than she’d first thought. Maybe she could find an unexpected ally in the man—if she could find him again. He’d already shown a willingness to communicate with her. And Greene had sent him into the maze with Annja without consulting with the guy first. That had to have shown Kessel he was expendable.
“I’d be furious if Greene did that to me.” Annja glanced around, suddenly sheepish that she’d spoken to herself.
A couple close calls and she was already cracking up.
She hauled herself to her feet and stomped around, feeling her muscles come back to life. A few deep breaths, knee bends and waving her arms around helped flush blood through her body.
Now, where do I go from here?
She took a look around this new room and saw that the sandy beach ended almost as soon as she got away from the water. Obviously, the beach was only there to serve the purpose of reinvigorating the person in the maze.
But beyond that, it was back to business.
The maze.
Annja padded out of the sand and paused only to shake some of it from her shoes. Then she put her shoes back on and turned around.
A wide corridor stretched out in front of her. Lights ran along the length of it, illuminating different-shaped stones that paved the floor.
She pulled the sword out again and knelt close to the edge where the stones started. Some of them were shaped like squares, some like rectangles and some triangles.
Annja tapped the point of her sword on one of the square tiles.
And threw herself down as a whisper of air breezed past her head. She heard a splash behind her and knew that whatever trip wire she’d triggered had fired its dart or spear into the water.
Good range, she thought.
She sat back up and tapped the edge of the sword on the triangular tiles. She heard the same punctured sound of air breaking overhead and watched this time as a small dart zipped past her and also landed in the water.
Last time, she thought, and touched the tip of the sword to the rectangle.
Nothing happened.
Annja nodded, stood and set off down the corridor, making sure to keep to the rectangular tiles.
The corridor went on for another fifty feet before ending abruptly. Annja stood on the brink of a pit that stretched fifteen feet before the corridor continued on the other side of it for another fifty feet or so.
The distance was too far to jump, and trying to get a running start would prove difficult relying only on the rectangular stones.
So how would she get across?
And if she did manage to span the gap, she’d have to make sure that she landed on the rectangles on the other side, as well.
Annja shook her head. Damn, Fairclough, you didn’t make this easy, did you?
She glanced overhead, wondering if perhaps he’d left a rope hanging down that she could use to swing across the divide.
No such luck.
She sighed. This was getting tiresome. Annja would have preferred a simpler maze.
Hell, she thought, even facing a minotaur would have been preferable.
She knelt at the lip of the gap and peered into the chasm. The sword cast light only so far, but Annja thought she could see what looked like tips of spears jutting up at an angle, ready to impale those unlucky enough to fail the jump.
Punji sticks, she thought. Just like she’d seen in the jungles of Southeast Asia before.
But there had to be a way across. There had to be. Fairclough wouldn’t have made it impossible.
At least, not yet.
Annja wondered what he might have lying in wait farther on in the maze. But for now, her task was relatively straightforward. Just get across.
Easier said than done.
She glanced over her shoulder at the placement of the rectangular tiles. They’d been spaced just far enough that she was confident there was no way she could get any type of running start.
No, there had to be another way.
Fifteen feet was too far to jump from standing at the ledge. And worse, Annja could see that the first rectangle was situated just out of reach, so that once she got to the other side, she’d have to
“I’d be furious if Greene did that to me.” Annja glanced around, suddenly sheepish that she’d spoken to herself.
A couple close calls and she was already cracking up.
She hauled herself to her feet and stomped around, feeling her muscles come back to life. A few deep breaths, knee bends and waving her arms around helped flush blood through her body.
Now, where do I go from here?
She took a look around this new room and saw that the sandy beach ended almost as soon as she got away from the water. Obviously, the beach was only there to serve the purpose of reinvigorating the person in the maze.
But beyond that, it was back to business.
The maze.
Annja padded out of the sand and paused only to shake some of it from her shoes. Then she put her shoes back on and turned around.
A wide corridor stretched out in front of her. Lights ran along the length of it, illuminating different-shaped stones that paved the floor.
She pulled the sword out again and knelt close to the edge where the stones started. Some of them were shaped like squares, some like rectangles and some triangles.
Annja tapped the point of her sword on one of the square tiles.
And threw herself down as a whisper of air breezed past her head. She heard a splash behind her and knew that whatever trip wire she’d triggered had fired its dart or spear into the water.
Good range, she thought.
She sat back up and tapped the edge of the sword on the triangular tiles. She heard the same punctured sound of air breaking overhead and watched this time as a small dart zipped past her and also landed in the water.
Last time, she thought, and touched the tip of the sword to the rectangle.
Nothing happened.
Annja nodded, stood and set off down the corridor, making sure to keep to the rectangular tiles.
The corridor went on for another fifty feet before ending abruptly. Annja stood on the brink of a pit that stretched fifteen feet before the corridor continued on the other side of it for another fifty feet or so.
The distance was too far to jump, and trying to get a running start would prove difficult relying only on the rectangular stones.
So how would she get across?
And if she did manage to span the gap, she’d have to make sure that she landed on the rectangles on the other side, as well.
Annja shook her head. Damn, Fairclough, you didn’t make this easy, did you?
She glanced overhead, wondering if perhaps he’d left a rope hanging down that she could use to swing across the divide.
No such luck.
She sighed. This was getting tiresome. Annja would have preferred a simpler maze.
Hell, she thought, even facing a minotaur would have been preferable.
She knelt at the lip of the gap and peered into the chasm. The sword cast light only so far, but Annja thought she could see what looked like tips of spears jutting up at an angle, ready to impale those unlucky enough to fail the jump.
Punji sticks, she thought. Just like she’d seen in the jungles of Southeast Asia before.
But there had to be a way across. There had to be. Fairclough wouldn’t have made it impossible.
At least, not yet.
Annja wondered what he might have lying in wait farther on in the maze. But for now, her task was relatively straightforward. Just get across.
Easier said than done.
She glanced over her shoulder at the placement of the rectangular tiles. They’d been spaced just far enough that she was confident there was no way she could get any type of running start.
No, there had to be another way.
Fifteen feet was too far to jump from standing at the ledge. And worse, Annja could see that the first rectangle was situated just out of reach, so that once she got to the other side, she’d have to
Similar Books
