Page 13 of A Sea of Secrets
“Yeah.” He nodded, his face paling. “The branches wrapped around him then pulled him away.”
“Cool,” Lou said with a sick grin.
I slid even closer to Kendra, keeping my distance from the murderous hedges, while Lou seemed to move closer. “There’s something wrong with you,” I grumbled, then received an elbow to the ribs from Kendra. “Ow!”
“There’s nothing wrong with my girlfriend,” Kendra snapped, glaring up at me. “She’s perfect.”
I grimaced but didn’t reply because Kendra’s pointy little elbows got between my ribs when she used them. It was like getting bit by a baby shark, and that was no party, let me tell you. Kendra may have been small, but she was feisty and had proved time and time again that she shouldn’t be underestimated. She was a gnarly opponent and I wouldn’t want to fight her. Luckily, we were on the same team.
“Zane, stop playing with my hair,” Kendra said, trying to slip away from me.
I held her hand tight, not letting her go. Clearly, the stress of this place was getting to her. “I’m not touching your hair.”
The air was suddenly filled with the sound of chattering little kids like recess in a schoolyard. Chills ran up my spine, causing me to shiver.
“Ring around the rosie...”
Tap, tap, tap.
“A pocket full of posies...”
Tap tap, tap tap.
There’s something about ancient songs that really gave me the heebee jeebees.
“How cool is this?!” Lou all but squealed, her hands clutched to her chest as she grinned in genuine enthusiasm.
“Freezing,” I said, shaking my head and releasing Kendra’s hand. I grabbed Dick, hanging him over my shoulder like afisherman with his catch. “Time to get moving before we all turn to ice!”
“Zane!” he shouted in protest, but I needed someone to watch my back, and he was as good a shield as any. Besides, we would move faster this way.
“Keep those eyes of yours peeled!” I called to him, running ahead. I didn’t want to stick around this maze any longer. “This place is full of surprises and not of the sexy variety!”
“Wait up!” Kendra shouted, and I glanced back to see her running behind me, dragging a reluctant Lou along.
I grabbed her hand and we raced through the maze, all the while the singing followed us, but I didn’t stop. Not when Dick hit my back and demanded to be put down and definitely not when I saw the end in sight. Ahead of me, a wide archway split the hedge to reveal a mansion in the distance. Shouting swam towards us as other Potentials ran past the archway. A sign if I’d ever seen one that this was the centre of the maze.
What creepy shit lay beyond was anyone’s guess, but this pirate was ready for it.
Vinesslashedatme,wrapping around my legs with surprising strength. But I was stronger. My muscles ached, straining with pressure as those sentient plants slithered up my torso and found purchase around my throat. My lungs burned, my airways closing as the hedge came alive and squeezed me tightly.
With my vision beginning to spot, I clawed at my throat, trying to slip my fingers under those deadly lassos, but it was no use. I bent double, my legs wobbling as the energy left my very bones.
My adaptation. Maybe if I…
But nothing happened. No rocky exterior coated my skin. Not a whisper of the skill that amplified my strength and clad me in impenetrable armour. So, this is what it had come to. Nomagic, no weapons, no adaptations. It wasn’t hard to guess why they called it a trial of the mind.
The Overseer would have to wait another day for her share of bloodshed, because not fucking ever would I die such a miserably pathetic death. I had too much to accomplish and too many people I’d be letting down if it ended here. My city, my parents, Flynn… andher.The girl who’d stolen something I’d never thought to give. The thought of never seeing her again, never wrapping my arms around her body or hearing her laugh… it was unbearable. Unthinkable.
With a grunt, I lifted to my full height and strained my arms with every kernel of strength still pumping through my veins. Finally, with one last heave, I broke out of the vined straitjacket and ripped the greenery apart until its leaves exploded like confetti.
One step. Then another. My legs broke free of the vines, giving me full freedom of movement to grab those damned tethers and snap them off my neck. As I did, the green wires wilted before they dropped to the ground, turning to ash before my very eyes.
I sucked down air greedily, coughing and spluttering as my lungs filled with precious oxygen. My body ached, and I had no doubt I’d be sporting a lovely new purple necklace, but I was alive. It would have to be enough for now.
I looked around and stroked my raw throat absentmindedly. I was no stranger to hard work or tough environments, but this was new. In the Steppes, there were times when our city’s economy had slumped so low, that my family had fallen back on every survival skill in the book. We lived in a damn desert, after all. One I’d been stupid enough to get stranded in not just once but twice. Survive that, and one can survive anything.
And yet, circumstances even then had never felt as dire as they did in this fucking academy. It was always one thing afteranother. It was getting under my skin. But… later. All these things could be tabled until later when I found the group once more. It was odd how much things had changed so quickly. No one would ever replace Flynn, but I’d found a sort of comradery with the boys. Sure, we all wanted the same sexy angel, and that competitive streak in me would never happily allow them to win, but there was growing trust among us all the same. Friendship, dare I say.
