Contents
Grim
Overview
Grim and Oro battle through the drek-filled maze, aided by Isla’s leopard, but Grim’s powers fail under the maze’s curse. A lightning strike devastates the grounds. At the maze’s center, they find only a charred circle and a white feather, realizing Isla and Lark have already gone through the portal to the otherworld.
Summary
Grim realizes the maze’s curse is intact when his power dies before reaching the dreks. He and King Oro cut their way forward with steel, but each slain drek is instantly replaced, forcing them to advance by sheer persistence. Isla’s leopard charges ahead, sensing her, smashing hedges and opening a path.
Powerless to portal or burn the maze, Grim runs beside his enemy, Oro, sharing the same desperate goal. Guilt over betraying Isla’s trust and the prophecy drives Grim, and he resolves to do anything—bow to Oro if needed—to save her. The leopard’s roar reverberates as they near the center.
A lightning strike splits the sky and detonates within the maze, hurling them back and shattering the palace windows. Grim sprints to the heart of the maze and finds only a scorched circle and a single burned white feather where the coffin stood. From these signs, Grim understands that Lark has gone through the portal to the otherworld—and Isla has followed.
Who Appears
- GrimFights through the cursed maze, powerless; wracked with guilt and determined to save Isla.
- OroBattles beside Grim against the dreks, relentless despite being torn by their talons.
- IslaAbsent from the scene; believed to have gone through the portal to the otherworld.
- LarkVanished into the portal before Grim arrived; destination is the otherworld.
- Isla’s leopardLeads the charge through the maze, smashing hedges to reach Isla’s last location.