Page 20 of Labyrinth of Broken Vows
“So… Grom,” I start, trying to sound casual. “You got any family?”
“Dead.”
Oh. Okay. I chew on my bottom lip, considering my next move.It’s going to be a long trek through this maze, and it seems like getting anything out of Grom other than grunts and one-word answers is going to be a challenge in itself.
“How much longer till we get to the castle?” I ask, already dreading the answer. My feet ache with every step, and I feel like I’ve been walking forever.
Grom doesn’t bother looking at me. “Another day or two.”
I stop in my tracks, incredulous. “Another day or two?!”
“Yes.”
I groan loudly, rubbing my temples in frustration. “You don’t know any shortcuts or anything?”
He just grunts, the same grunt that’s starting to get on my last nerve. I’m about to say something else when he suddenly stops dead in his tracks and lifts a hand, silencing me with a sharp shush. His posture shifts, tense, alert.
My heart skips a beat, confusion giving way to unease. "What? What is it?"
He doesn’t answer at first. His eyes dart around, scanning the twisted hedges of the maze, and there’s something in hisexpression that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Fear. Grom, the massive, stoic troll, actually looks scared.
“Stay here,” he says in a low, gravelly voice.
I open my mouth to argue, but then I hear it too. A sound, faint at first; a low growl that rumbles through the air like distant thunder. My blood turns cold.
Grom moves cautiously, walking slowly toward the corner of the maze where the sound came from. His hand hovers near the hilt of his knife, but something moves faster than I can register. A blur of black fur and snarling jaws lunges at him from the shadows.
It looks like a dog; but not like any dog I’ve ever seen. It’s massive, at least the size of a small horse, with shadowy, wispy fur that seems to shift and melt into the darkness. Its eyes glow a sickly green, and its fangs are long and jagged, dripping with saliva. This thing is no ordinary animal; it’s a nightmare brought to life.
“Run!” Grom bellows, his voice shaking the air. “It’s a Shade Hound!”
The Shade Hound snarls and snaps, its jaws closing around Grom’s arm as he struggles to push it off. I should run. I know I should. But I’m frozen, watching in horror as this monster tears into him. My breath catches in my throat, my instincts screaming at me to flee. But then I see it; the knife Grom always carries, the one that’s now lying on the ground just a few feet away.
Grom shouts again, his voice strained with pain. “I said run!”
The hound sinks its fangs deeper into his arm, and Grom’s roar of agony snaps me out of my paralysis. I can’t just leave him. He’s helped me survive this nightmare of a maze so far.
Before I can second-guess myself, I dive for the knife. My fingers close around the hilt, and without thinking, I rush toward the Shade Hound. Its back is turned to me, all its focuson tearing Grom apart. My hand shakes, my heart pounds in my chest, but I steady myself and drive the knife into its side with all the force I can muster.
The Shade Hound yelps, its body jerking in pain. It releases Grom and stumbles back, black blood oozing from the wound. Grom doesn’t waste a second. He grabs the knife from me, his face twisted in fury, and with one swift motion, he plunges the blade into the hound’s neck, ending its life. Even thought the beast was going to kill us, I still flinch at the sound of Grom’s final assault.
I stand there, frozen, my body trembling. The hound’s body collapses to the ground, its shadowy form slowly dissipating into nothing. I can still feel the weight of the knife in my hand, the sickening squelch of it sinking into flesh.
My stomach churns, and I struggle to breathe. I’ve never killed anything in my life.
“Are you okay?” Grom’s voice is calm, but I can see the tension in his eyes as he checks me over. His arm is bloodied and torn, but he doesn’t seem to care.
I just nod, unable to form words. My legs feel like jelly, and I can’t stop shaking.
Grom looks down at the dead hound, then back at me. “This isn’t right. This is all wrong.”
I blink at him, still trying to steady my breathing. “What do you mean? What is that thing?”
“A Shade Hound,” he says, his voice grim. “From the northern quadrant. They aren’t supposed to be here.”
“What are you saying?” I ask, my voice shaky. “What’s going on?”
Grom looks around, his eyes scanning the maze with a newfound urgency. “Something is wrong. The maze… it’s changing. We need to move, now.”
