Free Labyrinth Wall (9780991531219) by James (EDT) Nicole (EDT); Allen Emilyann; Zoltack Girder Page B

agrees.
    My root skipping comes to a stop as musty air settles on my skin. Despite the chilling atmosphere, the trees are breathtaking. They’re far wider than others in the labyrinth and much taller. The branches tend to grow away from the parallel walls, forming a canopy roof over the pass. Black and silver moss hangs hauntingly still above us. The entire area is shaded, enabling it to be cooler than most of the labyrinth.
    “Rotting Pass?” Korun interrupts my thoughts. “Why such a daunting name?”
    “Because no one ever survives this place, and we assume their corpses all rot in here,” Rase answers bluntly.
    “Thanks, Rase, for putting that so delicately,” I respond sharply. “That is where the name comes from, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make it through. Other people might die in here, but they don’t have a miracle worker with them.” I bat my eyes cleverly and smile at him.
    Despite the dismay in his slouched body language, a small grin cracks across his face.
    “At least we have some idea what to look out for,” I encourage him.
    “And what’s that?” he replies.
    “Based on my previous observations from the edge of the pass, it’s filled heavily with fumes. Those are common in the labyrinth. Not a problem. They’re small steaming volcanoes attached to the walls. Small, as in tiny,” I emphasize, “and easy to avoid. As long as we don’t set one off, we’ll be fine. There’s one now.” I point.
    “What happens if we set one off?”
    “It releases poisonous gas.”
    “The fumes aren’t exactly comforting, but they can be avoided. That can’t be all there is to this place,” he pushes.
    “There’s more, be patient,” I scold him “Some reports suggest the ground consumes people.”
    He doesn’t look pleased as he warily eyes the terrain.
    “That’s not going to happen to us. Stay away from the softer looking patches of ground. Basically, near the trees is best.”
    “That doesn’t sound too bad,” he admits. “That all I need to know?”
    “No,” Rase jumps in. “She hasn’t even told you the worst part. Go ahead, Araina.” She nudges my arm.
    “The saber tooth mutts are supposed to be a bit problematic,” I confess. “I don’t know much about them, or even if they really exist. Rumors say they devour anything that enters this place.”
    “You know any secrets to dealing with those?”
    “Climb the trees?” I offer.
    “I guess we’ll deal with that if and when the time comes,” Korun replies. “For now, let’s try to get through here as quickly as we can manage.”
    I don’t argue with that statement. This creepy place makes me shiver.
    “Now that I know all about it, let me lead,” Korun insists.
    “I’m fine. I’ve dealt with the rock wall fumes for two years, so let me.” I push past him and Rase.
    We make our way, step by step, through the obnoxious tall roots on the ground. Staying near those makes the soft ground easy to sidestep. Unfortunately, the roots bring us in close proximity to the jagged labyrinth walls, but working around the fumes doesn’t pose much of a problem either. We cover a decent amount of distance in about an hour, which increases my confidence we can make it to the other side if no other problems arise.
    Every couple minutes, I glance behind me. Korun and Rase are making sound progress.
    “I guess you over-estimated the pass,” I tell Rase.
    She rolls her eyes. “We’re not through yet,” she retorts.
    I look over my shoulder preparing to spout a smart comeback, but my foot catches on a tall root. As I fall forward, my body threatens to sway toward the soft ground. In a panic, I dart back toward the wall, but my hand braces my fall only a couple feet from one of the miniature steam volcanoes.
    Korun grabs my arm, yanking both me and Rase past the danger. Then we hear a loud pop. Gas starts spewing into the air.
    We’re running again, this time from the gas instead of the Creators.
    “Cover your mouth!”