your help!”
“I’m here.”
“I know you can communicate with Asterion. Tell him I want to challenge him to a duel.”
“That’s not the wisest course of action.”
“I’m not in a position to make decisions with my head. This maze is designed to react to decisions made from the heart, good or bad, and my heart is telling me to do this. There is a madman loose in my house, and my family doesn’t stand a chance of survival without me. I may die trying to escape from this place, but it’s a sacrifice I have to make. I can‘t just sit here and do nothing.”
The voice of the maze hesitated. “Asterion makes the rules here. He doesn’t like being told what to do.”
“I thought this maze was built using my heart as a blueprint. I’m The Architect, remember? If that’s really the case, then I make the rules here and I demand to see the minotaur.”
“I can’t make any promises, but I’ll try to get his attention. Just be forewarned- he doesn‘t really listen to me. Conviction doesn‘t really matter much to a creature that feasts on sin. In fact, he‘d prefer I not be here at all. He‘d have more to eat that way.”
“Just tell him. That’s all I can ask.’
As I talked, I felt something happening all around me. It was like being in the middle of a hot tub just as the jets are being turned on. Cool air eddied around my ankles and a slight breeze tousled my hair. The buzzing of flies filled the air, and I whirled fully expecting to see a swarm of insects. The killing floor, however, was empty.
The buzzing, I realized, was like static electricity, or the excitement of a big crowd. It was a harbinger of something larger.
I headed back into the de-hairing chamber and peered deep into one of the smoldering pots. Boiling water bubbled and roiled, churning up bits and pieces of me that were better left buried and forgotten. Gouts of steam filled the air and crept along the floor like an early morning fog. I kept waiting for Asterion to emerge from the haze, but he disappointed me. The smoke hid nothing, except the gruesome remains of all the cows that had the misfortune of wandering into this place. Their bones were stacked to the ceiling in bleached white heaps.
The kettles, however, hid much more…
“Asterion!” I listened to the way my voice echoed.
Had I turned around at that moment, I might have seen the minotaur emerging from one of the pots of boiling water. However my attentions were focused too intently on the set of eyes that peered out at me from the darkness. They weren’t Asterion’s reddened, bloodshot eyes; they were a bronzed shade of yellow that could have been the color of golden streets or jaundiced skin. Cautious of what new sort of beast this might be, I took a step backward, readying myself for a fight.
Without warning, a vicious, growling shape charged, leaping through the air. It was only as he got closer to me that I realized it was Midnight. His sights, however, weren’t set on me. He had an enemy to face.
The minotaur stood up, ignoring the impossibly hot water that swirled and bubbled around him, and stepped out of the de-hairing kettle with his pelt still intact. Midnight hit him in the center of the chest and knocked him back into the water. Asterion roared and struggled to his feet again, accompanied by Midnight’s ferocious barking.
These two knew each other and were none too happy to be meeting like this. My sentiments were a little different. I had never been so glad to see a dog in all my life.
“It seems someone is praying for you.” Asterion motioned toward my dog. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t still be here.”
“Someone needs to be praying for you.”
“You challenged me.” Asterion lifted a hoof and kicked over one of the kettles.. Scalding water poured from the stainless steel pot and flowed in my direction. I took several steps back to avoid getting burned.
“I want to fight you. If I win, you let me out of this place.”
“And if you lose?” Asterion kicked over another kettle.
“I’ll stay here for eternity.”
“You’ll stay here for eternity anyway.”
“I’m learning by the minute. I’m The Architect, remember? Aren’t you worried that I’ll figure out how to manipulate this place and blink you right out of existence?”
Asterion narrowed his eyes, contemplating my threat. “You have lasted longer than I thought you would.”
“You’re frightened