by JA Wren
Then she zipped at Rayna at high speed and vanished into the raw crystal pendant. It glowed insanely bright red before turning the clear stone an inert deep burgundy.
She lifted the pendant and held it up to the light from the lanterns, trying to see into it and find Tink. But there was no sign of the Wisp. Just a regular looking crystal. When she glanced up again, Giant-guy had disappeared.
“How does he do that?” she asked aloud, not really expecting an answer.
“Come on.” Asher tugged her forward. More flowery lanterns lit up, further down along the cobble path, guiding them deeper into the labyrinth. “Let’s get through this as fast as possible.”
“No complaints here.”
They walked through the twisty, curving maze while the leaves on the hedges rustled beside them and Rayna half expected more vines to come creeping through the dense bushes.
They obviously weren’t inside the grain terminal. More like they’d stepped through some sort of portal and were now God-only-knew-where.
She almost tripped over her own feet at the thought, never having given portals real consideration until then. But they had to exist, otherwise she was having one lucid dream. Unless she was still drunk from Kally’s party and really passed out on her floor or something. Even as it flitted through her brain, she knew it wasn’t the case.
Everything was too real.
Weird and crazy.
But real.
As was the hot guy walking beside her, a scowl etched on his face as he scrutinized everything. Like he was waiting for the next challenge to pop out of the bushes and smack him in the face. Not entirely impossible.
She laughed, imagining how his gorgeous face would turn beet red.
He glanced over his shoulder. “What’re you laughing at?”
She shrugged. “Wondering what you look like when you’re embarrassed. I’m pretty familiar with sexy-sleepy-morning-Asher. And even irritated-Asher. There’s been a glimpse of sweet-protective-Asher, but no sign of embarrassment. I think you’d be cute all red and blushing.”
His lip twitched. “Cute?”
“What? Don’t tell me you’re one of those guys who thinks he’s too macho to be cute.” She rolled her eyes. “That’s so nineteen-nineties.”
He shook his head. “Not at all. But cute was a downgrade from sexy, so I’m not sure if I should be offended.”
She pursed her lips, warmth flooding her chest as their eyes met. “Not necessarily a downgrade.”
“Oh yeah?” He raised his dark brows at her and flashed his almost-dimple. “And how do you figure that?”
He was fun when he flirted. And cute, even if he thought it was a bad thing. It definitely was not. “Well—”
“I expected better,” a girlish, childlike voice echoed through the maze. “You should never let your guards down, or it may be the last time you do.”
“What the hell?” Rayna jerked around, trying to find the source of the voice, but the path behind them was dark, the Wisp-lanterns only lighting where they stood and several feet ahead of them.
“I suspect this proves both of your weaknesses.” The voice came from somewhere different, as though she’d moved faster than humanly possible. “Each other. Frankly, I’m not surprised even if I had higher hopes for both of you.”
“Show yourself,” Asher growled.
The girl laughed, a light, sparkling sound. “You’re lucky stealth was not an official part of your trials. The two of you would’ve been cast out of the labyrinth ten feet onto the path.”
The damn voice kept moving. Coming from the left one second and then the right. But one thing was clear. “You’ve been following us this whole time?”
Another giddy laugh. “Of course. Someone has to administer the trials. And don’t tell me you thought it was the giant.”
Rayna kept her mouth shut because she had thought it was Giant-guy.
More Wisps gathered, flitting around like hundreds of fireflies, until they converged high above on top of the hedge, circling a small figure.
The little girl jumped from the top and landed five feet in front of Rayna and Asher. Blonde, pigtail braids hung over her shoulders, the tips a neon pink. She wore a white tee and ripped denim dungaree shorts, one strap unpinned and dangling loosely.
Such an odd combination. Especially under the circumstances.
“I’m here to present you with your next trial.” With those words, she split into three separate girls.
Rayna blinked. Had they somehow been drugged? Or was she truly seeing triple? Each girl was identical, except for the tips of their braids. Where the first had been pink, the girl to the right had electric blue tips, and the one on the left had deep teal.
Three girls.
Three hooded hags who’d slit her wrist.
“Wait. Are you—are you the same women with the blood thing from earlier?”
“The Crimson Rites,” Pink-tips corrected.
“Don’t bother asking,” Asher mumbled, cutting off anything else the girl was going to say. “If I’m right, they’ll only enjoy toying with you more.”
Rayna mentally added another question to the list she’d eventually present him with—how the hell did he know these three?
Pink-tips smiled, a sly little grin that was extremely at odds with her softly rounded and freckled face. Her eyes looked older, holding wisdom that only came with age. The two other girls remained silent.
Exactly like the hooded figures.
Oh hell no.
“You could’ve at least given me a cookie and some OJ after taking so much blood, you know? You left me kind of woozy.”
Pink-tips laughed even harder this time. “Ah, I like your spirit. And as a reward, I’ll grant you one clue to help you through the remainder of your trials.”
She took a few steps forward, until she was close enough she had to tilt her head back to look up at Rayna. Asher growled, edging right up against her side, his body half in front of her like a shield.
Pink-tips waved a dainty hand at him, glaring at him with hard eyes. Rayna got the feeling silent words passed between them. Words she wished she could hear. Or understand. She was starting to feel like the only one here who didn’t have a clue what the fuck was going on.
The girl turned back to Rayna, her scowl replaced with a sweet smile. “There is no right or wrong within the labyrinth. No way to pass or fail. You merely need to complete each of the challenges before you, however you see fit. That is the goal. That is your only mission.”
Rayna crinkled her nose. “Then what’s the point of all this?”
Pink-tips stepped back. “You will have to wait to find out. For now, we must continue.”
She raised her hands and the Wisps lit up the path behind the trio. Three statues blocked the way forward, carved from glistening white marble. Even from a distance, Rayna could tell the artwork was incredible. Kally would drool over them if she ever saw such artistry.
The statue to the far left was a young, beautiful woman, her toga dress bunching over her feet while her curly hair hung down in thick ringlets. A blindfold obscured her eyes, and a sort of veil draped her head and shoulders, falling down to her waist. She held her hands outstretched in front of her, palms raised and fingers relaxed. A wreath of flowers adorned her like a crown.
In the center, a huge, muscular, and near-naked man had been sculpted with thick, heavy looking chains wrapped around him while his arms and chest strained to get free. Veins bulged from his marble skin. His massive hands clawed at the links around his neck, threatening to strangle him, his face a mask of torment.
And to the right, the one closest to Rayna, stood a headless, winged woman. A thin sheath of a dress clung to her body like a second skin, the folds and wrinkles the only sign it wasn’t a part of her. The marble fabric billowed around her like she’d been captured the moment a strong wind swept past her. A pair of intricately detailed feather wings spanned far behind her, reaching high above, the tips disappearing into t
he black void ceiling.
The girls stepped back, the silent twosome standing on either side of the statues, while Pink-tips spoke. “You have three choices before you.” She gestured to the veiled statue and the pedestal that now stood in front of it, a golden chalice perched on top. “The Wine of Wisdom.”
Next, she pointed to the pedestal in front of the man with what looked like steaming rounds of flatbread. “The Bread of Strength.”
Rayna kept her snicker to herself, wondering why they hadn’t kept the theme of alliteration going.
“And finally.” Pink-tips waved a hand at the pedestal before the winged woman.
She could’ve sworn a glazed, flaky Danish pastry sat on the marble, and her mouth watered. She’d been hungry to begin with, and that was before the hooded figures sapped way more than a pint of blood from her veins. They really could have offered a cookie or something.
“The Fruit of Spirit.” Pink-tips eased to the side. “You may drink or eat one of these items and no more. You’re allowed to consume the same item or choose separately. It’s entirely up to you.”
Rayna couldn’t take her eyes off the last offering, already imagining what it would taste like. Sweet. Fruity. Buttery pastry. She barely resisted the urge to reach out and snatch it up, devour the whole thing in one big bite.
“Psychic, Physical, and Spiritual,” Asher mumbled.
“What?” Rayna only half-turned to frown at him, her eyes still glued to the delicious pastry just sitting there.
Waiting for her.
The smell already wafting over and teasing her nose with its deliciousness, calling her closer.
But Asher tugged her back when she swayed towards it. “How can we be sure you’re not trying to poison us? Or some other fucked up trick you’re pulling.” His voice turned low and harsh. “What’s this in aid of anyway?”
Pink-tips shrugged. “Either consume one of these items, or progress no further. You will be evicted from the labyrinth, your memories wiped clean, and then returned to your regular life. No closer to the answers I know you seek, Rayna Knox.”
She might have started the day longing for answers, but right then it was mostly the promise of sustenance that drew her towards the pedestal, dragging Asher along with her. He could eat or drink whatever the hell he wanted. Maybe if he chose nothing, they’d kick him out of the labyrinth and free her from him.
That’s what she wanted, right?
So why did the pang in her chest distract her from reaching for the pastry?
She stared at Asher, pleading with him. “I need answers. And—and I’d like you with me when I get them.”
It was true even if she didn’t understand why. She felt far more connected to him than she should be. One night together—a night she couldn’t remember—and she was asking him to stay with her? Just how hot had their tumble between the sheets been?
His thick brows furrowed, dark brown eyes flaring. But he nodded. “Bread for me, then.”
She snorted even as her fingers touched the flaky pastry, her decision made the moment she laid eyes on it. “Too cool for wine and tarts?”
He tore a bite off the steaming flatbread with his teeth, and for a second Rayna almost changed her mind. Asher spoke around a mouthful, his eyes serious. “This is about far more than morsels of food and drink.”
She frowned, but his words were forgotten the moment the sweet, sticky glazing touched her lips. Her teeth sank through layers of crisp pastry, little flakes raining down as she groaned around the best thing she’d ever eaten.
The fruity center hit her next, complementing the richness of the pastry. She wanted to savor every bite, but it was gone in no time, a haze of nothing but delicious food that left her feeling more sated than she had been in months.
It almost made up for the trio slitting her wrists.
Almost.
“Now begins your second trial,” Pink-tips announced.
Eight
“What?” Rayna asked around her last bite of pastry, sticky fingers held out awkwardly. “I thought eating the goods was the trial. Isn’t that what you said?”
Pink-tips smirked. “The first phase. But your real challenge will follow shortly.”
The two other girls drifted closer, laying their hands on the veiled statue and pedestal with the full chalice of wine.
Rayna blinked and they disappeared along with everything they touched. She got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, a weird sense of dread as she stared at the remaining two statues.
Pink-tips stepped back, standing between the marble figures. “Since you chose individual paths, your trial will be more complicated. You will need to work as a team, but the giant’s warning stands—no cheating. You must both participate or you will be disqualified.” She stretched her hands out to the statues either side of her. “A reminder there is no right or wrong. As long as you complete the task, you will pass the trial. I have high hopes for you, Rayna Knox. Don’t disappoint.”
She disappeared the same way the other girls had, there one second and then gone.
“I feel like Alice,” Rayna muttered, then glanced at Asher. “I’m not following any white rabbits.”
He looked at her as though she’d sprouted a second head, but before she could explain herself, a creaking, crunching noise caught their attention.
Slowly, Rayna turned back to the statues. The muscular man was clenching his marble fingers around the chain circling his neck, while the wings of the woman quivered, the feathers twitching.
“Not. Possible.” Rayna mimed the words, but no real sound left her mouth.
The statues were coming to life, liquid gold spread through the white marble like veins, somehow giving them the ability to move. Wisp-lanterns lit the path beyond the two figures, showing them the way and making it clear they needed to get through the statues blocking it.
“You just had to go and choose the bread, didn’t you?” Rayna grumbled at Asher. “Just think if you’d shared the pastry with me, we’d only have one of these things to contend with.”
To her shock, Asher laughed. “Really? You would’ve shared?”
She shrugged. Probably not, but she didn’t need to tell him that.
The marble man ripped the chains from his neck, stone links shattering and shards flinging everywhere. He held the length between his fists, brandishing the chain like a weapon, as he broke one foot free and then the other, stepping down from his dais.
He gave a mighty, gritty roar that rustled the leaves of the hedges.
“Holy shit,” Rayna gasped, flicking her gaze to Asher.
His face was as hard as the marble statue and she was very, very glad they were on the same team.
A whoosh of wind blew past her and she looked back at the statues to see the winged woman was gone. “Huh, maybe mine went to get more pastries,” she said under her breath, an attempt to mask the dread prickling inside her.
Asher jerked her to the left suddenly, just before the stone chain swung in her direction. It narrowly missed cracking into her skull. Marble-man let out another growl and drew closer, his steps slow but heavy enough they shook the ground, little vibrations going through Rayna’s feet like an earthquake.
The chain launched at them again, but they were too close to the hedge to move out of the way in time. Asher twisted, taking the full impact of the blow to his back to save Rayna. It reverberated through him into her, and she grimaced at how much that had to have hurt.
Enough to cause internal bleeding?
They couldn’t afford to let that happen again. Which meant they needed a way out.
Fast.
Marble-man was reeling his chain back in, like a huge ship hauling its anchor up, dragging it across the cobbles at the pace of a damn snail. Taunting them. Or was he waiting? Asher had edged them backwards, close to where the path darkened with fewer Wisp-lanterns.
Testing a theory, Rayna took a step forward. Then another. Marble-man tightened his grip on the chain.
&nbs
p; “Rayna,” Asher said in a warning tone, his voice a little raspy after the hit to his back. “Careful.”
At least he wasn’t stopping her. She appreciated he wasn’t going all controlling alpha on her. She took another step, now totally in the light, and Marble-man swung out, barely giving her the chance to jump out of the way with a yelp.
“Looks like he’s confined to a specific area.” Rayna pointed up at the flowery lanterns. “If he can only move so far this way, maybe he can only go so far back. If we can sneak past him—”
“Without getting crushed.”
She glared at him. “Obviously. But he’s slow. If we run, we might be able to dash past him. Leave him in our dust.”
He laughed at that, still strained thanks to the blow to his back. “Don’t forget your winged foe.”
“Do you see her anywhere?”
“No, but I might have a better idea.”
“Well, I’m all ears.”
Marble splinters rained down and Rayna looked up, carefully shielding her eyes from the little fragments of sharp stone. She caught a white blur, but Asher pulled her out of the way before a giant pair of wings crashed into where she’d been standing.
“How the hell can she even see where we are without a freaking head?” Rayna yelled even as Asher bolted, dragging her with him as he headed for Marble-man.
The chain slammed into the cobbles, blocking their advance and rattling Rayna’s teeth. He coiled another length around his right hand, clenching it into a fist and narrowing his opaque gaze on Asher.
Rayna looked over her shoulder. The woman flapped her massive wings, the resulting wind sending more marble flecks spearing at them. One sliced her cheek, leaving a hot trail of blood trickling down her face. It stung like fire, the burn spreading through every inch of her as if something in the stone seeped into her veins.
They were trapped. Marble-man ahead of them and Winged-woman at their backs. No way out.
“We should’ve shared the wine,” she murmured, unsure if Asher even heard her. “Blindfolded-woman would’ve been easier to fight.”
