing short of bottled fury. She stormed over to me, driving my sword into the stone at my feet.
“You ruined everything.”
“I’m sorry. I was just trying to protect these two.” I waved my good arm at Click and Clack.
Enneticia trembled with rage. “And by doing so, you may have given them a fate worse than anything the Labyrinth could have. You made many enemies this day, Warlock, the first of which is me. I swear by my ancestors that I will collect on this debt before your time here is over. So as you bed yourself down this evening, ask yourself this: Was it worth it?”
I started to respond, but she turned her back to me and stalked toward a rope ladder that had been lowered into the Labyrinth. I gripped my sword, jerking it free with a curse. But as I chided myself for messing with Minotaur tradition and pissing off a very dangerous woman, Clack dragged his bother over and the pair enveloped me in a hug. They held on, crying softly.
I wrapped my arm around them.
“Yeah,” I said softly. “It was worth it.”
Chapter 10
Fallout
“It was by the moonlight that Ariadne, daughter of King Minos, saw and immediately fell in love with Theseus. And in the moonlight did she betray her father by pledging herself to the Athenian.”
—The Legend of Ariadne
“Of all the asinine, stupid things you could have done, you chose to piss all over Minotaur tradition.”
Pressing the bandages of healing balm against my busted shoulder, I leaned back into the soft embrace of my bedding. The injury stung like a thousand needles as the goop that smelled like mold and regret worked its magic on my ruined muscle. Flames burned in the fireplace, but they were a pale comparison to the fire da
ncing in Steve’s eyes.
“Look who’s suddenly all up in arms over Minotaur traditions,” I retorted, wincing through the ache in my shoulder.
He scowled. “Don’t you dare throw this back in my face. You’re the one who shoved his nose where it didn’t belong.”
“I was—”
“Protecting those kids,” he finished. “I know. You keep saying that. But when are you going to get it through your thick skull that we’re not in your world anymore? We’re in mine, and in my world, those kids had to face the Labyrinth alone. Enneticia, too. Would they have died? Likely, but now they might be disgraced. Disowned by their kin and forced out of our homeland. Trust me, that’s far and away worse than death.”
“How can moving away from this place be worse than a gruesome death?”
“Because they don’t know how to exist in the outside world!” he snapped. “You have no idea how hard it was for me to adapt to life away from the clan and I left on my own accord. Even with a desire to integrate with other species I had to fight and scrape my way through each and every day. Those kids? Enneticia? They don’t want to leave. But if the Alpha and euphors deem it so, they’ll be cast out into a world that they fear and can’t begin to comprehend. It will be a slow death of agony and disgrace rather than a clean, honorable one in the Labyrinth. That is the life you may have doomed them to.”
Holy hell.
My gut flipped as the reality of his words settled in.
“I had no idea,” I whispered.
“Of course you didn’t,” he growled. “Because you always leap before you think.”
The truth of his words stung.
“You’re right,” I said softly. “I screwed up. But you know I couldn’t just sit back and watch those kids die.”
Steve looked like he was about to burst, then he released all his pent-up fury in a snarl before collapsing into his pile of hay. “Yeah, I know.”
I blinked, surprised by his sudden change.
“Gods above, you’re a pain in the ass sometimes,” he said. “But at least you’re a noble ass. I respect the hell of out that. And for what it’s worth, you probably did the right thing. In hindsight, I wish I’d gone in there with you because if you or those kids had died, the guilt would have torn me up. I’m not sure I could have lived with the knowledge that I could have done something.”
