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@lonathecat

Thanks for the tag, Rose! However, my family is going to be traveling for the next couple of weeks, so I think I’ll pass on this. Sorry.

No worries! Have fun! Thanks for telling me!

Liorah

We’d just reached the other side of the painful chessboard of nightmares. I had flopped down in a corner and scowled at the castle in general. Brin perched on Gwen’s shoulder, and Azar was skulking around Ferran, still spooked from her run-in with the black tiles.

Just a short break, then we could go after the light again. I groaned in annoyance. When would this end?

“Liorah, look,” Ferran hissed.

I craned my neck and noticed the light fading into a dim speck.

I sprang to my feet.

“No, no, don’t you dare!” I shouted at the castle.

The light disappeared. A panel slid in front of the tunnel. I spun around, and my braid almost smacked me in the face. The opening we’d come through had shut. Only a dim light above us remained.

We were trapped.

“Oh, this? Again?” I spat.

Ferran shot me a questioning look. I didn’t feel like explaining and concentrated my energies on fuming.

“I swear, I’ll carry out my earlier threat! Want me to run over it again?” I didn’t wait for the castle to reply. I paced back and forth, careful to stay in the safe area.

“I’ll rip out your intestines and strangle you with them, then I’ll explode your stones and burn the pieces that are left. And I’ll stomp on the ashes,” I added, for good measure. I paused to catch my breath.

Ferran leaned on his staff, watching me with marked amusement.

“Feel better?”

“Yes, thank you,” I answered, without pausing in my rapid pacing.

“Is this a poor time to point out that it doesn’t have intestines?”

“Intestines, wires, anything will do,” I said, practically bouncing in frustration.

“That’s enough, you’re just getting yourself worked up,” Ferran said, calmly.

“Well, let me! There’s nothing better to do,” I said, “Except maybe wait around to die.” I spat the last word at the castle. I hated it more than I’d hated anything else. Ever.

“You can pet Azar,” Ferran suggested.

I recognized this as a valid alternative to making death threats and sat down. Azar immediately bounded over to me and I dedicated myself to rubbing her ears and stroking her head.

“I’m getting bored with this, time for something new.” The castle’s metallic voice broke through the sudden silence.

With a loud rattle, the walls went up. I squinted against the sudden brightness. The checkered floor disappeared, replaced by a dark, smooth floor that didn’t seem to have any deadly properties. The same thing happened in the other room until it was all one large, empty room with smooth walls and floors. What was going to happen here?

Once my eyes had adjusted to the bright light, I saw Klein and Zanar on the other side. I sprang up, delighted. But my smile faded when a quick search yielded no results.

“Where are Riure, Ehud, and Rosario?” I asked, alarmed. (Context, the castle hasn’t let Rosy and Ehud rejoin them and Riure was recently taken out.)

Zanar shrugged and nodded toward the ceiling.

“Riure went up there.”

I froze, sudden alarm throbbing through me. Was she alright? Was she hurt? I needed to find her!

“Nevermind your friends, they’ve gone home or to discover themselves.” The castle said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I spat.

The castle didn’t reply.

I glared at a random wall, hoping it would see me.

Riure would be alright, every so often, people just disappeared, but I was certain they did in fact go home. I was worried about Ehud, but Rosario would take care of him. She wasn’t as ruthless as she appeared. Probably.

“Now what, you useless lump of bricks?” I asked, pettishly.