Free Labyrinth by Alex Archer Page A

could change quickly.
And, frankly, she expected Fairclough to be especially tough on her sometime soon.
But when?
She glanced at her watch. Two hours had passed. Annja blinked. When had that happened?
The floor changed back to stone tiles and Annja froze. She used the tip of the sword and probed each tile as she proceeded slowly. But nothing happened. Annja looked up and checked her surroundings.
The corridor was the length of a football field and Annja realized that she was tired. The stress of forever being alert was starting to take a toll on her. Plus, it didn’t help that she’d burned herself out during the swim through the tunnel. What she really wanted to do was sit down somewhere and take a nap.
A nap.
She frowned. There was no way she could afford to do that. If she fell asleep now, she might not wake up in time to save Fairclough from the toxin Jonas was forcing into his body.
He didn’t deserve to die, Annja thought. Although she might like to give him some hell for putting her through the maze.
Then she heard the hissing sound.
Snakes?
Her heartbeat increased. But no, the hissing sound wasn’t natural. There was no rise and fall to it, just a steady low hiss that grew louder with every step forward.
Annja peered into the darkness, trying to use the sword to make out any details she might have missed.
There.
She spotted a piece of dust coming away from the wall. Annja moved toward it and examined the wall.
There was a round hole in the masonry. And something was blowing out of it. Annja sniffed it.
Gas.
Annja moved away from the nozzle and tried to estimate how long it would take for her to be rendered unconscious from the stuff spraying into the corridor. The answer didn’t make her feel any better.
She had to get out of there fast.
With fifty feet of the corridor remaining, Annja had a choice to make. She could continue on, probing each tile for hidden trip wires and booby traps, or she could simply take her chances and run for it. There was a door at the end of the corridor, and if she could make that, she might have a chance.
But what if running meant she tripped a booby trap?
Annja took a deep breath, aware of the powerful effect of the gas on her already. Her eyelids felt heavy. If she stopped now, she’d fall asleep and possibly never wake up.
No, it was time to go.
Annja ran hard and heard the pops as several darts fired at her. Somehow, she managed to avoid them, aware that she was getting drowsier and drowsier all the time.
And then she was at the door.
Grabbing at the doorknob, she turned and fell into the next room.
Kessel .

Chapter 11
     
He was surrounded by three large and angry-looking Doberman pinschers, their sleek black fur ruffled and bunched as their muscles shifted. A fourth dog lay dead near Kessel, its neck at an abrupt angle.
Annja frowned. How had he gotten this far into the maze? Was there another way through it?
“Kessel!”
He glanced up even as one of the dogs made a lunge at him. Kessel batted it away with a huge paw of his own. The dog scampered away, but not far. They thought they had Kessel cornered, and while he might have killed one of their own, there were still three of them to tear him apart.
Annja could work her way past Kessel and the dogs. They’d shown no interest in her so far, after all. Once she got past them, she’d be free to continue on. And that would mean she wouldn’t have to deal with Kessel when this was over. She didn’t relish the thought of having to fight him.
But Kessel didn’t necessarily deserve to die being ripped apart by wild dogs. He hadn’t actually killed anyone today. Greene had. As far as Annja was concerned, Kessel just might be the best of the three villains holding Fairclough.
Only just.
Annja started forward as she heard a low growl from behind her and turned.
Another dog squatted in the corner. And this one was bigger than any of the others. Judging by his girth, he ate better than the other dogs. He was probably the alpha male