Page 32 of Starside

A fool jumps from behind one, in a desperate attempt at his weapon. Raker doesn’t even look the man’s way as he cuts him down. More shattering.

An arrow flies right at his face. His blade stops it. A few steps later, the archer is gutted on the ground. I step over his entrails and keep going.

Raker doesn’t even walk around with his blade in his hand. No, it stays in the scabbard behind him until he needs it, and then it goes right back in.

His movements are fast. Precise. No one stands a chance. He’s carving a path for me, even if he doesn’t know it.

I scurry after him, careful not to touch the walls, the thorns lengthening as I approach. One of the passageways is so long, I lose sight of him. Fuck. I sprint down it, then turn, hoping I haven’t missed his next move—

Only to run right into a wall of metal.

I fall on my ass, head spinning.

He knew I was following him. Of course. There he was, waiting.

I look up. Only darkness, with a glimmer of silver beneath, meets my gaze. He’s about to reach for his sword. He’s about to bury it through my chest.

The next time I see you, I won’t hesitate …

Instead of begging for my life, I glare at him with every ounce of buried fury. I can’t see his eyes, but I hope he can see the pure hatred in mine.

I assume that will make it even more satisfying for him to cut me down.

But all he does is step over me, like I’m no more than garbage. Not worth killing. Not competition.

The bastard.

I should feel lucky he let me live, but I just hate him more.

Still—just because he thinks I’m useless doesn’t mean he isn’t of use to me.

He knows I’m following him. No use in hiding it now, especially when he clearly doesn’t think I’m worthy of his blade. Now I follow close behind. I take each turn. I run past thorns that grow in waves, narrowly escaping their edges.

Until the maze ends.

Sunlight beats down from directly overhead, unblocked by the enormous walls—I was in there for hours. I squint against the sharp rays, taking in a stretch of grass leading into a forest.

A living one, with hundreds of leaves per tree. With … color.

I look around quickly, searching for Zane and Kira.

Only to lock eyes with Pagnus Ender.

Fuck.

His crooked mouth turns up in a smile just before he charges forward.

I run. I’m fucking tired of running, but I bolt. Already out of breath, already sore, I run for my life into the forest. It’s not just any forest, I realize, when I almost trip over a stone.

It’s a graveyard.

There are more challengers far ahead. But instead of racing toward the finish, they’re just … standing there, heads lifted skyward. Kira is among them. I feel a rush of relief seeing her whole. She made it.

Why isn’t she running?

Only when I’m closer do I see what they’re staring at. Hundreds of swords are tangled in the trees.

Stellan said great swords are buried with their wielders. I imagine some of the blades were ready to bond again. They cut up through the ground … and got trapped in the branches.