I wait for him to tell me the most important thing about those rings. When he doesn’t, I cross my arms and say, “And?”
With a small frown, he looks back at me and asks, “And what?”
“That was a Griffin Ability, wasn’t it? One of those from the collection you and Gaius have. And you know he won’t approve of you removing the rings from the mountain, so you didn’t say anything to anyone about taking them.”
A moment passes before Chase answers. “Gaius told you about the collection.”
“Yes.” I walk into my room and sit on the edge of the bed, my arms still crossed. “He told me his whole story, in fact.”
Still standing in the doorway, Chase says, “Then you understand where all the abilities in that collection come from. The majority were voluntarily given to us by those who, for whatever reason, don’t want their abilities. The telepathy came from a pair of twins. Their minds were linked in such a way that they could communicate without speaking. Convenient at times, I’m sure, but they wanted to live their own lives without being so closely connected. It’s a very useful ability, and its magic doesn’t seem to cling to people the way the time traveling ability did. Most of the abilities don’t stick, actually. I’ve told Gaius many times that we would benefit from using some of them on occasion.”
“And he disagreed, so you’re now using this one without telling him.”
“He already knows. He was there when I took the rings.”
“Oh.” Feeling awkward, I focus on my boots and tap one against the other, activating the spell that makes them unlace themselves.
“You’re right that he wasn’t happy, though,” Chase adds. “But he understands that it makes the communication in this current mission a lot simpler.”
“I guess it does.” I lift up my legs and cross them beneath me. “So … the labyrinth. When are you going? And you don’t have to hang around in the doorway, you know,” I add. “You are allowed to walk into this room.”
Looking amused, he takes a few steps forward. “I’m going now.”
“Now? Like right now?”
“Yes. I don’t have any other urgent matters to deal with at the moment, so why wait?”
“I … I don’t know. I suppose I just picture these things taking longer. If this were the Guild, the request to go into the labyrinth would probably take at least a day to get up the chain of authority, and then after permission is granted, they’d need to make sure the right team is pulled together and that everyone is on the same page for whatever the plan is.”
Chase spreads his hands out, palms up. “And here we have the benefits of working outside the law.”
I purse my lips and don’t bother replying. He already knows my thoughts on that subject.
“Well, I’ll see you later,” he says, “hopefully with two rescued Seers in tow.”
I stand quickly. “Do you need me to go with you?”
He considers my question before answering. “You probably shouldn’t. It’s quite dangerous, remember? I don’t have Angelica’s access stone, which means I can’t simply picture the chamber in the center and get there through the faerie paths. She built it that way. I can take myself to a tunnel close to the center, but with all the confusion spells and the repeating passages, it could still take some time to find the chamber. That would be the dangerous part. As Angelica pointed out, I’m familiar with many of the creatures and spells, but I’m sure there are new ones, like that rainbow water we encountered last time.”
“Would my Griffin Ability be of any help?”
“Possibly. It would depend on what kind of obstacles we come across.”
“Then I should go with you,” I say, stepping back into my boots. “And don’t tell me it’s too dangerous. Those Seers and their visions are linked to my mother somehow, so I want to get them away from Amon and Angelica just as much as you do.” The boots lace themselves back up while I stare Chase down, daring him to try and stop me.
“Fine then,” he says eventually. “But please try not to get yourself hurt. I can only imagine what you brother would do to me then.”
“He would do nothing,” I snap as I stalk past Chase, “because I would remind him that I’m old enough to make my own decisions and that neither you nor he get to decide whether I walk into a dangerous labyrinth.”
* * *
Two hours later, I’m beginning to regret my show of bravado. Not because I’m afraid of any creatures we might come across, but because I’d forgotten how narrow some of these tunnels become. I can deal with the one we’ve just walked into through the faerie paths, but if it gets any tighter than this … Then you’ll stay calm, I instruct myself. You made a show of being a big, brave girl. Now you have to live up to that.
“So,” I say out loud as Chase finishes lighting the lantern we brought with us. “Here we are again. In a labyrinth you actually know far more about than you let on last time.” I turn to him as another piece of the Chase-puzzle clicks into place. “Hold on. You’re very powerful, right?”
“I am,” he admits, sending the lantern into the air above us. “Not as powerful as Tharros was, but considerably more powerful than most.”
I cross my arms. “Powerful enough to fight a minotaur?”
His eyes meet mine. In the light from the floating lantern, I can see he understands where I’m going with this. Quietly, he says, “Yes.”
“So the last time we were here and you told me to run, it wasn’t because you were afraid of the minotaur. You were afraid of what he would reveal about you.”
Silence passes between us before he once again says, “Yes.”
“Another deception,” I murmur, looking away. It makes complete sense now why the minotaur’s first words to Chase were, ‘We meet again.’ How could I possibly have forgotten to ask him about that after we ran? Probably because we fell into a chasm and almost met our deaths at the bottom.
“You might see it as a deception,” Chase says, “but it wasn’t meant that way. Surely you can understand the need for me to protect my identity at that point. You and I had only known each other a few days. Yes, it felt as though we had … connected, but there was no knowing if our acquaintance would continue after we got out of here. It didn’t make sense for me to tell you the truth back then.”
I know Chase is right, but I still feel foolish looking back at all the clues I was oblivious to at the time. “Fine. So it wasn’t a deception, it was you protecting your ass. But here’s another question: If you’re actually the master of that minotaur, then why did he try to attack us?”
“He didn’t.” Chase raises the floating lantern with a flick of his fingers and looks both ways down the tunnel. “We ran away, remember? Only then did he begin chasing us. Perhaps because he wanted to tell me something. Something about what’s going on in these tunnels.”
“Well, whether he’s on your side or not, I hope we don’t meet him again.” I peer into the darkness beyond the reach of the lantern’s glow. “You said the chamber should be nearby.”
“Yes. I pictured it when we came through the paths, but without the access stone, we couldn’t arrive exactly inside it. I think it should be close. It will suck, though, if we choose to go the wrong way.”
“How will we know if it’s the wrong way?”
“If we don’t find the chamber within a few minutes, we turn back. We’ll mark our way so we don’t get lost, and hopefully some labyrinth trick won’t erase it.”
“Hopefully. Okay, well, I vote for that way.” I point to the right where the ceiling looks higher.
“All right.” Chase places a piece of chalk against the wall and leaves it to travel along with us, marking our way. Then he directs the lantern ahead of us.
“So … we’re going to fight our way past anything that tries to stop us as we make our way to this chamber, we’ll stun anyone who happens to be guarding it, we’ll rescue the Seers, and then we’ll safely leave the labyrinth through a hidden exit in the upstairs part of the chamb
er. Correct?”
“Yes. ”
“Sounds simple enough. We should be home by dinner, right?”
Chase shoots a glance my way. “I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or overly optimistic.”
“Sarcasm,” I tell him with a sigh. “That was definitely sarcasm.” I push my hair over my shoulder, then decide to quickly braid it so it won’t get in the way when we have to fight something.
“I think optimism looks better on you,” Chase says, his tone cautious. “In fact, last time we were down here, you told me how you choose to look at the bright colors of the world instead of the dark ones.”
I secure the end of the braid, cross my arms, and point a glare in Chase’s direction. “After dumping a gigantic, horrible truth on someone, you don’t get to tell them when to be optimistic.”
He says nothing to that. I start wishing I could take my words back, or that I could say them differently. But then I remind myself that I’m not in the wrong here. He’s the one who placed a great wedge between us. A wedge with the label Lord Draven. And as much as I wish we could go back to the easy banter we had before, I don’t see how that’s possible. Besides, I’ll be moving on when this business with the Seers is done and I’m certain Mom isn’t in danger anymore. Then I can finally begin to mend the split in my heart that doesn’t seem to be able to heal as long as I’m around—
The ground shudders, throwing me off balance. I throw my hands out and catch myself against the tunnel wall as sand rains down from the ceiling. Oh no no no. If this tunnel ends up collapsing and we’re trapped with no way out and no air and—
“It’s fine,” Chase says, pushing himself away from the wall beside me. “We triggered an earthquake enchantment. It’s meant to send us running in fear down the tunnel, hopefully straight into the arms of some creature. Or simply to add to whatever terror we’ve already experienced at the hands of this labyrinth.”
“S-so the tunnel’s actually fine?” I ask, taking a step and then bracing myself against another jolt.
“Yes, just keep walking. We’ll soon be past it. And be ready to use your magic or a weapon.”
“Right.” I’ve got a knife in my boot, throwing stars inside my jacket, and several other weapons in a belt around my hips. I’m as prepared as a non-guardian can be. “Are there any other enchantments or illusions you’d like to warn me about?” I ask as we follow a bend in the tunnel.
“Uh, I remember one that makes you think you’re being attacked by bats. There’s a mirror where the reflection looks like an aged and dying version of you rather than the real you. There was something with falling rose petals that burned … Oh, there’s a wall of water that floods parts of the labyrinth every few hours. That one’s real, not an illusion. And various other spells that make you forget where you are or why you’re here.”
“Fantastic,” I mutter. The tunnel curves sharply to the right, and we peer carefully around it before continuing. “Now that we’re down here and I’m thinking of all the ways this could go wrong, I wonder if Angelica sent you here just to wind up lost and confused.”
“Well, I’d ask her,” Chase says, lifting his hand and wiggling his pinkie finger where the telepathy ring is, “but she doesn’t seem to be wearing her ring at the moment.”
I stop and face him. “This is actually incredibly stupid. You don’t remember where all these enchantments or obstacles are, or they’re creatures that move around, or they’re new obstacles you don’t know anything about. And there are countless enchantments that could leave both of us without any clue as to what we’re doing here. How exactly did we think this was going to work?”
Instead of reassuring me that of course this will work, his lips twitch with a suppressed smile. “Is this the point at which you tell me you wish I’d made you stay home?”
Furious that he’s making light of this situation, I open my mouth to yell at him.
“I know, I know,” he says before I can get a word out. “Gigantic, horrible secret. How dare I attempt to joke with you, blah, blah, blah.” He throws his hands up. “Can I just say that I kinda wish I was here with the Calla I was stuck with last time?”
“Well maybe I wish I was with the Chase I first met and not the Chase you turned out to be!”
He stares back at me, any hint of humor gone from his face. His voice is quiet when he says, “If you still can’t see that the Chase you met is the same Chase you’re with now, then I doubt anything will ever convince you.”
My anger vanishes as if swept away on one of his storms. My shoulders droop. I shake my head. “No, that’s … I didn’t mean it that way.” How do I explain that when I look at him, I do see the same Chase I met, and that’s the problem? Shouldn’t I see the person he really is? The whole person, the guy who’s caused murder and ruin and pain? Isn’t it safer to never let myself forget what he’s capable of?
“What did you mean then?” he asks.
I continue shaking my head and staring at the bare ground at our feet. “I don’t know. I’m sorry. Forget I said anything.”
After a long pause, he says, “Okay.” I look up as he attempts a smile. “Just so you’re aware, the situation isn’t as dire as you think it is. The confusion spells aren’t strong enough to affect me, so at least one of us will still be sane at the end of all this.”
I blink at him—and then I allow myself to smile. “Well, thank goodness for that.” I swing my arms at my sides and breathe in deeply. “Okay, let’s do this.”
We turn to keep walking—and the strangest thing happens. The walls begin to melt away as ferns, trees, vines and flowers push their way out of the ground, unfurling, curling, reaching, growing, like the formation of a forest sped up so it takes place over a matter of seconds instead of months or years. Soon enough, we’re standing in a lush forest scene, color splashed all over it like one of Chase’s paintings. When I look over my shoulder, the tunnel is gone.
“Calla?” Chase says.
“Another illusion,” I whisper.
“What illusion?”
“Can’t you see it? It’s a forest. It’s so beautiful.” I stretch my arms out and watch the dappled pattern of sunlight and shadows moving across my hands.
“What are you doing?” Chase asks. “Don’t touch anything you see.”
“Why would it matter what I touch if it isn’t real?”
“Because it—oh, hell.” Then he swears far more colorfully, grabs my arm and pulls me back.
“What? What’s wrong?” With fear coalescing inside me, I search the forest until I see it: a shapeless mass of black smoke. It twists and curls and slowly moves through the forest toward us.
“Dammit, dammit,” Chase says, pulling me around and tugging me in the opposite direction. “Of all the things we could come across down here, it had to be that.” He looks over his shoulder, then pulls me faster. “I thought it was gone. We don’t have the right weapon, and there’s no time to transform anything. We need to run.”
“What’s the right—”
“Something loud and ringing like a bell.” He tugs me behind me, but I struggle to keep up.
“What is that thing?”
“In smoke form it can incapacitate us. In bodily form it will bite us. And then the horror begins.”
“What—”
“Our magic can’t stop it when in smoke form, so just run, okay? Run!”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE
I push myself faster, but I can never be as fast as Chase. The forest flies past me. I wonder at what point the illusion will end. I throw a glance over my shoulder and—smoky tendrils are right there. Fear tears its way up my throat.
“Chase—”
Black smoke envelops me. My body goes numb and the illusion vanishes. I hit the stone floor on my side and roll to a halt on my front. I don’t feel any pain. Chase is nearby, groaning something. The smoke lifts—and the pain slams into me. The screaming ache where my left side hit the ground. I manage to lift my head a
nd squint past a bright spot of light. The lantern on the ground, I think. Fortunately it didn’t go out.
With another groan, Chase rolls to the side and gets awkwardly to his feet. The smoke hovers, still shapeless, but almost as though it’s watching him. I sit up, clutching my aching left shoulder. I feel oddly sluggish in the wake of the numbness, but I slide my hand into my boot and pull out my knife. Chase sends a gust of wind sweeping along the tunnel. It’s almost strong enough to push me over, but it has no effect on the smoke hovering in the air. It swirls and shifts, and then it seems to pull together in a rush and shoot toward Chase. Seconds before reaching him, it materializes into a gruesome creature.
I don’t have time to look closely. I kick Chase’s leg as hard as I can. He goes down and the creature misses him. It springs off the wall with spindly legs and lands beside me in a crouch. I jerk away, seeing black skin dripping like ink and a mouth too big for its face, stretched wide to reveal jagged teeth. Its large eyes are milky white, but I’m willing to bet it can see everything it needs to see. Feeling stronger than I did a few moments ago, I slash at it with my knife. It jumps back, then launches at me. I swing my arm out, knocking the creature off me, but not before it tears through my sleeve with its ink covered teeth.
One of Chase’s knives spins past me and lands in the creature’s upper arm. With a high-pitched shriek and a snarl, it tugs the knife free and tosses it away. It jumps up, its body shifting into smoke again. I’m on my feet now, backing away, moving closer to Chase. My arm burns, and a quick glance down reveals gashes in my skin where my jacket is torn. My vision blurs. I blink and shake my head. Looking up, I find the smoke rushing at me. It twists into the demon creature again, baring its fangs and reaching for me with clawed hands. I raise my knife and—
Chase slams into the creature. The two of them strike the ground, the demon flickering between smoke and bodily form, paralyzing him in bursts. Then it snaps together fully and pounces on top of him. A scream fills the tunnel as teeth rip into Chase’s neck. My scream, I realize, as I run forward and tear the creature off him. I swipe across its chest with my knife. It screeches out at me as it leaps over Chase to where I can’t reach it.