The hedges were tall and closely packed together. The growing darkness combined with the eerie sound of the wind whistling through the shrubbery acted powerfully upon her imagination, in her frightened and weakened state. She froze in terror at the large hulking mass on her left only to realise that it was another statue, though its surface was so weathered that she could barely make out its features. She had glimpsed many similar ones throughout the maze, some in better condition than others, which she regretted as some had been almost life-like, and their faces etched with gruesome pain flitted across her memory and lingered like a bad odour.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she assessed her current situation. There was no denying it, she was lost. A thin tendril of fear slowly crept up, wrapping its poisonous tentacles around her, casting the first seed of doubt into her mind. She fiercely swallowed back tears, this was no time to be emotional! Instead, she needed all her wits in order to think how to get herself out of this mess. For she knew there was no one to help her. Cursing loudly, she held the smoky torch higher to illuminate her way along the rocky and treacherous path. In her other hand she held her sword, thin and tapered it looked fragile to the amateur eye, but it was deadly fast and strong as steel. The ground crunched as she strode forward, eyes darting everywhere, searching her surroundings with her keen vision.
Her arm ached, sending waves of pain coursing through her body. But she knew that if she let the light go out, she was as good as dead. Even the mere thought of darkness spurred her onwards, but her foot slipped- and in one graceful arc she tumbled to the ground. As though in slow motion, her arms felt as heavy as lead as she struggled to reach for the dying torch but she could only watch in despair, the scream stuck in her throat as the light blinked feebly, then disappeared.
Suddenly she was free from her paralysis and she was able to draw great shuddering breaths. Huddling against the bushes, she felt for her sword and was slightly comforted by its solid, reassuring presence. But the fear continued to bubble in her chest. Squeezing her eyes tight she tried to remember what her teacher Nadal had instructed her to do if ever she was in such a situation. But the grief was too raw and all her resolve gave way to bitter tears. Curse it! she ground her teeth in frustration, was she a warrior or not? Guilt and shame raged inside, gnawing at her stomach until she felt dizzy and nauseous.
Face it, her sterner self reprimanded her, you're going to die here. No food, no water, no shelter, stuck in this infernal maze with who knows what manner of beasts lurking around. What's the point of living anyway? Nadal is gone, so are your brothers, your family has disowned you... you can't fix it, you can't change the past.
Her will faltered. Maybe, she thought. She was so tired, her stubborn nature rarely conceded to defeat, but she was just so tired. After all she had been through, all she had fought, could she simply just let go, give up? Maybe that was the solution after all. Just stop fighting...
If she hadn't been so exhausted she would been diligent to close her mind to the nagging whispers. But as it was she succumbed to their persuasion and failed to see a thin figure detach itself from the shadows. Covered head to toe in a heavy black cloak the mage surveyed his prize. She was beautiful, he had to admit, with her slim figure, long luxurious dark brown hair that framed a pale oval face, but what most people noticed first was her eyes. Grey, they looked silver in the light, but turned almost black when she was angry. He had noticed that she moved with an almost feline grace, confident and dangerous.
Tracking her had not been easy. She possessed a warrior's cunning and her stealth and speed caused him nearly to lose her more than once. He smiled, twisting his face into a strange grimace that would have caused most people to draw back in horror. The scar which ran from his scalp down to his neck mutated his features until he looked barely human. He jerked his hand and the girl, for she was only sixteen, slowly rose into the air as if held by puppet strings. Putting her to sleep was only the first step, he mused, as he drew a circle in the air around himself and his precious quarry. But the rest... would be infinitely more enjoyable. The ground trembled as he gathered his power, and with an earth-shuddering crack, they were gone.
