Chapter 12

Beth asks, “Uh . . . Is this the portal?”

“No,” Ki says, ahead of us and examining the blank walls, “One of these is the door, though I’m not sure which.”

“You don’t know where the door is?” I ask, my mouth twisting. I look back for Alyssa and Hombre, but they aren’t in sight yet. They must’ve fallen behind while I was examining the murals.

Ki turns to stare at me and frowns, “Was I not clear? The portals in the tower are hidden so that the general public cannot access them. Part of the issue is that the priests no longer have the knowledge of how to bypass the puzzles which protect the portals.”

Beth and I stare at him and Beth shakes her head, her eyes wide, “You never said anything about puzzles or this portal being hidden.”

I bite into my lip. Great. So, whatever lead we have on Iifa could potentially disappear while we try to find our way to the portal. I prod for more information, “Do you have any idea what we’re looking for?”

Ki sighs, turning away from us, “I think we should be searching for answers that have to do with creation, as that’s the purpose of the next world.”

“The purpose of the next world?” I tilt my head, “What does that mean?”

Ki frowns, studying me, as if my questions are surprising.

Uncomfortable, I shift, wrapping my arms around myself before I ask, “Did I say something weird?”

He smiles at me in that perfect way of his. I find myself starting to smile back and then almost gag. What am I doing? He seems to notice my discomfort because he smirks as he says, “Let’s just set ourselves to figuring this out.”

I spot Beth staring at me, her brow furrowed.

“What?”

“You have to be oblivious,” she mutters, shaking her head. She turns to look back up the stairs, “Oh, thank God. Finally the nerd is here.”

I follow her gaze to see Alyssa and Hombre making their way around the twist of the stairwell. When Alyssa sees that the steps end soon, she lets out a sigh of relief. Her face is pale and she’s definitely leaning more heavily on Hombre.

“You okay?” I ask her.

She looks up, giving me a tight smile as she finally reaches the last step and can stop. She says, “No. But pretend I am. Why are we stopped?”

Beth and I look at each other and then at Ki, who sighs and says, “We need to figure out how to open the door. I’m thinking it’ll be something small, some kind of puzzle that has to do with creation.”

Hombre closes his eyes tight, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Great. Of course this isn’t easy. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up.”

“Maybe you should talk to those spirits of yours,” Beth suggests. “They helped us last time, right?”

He shakes his head, “Let’s keep that as a last choice. I’ve used that power too much recently. I need to balance out my others first before I try to use it again.”

Beth nods, but the frown on her face shows that she doesn’t quite get what he’s saying. I’m not sure I do either.

I fiddle with my bracelet, looking down at it. It’s what helped us last time, right? I twist it so that the paintbrush is on top. An odd, old memory suddenly pops into my mind.

I was still little, in kindergarten. We had half-days and I’d come home and then spend time with my mom. She was a sculptor, and it was important to her that I be part of her process, so I sat on her lap as she molded a statue of some rich man’s dog. Back then she was the one who wore the bracelet, and it would clink as she worked, always managing to draw my attention.

“Go on,” she told me, “you should try to sculpt the face. Mama will help you, Carmen.”

I tried to mold the clay, unsuccessfully. Frustrated by the ugly result, I then crushed it in my hands.

I paused, expecting her to get mad at me, but she just laughed, “Es muy bueno, Carmen, you need to learn the value of destruction. If it isn’t working, get rid of it. Start again. Repetición.” My mother was always trying to speak Spanish, I think as a way to show my father that she cared about him. Though he told Cal and me that he thought Spanish was a vulgar language, whenever she attempted to speak it he gently smiled and encouraged her.

My mother took the clay from me, rolled it into a ball, and stuck it back on the roughly shaped body.

I watched her hands move with precise grace, the bracelet clinking on her wrist. I remember saying, “Mama, your bracelet is pretty.”

She paused to look at it, smiling, “Yes, I guess it is. My mother, your grandma, gave it to me. She said it would ‘open doors.’” She shook her head, her expression growing dark, “One of many lies she told me. Oh, Carmen, as you get older you tend to figure out that adults don’t know as much as you want them to. When they want something to seem special, they tell you whatever will shut you up.” She slammed the clay onto the statue as she muttered, “I hate that woman.”

‘Open doors’ . . . if my grandmother said that, did she know that my bracelet’s an artifact? And if it does ‘open doors,’ then how do I make it do that?

“Do you at least know which wall the door’s supposed to be on?” Hombre asks Ki, focusing on the wall closest to him, the outside one. He still supports Alyssa, but she looks a bit antsy, clearly wanting to investigate.

Ki shakes his head. “Regrettably, no.” He sighs, running his hands down the wall in front of him, maybe feeling for some secret button or something. He says, “I had planned to go through the research again. I thought I’d have more time.”

“Shouldn’t the door just be in front of us?” Beth asks, leaning forward.

Alyssa gives her a look, “Why would you assume that, Beth? All the other doors have been to the side.”

Beth frowns and then shrugs, saying, “Well, it can’t be on the outside wall at least, right?”

Ki shakes his head, squinting at the wall in front of him for some clue, “I wouldn’t discount the possibility. The tower widens out down here.”

“Oh,” Beth sighs, “Great.” She stares at his back, looking helpless, then asks, “How long have we been walking?”

“At least two hours. Probably more,” Alyssa responds as she pulls Hombre to the outside wall with her.

“What?” Beth gasps, “Really? That must be why my feet feel so numb.”

While they’ve been talking, I’ve found myself creeping forward almost without realizing it. It’s as if the far wall has the same magnetic pull that Ki does. I frown, the hand with my bracelet reaching up almost automatically toward a part covered with a number of scratches. Some are curved, some diagonal, some up, some sideways. I get a distinct impression that if I can trace them in the right combination, I can make a picture.

Whether or not it’s because of my bracelet, I find my hand already going toward the lines automatically. I reach out my fingers and press them into the indents, first tracing one curve, then another, then a horizontal line and another, fuller curve. I follow the lines as I do so, not sure what I’m going to trace until I touch it. Goosebumps rise on my arms. I think I know what I’m constructing: a paintbrush.

“What are you doing, Carmen?” I hear Beth ask.

I don’t respond, as I’m not sure how to. My fingers move as if this should be the natural response, some second nature, and I’m sure, now, that I can feel my bracelet tugging on my wrist, almost as if it’s showing me the way, as if it has some intelligence of its own. I shiver.

One more line and then I realize I’ve traced all I need. The tugging on my wrist disappears and I drop my hand, not sure what’s just happened.

There’s just a moment before the wall clicks and then all of it slides to the left, revealing only darkness.

I stare at the opening, my teeth now starting to tap-dance on my lip. What’s going on? I don’t understand. I’ve had this bracelet basically my whole life, worn it almost every day and it’s never done anything like this before. I sink down into a crouch, holding my head. Good Lord, when I think things can’t get any weirder they seem to do so exponentially.

Alyssa speaks first, demanding, “How did you do that? What was that?”

I shake my head, not sure how to respond, but Ki comes to my rescue, “There will be time to ask later. We should take advantage of this and continue forward.”

I take a deep breath and push myself up, nodding, “He’s right. Let’s go.” I start forward, but Ki’s already at my side and he touches my arm. The pressure of his fingers is like a shockwave and I slide away almost instantly, avoiding it.

He looks at me, frowning at my reaction, but he says, “I’ll go first, since I have a light.” He pulls out a small orb and presses a button on it so that it brightens the area. He looks back at the stairwell for a moment, his head cocked as if he’s listening for some sign of Iifa, and then begins to walk forward, his steps cautious as he sweeps the light around the room.

I hesitate a moment and then step in after him. Beth, Alyssa, and Hombre follow me, their steps cautious. I try to avoid their stares, especially Hombre’s. I’m not sure how to tell him that I just somehow knew what to do and that I think it’s because of my bracelet.

The dim light from the hallway illuminates the area only slightly, and Ki’s light only a tiny bit more, but I’m starting to be able to make out some shapes. Ki’s being very slow, deliberate, and I follow his lead. Behind me, I can hear the others doing the same.

I take another step forward and jump back almost instantly as I feel something shift beneath me. There’s another small click and then the door slams shut behind us, leaving us with only the small light in Ki’s hand.

Oh man.

I can’t help but let out a gasp and Beth releases a little squeal.

“Oh, great,” Alyssa mutters, “Great, great, great.”

“Stop freaking out,” Hombre orders us.

“Why?” Alyssa asks, “This seems like a perfect time to freak out.”

“Shh!” Ki hisses, and we all fall quiet.

A grinding begins to echo through the room and, from the way it sounds, I can tell that, wherever we are, the place is gigantic.

“What is that?” Beth whispers. I’m not sure if she expects an answer, but I wish I had one to give.

As soon as she asks, though, lights begin to flick on above us, revealing that we’re in a much smaller area than I anticipated. I frown, trying to locate the source of the grinding, which must be piercing through the walls, and settle on a small door below us, at the end of yet another flight of stairs.

Alyssa groans when she sees the steps and asks, “Really?”

But now there’s another click, and half of the left wall retracts into the ceiling. As other dim lights begin to turn on in the distance, they confirm my suspicion: that beyond this small area is a very, very, very large room.

I take a few steps forwards to see what occupies the space beneath us and gasp as a gigantic, twisting labyrinth comes into view. It’s colossal, the walls stretching up to what must be twice my height, though we’re far enough up that we can see most of the passageways and the ways they connect. From the degradation in some areas, I can tell that this place is not only ancient, but that Ki’s been telling the truth: no one’s been in this room for quite some time.

Still, the air is surprisingly fresh, though hot and muggy, some of which I assume has to do with the water rushing through the center of the labyrinth. This river isn’t roaring with force, but it still gurgles through with some excitement. Bridges cross over it, allowing access to the second half of the maze, but at least one of them has crumbled �" hopefully not one we need. Some of the walls next to the river apparently haven’t been capable of suppressing its persistence, as water sprays or drips out of cracks. In at least two cases, a small part of the maze has been flooded with ankle-deep water. Considering that Ki said that no one’s been in here in a century, I’m actually surprised that it’s not worse.

“Sons,” I hear Hombre murmur as he and Alyssa shuffle their way over, both of them seeming a bit impatient with her current pace.

Beth is already beside me, slack-jawed. She shakes her head, “Everything just keeps getting crazier.”

Ki’s eye are narrowed as he looks out at the place, considering it, “We need to find a way through.” Frustrated, he lets out a growl, “If only I had something to write it all down with.”

Hombre looks at him, “Are you really the leader of this place? I could’ve replaced you with a map and gotten here just fine. Actually, maybe that would’ve been better, since a map would have more useful information.”

I shoot Hombre a look of “what are you doing?”, but Ki’s already turned a glare onto him. Ki’s expression is frightening as he snaps, “I command respect for a reason. Perhaps you have some magical powers, but your abilities aren’t limitless and you should be wary that they don’t make you too cocky.”

Hombre shrugs, “If I use them the right way they’re definitely limitless. Unfortunately, this time you made me believe the right way was not to prepare myself to do this on my own, but instead to trust you. You tricked me and would’ve screwed us if Carmen hadn’t somehow figured out that puzzle you never told us about.”

“Do you not see the hypocrisy here? You’re getting mad at me because I’m not as prepared as you think I should be, when you just admitted to not doing all that you could’ve.” Ki crosses his arms. When I look at him, it’s as if someone’s turned up a dial. He could probably look Iifa in the face right now and she’d squeal. Beth takes a step back, and I see Alyssa frown.

Hombre swallows, but quickly composes himself, snapping, “They’re entirely different situations. I never led anyone on, and if I �" ”

Sensing this won’t end for awhile, I raise my hands and step between them. “Stop it. We don’t have time for this. We have to get through this maze before Iifa catches up.”

Ki glares at Hombre, “Perhaps your friend should give us a damn suggestion, then, instead of wasting time slighting me.”

I cut off Hombre before he can respond, as I can see him tense up, “Stop it! Iifa’s the one trying to kill us. I don’t know why you two have decided right now’s a good time for this, but you need to stop. Both of you want the same thing, right?”

They both fall silent. Ki turns to look at the maze, still radiating anger, and Hombre glares at him. Whatever. They can finish their argument later.

Alyssa sighs, turning to Beth, “Beth, you brought your eyeliner, didn’t you? You never go anywhere without that stuff.”

Beth blinks, tearing her gaze away from Ki and Hombre. She frowns, “How did you know that?”

Alyssa holds her hand out, “Gimme.”

Beth reaches into her pocket and brings out the eyeliner.

Alyssa snatches it, “It’s a good thing you’re so vain.”

Beth stares at her, “Wow, everyone is really cranky right now.”

Alyssa rolls her eyes, “I don’t know about them, but I’m a cripple and I have to rely on Darien. Of course I’m cranky.”

Hombre snaps, “It would be nice to get a ‘thank you,’ but go ahead, keep telling everyone how awful you think I am.”

Alyssa hesitates, looks at him, and then says, “Fine. I am being kind of a jerk, so thank you. Now, please help me get to the balcony so I can draw out a map.”

He sighs, “Alright. Apology accepted. I shouldn’t have snapped.”

She shrugs, “I would’ve.”

The corners of his mouth turn up slightly and he helps her hobble to the edge of the balcony while she takes the top off the eyeliner.

“What do you see?” Alyssa asks us.

Ki gestures at passageways in the maze, his eyebrows still drawn together, “There are traps. I think we’ll need to go right first, then left, and then straight.”

“Traps?” Beth asks, staring down at the maze.

I look, too, concerned. I hadn’t noticed anything before, but Ki’s right. There are stretches of path with spikes on the ground, glinting blades hidden in the walls, cauldrons that look ready to tip over.

I shiver, asking, “Why are there traps?”

Ki shrugs, shooting a glare at Hombre before he begins to trace the way through with Alyssa.

Hombre frowns and says, after considering the maze for a few moments, “I don’t see an end.”

I look around, trying to find an outlet, but I also see none. I turn my gaze to the water and frown. The last portal had been under water, hadn’t it? I follow the paths along the river and find one which disappears underneath it to meet with a strange glass ball. I point it out: “I think it’s there.”

Alyssa follows my finger and squints for a moment before finding it and then jolting it down.

Hombre shakes his head, “This seems strange. Why are we being shown the way through if there are all those traps? Isn’t that counter-productive?”

Beth shrugs, “Maybe this was installed later? Or the people who made it like being helpful?”

“I don’t know,” Hombre says, shaking his head again.

I meet Hombre’s eyes. He’s right, it does seem strange. I bite my lip.

He smiles at me, “Don’t worry, chica. I’ll go in front.”

I open my mouth to ask why that would make me not worry, but I’m interrupted by a loud click. I jump back as the panel slides back down from above, and, with a snap, blocks our view of the maze.

Alyssa’s dropped the eyeliner, having rocked back onto her bad leg. She reaches down to grab it again, clenching her teeth as she exhales, “Damn it. Seriously? Was that necessary? I didn’t even get the whole thing down on my hand.” She shoves Hombre away, “You didn’t even help at all.”

He rolls his eyes, “So much for an apology. Fine. Walk by yourself.”

Alyssa stares at him, “Are you kidding me? I can’t walk by myself.”

Beth sighs and steps forward, “Here, I’ve got you, Alyssa.”

As Alyssa leans on Beth she mutters, “You better not drop me.”

Beth grins, “Oh, it’ll happen.”

Alyssa smacks her.

Ki looks at the closed-off view with regret and says, “We should keep moving. I’m sure Iifa’s almost fought her way through my soldiers by now.”

I look uneasily at where the entrance to this place used to be before I follow him. Though I strain to hear any sign of Iifa, all I can hear is the sound of the stream. I sure hope he’s wrong, but, as good as his soldiers had been, Iifa and her troops were ferocious.

Alyssa hands Beth’s eyeliner back to her. Beth looks almost sad, staring at the worn-down tip as she sighs, “I guess there’ll be no more pretty Beth.”

Alyssa glares at her, “Are you fishing for compliments? You know you’re pretty.”

Beth flutters her eyelashes and grins as she helps Alyssa down the stairs, “You think so?”

Alyssa rolls her eyes, “Well, not right now.”

Hombre and I walk after them, and he asks me, in a low voice, “Did you say your bracelet was a family heirloom?”

I look at him, suspicious, “Yes. Why?”

He shakes his head, “Just wondering.” The corners of his mouth turn down into a frown as he presses, “You must know something about it, then, right? Is that why you knew to do whatever you did back there?”

I blink, narrow my eyes, “What? You think I know something about what’s going on here?”

He raises his eyebrows, “Do you?”

I stare at him, surprised that he’d even ask, “No.” I look back down at the stairs, hesitating before I continue, “I just . . . somehow I just knew what to do to make that door open.” I twist the bracelet, “I think this thing showed me. It felt like . . . like it was guiding me.”

Hombre lets out a little “Huh.”

I look back at him, “Do you know what that means?”

He sighs, “No. All my information is from the spirits and some folk stories, and they didn’t really tell me much. Well, the spirits did help guide me to you.” He shakes his head, “Considering all this, I really should’ve just taken the bracelet from you.”

I turn to look at him, my brows knitting together. Normally I’d just keep quiet and nod, but the statement irritates me, “Why? You think I can’t handle all this or something? Whether or not it was a good idea, I was the one who chose to go through the portal. This is my bracelet. I should get to choose. You can’t just decide for me.”

He blinks, taken aback, and starts: “No �" no, I’m not trying to choose for you or anything like that, I just . . . I don’t want you to go through something dangerous.” He hesitates, some phrase on his lips, about to spill out �"

“Let’s hope what you’ve drawn is helpful, Alyssa,” Ki says loudly as he steps through the door at the bottom of the stairwell, entering into the maze.

Hombre blinks and looks away. He pauses a moment and then shakes his head, “I should be in front.” He hurries forward, to the front of the line, without even a glance back, and I stare after him, confused. What just happened? It felt like . . . something. I run my hand through my hair, pushing it out of my face. I see Beth glance back at me and then back forward, shaking her head. I frown, confused, but try to place it out of my mind as we follow Ki and Hombre into the labyrinth.

As I emerge, I feel inconsequentially small. Around us the hard, carved walls stretch up and up, serving as barriers to hide the danger of the traps from us. I can hear the pounding of the water through the cavernous space, as well as the grinding, which is louder here. I look up at the ceiling to see that the sound stems from a rotating roof, on which is a detailed drawing of . . . well . . . the maze.

More help? With the rotation it’s hard to follow the paths, much less pinpoint where we are, so maybe it’s just to mock us or something. I don’t know. It’s been decorated extravagantly, though much of the paint has flecked off, making it difficult to decipher the images alongside the spinning representation of our current obstacle.

We round the corner and come to the first crossroads. The passage splits, one side continuing forward, the other to the right.

Beth mutters, “Alyssa, don’t get us killed.”

Alyssa glares at her and then says, “Go right.”

Hombre’s already charging forward, clearly devoted to this idea of going first. My stomach rolls a bit and I look at Ki, who’s dropping back with us, now. I ask him, “Shouldn’t you go first? I mean, you seem like you know how to move and dodge and whatever.”

Ki smirks, “Want me to die already?”

I stare at him, “No, no, I meant �" ”

He smiles gently, “It was a joke.” He looks up at Hombre and shrugs, “He seems to be confident that he can handle it.” I note that his words are tinged with irritation.

I look at him, “Hombre’s a good guy, don’t hate him.”

Ki gives me a half-smile, “It’s a good thing he has you to protect him.”

I hold up my hands, “I’m not. I’m just saying, well, I think he’s being kind of a jerk to you and he’s not normally like that. Maybe it’s just how stressful everything is or something, but I don’t want you two hating each other.”

Ki nods, his gaze once again piercing as he says, “I will try to be civil, but I heard him telling you to be careful around me. I just want to ask: how do you know it’s not him you should be careful of?”

I stare at Ki, then turn away quickly, not sure how to respond.

Hombre’s almost reached the next crossroads, still perfectly fine.

Beth mutters, “Now that Hombre said it, I can’t get over it. Why bother building this giant thing if you just give us the solutions beforehand?”

I don’t want to voice the uncomfortable thought that’s begun to force its way in: Maybe there’s something else we should be worried about.

Hombre turns back and asks, “Which way should I go when I get to the next crossroads?”

Alyssa looks down at her hand and is about to respond when there’s a hiss and a hole opens up underneath Hombre. I don’t even have time to scream before he drops into it, twisting so that the last thing we see is the glittering of his eyes, the irises bursting with violet and fuschia. There’s a sizzling sound and he yelps in pain, his head disappearing right as the ground seals up.

Author's Note

Thank you for any and all critiques. =)