Kings Game

Chapter 34 - Labyrinth

(1)

Nul traveled through the strange tunnel for ages. When it showed no sign of varying from its straightforward path, they once more let their lights die out and walked in utter darkness. They trailed their hand along the wall, feeling for any variation in the tiles. Waiting, hoping, for another puzzle.

Time was indiscernible in the darkness. They walked until their legs grew tired and then paused to rest, taking sips of water from the bottles. Once their legs no longer hurt, they would begin walking again. They repeated this process for hours. As their strength waned, and they began to consider stopping to sleep, their finger's felt a change in the tile pattern.

Nul's heart soared as they filled the tunnel with light once more. They'd found another puzzle. This one was similar to the last. It took Nul only a few minutes to parse out the solution and create the correct focus marking to open the door.

This door opened not to another tunnel, but to a room. The room was large and spacious, with several bunks spread along the walls. From the corner came a steady dripping sound. Looking closer, Nul found an alcove with a stove, several cabinets, and a basin that was being slowly filled by a dripping spout. A clever bit of engineering drained water out of the basin so that it couldn't overflow and the water was constantly refreshed.

Nul sniffed the water. Then, feeling emboldened, dipped their hands in it and drank a mouthful. The water was crisp and clean and very cold. It had a slight metallic taste to it and made Nul think of melted snow. After drinking a few more mouthfuls, Nul continued their exploration of the room.

Perusing the cabinets, Nul found rations and dried foodstuffs. The packaging was old and fell apart in Nul's hands, but the food appeared well preserved. The room was old but had managed to avoid the worst consequences of time.

A little more searching produced a lamp filled with oil. Nul snapped their fingers, creating a flame and igniting the wick. Adjusting the shades and mirrors, Nul got the lamp to illuminate the room.

Finally relaxing, they stripped off their coat and raided the cabinets for some clean cloths. Then, finding a bowl, they set about cleaning their burn wounds, filling the bowl with water and gently dabbing each burn with the cloth, rinsing and repeating. It was a slow and painful process, one that left the bowl full of blood and burnt skin, but Nul felt better when their arms stopped crackling every time they moved.

When the worst of the pain subsided, Nul raided the cabinets for some rations and went to collapse on a bunk. The ration was made from dried oats, nuts, and pressed sugar. It was stale and hard as stone, but Nul managed to gnaw their way through it. The solid food settled in their stomach like a rock.

"Better than the tonic," Nul said aloud, holding their stomach and wishing for some melted chocolate. Coffee would have been nice too. They had coffee in their supplies but those were with Roran, somewhere at the bottom of a cliff. Nul briefly thought of calling for Sarah but dismissed the notion. If Sarah was near enough to hear Nul, then she already would have appeared to them.

"You found yourself a good companion."

Roran and Kell both had. Sarah was interesting and smart, while Karyn was kind, helpful, and compassionate. Nul missed their friends. They closed their eyes and brought up memories of the five of them spending time together. Sarah was a recent addition but she'd warmed up to Nul quickly and had spent a few evenings chatting with them while Kell, Karyn, and Roran sat around drinking and talking about nothing and everything. With a smile on their lips, Nul drifted off to sleep.

They woke with no concept of time passing. It could have been hours or minutes. Not that it mattered. The lantern had burned through a fair amount of oil but Nul didn't know how to convert that into a meaningful measurement of time.