❝Hreathoire❞

Chapter 29

Her body is in a net.

Her mind feels melted. Mushed. Her head still spinning from the fall, she can’t seem to feel her nerves. When she regained ample consciousness, she peeked at the hole from the net where she fell.

She saw a clear pavement, and it seemed like a path.

A path.

"The Jaguar path!" Her heart hammered against her chest. She looked up and saw a sliver of iris glow still undefeated by the orange glow of the incoming fire. She could waste no more time. She increased her voice, her hands placed on the sides of her mouth, "The path is here! It's here!"

And then with her hands, she widened the hole of the net, causing her to fall. It was not a high fall, the net was close to the ground. Once she gained enough strength to stand, she looked around.

She saw her reflection.

The area is a cave, a huge, rectangular one. It's colder here, but safer, Cassandra thought. With bleary eyes she walked steadily and slowly to see more and that's when she realized why she saw her reflection. The place is full of mirrors.

It is a maze.

"Cassandra!" Without a moment to see who called her, she felt warm, shaking arms embraced her from behind. It was Blaze. She knew it just from his smell. She felt entirely sapped with energy a while ago, but now it's all coming back again as she turned around and embraced him back. They are now safe… for the meantime.

The others are here already, they also took the gate which is actually a net.

"I see this is a maze. A mirror one." Ivan walked near a mirror, touched it to investigate. Amelia called for him.

"Ivan, we don't know what will happen yet. Don't just touch it." Amelia pulled Ivan away and all of them, with the gladiators, who seemed to have… a lesser number, looked at what's waiting in front—obstructions of themselves, towerlike, intimidating glasses that seemed sturdy.

Cassandra gulped as she looked at the gladiators; the women, the men, the young, the old, and in front, the leader, Mr. Douglas. Their trembling arms, their pallid faces. Blaze beside her is trying to assess the area, on what their plan should be. "Blaze,"

"Yes, love?"

There was warmth in her cheeks all of a sudden, Blaze does not call her with endearments too often. "Were… were some of the gladiators—"

"They died." Blaze looked down, caressing Cassandra's palm. "From the fire."

Cassandra couldn't do anything but to look down also, feel the weight of the moment on her shoulders. She can't bear to look at them, even to her friends. It all seems like she's the one who caused everything, the worries were tantamount to these large mirrors in front. Appearing fragile yet huge.

The gladiators and her friends, she knows deep inside they are doing this for her too.

Her friends because they love her and care for her. After all, they shouldn't be here if not for her.

The anxiety of it is coming back to her now. More fresh, more raw and painful as it claws its way inside her.

The gladiators because if she is captured, the wickedness will continue.

She heaved a sigh, letting go of Blaze's hand for a while to feel herself more, to feel how foolish and how responsible she truly is. She swallowed and swallowed as if it could mend what's soon to be broken.

It's all my fault. A voice whispers in her head.

And even when she remembers what her friends said with them being the ones who followed… nothing changed. She still believes deep inside, she's the cause.