The Soul Sphere: Book 01 - The Shattered Sphere (31 page)

Demetrius turned, seeing as she had that the wall near the portal in the direction of the entrance was sliding further left, leaving a diagonal and much shorter leap over the void as a possibility. He followed Tala’s lead, quietly berating himself for being so focused on moving forward that he had reacted to only the front and side walls. To his surprise he saw Tala dart further left and jump diagonally over the portal a second time. The reason she did so soon addressed him directly, another massive wall pressing forward to take the place of that which had just departed. He pivoted, took two large running steps, and then jumped to the open space where Tala stood looking for their next move, his boot clipping the receding wall before he cleared the void and landed safely on his rear end.

Tala helped him to his feet and led him away from the vortex. Compared to where they had just been, the maze now seemed to yawn wide with possibilities, the walls parting before them as if to make up for the near fatal trap. Soon Tala and Demetrius had left the portal well behind, and fell into steady progress once more. Two other portals eventually came into play, one directly in front of them revealed like a caged tiger as the wall hiding it slid aside, but they danced away from them easily. A few maze shifts after this Tala grabbed Demetrius’ arm and pointed left, where what looked like an exit waited. They worked their way over and stepped into the hallway they hoped was an exit. After several shifts of the maze confirmed they were out, they breathed a sigh of relief, having safely escaped.

Demetrius called out with the news that he and Tala were across, hoping his voice might guide the others. Lucien answered from somewhere nearby, and a few moments later appeared with Alexis. As the two of them stepped into the safety the hallway, Alexis saw the worried question written on Demetrius’ face. “We were separated from them soon after we were parted from you. I’m sure they’re fine.”

They took turns calling out. Each unanswered cry caused hearts to sink and stomachs to tighten.

“I should go back,” said Demetrius, his voice taut.

“No,” Tala said gently. “You cannot help them find the way if you are lost yourself, and they might arrive while you are gone.”

“And if they are in danger? Or worse?”

“You cannot stop the walls. And if it is ‘worse’ there is even less you can do about it. The portals will not give them up if they have claimed them.”

Demetrius drew his sword half out of its scabbard, paused, and then slammed it back in. He stalked a few paces away, seeking something to lash out at, even a loose stone to kick, but even that small satisfaction was denied him.

He gazed at nothing, looking further down the hallway but without focus. He listened to the sounds behind him, the steady, slow cadence of the shifting walls, the times between punctuated with the calls of his companions. His mind started to form a thought around how long they should wait, but he pushed it aside. Just before a shift he thought he heard a different voice. The walls came to a halt, and he waited, holding his breath.

“We’re getting there!” It was Rowan. And he had said “we.”

The two stragglers came into view a few wall shifts later, looking somewhat abashed but unharmed. “We took a few bad turns,” Corson said by way of apology. “Hope you haven’t had to wait too long.”

“Now we know who not to follow on way back,” Lucien said.

The happy reunion was short-lived, and stern, serious looks soon returned as they forged ahead. This new hallway went on for a time, straight and true, and they paused when it finally turned right, reading the words carved into the stone at the end of the straight section:
Having fun yet?

“An opponent with a sense of humor?” asked Rowan.

“Not ask Corson,” said Lucien. “He only novice at such things.”

“Lucien, your wit has become as sharp as a round stone,” Corson retorted.

“Joke or no, I don’t like it,” said Demetrius. “But it doesn’t matter.” He led the way through several short turns of the passage until it opened into a small, empty chamber.

As he stepped warily into the room, a section of the wall opposite slid upward to reveal another chamber beyond. He emitted a small laugh and glanced at Alexis, who had moved next to him. “Whoever set this up sure isn’t shy about revealing obvious traps.”

“Because he knows we have no choices other than pressing on or turning back,” Alexis said. “Either way works for him.”

“I’m tempted to split the group. Half go in and half stay back.”

“You did not seem too happy the last time the group got separated,” Tala reminded him as she looked beyond him and into the newly exposed chamber.

He nodded, knowing he couldn’t deny what must have been obvious to the others, although he was ashamed to think his anxiety was so apparent. It could be seen as weakness, especially by Lucien. A goblin warrior would never let personal feelings interfere with his ability to lead and fight. Depending on your point of view, that could be construed as either a weakness or a strength. Demetrius cleared his throat. “Well, I was pleased we were split up when you and I were nearly trapped and pushed into that portal. At least the others were safe. I guess there is no right answer.”

“Exactly,” Tala replied. “So do not agonize to find one.”

“I say we spread out a bit, “Alexis offered. “If a trap springs, better we not all be in one place.”

“Like the scorpion room,” Rowan agreed with a nod.

“Okay,” Demetrius said. “Groups of two. Alexis and I first, Tala and Corson, Lucien and Rowan.”

Hearing no objections, he drew his sword and proceeded with Alexis at his elbow. They moved slowly, pausing frequently, looking for movement. Before them the new doorway beckoned, inviting them inside.

Demetrius poked his head through the opening. The room was similar in size to the one they were leaving, except the ceiling was much higher and there was no visible exit other than the one he peered through. He glanced at Alexis, who shrugged. He stepped inside, his head on a swivel, studying walls, floor, and ceiling. Behind he heard the footsteps of Tala and Corson as they made their way across the first chamber. He went to the far wall, seeing nothing of interest there, then slowly started to his left while Alexis moved right. With a jolt the floor moved beneath his feet, throwing him at the wall. He regained his balance and wheeled about, seeing the floor had split in the center, the gap widening quickly, while the entryway began to seal itself once again, stone sliding downward from some hidden hole. Just before it slammed shut Tala came skidding underneath it, her legs pulled close to her body so she could avoid being pinned. Faintly Corson’s voice called from beyond the wall, the sound drowned out by the booming sound of the door striking the floor.

Tala regained her feet and charged forward, leaping the gap in the floor and joining Demetrius on the far side of the room. Any sense that they were clear of danger was short-lived. The floor continued to slide beneath them, forcing them to shuffle their feet to stay upright, and the walls offered no place for them to pull themselves upward. Opposite them Alexis had backed up to the near wall, straining to see what would be revealed beneath the opening, thinking it likely to be a beast or perhaps a pool of deadly liquid. Suddenly a perplexed look crossed her face. “Shards,” she announced, pointing. “Thousands of them.”

Tala knelt at the edge of the moving floor and peered down. She reached in and cupped a dozen small, crystalline objects in her palm, then lifted them closer for inspection. “They are all of one shape. They feel right.” She poured them back out of her hand, and they fell like raindrops into the ocean. “So many…”

“How can we tell which is the real one?” asked Demetrius. Before he got an answer, he bumped the wall behind him, even though his toes hung over the edge of the floor. Knowing the floor would continue to recede into the wall, he stepped forward and dropped into the shards, sinking in to his thighs. He probed with a foot, but couldn’t feel the bottom.

Both women joined him in the pile as the floor finally slid from sight. Alexis moved toward the place where they had come in, and was able to trace the outline with her finger, two thin cracks that ran from the top of the shards to the ceiling. She listened at the wall, and then putting her lips close to the stone called out, “We’re all right. There are thousands of shards here. We just need to find the right one.” She listened for a moment, then turned to the others. “They are fine. Nothing has changed out there. They said they will try to get the door open again.”

Tala nodded, then dug into her pouch for the Sphere. Taking one of the shards in hand she placed it this way and that until she found the spot where it fit. “Well, the shape is right, but with the magic buffers on this place—” Her own words gave her pause, and she closed her eyes and cast the finding spell. With a frown she continued her last thought. “Still there. Not only can’t I use magic to find it, I’m not even sure when we do find it that it will attach like it should.”

“Then this is hopeless unless we can get all these shards outside the castle walls.,” said Demetrius.

Tala uttered a mirthless laugh. “By the time we do that, Solek will have conquered all of Arkania.”

“Wait!” said Alexis, smiling. “I have a piece of the Sphere still. I know we thought to keep it separate and hidden, but as far as we’ve come, it seems this might be a good time to try it.”

Tala nodded agreement. Demetrius only said, “Be sure not to drop it.”

Carefully, Tala took the shard from Alexis’ outstretched hand. She fitted the piece into the Sphere and let an audible sigh of relief escape her throat as they fused together. “Now all we need to do is find the next one,” she said, as if the difficult part was over.

*          *          *

After Rowan heard Alexis explain that those trapped inside the shard room were well, he backed away from the stone door, tracing its outline with his eyes. He turned and made sure the opening to the room he occupied was still present—it was—and then began to study the room in earnest. Nothing struck him as out of the ordinary. He rubbed absently at his upper lip, and then sat cross-legged on the floor some twenty feet from where the door had separated the party.

“How you just sit there?” asked Lucien, incredulous. He had been pacing like a caged tiger, his warblade held before him in a furious grip.

“I currently have nothing better to do. I don’t believe the door can be opened from this side.”

“How you know?” Lucien’s growl always made him seem angry.

Rowan couldn’t be sure the goblin
wasn’t
really furious, but he went on calmly. “I don’t. You’re welcome to try whatever you think might work.”

Lucien scowled and turned away. He sized up the former opening, struck the stone once tentatively with his warblade, then slashed at it four times in full fury. No mark appeared where the weapon’s sharp edge struck.

“Magically sealed,” said Rowan. “You won’t break it down with any ordinary blade.”

“Warblade not ‘ordinary.’ ”

Rowan simply shrugged.

Corson was making a slow circuit of the room, giving the walls occasional half-hearted pushes, as if he hoped one of the stones would act as a trigger and re-open the door. He wore the expression of someone who had just buried a favorite pet.

“Why so down, Corson?” Rowan asked. “Alexis said they were fine.”

Corson’s smile was forced and faded quickly. “It’s not that. It’s just…”

“You think you should be on the other side.”

Corson’s jaw dropped a fraction of an inch before he caught himself. He took a long breath. “I was in front of Tala. As soon as the door started to close she jumped through. But I hesitated, and then I just stood there and watched.”

“You couldn’t have followed her through,” Rowan pointed out.

Lucien’s warblade rang out several times against the stone wall. His thought that the wall might prove less protected than the door had turned out to be wrong. He grumbled to himself and stalked angrily around the room.

Corson watched Lucien pass, then saw that Rowan was still looking at him. “I know I couldn’t have followed Tala through, but it should have been me leading the way.”