Children of Night and Snow

68. Into The Maze

A loud siren tore through the outpost buildings as we gathered our belongings. A summoning call letting us know it was time to leave. I struggled a little to get into my leathers this morning as I gained quite a bit of muscle over the past four and half months, but thankfully it still fit even if just barely. Lucia made a note that she would need to make alterations once we were in the city. I tried to remind her that we may not all be there when this was over, but she shut that thought down before I could finish it.

"Time to go," Devan said as we all stood in the doorway of the room which became a reluctant home to us in the past few months.

"We'll see you all on the other side," Aaron said as he and Az started walking down the hallway, leaving the remaining six of us behind. It was Az who gave me one last brief look. It lasted barely a second, but it was somehow exactly what I needed in that moment. A strange form of reassurance in my uncertainty.

"I think I'll miss this room," Lucia sighed as we closed the door and began walking towards the exit.

"You'll forget all about it the moment we get a proper house for once in our miserable lives," replied Connor casually.

"Touche," she chuckled in response while Demi and Devan rolled their eyes.

"Let's just get this trial thing over with," Nolan spoke next to me, still holding my hand, an acknowledgment that whatever was going on in our relationship, we needed each other right now. If only for just a few more minutes before we all have to separate.

When we finally reached the exit, we were probably the last ones there. The freezing air immediately hit me in the face, a clear reminder that it was June, but in this forsaken land where the sun never rose above horizon, it didn't matter. I was almost used to it now. Or at least I was no longer waking up in the morning and expecting the sun to be up in the sky. Still, I allowed myself a moment to long for it. Just a few seconds, a small unspoken wish that would never come to pass. And then the voice of yet another general we didn't know brought me back to reality.

"Good morning recruits! Today is the day you've been training for! I will not bother you with grand speeches, you'll get plenty of those if you'll make it through. What I will tell you is, that behind this door, in the maze, there are no rules. We don't care if you make friends or enemies, if you kill your way to the top or sneak through unsuspected. What matters is that there is a gate on the opposite side. And for each candidate who passes through, it will lower down. If you aren't amongst the twenty who make it in, you will have to find another way out on your own. If you don't find your way out in a week, the gate closes regardless if twenty of you passed or not. And with that said, good luck and I will see the twenty best of you on the other side," he said and just as he appeared, he was now gone.

The visible heavy obsidian gate opened and one by one the guards began to send us into the maze behind it. Everyone was quiet, lost in their own thoughts. There were no fanfares, no audience to cheer on us. The whole thing was as unceremonious as everything so far. A reminder that until we made it through that gate, we were nothing to these people. We didn't matter.

"Find me Freya," Nolan quickly turned to me and whispered into my lips before giving me a quick kiss. Then it was his turn to disappear into the maze. And I was next. With his touch still lingering on my skin and his words ringing in my ears, I watched him disappear behind the walls made of ice and snow.

"Go that way," the guard pointed impatientiently in the opposite direction to where Nolan just went. I wanted to protest, but one look at this man told me that if I even wanted a chance at actually entering this maze, I had to do as he said. So, I swallowed hard and took a step forward, unable to even look behind me to see Demi, Lucia, Connor and Devan for one last time. I would see them soon. We'd all make it. We had to. At least that's what I kept telling myself as I took a step after step, deeper and deeper into the frozen labyrinth.

The World got quiet and for what seemed like hours, I walked through the alleys without seeing anything but more ice and snow. I quickly realized that I had no way to properly keep track of time and that I needed to find shelter eventually before exhaustion crept up on me and complicated things on the very first day. But knowing I had to find shelter and actually finding one were two different things. But just as I was starting to panic and think of tragic scenarios, I heard footsteps. Hoping it was a familiar face, I peeked from behind the corner only to find a stranger there. Well, not entirely. I've seen this man, or more like a boy, before. He trained in the same gym as we did, always kept to himself and despite not looking particularly threatening, he made it all the way here. I didn't really know what to make of him, but before I could hide, he noticed me.

"Hey you!" he shouted and I froze unsure of what to do. I could run, but then I would definitely lose track of where I was and which way I came. Or I could fight him, but I had no idea what to expect from him and I wasn't exactly the "attack first" kind of a fighter. Last option was to try and talk to him, maybe team up even if only for tonight.

"I won't fight you. We need to find a place to shelter and we will both rest better if we can cover each other's backs," he spoke again and I reluctantly looked at him from behind the ice wall again. I didn't want to talk to him. But I nodded in response. To that he smiled faintly and extended his hand, a peace offering. I contemplated the gesture for a second before taking his hand in my own and shaking it.

"I'm Liam," he introduced himself as we walked in silence.

"I don't care," I replied. He seemed momentarily sad at my cold approach but said nothing as we carried on, senses of high alert, looking for a place to shelter. I knew the day one was coming to an end and the sooner we found a place to rest, the better. Just as I was beginning to feel the exhaustion creep up on me, we discovered a rock wall leading to a shallow cave. It wasn't perfect, but it would do.

We made a small fire to warm up a little and chewed on some of the dry meat we were given for our journey. It wasn't exactly the fanciest dinner, but it was a great source of energy and very light to carry. I was grateful for my wolf training now. Without it, I wouldn't stand a chance in this place, that much was clear. My high body heat kept me warm even when the fire inevitably went out and it was time to rest for the night.

But the lack of security kept waking me up nevertheless. I would open my eyes hoping to see my friends lying next to me, knowing one of them was keeping watch right now, but instead I found Liam, who seemed just as restless as I was. It was clear that we were both waiting for the other to strike. But we also knew that right now, we were better off sticking together. And so I would close my eyes again, Nolan's last words to me ringing in my head.

"Find me Freya."

I wanted nothing more than to do as he ordered. To be back in his arms, safe with him and my friends. I had to make it. I had to find him and then find a way out of this blasted place, so that we could build a new home in the city just as we planned. I couldn't die here. I didn't give up my last chance at returning to Summerlands only to die during this stupid trial. I was stronger than that. I was going to live through this.