The Dragon's Gift [Rewriting]

Chapter 10

In which I enter the labyrinth

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I don't know why I chose to fight. I could have just left the others. They weren't my friends. We had only stuck together for survival, but I felt I couldn't leave them. And a bit risk would be rather fun, too

During the first trial, I was nothing but a burden. This time will be different.

They had dropped us off at a completely different arena. This one still had the crowd of cheering people, but I couldn't see them due to the tall wall of the labyrinth. Unlike the other trial, we were unarmed. There were ten entrances. Four of them were left unoccupied.

I took a deep breath in, then stepped into the maze. Iron doors shut behind me, the sound almost making me jump. I looked at the walls, imagining the determined faces of my peers looking back at me.

I took a step forward, then ran into the maze. I didn't know where the crowd was, but I heard a lot of cheering.

The maze was underground and lit only by the torches on the wall. I grabbed one, then looked around. On the walls were drawings and carvings of faces and some sort of animal. It had a slim body and a long tail. It's legs were long and skinny, but it's talons bore razor sharp claws. I shuddered at the thought of having to encounter one of these creatures.

I ran my hands against the wall. Clay. The walls were made of clay.

I speed walked, then found myself at a forked road.

I looked back and fourth between the two possible passages. I took a deep breath in, then walked through the left passage. I walked for a minute, then sighed. It was a dead end. I groaned in agony. I wasn't going to make it out of here alive.

No food. No water. No way of communication. Right when I found what I wanted, I would die. I felt a bit of tears coming up, but bit them back, then turned to walk back.

A silent hissing sound made me stop in my tracks.

Standing in my way was a creature from the wall. It had white scales with a red, bloodstained mouth. My heart beat accelerated. Even though it lacked eyes, it seemed to be staring right through me.

I slowly took a step back, knowing I would just corner myself. Thee creature took a step forward. It was pretty far away, but I couldn't run. I was trapped. I could only hope it would turn away.

As I was backing up, my hand brushed over the clay walls, I noticed a bit of clay sticking to my hands.

Without hesitation, I quickly rubbed clay over myself, praying it would mask my scent good enough to draw the creature away.

It didn't seem to be working.  

The creature made it's way towards me, sniffing wildy.

Quickly, I put out the torch I was holding, hoping the smell of fire wouldn't draw it's attention.

I was wrong.

The creature jerked it's head towards the sound and the new bit of smoke leading straight towards me.

The creature sniffed around me, it's fangs barred.

Then another idea struck me. I tossed my torch over to the dead end, then watched as the creature ran to the sound of the crash.

I stood up, then ran as fast as I could.. The creature wasn't paying attention to me anymore, but now the smoke from the embers of the torch was gone. Now, even the embers were gone. It wouldn't be long until the creature realized what had happened. I broke into a panic, hoping nothing had happened to the others.

I walked for a bit longer, still a bit shaky from the incident with the creature, when a blood curdling cry erupted. It sounded a bit like Luria.

Without thinking, I ran towards the scream. One of the creatures from earlier was standing over a screaming Luria. Tears were on her face, and her eyes were red and bloodshot.

"Hey!" I yelled. The creature turned it's attention to me. I grabbed a torch from the wall, then waved it in front of me. The creature hissed, backing up. But I couldn't let it get to Luria. She was at a dead end.

"Luria!" I yelled, "come!"

She didn't move, possibly frozen with fear. I couldn't blame her.

I signaled to the creature's long, skinny legs. The creature's legs were tall enough for Luria to run under.

She shook her head, knowing what I was saying.

"Luria!" I yelled again. "Come on!"

She shook her head again, a burst of tears streaming down her cheeks. She was just a child.

Suddenly, I felt a surge of anger at Calysta. How could she do this to someone? What had happened to her before to make her this... paranoid?

I took a deep breath in, then ran under the creature and to Luria. The creature screeched in anger, not liking what I had just done. The creature turned around, then lunged at Luria and I, but I held up the fire in it's face. The creature whimpered, then backed up. I grinned. The beast was afraid of fire.

I could hear Luria's terrified bretahing.

"It'll be okay." I said soothingly. Luria didn't seem too convinced, and the worst part was, I wasn't so sure myself.

The creature lunged back up at us, knocking the fire out of my hands, then stepped on it, putting out the fire.

I muttered a curse and Luria gasped at my profanity.

"Sorry." I muttered. Chilrden...

Now I had no way of defending myself. There weren't any other torches nearby and I was weaponless. I was going to die here...