Assassin's Maze by Everly Frost

Author:Everly Frost [Frost, Everly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ever Realm Books
Published: 2019-05-31T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

It’s impossible to walk quietly. Every footstep carries the crunch of leaves and debris, the ground changing from spongy moss to brittle twigs and back to moss depending on how close we are to a water source. We follow one of the many creeks for a mile while the stillness of the forest around us grows heavier with every step. Only the sound of rushing water signals movement, becoming more distinct as we follow Vlad’s directions to the location of the maze.

Eventually, he stops with a frown. “Do you hear that?”

The whooshing water is loud enough that it doesn’t sound like the creek anymore.

I say, “It has to be a waterfall.”

He presses his lips together in an uncertain line. “Yes, but there aren’t any natural waterfalls around here.”

“Do you think the coven made it?” I ask.

“Maybe. Or maybe it’s the entrance. It won’t be on any map. We’ve been walking steadily uphill for the last mile. It’s not impossible that there could be a waterfall around here.”

Tansy has stayed away from Vlad for the entire trek, but she approaches us now, saying, “I sense magic here. It could be the witches or it could be that we’re close to the maze.”

“I feel it, too.” When I glance at the others, both Cain and Slade are accessing their power, carefully maintaining a safe distance from each other so their powers don’t collide. Luckily, Archer has remained calm and is staying close to Cain. The last thing she needs is to trigger her power unnecessarily.

We push ahead for another half a mile until the pathway suddenly ends.

Two steps ahead of me, Vlad jolts to a stop, teetering on the edge of a yawning cliff.

My hand shoots out. I grab his shirt and pull him back to safety. The others were further behind so there’s no danger of them bumping us off the edge.

I signal to them to stop before I creep up to it, crouching low. A ravine roars below us and the waterfall we could hear crashes about fifty feet to our right, the water flowing fast and furious hundreds of feet below us. A bridge stretches from one side of the ravine to the other, positioned right in front of the waterfall, the spray making the gray stone appear glossy.

Vlad checks our coordinates on the map, tapping it to indicate our current location. “According to the map, this waterfall doesn’t exist.”

“It shouldn’t,” I say. “The terrain in this part of the forest doesn’t allow for a waterfall.” I squint at the waterfall, attempting to estimate its height. The environment is misty high up, difficult to see beyond, as is the rest of the ravine to our left, telling me strong magic is at play here.

Vlad says, “That bridge has to be the gate.”

I can’t help but snort. A bridge that is a gate. It seems exactly the kind of contradiction that would indicate the entrance to a maze.

As the others carefully crowd around the cliff’s edge, I murmur, “There’s no direct path to the bridge.

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