Beetle Blade Maze Runner Novels & Stories

I had no time to even process anything. Cael crouched by the central table where a rough map of standard maze layouts had been carved into wood. “Listen carefully,” he said. “The maze changes every sixty seconds. Paths close and new ones open. Somewhere inside are three crest tokens. Each token returned to center earns points. Defensive constructs guard them.” “Constructs meaning?” I asked. “Stone wolves,” Jessie said. I stared at her “Wolves?” She smiled. “Big ones.” Roran, who rarely spoke, grunted. “Hit hard too.”

Every sound out here mattered. We passed the second beacon point, old pine roots and broken bark from when the ruin was burned long ago. Kale dismounted and pressed a rune rod into the earth. He whispered the activation phrase. The ground pulsed gold for a moment. Node two. Two more to complete the circuit. We continued, the forest rising like bones around us, branches clawing at the moonlight. I held the twin‑crescent blade in one hand, runes softly pulsing along the edge. It felt warm, connected.

I needed to find a sharp branch to spear them with and soon. Deciding in a split minute, I turn my back on the fledgling and rush towards a fallen tree I spotted just after leaving the willow tree, hearing the fledgling thrashing around the bushes behind me, hunting me down. I will be a juice box for them soon if I can’t kill them. A snap to my right has me veering a hard left as the fledgling crashes into the spot I just vacated. Without a second thought, I continue sprinting towards the direction I remember the fallen tree being, turning to look back for a split second to see the fledgling stand, looking around confused with what appears to be a branch stuck in their abdomen. Good. This wi

I asked because nothing here is free. “You burned it,” the Beast said. “What you feared most.” It stepped forward, antlers shadowing me like a crown I hadn’t earned. One eye near its jaw opened and looked into my mouth, as if to count the names I refused to say. “One caution,” it added. “The name on the blade is not a leash for her. It is a leash for you.” “I know.” “You do not,” it said, not unkind. “You will.” The seam sealed with a soft hiss. The heat drained from my bones, leaving me lightheaded. I slid the bone blade into the empty scabbard at my hip; the sheath shrank around it like leather remembering an old friend.

Nobody could tell, since Marley's frame was hidden by mine. “Let go.” They growled. “We’ll most likely never see each other again, Sugar.” With my other hand, I grabbed a small silver blade from my pocket. It was as big as a letter opener. Used to inflict delicate wounds. “Just stop right there for a second.” Marley stopped moving, turning their head to see what I wanted, and I used the blade to slice a small line across their ass cheek. “Now everyone will see that ass is mine.” “What the hell, Maverick! You are crazy!” They growled. It would scar into a thin silver line. Barely visible, but I’d know it was there.

He grew taller and taller, feet sinking into the sand until they became roots rushing toward the World Tree. Marcus—the Scarecrow—roared. A wave of green energy shot from the shore and slammed into the golden blade above. The blade froze in the sky, buzzing and trembling with a sound that shattered village windows. "He’s holding it back!" the Auditor whispered, shielding his eyes. But the Reaper wasn’t just that blade. From its shadow, thousands of golden insects poured down, each the size of a car. Their legs looked razor-sharp, made for cutting, and they swarmed toward the village, wings grinding like machinery.

Her hands fumbled in the corner, the sound of zippers and clattering makeup spilling onto the floor. “I—I can’t find it!” she stammered. The shadow creature twisted under me, throwing its weight. My grip slipped, claws raking down my ribs. Pain flared white and hot. “You’ll find it now,” I snapped, forcing its head against the rug. “Or she dies!” That jolted her. Pelin scrambled to her bag, yanking the red crescent blade free. It glowed faintly, the markings along its edge pulsing like embers.

Behind me, I heard Rowan’s heavy breathing and the metallic clatter of Isaac’s gear. "Lyra, watch out!" Isaac’s voice echoed through the tunnel. Up ahead, a red light began to pulse. I saw the grinder blades. They were massive circles of jagged steel, spinning so fast they looked like a blur. They were designed to chew up city trash, but the architect had turned them into a trap for us. "Rowan! The blades!" I screamed.

He jerks his cloth bundle up between us like a shield and I feel the shift in his intent even before I see it. Not a shield. A delivery. He rips it open. Violet glass flashes in the dim corridor light. Vesperbane. My blood turns to ice. He lunges with it, aiming for my neck. My wolf screams. I twist away, but he’s too close; the injector skims my skin. And then Adrian is there. A blur of movement and fury. Adrian slams into him from the side, wrenching the runner’s arm up and away before the needle can bite. The runner’s shoulder pops with a wet sound as Adrian twists.

The drive was still at her throat. She met my eyes. “We have to go,” she said, calm as dying. We went. Blade’s men fell into a staggered retreat down the auxiliary corridor that runs behind the lab wing, blocking and firing, blocking and firing, folding inward like a fist closing around a secret. The fog thickened in the lateral vents, roving under the lights like an animal that had learned to be air. More drones came, smaller this time, like insects with taste for glass; Ghost used a length of chain to swat them out of the air, laughing once, sharp and feral, because sometimes you have to.