09-11-2020, 04:49 PM
He ran until his legs ached and not in the good way at the top of his thighs. The passage chosen at random seemed to be the wrong direction. The walls blurred, smooth and doorless. There had to be a way out. The last time, there was a city buried in the labyrinth and an archway to somewhere. Okay. So maybe it led to an inescapable room dominated by a crazy old man. But at least the man was human. It was a better fate than being swallowed whole by a snake as big as a house.
He flung random fireballs over his shoulder, uncaring for where they landed or what they set ablaze in his wake. Finally, a door appeared. He skid to a stop, clutched the knob, and yanked it open, only to reveal a brick wall. He pounded on it until his fists throbbed like the barrier would crumble with enough force. With an angry, frantic growl, he abandoned the effort and ran onward.
Finally, the passageway came to a blunt end. Jaxen ran to the surface, palms beating at the nothingness of smooth wall. Above, the sky churned open and unreachable. He was trapped. Trapped.
He turned around, panting. In the distance, Aiden and Sage followed, but the hall telescoped the longer he looked. They seemed to grow farther and farther away. Or maybe it was Jaxen who moved backward.
Then, the wall parted to mist, and he fell weightless through the nothing behind. The fall knocked the wind from his lungs, and his head rang bells on the floor. Then a shadow came across the sky, leaned down and whispered in his ear. The heat of her breath shot a shiver across his neck. He didn’t want to see the slits of her eyes or hear the slither of her tongue. The ancient power might have flung her away, but his brain couldn’t concoct any form of defense. Instead, he flung a fist upward, but the strike met empty air as Ethelinda dashed aside.
Like a dream, everything shifted and the next heartbeat, he found himself on his feet. The hall was expanded and he was centered in a wide, thankfully empty. Sage and Aiden weren’t to be seen, and for the first time, Jaxen wished for their company.
He flung random fireballs over his shoulder, uncaring for where they landed or what they set ablaze in his wake. Finally, a door appeared. He skid to a stop, clutched the knob, and yanked it open, only to reveal a brick wall. He pounded on it until his fists throbbed like the barrier would crumble with enough force. With an angry, frantic growl, he abandoned the effort and ran onward.
Finally, the passageway came to a blunt end. Jaxen ran to the surface, palms beating at the nothingness of smooth wall. Above, the sky churned open and unreachable. He was trapped. Trapped.
He turned around, panting. In the distance, Aiden and Sage followed, but the hall telescoped the longer he looked. They seemed to grow farther and farther away. Or maybe it was Jaxen who moved backward.
Then, the wall parted to mist, and he fell weightless through the nothing behind. The fall knocked the wind from his lungs, and his head rang bells on the floor. Then a shadow came across the sky, leaned down and whispered in his ear. The heat of her breath shot a shiver across his neck. He didn’t want to see the slits of her eyes or hear the slither of her tongue. The ancient power might have flung her away, but his brain couldn’t concoct any form of defense. Instead, he flung a fist upward, but the strike met empty air as Ethelinda dashed aside.
Like a dream, everything shifted and the next heartbeat, he found himself on his feet. The hall was expanded and he was centered in a wide, thankfully empty. Sage and Aiden weren’t to be seen, and for the first time, Jaxen wished for their company.