Page 71 of The Amber Sunburst

Zeno stops.

“Feel in front of you. Is there a handle there?”

Zeno turns and reaches with his hands, still tied behind his back, and lets out a sigh of relief.

“Yeah, I feel it. I’m going to open it,” he says. But right as he starts to push down, a locking noise echoes off the cavern walls.

“Uh, Lazarus? What was that?”

There’s no noise in the comms but labored breathing.

“Lazarus?”

“Oh, Forms, Zeno.”

That can’t be good.

“What’s wrong?”

“They’ve locked all the doors except one.”

The female voice returns, overwhelmingly loud. “Auxiliaries, you have two minutes left.”

“What?!”

“Forms—”

“How far am I from the door?”

The intercom blares again. “As for the consequences—once the time is up, those still inside the cave will be disqualified from the next Trial. At that time, current exits will be sealed and six new exits will open on the roof of the caves. The caves will then be flooded with water.

“Cohort Leaders will still be in open communication with their team, but the only incentive will be to save the lives of their cohort members. To reiterate, you have one minute and thirty seconds to exit the caves before the water is released. May the Forms grant you wisdom in Justice.”

A clicking sound signals the end of the announcement, and Lazarus comes back on.

“Forms, crap, Zeno, you’re not going to make it. This is all my fault, I didn’t⁠—”

“Lazarus,” Zeno shouts. He needs to get out of here; he needs Lazarus to get him out of here. “Breathe with me, okay? In and out.”

Lazarus breathes over the line.

“In and out.”

Another breath.

“Now I need you to calm down and lead me to the exit.”

“Yes.”

“Tell me what to do, okay?”

“Run.”

Zeno doesn’t need to be told twice. He takes off like Thanatos is on his heels and Lazarus shouts instructions at twice the volume he did for everyone else. Zeno’s shadow taunts him and reminds him that he isn’t going fast enough. He isn’t going to make it on the Council; he might not even survive.

“Zeno, it’s not going to work, you’re not going to get there on time,” Lazarus yells hysterically when a countdown begins, starting from twenty.

“Not the time!”