I was shaking now, and wasn’t sure I could see one more dead face and keep the contents of my stomach. We had learned of these battles in history class, the dragon king had been involved in some of the bloodiest of all, but seeing it in graphic detail like this was stomach churning. Not to mention that Rose had actually been there, so these were memories tinged with her emotions. It almost felt as if I was standing on the battlefield too.
I wasn’t sure if Rose let me go, or if I finally managed to pull myself free. We were both breathing heavily, and I fought hard to slow the trembles of my muscles.
“Now do you understand?” Her voice was low. “We have waited a long time for the one who could defeat him, you cannot stray from this path.”
I understood, I really did, but I was also stronger with my boys. “You know that the quads have a calling, they can defeat the king.”
She gave a huge sigh and my hand twitched. I almost bitch-slapped her. Typical of me: freaked-out to psycho in 2.3 seconds.
“They have the power to hold him off, nothing more. He cannot be killed. Their calling will be useful after you find a way to break the marked ties.”
I was sort of stalling on the hope that the decision would be taken from me. Unfortunately, even though more noises were filtering up from other parts of the castle, no one approached us in the corridor. Rose reached out then and grasped my elbow, and before I knew it we were moving again.
My gut wasn’t saying much at the moment. Usually it was a great indicator of what I should do but after seeing that field of death, my mind, at least, knew Rose was right.
“So you’re sure they’ll be able to find and follow me, and king-dick will not?”
Rose flicked around to shoot me an exasperated face.
“Explain it to me like I’m an idiot,” I said. “I know nothing about Faerie.”
“The land of Faerie is divided into four quadrants. There’s the Isle of the Gods, the Land of the Dying, the Land of Sea and Forest–” Been there. “And right now we’re in the Land of Illusion and Bespelling. All four lands are joined at the center of Faerie. This path I’m sending you on takes you to the center. He’ll be able to reach you on the path, which is why we need to hurry, but once you’re on the Isle of the Gods, you’ll be safe from him.”
It was annoying to know so little about this world, and it seemed the one thing I thought I knew – that Faerie was dying – was not even true. Why then had all the fey fled to Earth?
“So Larky has this entire castle rigged as some sort of illusion?”
I’d guessed as much from my short trip to the ground, but had also wondered if maybe it had been a large step through which had caught me when I jumped from the castle.
Rose was facing forward again, her grip still firm on my elbow as she continued dragging me down the spiral stairs. “Yes, it’s a security system. Not many would have faith to jump from the sky. You’ve already proven your bravery.”
Or stupidity.
We finally finished our descent and stepped out into a dark, narrow space. It had an underground, dank smell, and immediately my wolf wanted out. She wanted fresh air and freedom to run. My dragon didn’t mind so much; her breed could easily adapt to caves and cold.
“These run beneath the castle. They’re an old system that were used for smuggling.”
“Smuggling of what?”
Rose shrugged. “Lots of things. Money, treasure, people. You’ll be able to escape from here. This journey is not going to be easy, and once you enter the labyrinth you cannot leave until you reach your destination.”
Okay, when had the path suddenly turned into a labyrinth. Shit.
“A labyrinth? As in a really long, complicated maze?” This was not going to be the easy journey Rose was spouting before.
“It’s a path really. We call it the labyrinth because it has the ability to change its way … throw up obstacles.”
Great, it was totally going to be filled with lots of Faerie inspired dangers. I sucked in a deep breath, closing my eyes briefly to center myself. What the hell, might as well get going. Wasn’t like I had anything else to be doing right now.
The tunnel widened more and we were able to walk side by side. Rose was paying close attention to the walls and I could hear her counting under her breath. Great, we were lost in the freaking tunnel before the labyrinth. Lucky she wasn’t going to be my tour guide for much more of this little Faerie journey. Girl’s sense of direction was whacked.
I heard her murmur eighty-seven, then she pulled me to a stop. It was difficult to track her every movement in the dim light, even with shifter vision, but it kind of looked like she was pressing both hands into the brick. Before I had a second to think on this, she yanked us right through.
I braced myself, expecting to hit brick, but we just stepped out to the other side. Magic … even though I’d grown up with it, sometimes still took me by surprise.
We were outside. It was warm here, a garden again, but with less flowers and more hedge-type bushes.
“I’m guessing this is the beginning of the labyrinth,” I said.
It looked like a secret garden, all sunshine and chirping birds. I had expected it to be dark and spooky, but I’m sure that horror would pop up later.
“This is the path that will lead you directly to the center of Faerie. Once you enter, there is no turning back. You must not be distracted by anything you see. Go directly to the island. Keep your wits about you. The shining ones do not encourage visitors. I’ve never been there, but I imagine there will be many traps and misdirections along the way. Do not lose focus, it could cost you everything.”