Two creatures with braided hair down their vertebrae, noses up in the air, and tar that slid off their bodies crept in a hallway perpendicular to theirs Eirek tightened his grip on his sword and followed Cain's lead by brushing up against the wall. He didn't care about dirtying his white crushed-leather tailcoat with rows of braided fastenings that extended down his chest; it was already dirty from their encounter with an identical creature earlier in the labyrinth. Eirek had done nothing besides get in the way then.
"We won't be able to take on both of them. We barely managed one," Eirek whispered.
"Now that I know power cannot be used, I will not get distracted," Cain said. "Even if you cannot kill, you can distract one of them while I manage mine."
Eirek sighed. The most he had done in the first battle was slice the creature's vertebrae, but it congealed only seconds later. Cain had finished it then with a single swipe through the neck, clean and thorough.
Eirek peeked around Cain; the two creatures were not visible anymore. "Where did the creatures go?"
"Down the path I believe." Cain tilted his head against the sandstone slab. In front of him was a picked carcass—scraps of clothing, dirty and uneaten, still clung to the ribs. Cain exhaled and gripped his dual-bladed halberd. "Ready your weapon."
Eirek was ready; he had been ever since entering the labyrinth. But his readiness only consisted of a shaking arm and slow reactions. When Cain moved from the wall to the next hallway, Eirek followed him.
Nothing.
A roar occurred—a powerful roar, as if the planet itself was cracking.
A single raindrop hit his nose. And then another on his cheek. A sconce on the wall that had been unlit like all the others now glowed with fire. What kind of power is that? "How is that possible? It's raining."
"It is this labyrinth. Let us quicken our pace."
Eirek followed Cain around the next bend. "Did the roar make it happen?"
"Potentially. My father told me that an item lives here that gives the ability to cast power without any natural source present. Like this." Cain pointed to another flaming sconce. A little farther down the path, Cain paused. "Did you hear that?"
Eirek hadn't. He shook his head as he perked his ears to try and catch what Cain heard. A light patter of sporadic raindrops hitting the dirt barely reached his ears.
"We need to move faster." Cain's pace quickened, and Eirek found that he needed to keep a light jog to stay with the man's long strides. His partner took a left and then a right. A dead end. Eirek looked at the slab of sandstone and wondered how the others were doing. That was their sixth dead end so far. A rustle of footsteps echoed behind them.
"Did you hear that?" Cain said.
Eirek gulped and nodded. He put his forehead to his arm and wiped his face clean. He noticed Cain touch the side of his glasses. A red film slid down the lenses from the frames.
"What's that?"
"A heat sensor. We are being followed. To the left."
Eirek saw only sandstone.
An eerie, tenebrous laugh echoed throughout the maze. "Lost, are you?"
Eirek kept close to Cain as he walked back the way he came. Whenever Cain tilted his neck, he did the same. Rain started to patter more frequently now. Eirek looked up and noticed the clouds no longer contained any hint of gray.
After returning to the split and going the other way, Eirek saw a man step out from the labyrinth walls. He was of Eirek's height, with dark-brown hair. He smiled and went through the opposite labyrinth wall, which opened up for him and closed immediately after.
"How did he do that?" Eirek asked. His neck tightened, and his shoulders became rigid. He gripped his sword tighter. "Cain, did you see that?"
Cain only nodded and walked forward, keeping his head to the right. At the end of the path, Cain went right for a few paces.
"You are going the wrong way." A sick laugh followed.
"Show yourself!" Cain moved his head slightly.
"As you wish."
From the path where they had just come, a man with trimmed brown hair and dark black eyes emerged. Bags had formed underneath his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for centuries. A circle with an equilateral triangle inside was etched into his left cheek. Tattoos covered the length of his arms.
"Tr . . . Troy Pavos. . . .How is this possible?" Cain slid his hand down the middle of his dual-sided halberd and pushed a button. He broke the long piece of steel in half, carrying one axe in each hand.
"How do you know my name?"
"I have been acquainted with the myths of this labyrinth for some time now." Cain twirled each axe in his hand. "My family inherited what was once yours."
Eirek took a place by Cain's side. He saw the man contemplate Cain's words, his dark eyes never leaving him.
"A prince from Epoch, this ought to be fun." The man cackled and withdrew his sword. "Let us test powers." The man smirked. "Palo."
Fire roared toward them. Eirek hugged the labyrinth wall and felt the heat crash behind him. When he looked back, he saw that Cain had rushed the man.
Water tried to swallow Cain, but he sidestepped the spell; the labyrinth floor tried to trip him, but he jumped. Eirek ran after him, propelled by his courage. I need to show my worth.
Steel on steel echoed as Eirek watched Cain exchange blows with Troy. Cain was agile and managed to keep Troy engaged. Eirek slowly approached, then he stopped and watched the steel blades protest one another in rings and chimes. This isn't just some fight. They are fighting for life and death. Eirek cringed at the thought and stepped backwards, not wanting to interrupt his partner's cadence. Cain elbowed Troy and then proceeded to punch him with his iron knuckles. The man skidded to the labyrinth floor. As Cain was about to bring down both axes on him, he rolled toward the labyrinth wall, disappearing for the time being.
"Eirek, we need to move."
Eirek nodded and ran to catch up to Cain's position. A right and then another left. And another left. Thunder and lightning now accompanied the rain. The ground was becoming muddy. Cain was ten paces ahead of Eirek and gaining distance. Before he knew what was happening, Eirek was thrown against the labyrinth wall. His side erupted in pain. Troy was standing over him, a sly grin on his face.
"Cain!"
The man raised his sword and brought it down. Eirek managed to put up his sword in time. He darted his eyes toward the right and saw Cain running back to him.
"I do not think so." A mound of earth shot up from the labyrinth floor, separating him from his partner. Eirek took the time to slash at the man's leg and roll out of the way. The man cursed, and Eirek noticed the mound of earth release. Cain continued to run toward them.
"You will pay for that." The man threw his arm down, and a bolt of yellow hit Eirek.
Shocks swirled throughout Eirek's body, shaking him in a violent throe. His eyes became dizzy as he floated in and out of coherency. Steel scratches kept him awake. It accompanied talk, but Eirek couldn't understand what was being said. Fire soared over the top of him, nearly scathing his face. Eirek twitched his fingers. A deluge of water, as if a waterfall had just been placed on top of him, made him gasp for air. He jolted up and noticed Cain sidestepping Troy. He only had one weapon now.
Steel argued for dominance. Eirek massaged his head and looked for his sword—it had fallen out of his hand and was an arm's length away from him. He rolled over in the mud and grabbed it. When he returned his gaze, Cain was kneeling on the ground, mud-splattered freckles on his face. No! The man slashed downward at Cain, but Cain managed to raise his weapon. He couldn't hold onto it, though, and it went skidding to the floor.
I need to help him. Eirek got to his feet and started to inch toward his partner. The continuous stream of raindrops muffled his steps. Another swipe. Cain put his arms up to where a sword would be and roared in agony. Blood dripped down his arms, joining the mud on the ground soon after.
Getting within range, Eirek jumped and lunged at the man, sword first. Despite the weak jab, there was only slight resistance. It wasn't like stabbing a piece of cooked meat with a fork or pounding a shovel into the earth; it was smooth, like a spoon dipping into a piece of creamcake with a nut-like base. When the blood splattered Eirek's face and clothes, he let go of the sword, shocked at what he had just done.
I . . . I . . .
Troy fell to his knees. Then to all fours. Then to his back. Blood wet his lips. Rain pounded his face. Eirek looked toward Cain, who lay on his back. Eirek inched closer and hovered over Troy's still-breathing body; the blade Eirek used protruded from the man's chest, drenched in dark red. Eirek turned his head and vomited. Dizziness plagued him, shaking overtook his hand, and heavy breathing controlled his mouth. Only after he heard noise did he look. The man was talking.
Eirek tried ignoring the sword sticking up from his stomach. The black eyes had faded into brown. "Take . . . take . . . this path . . ." He raised his arm and pointed it the way they had been going. "At the split . . . go left . . . it . . . it will take you to . . . to our prize. . . ." His body collapsed. "Brother . . . I am coming. . . ." Troy closed his eyes for the last time and got the rest his eyes were searching for.
"Eirek!" Cain coughed.
Eirek stepped over Troy's dead body and noticed Cain. Red and brown freckles dirtied his face, but his glasses remained clean. Forest-green eyes darted back and forth between Eirek's.
"Are you okay?" Eirek asked.
"Nothing is fatal. We . . . we are close. You need to complete the trial."
"Together."
"No . . . I . . . I . . . will get there, but I will be of no use. I cannot hold anything; Troy slashed my arms open."
Eirek looked down to the cuts in Cain's biceps. The rest of his body remained unscathed due to the chainmail and gambeson. His silver steel helm was now a dirty brown with a splash of red throughout.
"But . . . but . . ."
"Eirek . . . my story is ending here. Your chapter continues and . . . and when you win the trial, it will mean another chapter written in our success. Do your duty as a partner. . . . Win this trial for both of us."
"What about . . . my . . . my . . . sword?" Eirek looked at his sword, still lodged in the man. To retrieve it he would need to roll the man over and pull. He had never killed before. How was he supposed to just retrieve his sword?
"Imagine you are pulling a book from a shelf. . . . That is what I did until I became accustomed to it."
Eirek gulped and knelt by the dead man. He stuck his hands under the man's arms, raised them, and pushed. With his left hand, he held the man on his side, and with his right, he grabbed the swords hilt, which was covered in blood. Since receiving the sword, he had found the pommel fascinating, as it was never attached to the sword, but it floated next to it—a dark sphere with two silver rings. Like I'm pulling out a book. Eirek closed his eyes and started pulling. There was more resistance this time. He continued pulling, not thinking about the rain or the warmth he felt draining from the man's body. Then a release. Blood soaked the ground, managing to grab hold of Eirek's pants. Instantly Eirek stood up and covered his nose, trying to avoid the metallic stench that the bloodbath gave off. Without his touch, the man slumped onto his face, drowning in mud.
"Go. Hurry . . ."
He was pulled back to reality by Cain's voice. Not able to look at the blood, he sheathed the sword. His gait started at a walk, but before he could advance to a run, Cain called out to him, "Eirek . . . you did well."
Eirek smiled and looked back. "Thank you, Cain."
Turning around, he continued on the path. He followed Troy's directions but was fueled by Cain's words. He ran, hoping that by doing so he would have no time to think about what he had just done.