“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Ahmad,” Winnie said soothingly. “Like T.T. said, he’s not a player so that means the game will probably save all its nasty tricks for us and leave him alone.”

“Was that supposed to be comforting?” Ahmad asked with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s all I’ve got right now, okay?”

Ahmad relented. “Okay. Fine. We’ll see you later,” he said to the giant, hungry mouse.

“Let’s go, Ahmad.”

They grabbed their knapsacks, clasped hands, nodded at each other, and started to wade through the underbrush.

The next challenge awaited.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

A LABYRINTH BLOOMED FROM THE very ground as they gingerly tiptoed through the jungle. Shrubs brandished themselves out, sprouting heads of green hair. Before they could bloom, though, they were snipped neatly into natural fences by unseen hands.

Seeds clawed their way from the earth, became saplings and trees in the blink of an eye. Plants Ahmad could not identify hovered over trunks or spread out gaudy, highlighter-bright pastel petals toward the brooding sunrise.

Words glittered in the sky: TRIAL: ESCAPE THE MAZE!

A sprawling map began blinking in and out of existence beneath the words. Ahmad could just make out a small red dot that proclaimed YOU ARE HERE and a swallowing mass of greenery around it before it died away, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

“I guess we just have to make our way out,” he said.

“I was afraid you would say that. Ugh.” Winnie picked her way through two bushes, shaking her head. “I’m the worst at stuff like this—like, cornfield maze field trips to Long Island, you know? I usually skip those.”

Ahmad did too, but not because of the same troubles with navigation Winnie had.

“Well, at least we’re together,” Ahmad said. “Let’s just make sure we stay together and don’t get lost.”

Winnie was about to respond. Then her gaze turned upward. Her breath rushed out. “Ahmad. Don’t make any sudden moves.”

Ahmad glanced up automatically, then recoiled. A hideous monkey dangled down before them, baring its teeth. Its fur was mold-green and mottled with patches of pink, raw skin. Every other inch of its body was branded with stitches.

“Whoa. It’s a total Frankenstein,” Ahmad said out of the corner of his mouth.

“Whatever it is, I don’t like the looks of it!” Winnie whisper-shouted.

It hissed. Ahmad tossed his knapsack at it.

“Stay back!” he yelled.

That turned out to be a mistake. The creature’s eyes narrowed in on the satchel, and it snagged the handle.

“Hey!” Winnie hollered. “Let go!”

It became a tug-of-war.

“Big mistake, big mistake, big mistake,” Ahmad chanted as the thing’s grasp on the bag became stronger. “Winnie! My fingers are slipping!”

Winnie backed up, looking around her desperately.

“Okay, okay, um . . . Hey! Let go!”