Firebolt(91)

I found the Fin-Tail and reached out for my first move. The square disk was stuck, and I couldn't move it. My heart pounded and sweat formed on my forehead. A picture of Lucian busy laying dynamite popped in my head.

Stop it, Elena, there is no time for negative thoughts. I pushed Lucian out of my mind. Deep breathes, Elena, you've got this.

I started to look around and found an hourglass-shaped object. Something told me that it was the timer, but the amount of sand didn't equal an hour. It was only fifteen minutes. I ran towards the glass and wiped off all the spider webs.

Jeepers! I hate that. A cold shudder ran up my spine as I rubbed the goose pimples from my arms. I took another deep breath and turned it over.

A big clicking sound indicated that I needed to hurry, so I ran back to the puzzle. I didn't have time to think, I just started moving the Fin-Tail into position. I worked out the order of disk movement that would allow all the others to end in their correct location. Every move was critical. The adrenaline must have been making my brain work ten times faster as I shifted the last one in place and closed my eyes.

My heart skipped a few beats.

The only thought that was running through my head was what the consequences would be if I was wrong. I would probably have to stay here forever, until I died.

The cave rumbled again. One of the walls had left an open doorway.

I blew out my breath slowly, not recalling breathing one time while I had waited. I turned around to look at the first door I had entered. Right behind it, Lucian, the love of my life, waited. I slipped through the wall without saying my goodbyes, and it closed behind me.

It was dark. All I could hear was the sound of my beating heart as it pounded inside my ear.

Come, come, come. My hands trembled. I gave them a couple of shakes, hoping it would take the edge off.

A spark right next to me made me jump. Fire ran along the wall all the way down to light up the second cave.

My throat became dry as I faced my next task.

What is this?

My eyes grew wider as I realized what was ahead.

For the love of blueberries,you’ve got to be shitting me.It was my worst nightmare. In front of me stood a huge obstacle course. It was the same one we’d seen in the museum; the one where I imagined being a tiny human. Yeah, it hadn’t worked out so well for my tiny self, who had been crushed. This time, it needed to end differently.

The only thing I could see was two huge upside-down axes, swinging at a slow pace past each other.

Words appeared on the wall again.

“A task you must complete, that only the brave can defeat. One false move and you might be without a heartbeat.”

No time limit appeared, and I blew out another breath.

Okay, Elena, you can do this. It's easy. Yeah right. I bounced on one spot as I kept my eyes on the obstacle of death. I noticed that the movement of the axes started to pick up its pace. I had no choice but to do it now.

I decided to trust my reflexes, but my legs wobbled as I climbed the stairs, not making me feel very confident. The axes parted from each other, and I got a glimpse of a crusher and something else that looked like it could slash me in two. There were balls turning at the end with things going up and down. At least the speed seems manageable.

As I slipped through the blades, the tip of my shoe bumped up against a piece of bulk that stood out, causing me to fall flat on my stomach. I felt something miss my head by an inch. I jolted up and moved a step forward.

The object that missed me a couple of seconds ago came back. I saw that it was a wooden log, and I arched my body forward. Who would have thought my clumsiness would someday save my ass!

My heart pounded so fast, it felt as if it was going to explode out of my chest! I took another couple of steps and found myself sliding onto something icky. Another blade slashed right past my nose.

Lucian's voice rang inside my head, loud and clear. “Move your ass, Elena, and no matter what, trust your reflexes.”

Relying on my clumsy butt was more like it. I’d made a joke. That was a good sign.

I listened to Lucian's words as my voice of reason to survive. The crasher came next. I decided to dive for it. If I lost a leg, I could somehow still manage to finish and get the reward.

As I dusted myself off, I couldn't believe it.I had escaped the crasher and made it three quarters through the obstacles. I didn’t have a moment to celebrate because there was no time to waste. I had to get up fast as ankle-height blades were approaching. I ran forward, and my body ducked for no reason. Blades that could split me in two missed me by a hair. I moved forward the minute they parted. Even though I couldn't see the next obstacle, I still managed to jump over it, and I ran a couple of feet. I heard a deadly noise approaching at the speed of light.

The sound came from all around me, and the solid object hit me directly in my shoulder. The instant I heard a loud snap, I cried out of pain. I bit hard on my jaw, trying to suck it up, and forced myself to move forward. The pain coming from my shoulder triggered my tears, and I wiped them away.