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Ok! Sounds like a plan!

It’s really cool how you give your characters their own flowers! I’ve never thought of that, it seems like it would be really fun to draw. When I draw my characters I just draw black and white.

Gwendolyn

The wall flew up and startled Brin who flew to my shoulder.

On the other side of the wall stood a boy. He seemed to be around Liorah’s age (sorry if I got that wrong) and held a staff in his hand. His eyes fell on Liorah and his grip on the staff tightened, eyes widening. He glared at me.

My hand squeezed my sword hilt, it took me a moment to understand why he was giving me the hostile look. Liorah bled from her side and her hand, and there I stood with my bloody sword. Oh. I lowered my sword and and opened my mouth to speak.

“Ferran!” Liorah said, she slid her blade back into its sheath at her side. I closed my mouth. Liorah knew him?

“You’re bleeding. Why?” Ferran asked, still glaring at me.

“Oh, no, it’s not like that,” Liorah said, stepping in front of me. Liorah laughed, “It’s not Gwen’s fault. The castle said we had to fight. It’s not her fault,” Liorah repeated.

I felt my grip ease on my sword. It was over. The fight was over. I leaned against the wall, letting the relief wash over me. We didn’t have to hurt each other anymore. It was obvious that Liorah blamed the whole thing on the castle. She wasn’t holding anything against me, and I wasn’t holding anything against her. I would have smiled if Ferran wasn’t still giving me a death look.

Ferran lowered his staff and I sheathed my sword, wiping the blood off on the corner of my cloak before returning it to its place at my side.

He looked away from me, “Are you alright?” Ferran asked Liorah, his voice was worried.

“It’s nothing, barely a scrape,” Liorah said. “What happened? The walls dropped and I lost you.”

“I had an… unpleasant encounter. But it’s over now, so never mind.”

Ferran’s dog trotted up with a pale reptilian thing dangling from its mouth, Liorah stepped back and Brin cocked her head at the thing.

“A snake? How is it that big?” Liorah asked.

“It’s… not a snake,” Ferran replied, “Nevermind that, it’s dead now. And I don’t think it’s venomous.”

“Greetings, and welcome to the next round!” The castle thundered.

“There’s that blasted thing again!” Liorah said. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the next horror.

“The next challenge will appear to your left. There are no rules, but this one advice. Do not turn back, or you may never find the way out. The wrong route will bring disaster.”

“Lovely, isn’t it?” Liorah said.

A doorway opened to our left. A dark tunnel stretched out behind it.

“Gav would hate this,” Liorah said there was a long pause. “Oh, you haven’t met yet, have you?” Liorah said, sounding as if she had just noticed.

“We’ve met.” I said, “about sixty seconds ago. He glared at me and I glared back. A very charming boy.”

“Gwen, this is Ferran,” Liorah said, “a friend of mine. Ferran, this is Gwendolyn, we met earlier.”

“Nice to meet you, I suppose,” Ferran mumbled, not looking at me.

“Charmed.” I said, turning and walking towards the doorway. I wasn’t going to waist time trying to get him to like me. It didn’t matter if he blamed me for hurting Liorah. We needed to get out.

I stepped inside the tunnel and my feet where immediately swept out from under me. I stumbled and caught myself, but the floor seemed to be moving at a upward slant. I ran in the direction that seemed to be downhill and started running uphill somehow. My eyes adjusted to the dark and I found myself in what seemed to be a giant metal tube. The tube seemed to be rolling but it wasn’t going anywhere either. I stumbled again and walked in the opposite direction that the tube was rolling and finally figured out how to stay upright. I walked in place and watched to see how Ferran and Liorah faired.