Page 120 of A Drop of Anguish
Janet curls an arm around mine, and we huddle together, Lola between us. The fluttering of her wings is a comfort and terror. Can we all survive this? I’ve brought them into this.
Their bodies tremble, and though their fear is absolutely founded, I don’t want them to be swallowed up by the panic. That’s the easiest way to die. So, even though I don’t feel at all confident, I say, “Are we going to let the boys do all the fighting for us?”
A hysterical laugh builds up in Janet’s throat. “I’m not much of a fighter.”
“No, but we’re smart and resourceful. We have some mysteries to solve here.”
“You mean like the identities of those people?” Lola asks. “There might be some breaks in the force field I could get through, but with those birds swooping around—”
“No, no. Don’t put yourself in danger like that. We’re going to stay together and near our protectors as much as possible, but did you see the maze before we fell into it? There was a cauldron in the middle. I think there’s a message there. I need to find it.”
I don’t exactly explain what makes me think there’s a message, but they don’t ask additional questions. “Okay,” Lola whispers, and Janet nods.
They built a maze for a reason. They want us to either find a way out or there is something hidden in the middle of it. I remember the cauldron. If this is set up for me, they’ll know my strength. If this is about entertainment, they’ll want to give me a chance out, right?
They also want me to finish signing the contract, but I have to hope there’s another way to survive this. Our goal is stalling anyway. How long will it take for the authorities to reach us? No idea.
And then, there’s the whispers in my ear.
I don’t want to think too deeply about what it all means because if I do, I might implode here and now. What I need is to not give up and work through this situation logically. One step at a time.
I cling tightly to Janet’s arm as we step away from Jarron.
“Where are you going?’ he growls immediately. The air above cracks and sizzles. White ash begins falling from nothing, which I assume means he’s almost through the shield. Did they plan for it to be that easy for him to get through? The masked people still seem to be at such ease behind the near-failing magical shield.
They’ve planned for the shield to fail. They want him to shatter it,the voice tells me.
The voice is trying to help us, the only question is, is it part of the games? Should I trust it? I grab Jarron’s forearm. “I don’t think breaking the force field is the right move.”
He turns to face me full on. “Explain.”
“They’re expecting it. Look.” I nod up to the masked people watching us casually. “I think it’s part of their plan. And I, for one, would rather not follow their plan.”
“Kinda hard not to at this point,” Thompson mutters, sweat beading on his brow, despite the cold. “What do you suggest?”
“We move through the maze. There’s something hidden here. Something for us to find.”
“Isn’t that following their plan?” Lola asks.
“In a way, I guess. But I don’t think they’ve set us up to fail. A game is only fun if there’s a way to win.” I wave my hand. “Look, I don’t have a full strategy; it’s just that my intuition tells me that fighting them outright isn’t the correct response. We have to go in.” I point to the stone walls making up the entrance to the maze.
“Together, right?” Jarron asks.
I nod. “All of us.”
“Ahh shit,” Thompson says. “Fine.”
“Together,” Lola and Janet agree simultaneously.
“All right, let’s do this. Let’s beat the Cosmic Council at their own stupid game.”
47
I Do Not Want— To Be A Second Choice
For the first few minutes we walk as a team between the stone walls, everything is quiet. Eerily still. Both Thompson and Jarron shift back into their human forms, feigning ease. Jarron keeps my hand tightly clasped in his, and after a lull of quiet, he pulls me in and whispers, “I can get us out of here if needed.” He says it like it’s a secret. “But I can’t get us all out.”
He nods to the other three.
