Sevenfold Sword: Maze by Jonathan Moeller

Author:Jonathan Moeller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: frostborn, ridmark arban, calliande, sevenfold sword

Chapter 13: Shadow Selves

Calliande touched her staff to the doors, and they slid open.

Once again, the maze beyond the doors had reconfigured itself.

This time, she looked into a winding tunnel of the Deeps. It looked like many of the other regions of the Deeps that she had visited, with rough stone walls, patches of ghost mushrooms glowing here and there, and a sandy floor that looked as if it flooded on occasion. There was no sign of any enemies.

“This doesn’t look like the portion of the Deeps that led to the Basilisk’s Run,” said Tamara.

“It is not,” said Third, pointing at the walls. “That is a different kind of rock. Additionally, none of the tunnels were quite this narrow or high.”

“Do you recognize the tunnel?” said Tamlin.

“I don’t,” said Calliande, rubbing her forehead. “But there were so many different ones over the years.” She sighed. “I suppose I shall recognize it once we are attacked. No doubt it is based on my memory of some battle or another.”

“Perhaps we shall find the way out this time,” said Tamlin.

Calliande doubted it. She was beginning to think that she was missing the obvious. If they faced whatever foe awaited them in this new version of the maze, no doubt it would reset again, and again, and again, until they ran out of food and water and died of thirst or one of the creatures in the maze killed them. The way out of this place would not be found by force of arms or the strength of her magic.

How, then?

She had the key with her. What did that mean? Was it the answer to escape, or just another cruel taunt from a dark elven noble who had refined cruelty to a sinister art?

Calliande realized that the others were waiting for her to take action.

“Let’s go,” said Calliande, pulling herself together. “Same order as before. Maybe we’ll find some answers this time.”

She glanced at Tamlin as he walked alongside Third, and a wave of guilt went through Calliande. What if Tamlin was killed before they escaped from the maze? In eight lifetimes, it seemed that he was the only man that Tamara had ever loved. Or what if Tamara fell in a fight? Tamlin had lost her at Urd Maelwyn and again at Trojas. Would he lose her a third time because Calliande was too dense to see the means of escaping this maze?

Well, that problem had an easy solution, didn’t it? Calliande just had to find her way out.

No enemies showed themselves as the tunnel wound its way back and forth, the level of the floor rising. Calliande held her staff and her magic ready, the Sight sweeping around her. Though as always it was hard to pick out anything through the twisted magic of the Tyrathstone. Memories stirred within her, old fears swimming to the forefront of her mind. She had a memory of helplessness, of ropes biting into her, of a net…

“Oh,” she said as the memory came into focus. “I know this place.

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