The Labyrinth *editing*

Chapter 18

So. This will suck. But you can't skip this chapter, because it's important. Just bear with me here ;)

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

Terror shot through every vein in my exhausted body as I skidded to sudden halt, causing the other person following us (who I then saw was Theseus) to crash right into me. We all spilled to the ground like dominoes, as the beast advanced on us.  

I pinched my eyes shut, preparing for the attack; and I knew this time, nobody would jump in front of us to take the 'bullet'.

Thankfully, the wolf did not have in mind to attack us. Evidently, these wolves were not trained to kill in particular, but to catch. The pack of four wolves surrounded us, sniveling and growling, baring their pure white fangs. It felt like a nightmare-- but I knew that I could never wake up from it.

Theseus wrapped his arms protectively around both Paris and I. I prayed for somebody-- anybody-- to come and save us from them. As I began to feel like there was no hope, I unleashed all my tears and sobbed. Paris was trembling, but his eyes were dry. The wolves slowly began to close in on us.

Suddenly, my prayer was answered, if not in the way I'd wanted.

"Back it up, ye beasts! BACK, I said!" an angry voice shouted from very nearby.

I eased my eyes opened a crack to see a plump man dressed in a fancy robe, embroidered with silk and gold thread; waving his arms wildly at the dogs, shouting at the top of his lungs. The dogs immediately lost their opposing body language, as they dropped their stances and let their hackles fall back. The plump man waddled over to us and chuckled.

I flinched. This could only mean one thing-- We were caught.

"Looks like I caught me some ye suckers!" she crowed. Another man, a skinny one, came through the bushes, laughing.

"'Bout time too!" He wandered over to us, huddled up in fear. He pulled us apart roughly to inspect us. He leaned down in wonder to give us a good, long look. He fingered my hair. "Its golden," he whispered. Evidently, this was as rare a thing in Crete as it was in Athens. He looked at Theseus next. "This one's got some muscles on him!" he chuckled. As he inspected Paris, he laughed harder. "And this one's a shrimp!"

Both men cracked up at this. Paris glowered at them angrily.

The plump one put his ruddy face close to mine. I scowled my hardest and allowed a deep growl to rise in my throat.

"This one is different from the rest. And she's feisty," he added as I stuck my lower lip out in defiance.

"What do you want from us?" I demanded heatedly, knowing full and well what they wanted.

"Well whadda ya think, missy?" the plump one laughed.

I scowled even deeper.

"Get up, y'all," the skinny man growled. I refused to comply to his order. He knit his eyebrows together in annoyance.

Without any warning, he grabbed me roughly by the hair and pulled me to my feet.

"OW!" I screeched. "What was that for?!" I yelled.

He snorted with laughter. "If you don't obey us, there are consequences."

Theseus and Paris immediately stood up at this to avoid a similar fate. I scuffed my feet in the dust, nervous and beaten. I rubbed my scalp with a pointed, accusing look at the skinny man.

"You never answered my question. What do you want from us?" I asked again.

There was long pause. Finally the plump one replied, "We're sent by the king to retrieve you little stinkers. We're both dog trainers, and this is my dog pack. His pack all disappeared except for one, which came back badly injured...I wonder if you might have something to do with it...Anyway, we've finally caught some!" He beamed. "The king will be pleased with us for bringing you to him. We'll be promoted! We'll get riches of unspeakable worth! We'll be the richest, more highly regarded men in the empire!" he gloated, jumping excitedly.

"Well, I don't mean to deflate your head a little or anything, but I give all the credit to the dogs for catching us," I growled defensively.

He ignored me and rounded up the dogs, which were quite harmless-looking now in the presence of their trainers. The skinny man snuck up behind me, and tied my wrists together roughly. I kicked him, but he avoided my flying foot nimbly. He tied all of our hands behind our backs and attached us by a large, heavy, sturdy chain. I lost all hope of escaping one more time. Theseus kept his cool, while Paris remained petrified. I was just feisty, and furious of our capture. I glared repressively at the wolves who were responsible for our capture.

"Move out," the plump man called out to the pack. We were jerked forward suddenly, and I realized we were attached to the dogs with the chain. No chance of escaping... The dogs pulled us along at an uncomfortably fast pace. I admired the surrounding wilderness for one last time, as I suspected it would be the last time I would be at least partially free, and alive for that matter. I sighed in realizing this. For the last weeks I had been preparing myself for this, but now that death felt so close, it was a completely different feeling. Before I had been dreading the moment that was soon awaiting, but now I was relaxed, calm, and accepting of the fact that there was no escape. All the options had been closed off; the very last being the one that ended the moment I was chained up.

I decided to ask a simple, valid question to fill the unsettling, deathly silence.

"How far is it to the palace?" I asked pleasantly and politely.

"Not far now," one growled.

"Can I have a more specific number, please? I like to know where I'm going," I said as coolly as if I were asking my mother to pass the salt.

"You'll see. Like I said, not far now..."

I did not realize the significance of the phrase, 'you'll see' until I actually did see it. As we mounted the hillside, a towering, grand, sparkling, massive structure barged into my vision. I gaped at it. It was the most gigantic thing I had ever seen-- incredibly colossal, and imposing, with massive towers rising above the building itself. Gardens framed it in colors, taking my breath away.

"Stix, that is one big building..." Pairs murmured after a long, low whistle.

"Welcome to Knossos," the fat man gloated. He then pointed out a large outlying city, which was at least the size of Athens, but it still was dwarfed by the palace. The dogs pulled us ahead in excitement at the sight of their home. I lurched forward with them, almost tripping over a rock in my bare feet.

Our two captors were chatting happily about how they would be promoted for bringing us back. I cast a glance around for any sign of the others at all, as we had scattered without telling each other where we were going. I hoped to the heavens that they had all been able to escape and had been luckier than us. My first hopes were dashed almost immediately as a voice shouted at our group to slow down. I whipped my head around to see a trainer and his pack, along with Adrienne and Alethea, both looking very hopeless, chained up in a fashion similar to us. It was both comforting and horrifying to see them.

"Adrienne! Alethea!" I cried in dismay. When they had caught up to us, Adrienne burst into tears.

"We tried to run, we really did! But the dogs! They circled us, and there was no way we could get out. Now we're going to die...If only I could have run faster," she whispered while sobbing.

I patted her back awkwardly. "It's okay, Adrienne. We got caught too. We can die together," I said in a sadistic way that I thought was very comforting. She looked at me in horror.

"Thanks, Xenia. That makes me feel so much better," she said sarcastically. I shrugged apologetically. 

"Get movin' ye swine," The skinny one muttered harshly.

We obediently moved along. With each step I took to the palace, the more dread I felt about meeting my fate. I glanced at the disappearing wilderness, which was melting away as we entered the city. I inhaled deeply, knowing it would be the last breath of fresh, free air I'd ever get.