Dragon's Maze

“There are no rules,” said Zarek.

Chaos. The crowd of guild teams, caught flatfooted, broke into a screaming mob, running in all directions. Competitors dispersed the spark elementals with sword or spell, but the fighting cost them precious moments.

Emmara had been close to Zarek’s lightning spell, and was just looking down at her hands, shuddering. Jace dashed out of hiding, grabbed her shoulders, and led her out of the center of the chaos, throwing dismissal spells to evaporate lightning elementals in their path. Emmara moved stiffly, and wisps of smoke wafted from her collar. The lightning had left a black, charred spot on the front of her robe.

“Let’s go, my maze-runner,” he said as soothingly as he could. “Move those legs. One foot after the other.”

Jace glanced around. Zarek and his entourage had already disappeared. This was the beginning of the race, he thought. This was the beginning of Azor’s test.

Mirko Vosk caught his eye, and disappeared into a bank of shadows.

The teams dispersed. The Gruul war party headed in the direction of Gnat Alley, a twisting route through ramshackle dive taverns and thieves’ dens. The Simic mages directed their hybridized beasts into an undercity entrance and disappeared. Several of the guilds headed back in the direction Emmara had come. Jace guessed they were all operating on as much of the route as they knew, and that some guilds might even be navigating blind, choosing gates at random.

Emmara blinked, recovering from Ral Zarek’s electro-shock spell, and Jace let her stand under her own power. She seemed to notice he was supporting her, and she nodded in thanks. She put her arms around his neck.

“So it’s begun,” she said.

Jace tried to look as reassuring and as confident as he could. “It has. And you’re going to win it.”

“I’m not sure I can,” she said. “After you sent me the route, I planned it all out. I had big plans. I was going to come backed by a full force of elementals—towering protectors to help us smash our way through the city.”

Jace raised his eyebrows. “That’s a good plan. I like that plan.”

“But I can’t. Trostani took that power from me.”

“She what? How?”

“She revoked my possession of it. That spell was hers. It belonged to the Conclave. It was just on loan to me.”

Jace kept his hand at her back, preventing her from falling. “No matter. We’ll manage.”

“How, Jace? They’re out for blood. Look at them—they all have teams. They have armies.”

“We’re smarter. More knowledgeable. And a lot better looking.”

“Don’t joke. You heard the Izzet runner—there are no rules. Do you know what the best strategy is in a competition without rules? To kill all the other competitors. They’re going to eat me alive.”

“Not going to happen. We can do this. I sent you the route. You know the first part.”

Emmara took a breath and centered herself with a little shrug. “Back to the Selesnya gate.”

“Yes. That’ll be an easy one.”

Emmara shot him a look. “You really think there are going to be any easy ones?”

“No, I suppose not. Listen. Zarek and the Izzet will already be there. Let’s move.”

“I have to face those people again—Trostani and the rest. I’m not sure I can.”

“What choice do we have?”

Emmara squared her shoulders. “You’re right. So, hire a griffin?”

Jace glanced at the teams that were still lingering around the promenade. The Golgari team was preparing its pack insect. The creature was much taller than it was long, its carapace-covered body rising higher than some of the buildings, like a spider on stilts. It squatted hideously, and the Golgari elves climbed onto a pair of leather saddles on its back. The troll Varolz ran off ahead of the creature, toward the Selesnya part of town.

“I have a better plan,” Jace said.

CRASHING THE GATES

“I suppose it keeps us low-profile,” came Emmara’s thoughts in Jace’s mind.

“Exactly,” Jace thought to her. “Comfort is secondary.”

The Golgari longlegs jerked in its gait, its too-numerous knees clicking and popping as it strode. Jace and Emmara clung to the saddle straps on its underbelly. Jace had a curious view of the street, hanging upside-down. Emmara had her eyes closed.

“Secondary?” Emmara thought. “Pretty sure comfort is coming in dead last at this particular moment.”

“How’s your grip? You holding on all right?”

“Stop talking in my skull. I’m concentrating on ways to kill you later.”

“Big step coming up,” thought Jace.