Disclaimer: Refer to all previous chapters.
So, yeah... i kinda feed off reviews. :3
I was busy.
oOo
I was blindfolded, placed on a stretcher, and carried to the heart of the maze by four guards. Once inside, they set me down and removed the blindfold. I found myself in a narrow six foot high corridor. I could tell my size would work in my favor- the four guards had to stoop.
"Are you ready?" One of the guards asked.
"I'm ready," I glanced down the corridor and saw a whitish stone on the wall, and made a note of it. The first of many markers.
"You must stay here until the water pours," The guard said. "That's the signal for the start of the Trial. Nobody can check on you once we leave, so there's nothing to prevent you from cheating, apart from your conscience."
"I won't cheat." I said. I was annoyed that they might accuse me. "I'll wait for the water."
"I'm sure you will," He said quickly. "I had to say it anyway- tradition."
Together, they gathered up the stretcher and left. I coulden't hear them leave because of the soft shoes they were wearing. But I wasn't paying attention to that. I was listening for the water. My nerves were making me shake. Part of me wanted to run, make an early start. I ignored the voice. I would never be able to look Mr. Crepsley, Gavner, or the others in the eye if I cheated. I would want them to take me to the Hall of Death if I didn't die in the Maze.
Finally there was a sound of gurgling and water bubbled from a nearby pipe. I smirked to myself, and I scurried to the end of the corridor, as best as I could, dragging my rock behind me. I was lucky I weighed less than the normal vampire. I still had some growing to do.
I did well in the beginning, barely noticing the water, but soon that changed as the water raised above my knees, making each step forward an effort. The rock was easy to tug on the other hand. The water quickly tired me, making my legs and back ache. Vanez had warned me about this. I had to accept the water, not fight it. The mistakes many vampires made was to try and rush it. They exhausted themselves in the early and never got anywhere near the end. I was looking for the X painted door. Another couple of minutes passed and I started to get anxious.
The water was now up to my chest, and the rock was getting harder ot pull through the water. The rock became snagged as I turned a corner. I took a breath and dove under to see what the problem was. I found the rock jammed against a large crack in the wall. It took a few seconds to free and I came up with air to sprare.
But my mind was a blank. Had I been down this tunnel before? I couldn't see any familiar signs. I was lost. I remembered that I had taken a right and then a left at the last two forks, so if I was going in a circle, I should take a left and then a right, right? The water was up to my chin, and I was stumbling through the water in a panic.
Suddenlt, Vanez's advice came back to me. I stopped moving and focused on calming down. Refusing to move until I had myself together. I focused on what awaited me when I got out. Good food, a bottle of human blood. Gavner, Kurda and Harkat. And of course Mr. Crepsley. And every one of them believe I can do this.
I opened my eyes. I was sure that I could recognise a marker if I saw one. I continued down the corridor- no markers. The next was also new to me, and the next one after that. And the next. I started to get worried until I saw a candle sitting in a pale grey circular stone- one of my markers! I stared at the stone while my map started to reform. It came in sections at a time, then a sudden rush, and I remembered everything. The water was above my lower lip. I had to tilt my head to get air.
Concentrating on my map I started out again. I followed my map, finding the corridor I had taken before. I backtracked and hurried to the next turn, searching for that elusive X. The water was almost up to the ceiling now. I would run out of air soon. I was swimming now, and would have been doing just fine if not for that damned rock!
I realized it was time to make a cirtical decision. Vanez had discussed this with me in practice. If I continued as I was, I would die. I had less than two or three minutes of air left and would drown soon. I had to gamble.
I took several deep breaths. Focusing on breathing, now. stretching my lungs. I took one huge deep breath, and ducked underwater. I swam to the floor and pickd up the rock. I turned over and placed the rock on my belly, and swam. Water gushed up my nose. I tilted my head toward my chest and it helped. Vampires could hold their breaths longer than humans. But since I was blowing it out my nose, I'd have maybe two or three minutes before I drowned.
Another corner revealed a long corridor. I could make out a border wall at the end, but couldn't see well enough to see if it had an X on it. Halfway down the corridor and I could see that there was not one. Swam back. I searched in vain, but the next two corners led to more corridors, and not the wall. My oxygen was running out. My lungs burned for fresh air. The next corner didn't lead to the border wall either, but I didn't have time to swim ahead and keep searching. If this wasn't it. I was done.
I swam down the short corridor and took a right at the end. Another short corridor. As I started down it, the rock slipped off my belly. A sharp edge dug deep into my ribs as it fell. I yelped. Water flooded my mouth as bubbles escaped. I struggled to hold back the coughing as I swam to the ceiling, only to find that the water had already reached it. I was completely out of air. It was over. I was going to die.
I'm not dead yet.
I couldn't see very well. The idea of dying alone in the dark wasn't very appealing. Despite the pain in my whole upper torso, I swam back down and grabbed the rock before continuing on to find somewhere brighter. Out of nowhere, a memory of a movie I had once watched as a human popped into my mind. It was one line from the movie Donnie Darko.
"She said: Every living creature on Earth dies alone."
I hadn't meant to memorize it. But at the thought of dying alone, I suddenly found myself accessing reserves of energy that I didn't know I even had.
I made a left turn at the end of the corridor. Despite my newfound energy, my vision was blurring and darkening ever so slightly. I spotted the dark stone of border wall at the end. Yes. This was good. The lighting was much better here. I rolled over to be upright, and was about to drop the stone, until I really saw the end of the corridor. A huge, unmistakable, white X was painted against a dark background.
Mirage or not, I was happier than I'd ever felt before. I was out of air and starting to lose consciousness , but somehow I managed to make my way over to it in a very sluggish manner. My hand reached foreward as I got closer and closer.
Just... a little... fur... th...
At the time, I didn't know that I had touched the button, but a huge gushing roar brought a smile to my lips. I felt myself being carried out of the maze by the flow of water. Only when the water was gone, leaving me crumpled on the wet floor, did I finally breathe. It started with a sputtering cough, then I could take deep painful breaths. I was tired, and in my current state, decided that this was a great place to take a nap. In reality, I passed out.
Only seconds later, I awoke to the sound of cheers, and people screaming my name. I rolled over on to my stomach and struggled to push myself up.
Every living creature dies alone? Not today I don't!
"You did it, Lily!" Someone shouted, helping me upright before throwing their arms around me. Mr. Crepsely, in a rare display of affection.
"Did what?" I asked jokingly.
"She's delirious!" Someone behind him shouted. I recognized the voice to be Kurda's.
"Who would not be?" Mr. Creplsey replied, hugging me proudly.
"I think I'll take a nap now." I said into his shoulder. "Call me when it's time to go surfing, eh?" I dozed off to the sound of vampires yelling excitedly around me.
oOo
I was shivering like a drowned rat when I finally woke up fifteen hours later. Vanez was there to wish me good morning. He handed me a mug of some dark liquid and told me to drink.
"What am I drinking?" I asked, sniffing it. The smell was strong.
"Brandy." He said. I had never tried brandy before. Actually I had never tried any 'adult beverage' before. I didn't really want to either, but I didn't want to reject it in front to the Games Master. I took my first gulp, and almost coughed it back up. My mouth and throat warmed up almost immediately and after a few more gulps I decided that it wasn't too bad.
"Careful!" Vanez laughed as I poured it freely down my throat. "You'll get drunk."
I set aside the mug, grinning sheepishly. Then I remembered the Trial. "I did it!" I jumped up. "I found my way out of the Maze!"
"You certainly did." Vanez agreed. "It was close. You were in there just over twenty minutes. Did you have to swim towards the finish?"
"Yes." I said, before explaining what all had happened behind the walls. Afterwards Vanez led me to the Hall of Khledon Lurt to get something to eat. I was starving. The vampires there applauded when they saw me and crowded around me to tell me how well they though I had done. I couldn't help but turn bright red at all the sudden attention.
Harkat showed up while I was digging through my third bowl of bat broth. "I am... glad you... survived." He smiled.
"That makes two of us!" I laughed.
While we were talking, a rumor spread through the Hall. From what we picked up, one of the remaining vampires on his way to Council had arrived before dawn and had immediately rushed to the Hall of Princes to inform them of vampaneze tracks that he'd come across on the way.
"Maybe it's the same one we found." I noted, remembering the dead vampaneze.
"Maybe." Vanez muttered, but I could tell he didn't believe that. "I'll leave you for a while. Stay here, I won't be long."
When he returned, he looked troubled. "The vampire was Patrick Goulder." He said. "He came by an entirely different route, and the tracks were quite fresh. It's almost certain it was a different vampaneze. Two vampaneze on the paths to Vampire Mountain are hardly coincidence. That and Harkat's message, this doesn't look promising."
I started thinking about the vampaneze and Mr. Tiny's prophecy. I probably would had sat there all day thinking and worrying about it, but Vanez spoke up again.
"Still, we must concentrate on the Trials. We'll leave other business to those best equipped to deal with it."
But the rumor continued to float around the mountain, and my achievements of the night before were quickly forgotten. I was thankful that people were no longer cheering and applauding me when they saw me. No longer was anyone interested in the fate of one little female half-vampire, while the future of the entire clan was hanging in the balance.
Later when I went to pick my next Trial, I found myself having to wait before being called before the Princes. They were preoccupied, arguing with the generals about what the vampaneze were up to and what we should be doing about it. Kurda was there, standing up for his outcast friends.
"If they meant to attack us, they would have done so while we were in small numbers on the trails!" He shouted.
"Maybe they plan to attack us on the way back." Someone retorted.
"Why should they?" Kurda challanged him. "They've never attacked before. Why start now?"
"Maybe the Vampaneze Lord told them to." Murmurs of agreement echoed around the Hall.
"Nonsense!" Kurda snorted. "I don't believe those old legends. Even if they are true, Mr. Tiny said the night of his coming was at hand- not already upon us."
"Then what are they up to?" Someone shouted.
"It's possible," Kurda said. "that they came to see me."
Every vampire in the Hall stared at him.
"Why should they do that?" Paris asked.
"They are ym friends." He sighed. "I don't believe in the Vampaneze Lord myth. But many vampaneze do, and a lot are as troubled by it as we are- they don't want a war any more than we do. It's possible that Mr. Tiny sent word to the vampaneze as he did to us, and the pair found on the way were coming to warn me or discuss the situation."
"But Patrick Goulder couldn't find the second vampaneze." Mika Ver Leth said. "If he's still aline, wouldn't he have contacted you by now?
"How?" Kurda asked. "They can't just waltz up to the gates and ask for me by name. They'd be killed on the spot. If he's a messenger, he's probably waiting somewhere nearby, hoping to catch me when I leave.
This made sense to most vampires, but others dismissed it- thinking that the only way a vampaneze would go out of his way to help a vampire, would be if the vampaneze were insane.
Mr. Crepsley said little during the arguing. He only sat quietly, listening and thinking hard. He was so absorbed he hadn't even noticed my arrival.
During the lull, Vanez crept over to one of the guards and whispered to him. The guard then advanced to the platform and spoke in the remaining ear of Paris Skyle. Paris nodded, then clapped loudly. "We have been ignoring our duties, my friends," he said. "The news of the vampaneze is worrying, but there is a young half-vampire for whom time is precious. May we enjoy a few minutes of peace to deal with her more pressing concerns?"
When the vampires had quited down and settled into their pews, Vanez escorted me up to the platform.
"Congratulations on passing your first Trial, Lily." Paris said.
"Thank you." I smiled.
"As one who never learned to swim, I have extra reason to admire your narrow escape." said Arrow.
"You did well, young Shan." Mika agreed. Inside my head I was throwing a giant 'I-Told-You-So' themed party. "A good start is half the battle. There is a long way to go, but I am willing to accept that I might have been wrong about you."
"Are you ready to choose your next Trial?" Paris asked.
"I am."
The bag of numbered stones appeared. After they'd been checked, I reached in and grabbed a random stone.
"Number twenty-three!" The guard called out. "The Path of Needles."
"How hard is this one?" I whispered to Vanez.
"Easier than the Aquatic Maze." He said. "And your size will help."
Being only seventeen... eighteen? Being only a kid- to them at least- I was currently the shortest vampire in the whole mountain.
"It's as good as any we could have hoped for." Vanez added.
As we exited the Hall, the arguing kicked back to life.
oOo (doot dee doot dee doo... hmm... Gir says it more like: DooDeeDooDeeDoo! Hee hee! ...OH! Right, the story. Moving on...)
The Path of Needles was a long, narrow cavern filled with sharp-tipped stalagtites and stalagmites. Vanez let me see it before we went to practice in another cave.
"All I have to do is walk across?" I asked.
"That's all."
"There has to be something that makes it... dangerous." I noted.
"The stalagmites are slippery- one wrong move and you can impale yourself in the flicker of an eye. And many stalagtites are barely hanging and can fall at any time. And sudden noise can make them fall. If one hits you, it can slice you clean through."
"I figured something along those lines." I groaned.
We practiced in a cave where the stalagmites weren't as sharp or as slippery, and the stalagtites wouldn't fall without warning. Though, mild as this cave was, I came close to spearing myself several times, rescued only by the quick hands of Vanez Blane.
"You're not gripping hard enough!" He growled after I narrowly missed gouging my eye out. It sliced along my cheek, and Vanez was applying spit to the cut to stop the flow of blood.
It was like trying to grab a buttered pole, which was why he was telling me to grip harder. The problem was, everytime I gripped it, it would shred my hands.
"You're a half-vamire so your flesh will grow back quickly. You have to ignore the pain and focus on the grip. There will be plenty of time after the Trial to moan about your poor little fingers and how you'll never play the piano again."
"I never played piano." I replied, but continued, trying not to complain.
At the end of my session, he applied special herbs and leaves to my hands to ease the pain, and toughen my skin for what lay ahead. For a while my fingers were on fire, but after a while the pain faded, and by the time I had to return for my second bout of training, it was just a dull throb.
A.N.: I have no idea why I made that comment during the transition. Good for you if you read it though.
This is THE END of The Vampires Lovely Assistant.
Know why? Because I don't like reading stories with a lot of chapters. So the next installment of this story will continue in a new story. HEY! Help me come up with a good title for it. (it will help it come out faster ;D)