by Priya Ardis
“Are you sure there’s no other way?” Blake stared down over the valley.
“This is why we came, Emerson,” said Vane. He and the other wizards floated a giant fireball over the ledge to light the valley. The circular maze stretched across the whole interior of the hill. The paths led to a center. Despite the open top, the center remained shrouded by some kind of lush vegetation.
I took a step closer to the edge and stumbled.
Vane caught me. “Careful.”
Matt directed a fireball beside me. It illuminated a path of narrow steps leading down into the valley. The path spiraled down, as steep and as long as the one back on Fira, but no donkeys carried us this time.
Grey groaned. “It’s going to take us days to figure this out.”
“No,” Matt waved a hand in the air.
A stream of faint blue light colored the air. The light morphed into a picture, a replica of the maze. We all looked at it closely and compared it to the maze below.
“It’s accurate.” Matt huffed.
Blake cleared his throat. “Maybe I could double check?” He muttered a magical command. A burst of wind buzzed around my ears. Yellow overlaid blue light. It matched perfectly.
Matt scowled at Blake. “You see?”
Beside me, Vane’s lips twitched with suppressed laughter. I elbowed him. Matt’s eyes narrowed in our direction.
“I’m fine,” Matt muttered. He waved a hand and a yellow line threaded a course through the maze to the center. “I need someone to hold the map.”
I opened my mouth.
Matt raised a brow. “Someone who doesn’t mind being shirtless.”
I closed my mouth.
Vane leaned down to my ear and said just loud enough for Matt to hear, “You would be my first choice.”
Matt stiffened. Despite knowing that Vane said the words to needle Matt, his husky voice still sent a shiver down my spine. There was an underlying edge to his tone I couldn’t put my finger on. Actually, I wanted to see him shirtless, though not for any sort of pleasurable reason.
Grey slid off the top of his toga. “Alright, do what you have to.”
“Turn.” Matt flicked his hand at the picture and it flew at Grey’s back. Blue light sank under his skin and a tattoo of the maze inked itself on the smooth surface. Matt started down the steps and Grey followed him closely.
Vane stared out at the valley, the trident in his hand.
“What are you thinking?” I asked him.
“Do you remember the story of the Minotaur? You must fight the monster to find whatever else trapped inside.”
“You think the Minotaur is at the center?” I said.
A bittersweet smile tugged at his mouth. “Yes, but I don’t have a problem with monsters. They can be killed. It’s the ‘whatever else’ that worries me.”
***
We walked for the next several hours. I glanced at Grey’s back. Five hundred and fifty steps down from the cliff, we crossed into the maze. The entrance had been made from an arch of three giant stone slabs—which Blake reminded me was called a trilithon. Matt drove us to walk at least a quarter of our way through the maze before we persuaded him to stop in a circular clearing.
The two remaining wizards under Blake’s direction lit torches around the clearing. To my surprise, Vane pulled a ration pack of food out of his pocket. Eyeing the mermaid leather skirt outfit he wore, I couldn’t see where he’d managed to stuff the pack.
When I asked him, he started explaining about spells and matter displacement and had me yawning in under a minute. We all ate together in the middle of the clearing. He didn’t have any sleeping bags in his pockets so we constructed makeshift pallets out of huge fronds that canopied the maze.
The clearing contained tall hedges that marked off private areas. Gia and I picked one. The guardian wizards, Matt, and Blake took another. Three gargoyles and Grey occupied another. They’d gotten used each other after spending so long together in the dungeons. Vane went off by himself to a secluded area at the very edge of the clearing.
I gathered my designated fronds and started to walk to Gia’s and my area when Blake came up to me with two torches.
He handed me one. “Are you sure about this?”
I raised a brow. “You sound nervous. Can you do it?”
Blake’s cheeks puffed with indignation. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea. You’ll only have about three minutes. My magic isn’t that powerful.”
“It will be enough time,” I said.
“Fine, but it will take me awhile,” Blake replied unhappily. He grabbed two fronds and dragged them into the wizards’ area.
I lifted my fronds and slipped behind a nearby hedge. Gia was already asleep on her pallet. I stood the torch up using two rocks I found on the ground. I tried to stay sitting up. Time passed slowly in the dark maze. Not a single star appeared above. Of course, we were inside a giant hill. I found myself lying down. I told myself I’d shut my eyes for just a minute.
***
“Why did you call me here, Vane?” I said, getting down from my horse. I patted the stunning steed. Descended from one of Arthur’s finest studs, he moved with magnificent agility.
“Merlin.” Vane jumped down from the black stallion he rode. He turned to me. A wealth of sarcasm filled his statement. “So good to see you, brother.”
Vane sported a matching black cloak with a hood. Under it, he wore the garb of a peasant—plain trews and a grey tunic. He no longer wore the red and white colors of Camelot. No chainmail—nothing to identify him as a knight.
“Are the rumors true, Merlin? You found her?” he asked.
I glanced at the cave behind Vane. Its small entrance hid the mammoth cavern I knew lay inside.
Vane followed my gaze. “Is the Lady there?”
“Vane—” I sighed when, as usual, he ignored me and hurried into the cave. I followed him. The cave sat in the valley between two large rock outcroppings. I ducked inside the opening, where moisture saturated the air. Dim light streamed from the opening at the cave’s mouth. Vane rounded a small corridor opening that led into a bigger chamber.
I went after him.
Vane lit a small fireball. The light gave little relief to the dingy place. A small pond sat at one end of the chamber. I went up to its edge. Its dark depths were riddled with fragments of otherworldly debris. It reminded me of a tomb.
“It’s not quite the Lake.” Vane crossed to the pond. He knelt down and peered into the water. He searched for several minutes. I winced when he muttered a spell over it. The spell rippled across the water’s surface and rebounded on him. The force of it knocked us both backwards with a sharp slap.
“Stop,” I said. “It is Lake water, but she is long gone.”
Vane whirled around to face me. “How did this little bit of water come to be here? What did your vision say?”
“I simply saw the cave… nothing else.”
Vane looked at me narrowly for a long minute. He always envied my visions. Little did he know the curse they truly were. To always have an eye on the future, with little power to change it. I looked at Vane and tried again to reason with him, despite knowing what I said would fall on deaf ears. The fate of the kingdom rested in our hands. “She will not come to us again. You know that. You know we are alone. We need to accept that. Camelot is why we are here. Our friends. Our family—”
He looked at me sharply. “Not my family.”
“You have always been included. Come back with me. Talk with Arthur. You haven’t been the same since you fought Pellam—” He’d turned colder, even more alienated. He’d already broken off with Guinevere. As much as I didn’t approve of that relationship, he’d become even worse with nothing to soften him.
“I’m done fighting for a kingdom that won’t fight for me.” Vane stared at the water for a long moment. Finally, he kicked a rock into the pond in disgust. “Why did she bother with us in the first place if all she ever intended to do was abandon us?”
>
“You are not abandoned, Vane.”
“Is that so? Whose side are you on, brother? Mine or Camelot’s?”
My eyes narrowed. “Is it true that you and Mordred are conspiring to march on Camelot?”
Vane straightened. “Where did you hear such things?”
I looked at him steadily. “Guinevere.”
Vane’s lips curled into a sneer. “I see. What a reliable source.”
My fingers tightened. I fought to control myself. I tamped down the surge of magic that flared, seeking blood. I spat out, “Is it true?”
“If it is?”
“It would be treason! Arthur is your king,” I said heatedly. “He is Mordred’s father. How can you encourage a son to fight his father?”
“Arthur is a regular, not a wizard. He should not be the king of the wizards.”
“Yes, he should be! The Council has chosen him.”
Vane looked at me without emotion. “It is what you chose, brother. If all the wizards agreed, then I would have none marching for me.” He flexed a gloved hand. “And believe me, they do march for me. Mordred is a convenience. I have as much right to take on Arthur as him—”
“You have no right,” I practically shouted. “I am finished protecting you, Vane. If you take this path, we will never be on the same side again.”
“It seems we never were,” Vane tossed back. “I seek to save our people. I seek to free us from the tyrant Arthur has become. How can you not see that you’ve become his pet wizard?”
“Why does it still sound like you’re jealous?”
Vane’s eyes flashed. “Of you? Hardly. The Lady may favor you, but at least I am in charge of my own destiny.” He raised his hand in the stance of a wizard duel. I don’t know who he shocked more, himself or me, when he let the first spell fly.
I stepped out of its path. It barely missed me, yet the force of it sent me reeling into the pond. A blast of energy zinged around the cave. Lake water sighed in mournful ripples. I thought I heard whispers beneath the waves. “Vane, stop. This is not a good place for a fight.”
“On the contrary, this is the only place. You have chosen your side and it is not mine. This is the only path left.” Vane raised his hand again and I knew he would attack again. “Once and for all, we settle it! Let’s see if you really are the greatest wizard in the world.”
Not entirely inside myself, I saw my hand lift to launch my own curse in response. Beneath me, the Lake water stirred.
***
Blake shook me awake. I jerked up and bumped his chin.
“It’s done, Ryan,” he told me. “You have less than three minutes.”
CHAPTER 18 - TIGER, TIGER
CHAPTER 18
TIGER, TIGER
I shook off the vestiges of Matt’s memory. I didn’t have time to dwell on it at the moment. Grabbing Excalibur, I snuck across the clearing and around a high hedge to the spot where Vane slept. I peeled back the frond that covered most of him and knelt down beside him. Behind me, heated rocks warmed the cold air. Red light from their embers danced across Vane’s sleeping face.
I laid Excalibur down and quickly undid the gold brooch that tied the top of Vane’s tunic. He’d taken off the armor. I pushed it off his shoulder. I noticed he’d tucked the trident halfway under his body. The sight of it snugly against his back made me frown.
I tried to push up his tunic from the waist, but his back kept it firmly in place. I tried to pull it down at the neck, but his shoulders kept it in place. I was running out of time. I turned to grab Excalibur and then back to Vane. I leaned over his chest, blade in hand.
He grabbed my wrist on the arm that held the sword. His eyes snapped open. “I only have one shirt. I’d really hate to have it ripped apart.”
I braced myself by putting my free hand on his ribs since he held my sword hand in mid-air. “How do you know I’m not here to rip you apart?”
“You’re not the type to attack an incapacitated man.” He put pressure on my wrist.
I laid Excalibur down. “You’re supposed to be asleep.”
An arrogant smile curved his lips. “Emerson needs to work harder on his spells.”
I sat back on my heels with a scowl. “You’ve been awake the whole time? Why did you let me feel you up?”
“I’ll consider that a rhetorical question.” He rose up on one elbow. Slicked-back locks tumbled forward over his forehead. The strands sparkled with red light given off by the fire. Green glinted in his eyes. “Why are you here?”
It was time to stop hiding. From him. From what was happening. “I want to see your chest.”
For a moment, tiger’s eyes watched me in the dark. Then, white teeth flashed. “I’d be happy to oblige, but I have a feeling I’m not going to be getting what I expect in return.”
Thankfully, it was dark so he couldn’t see me blush. “Um, not why I came here. I want to see your scar.”
“How disappointing, but maybe I can change your mind.” He caught me by the waist and pulled me on top of him. Vane lay on his back. I straddled him, bracing both my hands on his chest. My thighs hugged his hips. Under his tunic, I felt the rough outline of the scar. I rubbed it with my palm.
“Don’t tease until you’re ready to play.” Vane grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips. He pressed a kiss into my palm.
My breath hitched in response.
He slanted a look at me. “How badly do you want to take off my shirt?”
“What do you want?”
“Take off the amulet.”
My hands went up to my neck. I touched the warm gemstone once before I reached behind to unclasp it. It came off easily. Oddly enough, taking off the amulet left me feeling more naked than if I’d taken off my clothes.
I laid it down carefully next to Excalibur.
Vane’s hands traced the neck of my tunic. A finger slid along my collarbone. They stilled at the bruises. A strange desperate look entered his eyes. It had a bleak edge, the same bleakness I’d seen after I’d given my hand to help Matt.
“Will you let me heal them?” he asked.
I whispered, “Yes.”
His fingers clasped my neck. A cooling balm wrapped around me, a gentle noose. Then, it was gone. I shivered.
Vane’s nostrils flared. “Now, take off your tunic.”
I hesitated.
“Make a choice. Do you want to see the scar or not?”
I reached down and grabbed the edges of the filmy tunic. I pulled it over my head, leaving me only wearing a gold bikini. He pulled me forward up to his shoulders. He leaned up and placed a kiss on my bare stomach. I gasped.
His tongue licked my belly button slowly, leisurely… foreplay with a promise of greater pleasure to come. It went on for an endless moment until every nerve I possessed purred. When he finally lifted his head, I had to pull the breath back into my lungs, not to mention the thoughts back into my head.
I scooted back on him, acutely aware of his bare legs showing just beyond the skirt of his uniform. “Vane, your turn.”
Vane hoisted himself up so that we sat facing each other. I sat in his lap. His hand slid up my bared back, tracing my spine. His finger found the edge of the bikini. He traced the edge, crossing my ribs, skimming the bottom of a breast, until he came to a stop at the golden clasp that kept the minuscule piece of cloth together.
“Make a choice. Me or me.”
My body went hot and then cold. I knew what he was asking. We’d been dancing around it for months. Everything inside me yearned to say yes… to anything… to everything, but I also wanted more. Much more. I put two hands on either side of his face. Warm palms flat against icy cheeks. “That’s not a choice.”
“It was.” With an unreadable expression, he let his hand fall from the clasp. “I have my answer.”
He took off his tunic.
Firelight danced across his naked chest. My eyes went immediately to the puckered scar just above his heart. It no longer looked faded. Green veins crisscrossed
over it. The veins radiated out from the scar and extended over most of Vane’s chest.
My stomach twisted. Matt had been right. I should have confronted Vane long before now. I touched the scar with the tips of my fingers. “What’s happened to you?”
“I don’t know. Ever since Lelex tried to convert me, it’s as if something woke up inside.”
“Lelex?” I glanced at the metal still tucked under him. Without thinking about it, I picked up Excalibur. “Or the trident?”
Vane took my hand and put it flat against his chest. Excalibur warmed. I saw an endless darkness. Worse than the limbo I’d been in once before, this abyss held not even a vestige of light. A sound drew my attention and jerked me toward the darkness of the maze. In its depth, I heard the Minotaur laugh. I blinked, bringing myself back to reality. Vane teetered on the edge and I knew it.
“We have to tell Matt.”
“No.” Vane’s eyes burned with green fire. “Whatever this is, it does not belong to Merlin.”
“Vane, whatever this is, it’s not good,” I said. “Matt can help.”
“No, this has chosen me.”
I frowned. “You can’t actually want this.”
“It’s making me stronger. I can feel my powers getting stronger.” Vane caught my shoulders. “Soon I can pry you from his grasp.”
I rested both hands against his chest. “You don’t need to pry me. You don’t need to be stronger. You’re strong enough.”
“Then tell me you want me. Make me believe it.”
I was sitting in his lap. Did he really think I didn’t want him? My brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”
Vulnerability flashed in hungry hazel irises. “Promise me you won’t tell Merlin about the scar and I will believe you. Choose me.”
My breath caught in my throat. It was the second time he’d asked. Choose him. It wasn’t just a question. It was a request for a commitment. I wanted to cry. I couldn’t.
The scar, the green veins, a web of darkness across his chest strangled his heart as it spread down to the navel digging deep into him. No matter what he said, I couldn’t ignore the truth in front of me. Ironically, just as he’d healed the bruises on my neck, I now truly felt their sting. I knew what they meant. Despite what he thought, the mermaids had a hold of him, not the other way around. I couldn’t choose him.
