Labyrinth: Into the Malignant Book 2

Wrong Way

I grabbed a pair of boots from the room that the guard would wear. I replaced my own flats with the boots and hurried down the hallway to my room. No one seemed to care about me being out. Most of the people out of the ballroom were drunk anyways. I rushed to my room and threw open the door.

The black clothes stared at me as I paced back and forth trying to decide what to do. "You've never been outside of the castle. You wanted this night to be memorable" I said to myself trying to choose. After thinking for a minute I smiled. "I am so doing this" I whispered. I threw off my dress and pulled up my dad's pants. They were snug, but I didn't care. Next was the corset. I pulled it on and attempted to lace it the best I could without seeing. I stuck three knives into the spots for the small weapons. After tying the shoes, I threw my dad's coat and pulled the hood over my head to hide my face. I looked into the mirror and hardly recognized myself.

I sheathed my sword and edged open my door to the outside corridor. Everything was clear. The dark of night helped cover me and I raced along the walls. The gardens came into view and I watched until the guard came into view. He looked nervous. That really didn't help my own nerves. I walked up to the guard and tapped his shoulder. He turned and I instantly looked down.

"You actually came" He said with a broad smiled. I met his warm eyes. "Are you going to take me out of the castle?" I asked ignoring his statement. "Right this way" He smirked. The guard looked around to make sure we weren't being followed. I followed him to the edge of the garden and wrinkled my nose. He brought me to the drain where the royal lake was regulated. "Through here" He whispered.

I groaned before stepping into the chilled water. It was about knee high and every time I stepped, the mud on the bottom tried to hold onto my shoes. The tunnel went on and on until the guard put up his hand to stop me. "This way" He said turning to our right. We came to a metal cage like door and the guard pushed it open. "How do you know where all of this is?" I asked him. It was all very suspicious. "Every new guard learns these secrets from the old guards for fun and in case of an attack. We need to get the royal family out as quickly as we can. I've seen firsthand that some of the royal family can handle themselves and a sword without a problem" I smiled at his compliment.

He shoved the drain open and held out a hand to me. I took it and he led me out. We were in the woods that surrounded the city. "The Warriors run these woods!" I said panicking. They would find me and bring me back. "Not if they don't find us" The guard said. "Are you backing out?" He asked mischievously. "Never"

There was a small clearing in the distance and the guard stopped. "I have a surprise to show you" He said giving me a deep smile. I turned back to the castle and its protective walls one last time before retreating with the guard. Something about this felt good. Too good. We came to the side of a mountain.

Vines hung down from the tree getting swallowed by the constantly moving rock. "It's really something" I said admiring the view. "It's better inside" The guard replied. My excitement rose and I stepped into the tree vines. Each vine snaked down over me. It was like they were trying to hold me back, but that only made me push harder. When I forced my way inside, I didn't notice the sudden drop. I held firmly to the side of the cave and looked down. It was over looking a castle. I gaped over the vast land. It was darker than usual. "Did we just step into another kingdom? I've never seen it before" I trailed. The abundant forest and strange ripple in the air made me shudder. A slight breeze flowed over my skin, it felt like poison.

"I don't feel like we should be here" I stammered. "I come here all the time. It's no big deal. No one lives in the castle. Everything is completely abandoned" The guard reassured. "Let me think about this" I said. I walked back into the cave and the guard followed. He looked impatient. I bit my lip and thought. Did I really want to do this? A voice inside my head pulled at my attention. Yes, do it!