I am still poring over the spot when I hear the distinct scratching sound of hooves on stone. Curious, I turn and continue down the path, my ears perked forward and my muscles tense as I scent the air, drawing it over my taste receptors.
Satyrs.
I step around the corner onto a new path and see them hovering over the boney carcass of something that they’d either killed or had been thrown out for them. Like all creatures of the labyrinth, they were mutated, their faces ghoulish in their gray pallor, their glowing white eyes huge in their faces as their fangs ripped into their meat. There has to be at least twenty of them, fighting for scraps like ill-behaved kits.
My muscles clench as one scents me and raises his head to look at me. Gradually, their heads pop up, sometimes one, sometimes two or three at a time, turning their peculiar eyes to my way. The odds are not good, but I growl low in my throat and raise my sword. I will not allow them to frighten me. Satyrs enjoy the taste of fear almost as much as the taste of wine, bread, and honey. The closest one licks the blood of his mouth and springs over the body, his hooves striking the stones.
Swifter than anything I’d ever seen, the satyr rushes toward me. A small flock of them break off from the kill and follow behind. With ravenous shrieks, they attack me, their small bodies leaping up with brutal force as their teeth and claws look for sustenance. I bat them off me, striking at them with my sword. One lands upon my shoulder to dig his teeth into the sensitive muscle at the base of my neck and I snarl and turn my head to grip him in my powerful jaws. With a shake of my head, I pry him loose and fling him into the hedge where he disappears with a squeal.
Their attack becomes more organized and with every one I slay, another has taken their place. Never a female. Always a male, his face creased with a ravenous, insatiable hunger.
Blood sprays on the hedge and flows freely from several bites on my chest, hips, flanks, and thighs. I am riddled with pain from their many bites, but a grim smile stretches over my face as one after another falls with shrieks of pain. I don’t even bother to hold back my triumphant snarl when I pin the last satyr to the ground with the force of my blade driving through its chest.
I lean over the hilt of my sword, my arms bracing as I heave, and my body shakes. I am tiring quicker than I like. I need to rest for just a moment—as much as I hate to abandon my hunt for my mate, no matter how temporary. I suck in giant breaths but my body stiffens when I hear brush snapping as something barrels through it. I raise my arm, readying to fight once more. With steady steps, I walk to the edge of the path up ahead and draw back my arm to strike. I bring my blade down in a hard arch...
...And collide with another blade as a dark werewolf pushes forward. We lock eyes, and relief fills me even as I see the emotion echoed in the other male’s gaze. We drop our swords, and I draw Rashi forward to embrace him. I pull back and look around him, my brow furrowing with concern.
“Are you alone?”
“No...”
“Rashi, I think I stepped in something disgusting. A bit of it got into my shoe too so next time we’re fucking I would recommend you don’t put your nose anywhere near my foot until I scrub it... preferably in boiling water!” Jinx calls out as he comes into view. His hair is disheveled and his body is covered in bruises, minor burns where he used a spell on the hedge that backfired as the centaur had warned, and more than one patched up wound wrapped tightly with cloth. Rashi doesn’t look much better. He has a number of lacerations on his face and down his body, legs, and arms.
“Noted.” Rashi sighs, his own nose wrinkling in distaste at the thought.
“I hate this fucking place,” the human snarls. “Any sign of Fahuri?”
My stomach plummets, and my grip tightens on my friend’s arm. “Where is Fahuri?”
He shakes his head worriedly. “We do not know. We’ve been searching for her for hours now. When we were separated from you, she ran ahead, desperate to find a shortcut back to you. We tried to keep up, but she has always been one of the quicker werewolves of the tribe. She outpaced us. I swear I was only seconds behind her, but when I followed her around a bend she was gone. I doubled back and thankfully found Jinx, but Vrox and Tas had also been separated from us.”
An ominous sense of evil fills me and my hackles rise.
“The labyrinth is purposely separating us,” I snarl angrily. “I also lost my Ana shortly after we were separated. We will remain within sight of each other at all times so that no one is culled again. This stops now. I will not let this monstrous labyrinth win.”
Rashi nods, his fist tightening around his blade. Even Jinx, despite his exhaustion, draws himself up, his lips tightening with determination as he also nods in our shared understanding. I turn from them and stare down into the depths that the path that proceeds from where ours converged disappears under a great arch.
Jinx shivers as he comes up to my side, his eyes fixed on the darkness. “I sure as hell hope there’s not some sort of horrible monster down there waiting to eat us. There’s always a monster at the center of the labyrinth.”
“The monster at the heart of the labyrinth is the master,” I say quietly.
Jinx glances up at me. “Are you sure? If that’s the case, why did the master build this place? What is he serving?”
The question makes my gut tighten and I worry even more for my mate and sister who are lost in the maze—or worse, in the hands of the master. To distract myself, I refocus my attention on my companions.
I wave my hand at Jinx’s face. “Are you going to be all right?”
He gives me a weak smile. “Yeah. I’ll just say that I’ll never take a healer for granted in a gaming campaign again. As a matter of fact, I’m never going anywhere without one again.” He groans and winces as he touches his side. “Maybe two.”
I let out a bark of laughter and nudge. “Fahuri knows a little of the healing arts. I’ll be sure to inform her of your sentiments. You’ll never get a moment alone again.”
The thought of my sister sobers all of us instantly. They stick close to my side as I lead us into the abyss. It is so dark that even my vision is strongly hampered. Still, I am not prepared when Jinx mutters a spell and a burst of light surrounds us, illuminating from a blade he holds in the air. It doesn’t cut much of the darkness ahead of us, but suddenly I understand why I found Ana’s blade unmarked by blood. She’d probably been attacked while using her blade to light her way. I want to snarl at Jinx to use his blade for defense rather than magic, but I don’t want to lose what little light we have.
The darkness beyond the light is not like that in the rest of the maze. It is thick, as if inviting its prey to crawl inside its mouth and die. Instinctively, I want to turn around and return to the upper level of the maze. It is only by sheer willpower that I keep going. A moan comes from deep within followed by a rattling growl that makes my blood run cold, and it is followed by sharp snarls. A movement burst out of the darkness and we rally to attack.
“Stand down!” Vrox bellows as he lopes down a side path from another unknown part of the labyrinth above. Tas races at his side, keeping up with them. Both males are dirty, coated in mud and questionable filth. They look half-feral when they leap into the light of the blade. They seem drawn to it, their hides quaking.
“Thank the gods,” Vrox says with a gusty sigh. “We’ve been lost down here for what feels like ages, stuck with whatever foul thing rumbles deeper within the labyrinth. I was worried that we would succumb to madness until we saw your light.”
“It would be all too easy,” Tas whispers. “This is not a place for the living.”
I frown at the darkness ahead of us and shake my head. “This is the only path toward the center of the labyrinth, but it doesn’t make sense because the tower should be above ground. I don’t understand why we are going down. But this is the only way. There are no other paths above going toward the center.” I turn to look at him seriously. “My mate and sister have disappeared into the maze; I refuse to leave wit
hout them. If you and Tas wish to return to the entrance of the labyrinth, I will consider your duties fulfilled to us.”
Vrox looks around uneasily but shakes his head. “No, I will not desert the females. I am sworn to this task. I will see it done.”
“I as well,” Tas echoes despite the nervous way he keeps glancing around as if expecting something to attack at any moment. For all I know, that could easily happen. I haven’t been down here in the dark like they have. All the same, I don’t blame them for their reaction. The hedge has at least given way to stone walls, but even those are only the barest of impressions at the edge of the light.
“As long as we have the light, it should be better,” Vrox rasps. He gives Jinx a hard look. “Do not do anything that will cause us to lose the light, witch.”
“Oh, trust me, you’re going to have to pry the dagger out of my cold dead hand before I willingly do anything to plunge myself back into darkness,” Jinx says as he leans into his mate for comfort.
“Isn’t that sweet?” a voice snarls from the dark pit ahead of us. “Everyone willing to risk their lives so valiantly for nothing. There will be no reward for your effort, you will die down here miserable and forgotten. I always knew it, though... All that morality is nothing but weakness.”
“Gorn?” Vrox calls out hesitantly. “Is that you? Are Etriel and Mentep with you?”
Gorn chuckles. “It is me... in a sense. As for our unfortunate brothers, well, you will be visiting them soon, so you will be getting the firsthand account of the story personally when you sit in the hall among our ancestors.”
The male steps into the light and my breath catches in my lungs at the sight of the modifications mutating him. His flesh practically still writhes around his implants. I feel sickened by the sight, that he willingly did this to himself.
Vrox’s eyes widen and then turn murderous. “Traitor!”
Tas shakes his head in disbelief, anger flaring in his eyes. “Gorn, why? You didn’t even want to continue... How...?”
Gorn laughs. “You look so surprised, brothers! I confess I did an excellent job throwing you off the scent. Objecting to everything so that you would go exactly where I needed you to go. Where the master wants you. And giving me the opportunity to weaken our numbers. It all worked out perfectly. Submit to me, brothers, and I may just let you be a part of the new tribe that arises when I obliterate Baru and the alpha line.”
He looks at me with menace and I know that he sees me as just another obstacle. He won’t bargain with me—he wants to kill me.
“You are insane,” Vrox snarls, lifting his sword toward his brother. Tas circles with his own lance. While Gorn is taller than me, he towers over his brothers now. Worse, he is healthier and in better physical condition than the werewolf I battled earlier. I ready my own weapons as I slide into position.
Vrox leads the attack as he lunges at his brother. The male effortlessly slaps him away and turns just in time with an unnatural speed to block Tas. His weapon continues to swing in a frenzy, driving us back as we attack all at once. His lance spins, blocking weapons and striking glancing blows that slice open ugly wounds. I am thrown into the wall with enough force that color bursts behind my eyes. I am only spared a killing blow when Rashi slides between us and delivers a deep slash across Gorn’s belly.
The male howls in pain and anger but a cut that should have dropped his bowels didn’t do more than bleed for several minutes before sealing up. I pant, my head hanging as I watch him. Our chances are looking grim. Even Jinx’s spell as it comes colliding into him with a barrage of bright, exploding lights doesn’t do more than slow him down.
“Fuck!” Jinx shouts as another spell does little more than make Gorn stumble, the smile on the werewolf’s face getting wider and more crazed by the minute. I can’t help but echo the sentiment inwardly. The more we attack, the more he seems to feed off our frustration and anger, growing stronger while we exhaust ourselves.
Vrox and Tas attack as one and both are not only countered but knocked out of the air by the side of Gorn’s lance. Tas falls back limply, his head cracking against the ground. Gorn’s mad grin widens as he stalks over to his fallen brother, his spear raised. Rashi tries to intervene but Gorn swipes it to the side at the last minute, catching Rashi with a deep wound on the side. My friend yelps and drops away even as Jinx renews his magical assault. We are in too close of quarters for him to do his larger spells, but he throws everything that he has at Gorn with energy burst and fire blades, only a fraction of which strike and smolder against his fur. Most of it is absorbed by the ensorcelled armor fused onto his body.
“I win!” Gorn shouts with a wild laugh as I climb to my feet. I am weakened from blood loss, but I glare at him with all the hatred I can muster. I leap forward with both my swords and he drives the tip of his weapon into my shoulder before using the force of my charge to throw me toward the terrible darkness. I fall heavily, a low whimper escaping me. I barely lift my head in time to see the male stand over his brother and raise his lance.
“You should have joined me, brother!” he shouts. He prepares to strike, his fierce snarl drawing back from his fangs when suddenly it drops into an expression of shock and agony. His fingers loosen and he drops his lance and brings his hands to his neck where three sharp tips of metal push through, penetrating his throat. They yank to the side, snapping the neck and cutting through all the tissue in that area. Gorn gurgles, blood spewing out of his mouth as he crumples to the floor. Just behind him, I see Etier crouched, panting, a bloodied bandage around one side of his face, covering his eye.
“Fuck you and all your self-absorbed little speeches!” he snarls furiously despite the exhaustion weighing him down. With great effort, he stands and yanks his trident from his brother’s corpse.
Vrox rushes forward to embrace his brother, offering his shoulder to support his weight. He touches his muzzle to the injured male’s head. “Etier, thank the gods you are alive,” he whispers. “Mentep?”
Etier shakes his head sadly as Tas joins them. The brothers hunker together as a mournful sound briefly lifts and falls. It is all they will spare right now, but when we return to the tribe, all of the tribe will remember him.
“How did you find us?” I ask, leaning on my sword.
“I made a bargain,” Etier says wearily.
A clatter of hooves has me shoving to my feet in a burst of adrenaline, using one of my swords to help push me up before I bring both up defensively. As the stranger approaches, its familiar scent fills the passage seconds before the centaur from the entrance jogs into view. He takes a look at the scene and pinches his lips. He turns his eyes to Etriel and nods.
“I’ve done as you asked and reunited you with your kin. Now you will return the same courtesy to me and tell me where you have seen my herd.”
Etriel nods but I stumble forward.
“Wait!” I snarl. “We need to get to the tower. I’m asking you to show me the way.”
The centaur hesitates and my fury yields to despair. “Your master has my mate!” The male jerks back before lowering his head in agreement.
“Very well,” he grumbles. “Mates are important. I would not wish mine to be lost to me if I was fortunate enough to have one. I will help you find your way to the tower, but no further. The further I am from the master, the less his magic can directly influence me.”
“Thank you,” I say hoarsely and nod at Etier for him to proceed.
The younger male stiffens. “About a day northeast from here, there is a valley between two rocks. It looks impenetrable at first, a solid wall of stone. But within that stone, your herd is bound. I do not know for what purpose they are kept there, but I watched for three days and never saw anyone approach or any harm come to them. Last I saw, they were provided with stores of food. It was they who told me to seek you out and now they will be waiting for your return,” he says solemnly.
A small, relieved smile curves the centaur’s lips and I watch his relieved shudder“T
hank you,” he rumbles. “I have been searching for them for many months before I was finally caught by the master. I will remember this. Come now. We must make haste if we want to reach the tower before the moon rises.”
“What happens then?” Jinx asks.
The centaur’s expression turns grave. “The full moon is when he offers the sacrifices to Dephinyar, the mistress of the tangled roots.”
“Fuck, it would have to be something like that,” Jinx laments, leaning against Rashi. Deep lines of exhaustion cut into the witch’s face. “Rashi, give me the blasted poison that Fahuri made.”
Rashi balks for only a moment before digging into his pack to pull out a vial that glows crimson. His face wrinkling with concern, he offers Jinx the bitter potion that Fahuri brewed the night before designed to boost our energy in times of great duress. She cautioned that it was dangerous to use, so to only use it in an emergency, but Jinx doesn’t even pause as he drinks it back in one swallow. His face twists at the taste and he hands the vial back to his mate. Rashi offers one to each of us and we all toss it back without a second thought. The foul flavor coats my tongue as my blood warms.
Rolling my shoulders back, I sheath my swords and meet the centaur’s eyes.
“You lead and we will follow,” I snarl. “Dephinyar will be going hungry this full moon.”
Chapter 28
Arawl
The centaur, Abraxas, leads us through a confusing twist of paths, most of which seem to open up before him. Wherever we are going, it is away from the terrible source whose hungry growls grow more distant. When we see the first sconce in the passage, I know that we are now in a building, though deep underground.
“We are entering the belly of the tower,” Abraxas whispers, his low voice still carrying enough for all of us to clearly hear. “The cells are just this way. This is where he keeps the sacrifices while he awaits the full moon.”
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