Brome had practice at controlling himself, so he didn’t fall to his knees, but it was close. “Should we head back?”

“Absolutely not,” said Aren. “This place is only impregnable as long as people believe it’s abandoned, so they’ll have completely sealed off the entrance by now. They can’t afford to let anyone leave alive. Our only chance is to fight our way to the center of the temple and turn off the defenses.”

“So you’re not giving up?” asked Brome?

“Why would I? Even the smallest chance at survival is still a chance. Now let’s let your men rest for a little and get going. We have a temple to loot.”

“Okay, lets go.” The kid was putting up a brave front, but it was obvious he wasn’t as confident as he was pretending. Brome only hoped he didn’t crack before the end of the mission.

The party rested for about another hour, while the men sat down on whatever blankets they’d held onto when Aren’s spell went off. Eventually, Brome issued marching orders and they set off, with the men forming a protective shell around Aren, Gareth and Brome as they walked. The young wizard didn’t need to dispel the golden mist, as it turns out, because the silver dome moved with him as they walked out of the area of the curse. Over the next half hour the party was guided by Brome through dozens of traps, including one where each member had to walk along the floor in a different pattern or the ceiling would collapse. No one had died yet, and the men started to relax as they walked.

“Oy captain, is something wrong? You’ve been acting like we should be having a harder time.” whispered Gareth.

“What makes you say that?” Brome replied.

“The men might not be able to tell, but I can. You were white as a sheet when you got out of that talk with our wizard, and you’ve been jumpy ever since. What’s wrong?”

Shit, that man could read him like an open book. And as always, he was right. If what the wizard told me is true, they were having it far too easy. Aren seemed to realize it as well, and he and Brome were the only ones who seemed to be getting more nervous as time passed. “I’ll explain later, Gareth. Right now, let’s continue walking.”

As time went on, however, nothing changed. Maybe Aren was wrong after all?

Eventually they stopped at a three-way fork in the corridor, which Aren seemed to be having trouble with. Brome tapped Aren on the shoulder. “Hey, kid. Could I talk with you and Gareth in private?”

“Of course.” They drew Gareth in towards them, and Aren cast the same anti-eavesdropping spell he had before. Then they explained everything to the lieutenant.

“Holy shit,” said Gareth. “No wonder you were scared earlier. This isn’t a joke.”

“And another thing,” said Aren. “I can’t figure out which way to go. One of the three passageways is safe and the others are both deathtraps, but I can’t figure out which is which. They all look identical as far as I can tell. We only have a one in three chance of getting this right. On the plus side, this is the last stretch of the road. The sanctuary is just ahead, I can feel it.”

“Then why not follow the path that leads to it?”

“They all lead to it. One is safe and the others aren’t, but I can’t figure it out. I’m out of my league here, this magic is too powerful! I only know about the traps because one of the wizards TOLD me, she cast the words right into my mind, I CAN’T TAKE THIS!!” The boy was tearing at his hair, and both Brome and Gareth saw that he was on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Aren might have been a talented wizard, but he was only a kid. He had no experience with life or death situations, and both Brome and Gareth could tell that the strain was catching up to him.

“Look, kid,” said Brome, grasping Aren’s shoulders as he did so. “Calm down. You’ve done good so far. We would have torn each other apart if you hadn’t put up that dome earlier. Hell, we wouldn’t even have made it past the gates if it weren’t for you! I believe in you, and I know you can do this. Now get out there and get us through this.”

After a few seconds, Aren calmed down. “Thank you for that, and I’m sorry you had to see me like that.” He took a deep breath. “Come to think of it, there was something slightly different about the center path. That’s the one we’ll take.” He dispelled the dome around them and went to take up his position in the marching formation.

Gareth turned to Brome. “That was awfully kind of you, Brome. Why the gentle speech?”

“Because I could tell you were about to slap him, and that would only have made things worse. Now let’s finish this damn stroll. I’m sick of this place.”