“What path?” I asked. The stone floor looked as dirty and not-green as ever to me.
“Must be a navigator thing,” Lori said. “Follow me.”
She started walking down the left corridor. We followed close behind her. It wasn’t long before Steven stopped abruptly and asked, “D-did anyone else hear that?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t hear anything.”
Steven whipped around to look behind us, eyes wild. “W-who are you?” he asked the empty corridor. “W-what do you want from us?”
“Steven, there’s no one there,” Tom said. “What are you hearing?”
Before Steven could answer, Selene’s eyes started glowing green. She spoke in a misty voice.
Wise Magenta, find your mind
Young shapeshifter, break the bind
Granter of Wishes, have hope at last
Master of Memories, confront your past
Tom caught her before she could hit the ground. After a few seconds, her eyes fluttered open. They had returned to their normal state.
“What did I say?” she asked, regaining her balance on her own two feet.
I repeated the poem she’d spoken.
“What does it mean?” she questioned.
“Well, I know I’m the Magenta,” I offered, “and Regina is the Granter of Wishes. That’s a start.”
“I’m the shapeshifter,” Lori added. “Who’s the Master of Memories?”
“I-I am,” Steven answered, barely audible. He was visibly shaking. “I-I’m the M-Master of Memories.”
“What does that mean?” Selene asked.
“D-don’t ask,” Steven pleaded. “I-I don’t want to t-talk about it.”
“You knew exactly what it meant when the poem said to ‘confront your past’, didn’t you?” Mallum asked.
Steven nodded silently, his face pale.
Felix and I exchanged looks. Without Gabrielle conscious and able to help, this would be extra hard on Steven. She was the only one who understood how to help him. She was the only one who he had trusted with whatever his secret was. I assumed this “Master of Memories” thing had something to do with it.
At the moment, though, Steven just looked terrified. He was still shaking, his face red. Everyone’s eyes were on him.
“We need to keep moving,” Lori said, sparing him from further discomfort. He visibly relaxed, but was still a little bit on edge. “We have to get to that Stone.”
“You’re right,” Lena acknowledged. “Lead the way.”
For the next few hours, until we were exhausted enough to stop, we followed Lori through the winding corridors of the Labyrinth of the Lost. Except now, Steven wasn’t the only one constantly looking over his shoulder.
Someone was watching us; I could feel it.
Chapter 12
Around ten-thirty in the evening according to my wristwatch, we decided to stop for the night. We took turns being on watch, taking shifts in pairs. Tom helped draw up the shifts just minutes before we stopped.
Tonight, I was on first watch with Regina. Once everyone else was settled, we took our places on the cold, stone floor to make sure nothing bad happened while the others slept. I willed one of my hands to produce a small flame. Nothing as intense as a fireball, so it didn’t drain my energy very much, but its warmth was still comforting. I still felt like we were being watched, but I didn’t know why.
“Five days after tonight,” Regina said after a long silence. “That’s all we have left to find the Stone.”
“It’s not much time,” I agreed, “but we don’t have much of a choice.”
“What if Gabrielle doesn’t survive that long?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper. “I can’t lose her, Valida. I just can’t. She’s all I have left.”
“I know,” I said somberly, watching my little hand flame dance around in my palm. “The sooner we find the Stone, the sooner we can save Gabrielle and Mallum.”
“I still can’t believe you all still think that the Hunter has ‘changed’,” Regina commented, making air quotes around the final word. She glanced over at Mallum’s sleeping form with icy eyes and crossed her arms. “You have no idea what kind of stuff he’s done.”
“I think Nayila gave us a pretty good idea of what kind of stuff he’s done,” I retorted, growing a bit annoyed. Yeah, Mallum had messed up really badly. I understood that, but he sincerely changed and I understood that too. Turning over a new leaf is hard enough without everyone insisting that it’s all an act. “I know you weren’t there for the Battle of Saviena and didn’t see what happened, but I did. There’s nothing fake about his change of heart.”
“What if you’re wrong?” she asked, keeping her voice low so she wouldn’t wake the others. “What if he stabs us in the back?”
“After all we’ve done for him so far, including reuniting him with Lena?” I asked incredulously. “Why would he?”
“William did.”
William. I hadn’t thought about him or his betrayal since his appearance in my dream when Kristina told us about the Heart of Maserai. As if I didn’t have enough nonsense to deal with. I didn’t need to stack interpreting his appearance in my dream on top of everything else.
“That still bothers me, actually,” I admitted anyway. “I’ve had at least one class with him since first grade, and the whole betrayal thing was so unlike him. At least, you know…” I hesitated, realizing how naive I probably sounded. I finished my sentence anyway. “...unlike the William I thought I knew. It’s just...he was always really loyal to his friends and included all sorts of people in his friend group, including me when I tried participating in drama club in eighth grade. I never knew him very well or even considered him as more than an acquaintance for the most part, but everyone knew how much he valued loyalty and friendship.”
“He definitely didn’t seem to value them much when he betrayed us,” Regina remarked bitterly.
“Yeah, I know,” I said dejectedly. “It just...I don’t know, it seemed kinda off to me.”
“That’s your problem,” Regina informed me. “You’re too trusting.”
I gave her an exhausted shrug and said, “With everything else I have to worry about, I don’t have the energy to be paranoid.”
“Still, you need to be more cautious,” Regina insisted. “Trusting the wrong people can get you killed.”
“I know,” I responded, “but not trusting the right people can get me killed too.” I sighed dejectedly. “I feel like everything can get me killed.”
Regina’s expression softened. “I’m sorry you had to get dragged into the War, especially since you don’t even have your childhood memories of the Dimensions. No one should have to carry the burden that you have.”
“I don’t know how I’m going to do it, Regina,” I said, barely audible. “Everyone’s lives depend on me. If I fail—”
“If we fail,” Regina corrected. “You aren’t doing this alone, Valida. We’re here to help you, and none of us can afford to fail. We’re going to give this all we’ve got.”
“Thanks,” I said.
Regina pulled out a pack of playing cards. “We still have quite a bit of time on our shift. Do you want to play a game?”
I nodded, happy for the distraction. “Sure.”
Even while playing various games with Regina’s cards, I couldn’t stop worrying. This really was a burden on my shoulders. Everything depended on me and my journey in this Labyrinth.
If I failed, everyone would die. My friends, my family, and the Dimensions would become darkness. Umarek would find an alternate way of retrieving the Stone. Gabrielle and Mallum would likely be the first ones to die.
But if I succeeded, would we really be better off? Umarek would have the Zemayta Stone in his possession. I was sure it wasn’t nicknamed "the Stone of Power" for nothing, and I doubted Umarek would do anything good with that much power.
Did I really have a choice?
By the time our shift was over and I was settled in my sleepi
ng bag, I had a headache from trying to figure out the lesser evil. They were both horrible options.
My eyes slowly closed under the weight of exhaustion. There was one thing I was sure about just before I fell completely asleep.
In the end, I had no choice.
I would have to give Umarek the Stone of Power.
Chapter 13
A grand organ, bigger than any I’d ever seen in my life, made up nearly the entire room around me. Ornamented with jewels, precious metals, and intricate details carved into the pipes, it shone like treasure. A creature, unlike any other creature I’d ever seen in my life, sat on the bench with his rock-like feet hovering over the pedals. The purple-gray armor that made up his rough, rocky skin looked dull compared to the organ he sat by. A woman stood next to him. She was beautiful, with a chocolate brown braid that was draped over the front of her shoulder. It reached her waist. Her dress was gorgeous, made from pink fabric and lined with gold thread. She looked like a princess, especially with her jeweled headband.
“Lady Ryntha, should I…?” the creature asked, his fingers hovering over a chord on the brilliant organ.
“Not yet.” the woman—Lady Ryntha—said. “The Magenta is among them, but she is not of Zajahan. According to the legends, it is not possible…I wish to wait and observe for a little while longer.”
“Legends have been wrong before, my lady,” the creature reminded her. “Perhaps they are wrong about the only possible heritage of the Magenta.”
“Perhaps you are right, Roklin,” Lady Ryntha admitted. Still, she paced back and forth, thoughts racing. “The group that the young Magenta is traveling with...it is quite strange. The Legendary Power, the Dark Power, a half-creature, a Dyseo Fa’ema, the Master of Memories...the list goes on and on, but these great characters of legend are all here! All in one traveling party. It’s incredible!”
“So...you don’t want to kill them?” the creature—Roklin—asked, almost like he was disappointed.
“Not yet,” Lady Ryntha responded as she closed her eyes and furrowed her brows in concentration. “There is much going on inside their minds,” she said aloud. “A threat hangs over them like a dark cloud...a threat from the Dark Elf himself…” Her eyes shot open. “The Stone is in danger.”
“My lady?”
“They seek the Stone to save the people of the Dimensions,” she elaborated. “It is a just cause, but all will be lost. Either the Dark Elf gets the Stone delivered to him by their own hands, or he will turn everyone and every Dimension dark. This is dire, Roklin. There is no true solution.”
“What should we do?” Roklin asked calmly.
“For now, we wait,” she answered. “At least, until either of us can come up with a strategy that will aid them in their dilemma. Where the fate of the Dimensions and the treasures of the Labyrinth of the Lost meet, we must become personally involved.”
“Yes, my lady,” Roklin responded sincerely.
Lady Ryntha took notice of my presence and told Roklin, “She is here, my friend, no doubt with Rekala’s help.” She turned to me. “Young Magenta, you are trapped in dangerous times. Choose wisely or die.”
My eyes flew open as I shot up in my sleeping bag, my forehead beaded with cold sweat. Tom and Steven were both next to me in a matter of seconds. If they were the ones on watch, it was between two-thirty and four-thirty in the morning. I did not want to be up this early, especially after the dream I’d had.
“Are you okay, Smith?” Tom asked quietly so he wouldn’t wake the others.
Still breathing heavily and trying to calm down, I said, “We’re...we’re being watched.”
“What?” Tom demanded. “By who?”
“Someone called Lady Ryntha,” I answered. I described my dream, explaining it all to the best of my abilities. I couldn’t do justice to most of it.
“Do you know if this Lady Ryntha is on our side?” Tom asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I think so, but I kinda got mixed messages with the whole ‘choose wisely or die’ thing.”
“Lady Ryntha is the name of the Lady of the Labyrinth of the Lost,” Steven explained. “Her j-job is to protect the Labyrinth and the treasures it c-contains. Roklin is a krojelin, a c-creature that is practically immortal, m-much like Lady Ryntha is. He is her c-companion and assistant. If Lady Ryntha w-wants to observe us for a while longer, then we’ve p-piqued her interest. In the end, she m-might even choose to help us.”
“Good to know,” I said. “Anything else exciting happening on your watch or just my freaky dreams?”
“Just your dreams,” Tom responded. He checked his watch. “Our watch is almost up, so let’s hope it stays that way. We’ll tell the others about your dream tomorrow morning before we head out.”
“Okay,” I agreed. My eyes already felt heavy again. “I’m going to go back to sleep. Good night, guys.”
“Good night.”
It didn’t take me long to fall asleep again. This time, no dreams came to haunt me.
Chapter 14
I couldn’t figure out why I felt like someone was following us—aside from this Lady Ryntha person watching us—but I couldn’t stop glancing over my shoulder every few seconds. I jumped at every sound I heard.
“Are you okay, Miss Magenta?” Felix finally asked.
“Do you feel like someone’s following us?” I replied.
He shook his head. “Not really. Do you think we’re being followed?”
"It's not rational, but I can't shake the feeling," I responded. "Is it just me?"
Mallum, who had been talking to Lori at the front of the group, looked back at us and asked, "Is everything okay back there?"
"Miss Magenta thinks we're being followed," Felix announced loud enough for the whole group to hear.
“Thanks a ton, Potato Brain,” I grumbled, my face turning pink.
I heard a thud nearby. “Forget it,” an unfamiliar voice said from around the corridor corner. “Come on, man. You already blew our cover. What was the point of sneaking around anyway? We’re on their side.”
“I was hoping to save them last-minute at some point,” an unnaturally deep voice responded. I recognized it, but couldn’t quite place my finger on where I’d heard it. “You know, make a dramatic entrance.”
“You and your dramatic gestures,” the first voice said. I could practically hear the eye roll.
“Show yourselves,” I ordered.
Someone groaned, clearly frustrated, but two boys came around the corridor corner to where we stood. One was dressed in an unmarked black cloak with a mask covering the bottom half of his face. He waved a hand in greeting. When he noticed Regina, I could tell he was surprised, even though he was wearing a mask. Still, he didn’t say anything about it. The other boy wore a simple T-shirt and jeans. A backpack was slung over his shoulder.
“Hey, I know you!” Felix greeted the latter boy. The boy shot him a look that clearly told him to stop talking. Felix gave him a quizzical look, but didn’t elaborate on his statement.
“Who are you?” I asked the two newcomers.
“Well, you already know me,” the masked boy said in an unnaturally deep voice that was clearly fake. “I’m the Classified Comrade.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Okay...tell me something that only the Classified Comrade would know.”
“I helped you rescue your parents,” he answered, still faking a deep voice. “I also got you the Brass Compass in time for the Battle of Saviena.”
“Okay, so you are the Classified Comrade,” I said, “but what is with your voice? You’ve been faking a deep voice since I met you.”
“I don’t really want to talk about it,” he said.
The other boy saved him from further questioning by saying, “I’m David.” He turned to Felix. “Hey, Felix, can I talk to you for a second?” As an afterthought, he added, “Tom, you too.”
They both nodded and followed David back around the corridor corner to talk. Less than a minute later, they rej
oined us.
“What did he talk to you guys about?” I asked Felix quietly.
“That, Miss Magenta,” Felix said with a twinkle in his eye, “is classified information.”
Well, there was obviously nothing to worry about. Felix was the same as always. I let the subject drop.
“So, how did you two end up down here?” Selene asked David and the Classified Comrade.
“Followed you,” the Classified Comrade responded. “We had just enough invisibility potion left to get in and past the manticore without being seen. The rest was somewhat simple until David blew our cover.”
David shrugged. “Eh, no big deal. I honestly don’t know why we were sneaking around in the first place.”
“I told you,” the Classified Comrade reminded him. “I wanted to make a dramatic entrance!”
David rolled his eyes. “Yes, because that’s a priority.”
“Can I just call you Comrade?” Felix asked the Classified Comrade out of the blue.
“Why?” he questioned.
“No offense, dude, but your alias is a mouthful,” Felix said. “Since you won’t tell us your real name, I figured a shortened version of your alias would work.”
The Classified Comrade shrugged. “I guess that’s fine. Comrade it is.”
Our group turned a corner, entering into a large, circular room with five doors on the opposite side of us. A square stone that rose about two inches above the rest of the floor sat in the center of the room.
“Oh, perfect,” Lori grumbled sarcastically. “Like we didn’t have enough problems already.” She turned to face the rest of the group and announced, “The path to the Zemayta Stone divides into all five doors. I don’t know which one we need to go through.”
“What’s up with that rock?” I asked, pointing to the center of the room where the square stone was.
“Maybe it’s a button or something,” Comrade suggested.
I cautiously approached it, then knelt down right by the edge. I could make out the words ‘in’, ‘pick’, ‘is’, and ‘two’.
“I think it’s some kind of message,” I said. I did my best to wipe the dust off of it and managed to make out the rest of the words. It was a riddle of sorts, thankfully in English and not the strange symbol language. I read it loud enough for everyone to hear.
The Stone of Power (The Legendary Keepers Book 2) Page 6
