My Wild Pet (Whispers from the Imperial Cage #2)

Chapter 66

CHAPTER 66

Briar

My emotions are still spiraling out of control from the illusions I barely fought off in Phase One. Seeing Gabriel was unexpected. And him telling me that Gael was waiting for us and to follow him was very believable. It took every shred of my sanity not to follow him. And then the others, people who’d been transitory foster parents telling me they’d been looking for me. Work colleagues telling me that they had called the police and issued a search on the mountain trail, it was awful.

I’m grateful for Aefre. Without his commands to find the puzzle, I might have stayed locked in that nightmare listening to the voices until the labyrinth murdered me, by tricking me into a poisoned room or shocking me with electricity if I stayed in one place for too long.

But Phase One is over. I survived.

The words “REUNION PHASE” flicker on a massive holoscreen overhead. I hear Aefre’s voice much calmer than I feel.

“Ash, you must find Ember. He’s on the eastern side of the labyrinth. The walls have changed. Move quickly, there’s not much time. Keep choosing the paths furthest to the left until I tell you to change.”

The left corridor beyond me expands into a mirrored passage, each surface polished so brightly, I see every detail of my battered form, including my sweat-soaked hair and my collar that marks me as property. But I see something else, too: flashes in the mirror, visions that shift so rapidly I can’t quite catch them. My parents. Rebecca, before she chose death and jettisoned out an airlock. I think I hear her scream echo in the labyrinth.

I grit my teeth. Not real , I tell myself, but my body shakes anyway. “You need to come up with something new,” I say out loud. “I’ve already fought these demons.”

Aefre’s voice cuts in, “Focus on finding Ember. You only have eight minutes remaining.”

A swirl of light draws my attention. Where the corridor forks, I catch a fleeting glimpse of someone, tall, broad-shouldered, short dark hair. Gabriel? Or a projected phantom?

My heart leaps. If he’s real, we can tackle the next trial together. If he’s a trick, I could be lured into a trap. I think of Fifi and how she died. I fully understand how Gabriel could have mistaken Fifi for an illusion now. It’s next to impossible to know what’s real in these challenges.

“Gabriel?” My voice reverberates strangely in the mirrored corridor.

I receive a small shock on my collar from Aefre, but he doesn’t verbally reprimand me for using Gabriel’s human name.

Gabriel doesn’t reply, but he beckons me forward, his face hidden in shadow.

With a resigned breath, I inch closer, half-expecting the figure to dissolve into static illusions and half-expecting it to be the real Gabriel. Then, I round the corner and come face to face with the hologram… which is a reflection of myself!

My own green eyes glare back at me, mocking me with a grin.

I recoil, my heart pounding. It’s not me—but it looks just like me. But no fucking tail. Not me. I guess in my mind’s eye I still don’t have a tail. This small thought makes me smile.

“Gabriel will betray you,” my doppelg?nger hisses. “He did it before. He purposely let Fifi die to take all the winnings. He’ll do it again.”

The words strike me like a physical blow. I know illusions speak nonsense from my fears, but it’s terrifying how my reflection is so convincing. Could Gabriel betray me? My rational mind says no, but I recall moments of hesitation, glimpses in his eyes that held dark shadows. Suddenly a wave of fear threatens to pull me under.

I can’t let it. I close my eyes and say shakily, “You never allowed me to trust in anyone who was trying to be my friend. You’re a bitch, Briar and you need to just go away. Gabriel loves me and yes that makes me vulnerable and maybe he will leave me to die, but that’s the risk I’m willing to take for love. And there’s nothing you can say that’ll push me away from him.”

“Only losers die for other people.”

“No, you have it all wrong. Only losers die alone.”

Aefre’s voice cuts in, “Ash it’s an illusion. Keep moving. Time is running out. You must find Ember. Fast.”

I force my feet to walk, ignoring my double’s laughter echoing behind me.

The corridor branches again. I look up and check the timer. I only have two minutes left. I must find Gabriel. I run down one passage to the left, then another. Everywhere, illusions swirl: an image of Gabriel kneeling at Aefre’s feet, pledging loyalty; me and Gabriel having sex with Aefre in our rooms here. They fucking recorded that . My anger drives me faster.

Then, in a turn that nearly makes me scream, I collide with another body. Solid. Warm. We both stumble back in shock. Gabriel, for real this time. I know him like I’d know myself. He’s panting and he stares at me, his amber eyes look wild. A shallow cut on his cheek drips blood, and sweat mats his hair. Relief crashes into me so hard I nearly start sobbing.

“Briar,” he whispers, voice hoarse. He uses my true name, not Ash. That alone undoes me. I fling my arms around him, hardly able to believe he’s here, alive, tangible. His breath shudders against my ear.

For a moment, the illusions around us flutter and dissolve, as if the labyrinth realizes we’ve bypassed its manipulations. The overhead timer shows one minute left. We stand together in a trembling embrace, ignoring the crowd’s distant roars. Chanting for us to RUN!

Then, a sharp mechanical screech jostles us back to reality, “Time to Reach the Core: 00:56… 00:55… 00:54…”

We must reach a designated ‘core’ chamber before time runs out. If either of us fails, the other has the option to continue alone with half the points.

We sprint, hand in hand, hearts pounding in unison. The corridor warps around us, fragments of illusions swirling like confetti. We brush past grotesque reflections of ourselves, ignoring them. All that matters is the solid warmth of Gabriel’s hand in mine and the timer ticking down.

Adrenaline is the only thing keeping me running. I hold on to Gabriel as he runs faster than me, pulling me along with him.

“This is going to be close,” he says through heavy breathing, then he curses in French under his breath when a mirrored floor almost gives way beneath us. We jump the last few feet.

Ahead, a wide circular door slides open, flooding us with light. Then we burst into a chamber I assume to be the core. The overhead timer reads 00:03, then 00:02. We collapse to our knees, panting and clutching each other.

Alarms blare the end of Phase Two.

We made it. Together.

“Look up,” Gabriel says.

I look up to see massive screens broadcasting our images to the entire arena. The crowd roars in response.

But, I only feel dread. What horrors await us in Phase Three?