Labyrinth: Acropolis Series Book II (20 page)

Deidra stands taller, and I squeeze her hand
before we all begin moving forward. Conor is quiet next to me, and
I reach over and slip my hand into his.

He looks down and winks, one corner of his
lips lifting.

"Don't hold back," he says quietly. "Words to
live by."

Chapter 26

Conor

We haven't gone far when the cavern suddenly
opens up. We step into a round chamber. The stone walls have been
smoothed down. No craggy outcroppings, no jagged rocks, nothing to
mar the perfection. I sense magic in the stone. Peace.

And there in the middle of this empty,
perfectly round chamber is a boulder with the head of a spear laid
out perfectly in its center. The Spear of Destiny.

It looks in fairly good condition despite its
age. It's longer than I expected with the iron, or whatever metal
its made out of, tarnished some by age with a rusted red stain on
its tip. Blood?

The spear doesn't quite look like the images
I've seen in the movies, books, or legends. It's simpler. There's
nothing ornate about it. Just metal. At the butt end, it opens up
some where it once connected to some sort of staff or pole or
whatever it is they placed the head of spears on in ancient
times.

"So simple to be so revered," I hear Gray
say.

I have to agree with him.

"Simple maybe, but its power is great. It can
destroy Demons, and its mark is always true. It also has the
ability to give its wielder power."

"Can we even touch it then?" Emma asks.
"Those of us with Demon blood, I mean."

I shake my head because I'm not sure.

"I would think you could since Enepsigos has
it."

Bruno takes a deep breath before stepping
forward.

"Only one way to find out."

We are all engrossed by the spear and Bruno
when the attack comes.

There are eyes in the dim chamber--greenish,
sickly gleaming eyes, coming at us out of nowhere, circling us and
then . . . metal? I feel something sharp run across my side, and I
cry out.

"Down!" I yell, but its unnecessary.

The rest of the hybrids are already on their
knees on the floor. Bruno is holding his arm, blood seeping through
his splayed fingers. I look at the other hybrids, and breathe a
sigh of relief when I see no more injuries. The chamber is
silent.

"What was that?" Deidra asks tremulously.

No one answers. We are all quiet, still,
alert. There is no place to hide within the chamber. We are out in
the open and vulnerable.

Gwenyth cries out, and I get a glimpse of
gleaming eyes again before red wells up along her leg. She grasps
it, her eyes wide. Gray leans over her. Her jeans are split open
over the wound, and he pulls his shirt over his head before pushing
it into the cut.

"It's too fast," Lyre calls out. "Whatever it
is, it's too damn fast! All I saw were eyes."

We all agree. Bruno's gaze is frantic as he
looks around before standing.

"Maybe I can slow it down," he says.

The room is suddenly filled with power, with
wind. I don't know where Bruno gets the excess air. There must be
water nearby for me to call on it. Maybe Bruno doesn't need that,
but whatever it is he's using, he uses it well, causing small
twisters of air that bounce around the room's interior walls. I
think he's hoping the force will slow down our intruder.

There are gleaming eyes again, and I just
manage to land on top of Emma when I feel my shirt split open in
the back. The wound is not deep. I can tell it instantly, but there
is blood, and I gasp at the soreness, at the searing pain down the
middle of my back.

Emma pushes me off of her, leaning up to
examine the wound, and I shake my head so she knows not to heal
it.

"It's okay, Em," I whisper.

The wound is too shallow to worry about now.
We need to conserve our energy.

"You're slowing it down some, Bruno," I call
out. I saw it before it got to Emma."

My words are strained.

"Damn it!" Bruno growls. "It's not enough.
Come hybrids!"

The group moves together, each circling Emma,
touching her so she can call on their powers. They've done this
before in the training field outside their cottage, their show of
strength for Marcas. Emma motions at me.

"Your powers can help," she says, and I join
them, laying a hand against Emma even as my eyes search the
room.

Whatever this thing is, it's playing with us,
leaving wounds not deep enough to kill, but deep enough to hurt
like hell.

"Shit!" Lyre cries out.

Blood wells up along her forearm. It looks
deeper than the cut Gwenyth received.

"Hurry!" Bruno says urgently. "It's getting
more precise."

Emma's brows furrow as she works harder to
call on our powers. She looks up at me, and our eyes meet.

"Love conquers all," she murmurs, and I know
she's using my emotions.

A light emanates around us just as a small
cut appears across Emma's cheek. She winces but doesn't falter. I
start to move toward her, but Lyre grabs my arm.

"It's not bad. Stay. We're going to get cut
to pieces if we don't do something soon."

I settle back, letting Emma pool the power
before she reaches over unsteadily and places a hand against
Bruno's arm.

Bruno practically arches backward, his eyes
going blood red as his body absorbs the energy. He glances around
the room, his eyes stopping near the chamber's entrance.

"I see him," Bruno says, his accompanying
smile ruthless. His red eyes narrow.

"Wraith," he says slowly. "You coward. You
play games when you could destroy."

Gleaming eyes appear in the dim chamber
surrounded by nothing other than shadows. A wicked blade gleams
next to it. Fiona and Gray gasp.

"No name," they say together.

Fiona glances at us, her hand tightening on
Emma, her jaw firm. "This Demon plagues the dead and ambushes men.
He also haunts cemeteries. He has no name. It's easier to refer to
him as Wraith, but he isn't a ghost."

I eye Bruno as he faces off with the
figure.

"Can it be destroyed?" I ask.

Gray leans in closer.

"No, but it can be slowed down."

Just then Bruno crouches, his red eyes
hard.

The gleaming, green eyes are there one
moment, and then gone the next. A deeper, more troublesome wound
appears above the other on Bruno's arm.

Bruno doesn't flinch, he roars instead,
lifting his unwounded arm before placing his hand over Emma's on
his shoulder. His eyes go redder as he feeds on the power.

"You bane of darkness!" Bruno cries out as he
sends power throughout the room.

I'm not aware of what he intends until
Wraith's glinting blade is suddenly flying through the air. Bruno
catches it easily, his growl obvious.

"Come after me now," he yells.

Bruno pushes Emma away from him gently before
lifting the blade and running to the boulder. He reaches for the
spear. There's no time to stop him, no time to test whether or not
touching the ancient weapon will destroy him.

Bruno's hand closes around the butt of the
spear, and he goes down on one knee. The gleaming eyes are now
opposite him on the other side of the boulder, but when the green,
sickly gaze moves to Bruno's hand, it shrieks before flying back
against the chamber walls.

Bruno seems weakened, his face deathly pale,
but he still breathes as he looks first at our group and then at
the cavern ceiling.

"We have your spear, Enepsigos! Get us the
hell out of here!"

I stand to move next to Bruno. My hand joins
his on the metal. There's a strange tingling sensation in my arm,
but it doesn't hurt. My eyes meet Bruno's, and he nods.

Another hand covers mine, and I look up to
see Emma standing over my shoulder, her eyes dark. Two more hands
come down. Fiona and Lyre are opposite us, their hands near the
spear's tip. Dark skin meets pale as Deidra places her palm against
Bruno's hand. Gray's comes down over Fiona's and Gwenyth's closes
over Lyre's. We're all touching the spear now. The tingling
increases.

Emma looks up.

"Enepsigos!" she calls, and then pauses, her
expression thoughtful. "M-mother . . . we have completed the task.
Join with our king. Together we are stronger."

Nothing happens, and the group eyes each
other, our gazes sad, tired. A tear slips down Gwenyth's cheek, the
path it travels clear through the grime on her face.

The tear is a catalyst. We're suddenly all on
one knee, angry and resolved, our hands united on the spear, our
eyes on the cavern roof.

"Release us!" we yell.

A bluish-white light suddenly floods the
chamber, and we all blink. It is replaced by a woman, a beautiful
woman, tall with midnight hair and pale skin. Her lips are red, her
eyes ebony. Enepsigos.

"Daughter . . . " she says gently, her gaze
on Emma as she nods once before her eyes sweep the rest of the
group.

"Stand. All of you. Son of Tephras. Son of
Iudal. Daughter of Onoskelis. Daughter of Pleiades. Daughter of
Ephippas. Imp."

Enepsigos' eyes move to my face. "Son of Paul
Reinhardt. Stand. Take the spear and tell your king I will speak
with him."

And with that, Enepsigos lifts her hands.

Before us, a portal opens, an exit, the
blurred image a replica of the field near the hybrids' cottage. It
is a sight for hungry eyes.

"You've proven yourself well," she says, her
eyes on Emma. "Go now!"

She vanishes, leaving us in darkness, the
portal beckoning.

All of the hybrids exhale, their breathing
more rushed, excited.

"Hurry!" Bruno says.

Gwenyth is the first one through, followed
closely by Lyre, Fiona, and Gray. Deidra skips after them, her face
bright. Only Bruno, Emma, and I remain. Emma stares at the spot
vacated by her mother.

Bruno glances at me, and we share a look. No
words pass between us, but the silent conversation is enough. Bruno
nods before stepping toward the portal, exiting with the spear. I
place a hand on Emma's shoulder.

"Emma," I say gently. "It's time."

She looks at me, her eyes sad.

"We've lost so much here," she says.

I don't disagree.

"We've gained a lot too, Em. Understanding
for one. Comradeship."

I lean in closer. "For me, tolerance. A new
beginning."

She turns, her face peering into mine.

"Tolerance?" she asks.

I nod. "Tolerance and more. People fall
in love too easily. They feel desire and its suddenly love. I've
been there. Many times. But only love can drive out hate. Only love
can make you question every decision you've ever made. I'm at that
place now. I'm
definitely
at
that place, and it's a new place for me."

Emma's eyes widen, and she starts to open her
mouth, but I stop her, placing a finger gently against her
lips.

"To new beginnings, Emma. No holding back.
Let's go."

Her eyes shine even as I take her hand in
mine, my fingers weavng confidently through hers before stepping
through the portal.

To new beginnings. No holding back.

Chapter 27

Emma

We stumble out of the portal, and I land hard
on one knee, my breath labored. Something about the portal hurts,
drains the strength from my body. Conor is next to me, panting, and
I hold his hand like a lifeline as I squint into the sudden, bright
light of day, my heart overcome by grief, yearning, and even
happiness. It's a strange mix.

The sky is blue overhead, a nice contrast to
the dim, putrid cavern we have just escaped. I only have a brief
moment to wonder how long we've been gone when the tears come,
streaking down my face in waves.

There are moments at the end of any journey
when a body feels empty. It's like the feeling people get when
family comes to visit and then leaves to return home. It's nice
having the house back to normal, but there's a hollow feeling left
behind in their absence, in the silence that rings through the
halls. I have that feeling now.

My gaze finds Conor. He is next to me on both
knees, his face streaked with dust, his ripped sweatshirt
fluttering in the chill breeze. Dried blood covers shallow
wounds.

The labyrinth is behind us, but the emotional
scars are new and terrifying. There are ghosts over us now, but
there are also new beginnings. Conor's eyes meet mine. No holding
back.

I look away. To my left, Deidra lays coiled
on the ground, her fists in her stomach. She groans but is
otherwise unharmed. The portal obviously hurt more than just Conor
and me.

Lyre sits opposite Deidra, and she looks up,
her eyes haunted. The labyrinth has healed Lyre in many ways,
healed her past with Conor, healed the hatred between us. I think
we've all learned to let go of the past, learned to embrace who we
are, learned to use love over hatred. Lyre looks at me now and
nods, her eyes moving between Conor and me. There is new respect in
her gaze.

Bruno curses from behind me, and I look back
to see him grab his arm as he pushes himself up to one knee, the
spear in his wounded hand. The gash on his bicep is long. The blood
makes it look worse than what it is, but there's no doubt he'll
need stitches if his body is too drained to heal it quickly.

Gray is next to Bruno, his arm supporting a
silent, pallid Gwenyth and a quiet Fiona. Two lives have been lost
in the labyrinth. Hesther Garner and Ace, both emotionally tied to
someone else. Their absence cuts deeply, and new tears join the
ones I have already shed. My chest is tight, painful. The tears on
Gwenyth's face tell the same story. Both of us have lost a piece of
our heart.