Helix

Chapter 15 - Ruby

I was alone in the dark. The crowd had separated me from my friends, and now I was feeling my way to an unknown exit somewhere. I had no idea where I was going, rather feeling the stone under my feet, slippery from underground moisture. Sometimes, I'd step on a patch of softness, which I assumed was moss. Hopefully.

Suddenly turning a corner, a small torch burned, illuminating an intersection in the maze. I stopped myself, examining which way to go – not that I had a real tactic. I had no idea how much time had passed then, so panic was slowly starting to settle in. Left, or right? Some people were already marking their ways from the scratches on the side, but I knew that as long as I didn't take three rights or lefts in a row, the scratches would be useless. Suddenly, a talking noise came from the left side, getting louder as footsteps came closer.

A snicker. "Well, I guess those dummies we just met were unlucky."

"Yeah! But you can't blame us – his excellency is paying us real good for this," said a second voice, one much higher like a girl's.

"Ha, you got that right. But I wonder why his excellency is doing this, getting rid of competitors. Would it actually increase his excellency's chance of winning?" the first voice asked. I was getting a sense of what the duo was doing now, and I realized I needed to get out quickly before they noticed me. I doubt I would hold up against two students without knowing their skill levels.

Swiftly, I darted into the right passage. But in my haste, a pebble skidded across the floor. "Who is it?" the boy called. They broke into a sprint, squeaking across the stones, sending pebbles bouncing off the walls in echoes. I crouched in the darkness that disappeared behind the light, not daring to make a sound.

"Show yourself," the girl threatened. Fro my position, I vaguely made out her figure brandishing two knives. The boy pulled out a sword from his hips. Something dribbled off the edges of the blade, and I didn't dare to guess what it was. Tentatively, the duo circled the area. With every step they took closer to my hiding spot, my heart raced so hard that I feared they could hear it. Finally, I let out a quiet sigh of relief when the girl said, "I think he went that way," pointing down the tunnel I came from. Even after their scrambling footsteps died completely, I was paralyzed in the same position.

This was it. I couldn't play it like a simple game anymore. There were people out there who really wanted to kill me, and I was too naive to believe that I could swoop in and save Idyrith by myself.

Yet, the image of how a slick liquid coated the duo's weapons flashed across my mind over and over again. Who were they referring to with "his excellency?" I had a feeling that it was the spy that had infiltrated Rephia. No, I can't stop here. What good would it do to Idyrith if I was eliminated in the first stage?

I supported my hand on the wall and pushed myself forward. In the endless corridors that followed, I finally grew more accustomed to the darkness. The slippery surface on the ground pushed me forward, and the sporadic empty echoes were melodies in my ears.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps — a rain of footsteps that I couldn't discern from one another. It was too late to hide, and we ran into each other.

"Ouch!" I cried, rubbing my forehead. In the darkness a girl cried ow as well. "Wait, Hady?" I asked unsurely.

"Elaena, I can't believe it's you!" I felt a giant weight lift off my shoulders when I realized it was Hady.

Turns out, after we got separated at the entrance, Hady bumped into Leo, and now they formed a team. "Want to join us?" Hady offered.

"Sure!" I was quick to agree because the darkness was really getting to me. "I'm Elaena," I said to Leo.

He nodded. "I'm Leo." He held out his hand. I took it, but I was surprised by how calloused his fingers were.