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Monster of the Maze
Wind glared up at the ceiling then back down at her surroundings, not failing to notice the human bones scattered around the maze. Kicking aside a rat, she began to walk down the winding corridors. The maze was punishment for those foolish enough to defy the Twelve Kings – those who ruled over a world equally divided between them.
However, Wind was not there to be punished. At least, she wasn’t supposed to be. Her objective was something personal; something treacherous. There was no law, however, stating that a person -- especially one of the twelve kings, as Wind was – couldn’t enter the maze voluntarily.
The kings were led by one they voted in as emperor. They had chosen to follow Leo, a man Wind knew better than any of the other fool kings ever could. There was a time – no. It didn’t matter. Leo belonged to Sepia. He was practically a slave to that woman. It made Wind sick to think that she had to bend her knee to a man controlled by such a disgusting woman. And Sepia had never liked Wind. The truth of the matter was, she wanted Wind dead; and for Wind, the feeling was mutual.
Wind stopped as the walls seemed to shake. She had almost forgotten what made this mission so dangerous. Within the maze was a minotaur, half man and half beast that was said to devour the flesh of those trapped with it.
Kneeling down beside a skeleton, she examined the bones that seemed to be gnawed at. The flesh was almost completely stripped off the bone but the remains were still fully-clothed. It must have been eaten by the rats. It looked like he simply sat down and died. She thought that one killed by a minotaur would have met a more violent end. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Wind started to hope there was no minotaur. She shrugged and continued on, leaving the skeleton to the rats. She was starting to get dizzy as the air became thicker with the stench of death and decay. She must be close to the center of the maze now. Taking a breath and leaning against the wall, she thought, Why am I doing this? I could die here!
Falling to her knees, she clutched at the wall. I’m going to pass out, she thought as the world turned white.
Then, Leo is a fool to trust that woman!
That thought and a faint whiff of fresh air was enough to bring her back to focus. She slowly rose to her feet and began to walk again. She managed, though a little unsteadily. Unaware of how much time had passed, she realized that she had been following a scraping sound accompanied by a mournful moaning that, together, created a strange melody that made one wonder if the dead had returned. Wind imagined corpses dragging themselves around as the cause of that scraping sound. The haunting wail echoed down the halls.
Wind turned the corner
…and abruptly turned right back the way she had come. Leaning her back against the wall, she hid in the shadows and placed her hand over her heart, subconsciously trying to muffle the pounding. On the other side, across from the wall she leaned against, was the beast. A minotaur, huddled in the corner, scraping away at something – Maybe scraping the flesh off of human bones? Wind wondered, covering her mouth as sickness overcame her once again.
Her mind raced. Think! Think, damn it!
Should she run? Could she possibly outrun it? It would definitely overpower her. The beast was huge, even sitting. She couldn’t focus, but instead started to recall other things in her life. Why am I doing this? Why do I care? Why am I here?
Sepia isn’t even one of the Twelve. She runs around like the chosen Emperor and Leo lets her do as she pleases even if she would have me killed! The realization was too much. Why should I care? He doesn’t even…
She wasn’t like Sepia. She couldn’t ever be. Sepia was a queen. Yes, she was wed to the Emperor, but Wind was one of the Twelve. She didn’t need another king or the Emperor. She was a king. And Sepia could never be.
Another painful wail interrupted her thoughts. She felt she understood it. It was pain, frustration, and despair. She peered around the corner, her fear not completely gone. The creature cried out again, throwing aside a chunk of stone, which landed just a few feet from her. Looking closer, Wind began to understand. It had been tearing at the wall, tearing it apart to get to the outside world.
It was trying to escape. She could use that. She had entered the maze to find the creature. Now that she had found it, now that she could see the desperate humanity within it, she knew it would serve her purposes well enough.
Leo doesn’t care. I’m replaceable. He might as well even give Sepia my kingdom. I don’t matter at all. It’s time for a change. I could talk to some of the other kings, even Leo’s brother Kam, see who would stand with me against our failure Emperor.
Wind paused at that line of thought for a moment. Was she seriously considering – no. She had definitely made up her mind to betray the emperor, to betray Leo. Now she just needed to approach the minotaur.
 FiiBee · Sat Mar 13, 2010 @ 10:23pm · 0 Comments |
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