Dimensions

Chapter 15: The Labrynth

Written by PhoenixAndHippogriff

Everyone's panicking. A female Deviann is dragging me away. My vision goes black.

I don't know how much time has passed but suddenly light ensues. The Deviann still grips my arms but the crowd has silenced to whispers.

"What does she mean?"
"The end? What end?"
"She's insane."
"Trying to get attention."
"Crazy dreegarb." (Note: this is a derogatory term in Devanish. Usually classed as explicit.)
"The end is coming? What could that mean?"

I give the Deviann a confused look. The one holding me spits in my face. I want to wipe it away but she is still grasping my wrists, and slowly twisting them.

I can start to feel the strain as my arms are twisted. The woman drags me away but the crowd is shouting now, pushing towards me. I can feel my personal space decreasing, as Deviann press themselves together in order to get close. The High Priest is yelling at everyone, attempting to control the crowds in vain. There are yells and shouts and I can't hear anything. Arms reach towards me, some gentle but some hard, trying to grab or scratch me. I want to run away, to disappear to spare me this but I am being held roughly in place.

Suddenly everything goes quiet. I feel a tug, in my gut, and double over. When I stand back up I am with Carina and the boy from my dream. The girl is nowhere. A human stands in front of us.

"I want to be king," he says.

Then the tug loosens and all of a sudden I am back where I was. It is quiet again. People are whispering something about me saying something again but I can't hear because the Deviann holding me is dragging me away.

"Tell me," I say, when we are out of the crowd, "Tell me what happened."

She sneers. "You were there. You should be explaining yourself. 'The end is coming'. What the Chase was that? Go on dreegarb, tell me."

"The end is coming?" I mutter.

"I don't know," I say out loud, "I can't even remember. Everything went black the first time, then the next I saw these humans and one was asking to be king. I don't know what happened here! I promise."

"The promise of a traitor means nothing. You're just trying to get us to believe your stupid little story."

"It was true! And I have evidence and-"

"And later tonight you are going to be put in that Labrynth and torn apart by the Cerberi. And when we hear your screams leave your mangled body we'll all laugh and rejoice because another lying, crazy, traitor has been removed from our lands. Think about that tonight."

I stand there in shock. I know what I have to do.

"Well, Flare, I am sorry about your brother. And your friend, Blaze. You're a Kreatee, aren't you? Blaze was more than a friend to you, wasn't he?"

"Shut up!" She cries.

"I am really sorry. They were Cerberi Trainers, weren't they? But one got loose. And they were new to the job. They couldn't stay in control. I remember you, Flare. I don't forget the face of someone who's been through that much pain. And I'm sorry. I really am."

"NO!" She wails, "No. You didn't know them. You don't know what it's like to have a secret romance. To realise what you are for the first time, to realise that if anyone knew you'd be an outcast. To know who one of your family is. To be hiding from the world."

"Actually I do," I whisper.

Then she bursts into tears and holds me close to her. I rub her back, trying to comfort her. I feel like I'm trying to hold myself together more than help her, though. Because I'm realising the reality of the situation. Realising that this time tomorrow I'll be dead.

Flare pulls away and smiles shakily at me.

"You need to get ready," she says, her voice cracking slightly, "I'd save you, my friend, but I have to think of myself first."

***

My breathing speeds up as my escort leads me away. The crowds are here, excited by the events. I am led down a staircase and I can see an unlocked trapdoor. I climb down through it and the lower I get the worse my hope gets. I am going to die. I am going to die. I am going to-

"The end is coming."

The Deviann look around in fear and the High Priest slams the door shut. The only light I have is the crystal around my neck. I can hear noises above. I have to get away. So I start running.

I twist around corners and sprint around turns. If I reach a dead end then I turn around and take off in another direction as quick as I can. Time must pass quickly in there because it doesn't seem like an hour before I start to hear howls of Cerberi. Their sounds push me to my fullest and I run faster than before.

The Labrynth is getting lighter. I remember stories of an exit. Thinking about it, it would make sense to be below the cavern. I could find it from any place in the settlement. But now it's too late and my persistent running has got me lost. I could be anywhere by now. My mistake will cost me my life. I'm dead. I'm really dead. There's no point prolonging this, dragging it out. It just gives me hope. False hope, that won't do anything. The exit is a lie. Even if it isn't I'll never find it. So I'm just going to sit down and wait. Soon the Cerberi will come. Soon I will die. There's no hope for me. No hope at all. Perhaps there's hope for Carina, and the girl and the boy from my dream. Perhaps there's hope for the Deviann. Perhaps there's hope for Earth. But for me there's none. So I sit down and I wait.