Chapter 12
Circe woke to the soft stroke of a man’s hand down her thigh.
Not just any man.
Taurus.
Whom she barely knew and yet she’d boldly invited him into her bed.
In her defense, she needed a distraction.
She, an astronomer, had been roped into an insane quest that would have her facing danger in a mythical place.
Assuming it existed and the journal they’d read wasn’t a fictional fabrication.
But she’d not only seduced Taurus just to divert her mind. She’d wanted to make love to him. The kiss they’d shared ignited a passion in her she’d never experienced. Made her wantonly want the pleasure his touch promised. A bliss she wouldn’t mind experiencing again, assuming they survived.
She turned in his embrace and tucked her head under his chin. “Are we really doing this?”
“Last chance to back out.”
And let him face this alone? Didn’t seem right since she’d been the one to drag him into this mess.
“So long as you don’t expect me to fight monsters, I’m coming. When do we leave?”
“Soon. First, though…” His caress became less soothing and more arousing. She shivered and squirmed then panted as he once again brought her to the peak of pleasure, where she shattered.
Before she’d even recovered, he was bounding out of bed, his naked body a sight to see. She totally wanted to drag him back for more fun. However, they had work to do, as he reminded her.
“Time to get showered and dressed, honey. We’ll grab a bite to eat on our way down.”
“What does one wear to go mucking about in a mythological maze?”
Tower provided the answer, the garments already lain over the chair beside the bed— canvas trousers, a sturdy long-sleeve shirt, and hiking boots.
She grimaced. Definitely not sexy, not usually something she cared about; however, the woman in her wanted Taurus to admire.
He grinned. “Looks like you got your answer. See you in ten.”
Off he went, hitting his room to bathe and get ready. By the time he returned, she sat on a chair to lace her boots, which, like everything else, fit her perfectly.
Taurus wore an outfit similar to hers, but with a few extras.
“That’s a lot of weapons,” she remarked, especially disturbed by the big sword hanging down his spine.
“Never know what you’ll need. This is for you.” He handed her a sheath with a knife.
“You can’t be serious. I thought you were going to handle the monsters.”
“I will, but better to have something than nothing,” he noted as he nimbly slotted it onto her belt.
Taurus shouldered a bulky pack as they went to leave her apartment, which was when she noticed a smaller one sitting by the door. Guess she really was doing this.
Breakfast proved quiet, with them being the only ones in the dining room.
She ate but didn’t really taste anything, nerves rendering her numb.
Once they’d finished their meal, she followed Taurus down to the main level, his long stride heading for the main doors, which led her to ask, “Where are we going? I thought we were beaming.”
“We are but not through a portal. To save time, we’re teleporting directly to the gorge, which means a slightly different method.”
A method that involved him sitting in an oversized sandbox, her in his lap, with her pack hugged to her chest as he copied lines from a piece of paper.
Coordinates, apparently. She didn’t understand what dragging his finger in the fine grains accomplished, and yet, when he was done and his arms wrapped around her with a whispered, “Here we go,” she closed her eyes.
Deep cold enveloped her, along with disorientation. When warmth returned, she gasped for breath.
“We’re here,” he announced.
“Here” being amidst some ruins, apparently at the top of a cliff. She stood and glanced around, noting the sea lapping at a shore.
“I’m guessing we’re at the Minoan ruins by the gorge,” she murmured, still amazed at the ability the Zodiacs had to move around the world in practically a blink of the eyes.
“Yeah, Aquarius recommended against trying to land within the chasm, because one slight miscalculation and we could have ended up reassembling inside a rock.”
Her eyes widened. “You tell me this now!”
“Don’t worry. It rarely happens. I told you I am good at this. We’re even wearing all our gear.” He grinned.
Despite his cocky confidence, she couldn’t help the slight nausea as she realized how close she’d come to dying.
“Now that we’re here, we need to find a way down into the gorge and then, from there, try to figure out where our smuggler ascended to find the cave with the door.”
Taurus didn’t bother looking for a path but rather grabbed a coil of rope attached to his pack. He anchored it before tossing it over the edge.
“Um, I don’t think I can climb that,” she remarked.
“Don’t worry, honey. I got you. All you gotta do is hold on tight.”
“You’re joking.”
He winked. “Only partially. I’m gonna tether you to me just in case you decide to let go.”
Not reassuring, yet she’d come this far. Might as well trust him further.
He had her stand in front of him and looped a rope around her upper body and under her armpits before wrapping it around himself.
“Time for a hug.” He wouldn’t stop smiling, obviously enjoying himself. At least one of them was.
She tucked her face to his chest and looped her arms around his neck. She didn’t look as he grabbed the rope and walked them over the edge, barely dared breathe until an eternity later when he said, “We’re going to take a break on this ledge.”
He held on to her as she let her feet find solid purchase.
Only when Taurus let go did she open her eyes.
The view was quite incredible. The stone that formed the jagged rift displaying varying hues.
From her bird’s-eye perch, she could see a path running along the bottom formed by travelers who hiked the gorge for fun. Psychos.
Hearing Taurus rummaging in his pack, she glanced to see him pulling out a pair of mini binoculars.
“You think you’ll be able to see the cave entrance?”
“Nope.”
“Then what are you looking for?”
“A spot no one would dare climb.”
“Shouldn’t you be looking for the stairs mentioned in the diary instead?”
“Doubt there’s a point. According to the author, they were already crumbling and a few hundred years have passed since. Seeing as how no one’s found the Labyrinth, despite the many hikers, I’m thinking either erosion completely disappeared them or a rockfall sheared them clean.”
“If the stairs are gone, then how will we reach the cave?”
“With some of my toys. Don’t worry. I came prepared. Ready for the next bit?”
She wanted to scream no but nodded instead.
“I think we’re down far enough so now we need to move farther into the gorge by swinging sideways.”
“Excuse me? You want us to go horizontal?” She eyed the ledge that ended three feet to her left and much less than that to the Taurus’ right.
“Trust me.”
Magic words, apparently, because, once more, she clung tight as he grabbed the rope and pushed away from the wall. She gritted her teeth when they swung and only breathed when the jolt of impact hit.
“One second while I affix this anchor,” he murmured before she heard a tapping. “Okay, here we go again.”
She had to admit he seemed to know what he was doing because, by the time they reached a ledge, she noticed they’d gone well out of sight of their starting point, via the use of anchors that secured the rope so they didn’t get dragged backwards.
The binoculars emerged again, and Taurus spent a moment observing before once more sending them off sailing, his movements assured and honestly less scary than expected.
Was it crazy to put so much faith in this man she’d met only days before?
Probably, but at the same time, she had to admit a certain exhilaration.
She never did adventurous stuff. Maybe if they survived, she’d expand her horizons.
“Okay, last resting spot ledge for a bit. Looks like we’re about to enter a tricky section,” he said. “I need you to keep your feet planted and lean back into the cliff since this spot is narrow.”
Narrow? She made the mistake of glancing at her feet and noticed her toes hanging over the rocky edge.
Eep.
Taurus’ feet hung even farther past the ledge, but he didn’t seem bothered as he pulled a fresh coil of rope from his pack. He quickly undid the one they’d used and replaced it with a fresh one anchored above their heads. She really hoped it held.
“How much farther do you think?” she asked as he moved to straddle her so she could grab him around the neck.
“I’m thinking we’re close.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Listen. Hear that slight whistle?”
“Isn’t that just wind?”
“Yup, but the sound it’s making indicates it’s going past an opening.”
Hunh. An interesting fact to know.
“Okay, hopefully the next stop is the cave.”
She hung on tight as he swung. One jump. New anchor. Another. He locked the rope in its new spot. A third spring from the wall didn’t go as smoothly.
“Fuck,” he grunted. They didn’t land against the cliff but rather appeared to be descending and swinging sideways.
Thud. The impact lacked the grace of the previous jumps, and he quickly huffed, “Sorry, honey. You okay?”
“What happened?”
“Last anchor let loose.”
Her worst fear.
“It’s fine, though, because I do believe I see where we need to go.”
He prepped a new anchor for their spot before launching them. Jump. Tap. Jump. Tap.
“Okay, now for the tricky part.”
Trickier than what they’d been doing? “What do you mean?” she squeaked, afraid to look.
“We’re on the wrong side of the cliff.”
“Do we need to start over from the other side?”
“Nope. We’ll zipline across soon as I get my mini harpoon launcher from my pack.”
Harpoon? Geezus, did he shop at the same store as Batman? “You going to fire it backwards?” Because he currently had her pressed to the cliff, his body bracing them against it.
“Better if I face forward, which means I’m gonna have to secure you to the cliff so I can properly aim.”
A good thing her mouth was too dry to speak or she might have yelled, Are you insane?
She tried to control her panicked breathing as he tapped in some metal rings and tied her off them so she couldn’t move.
Probably a good thing because she regretted opening her eyes and seeing the exact situation.
The ground, far below, offered no soft landing.
If she fell, she’d be nothing but a bloody spatter.
While she appeared secured to the wall, her feet dangled, which only fueled her fear.
As for Taurus, he seemed nonplussed by the fact he dangled from an anchor as he unsnapped something from his pack. He dug his heels into the wall to stop himself from swaying before aiming the device.
The barbed harpoon, which had a rope attached, shot across the gorge and embedded into the stone face on the other side. Taurus then proceeded to reload the harpoon launcher with another metal barb and said, “Close your eyes,” before he aimed at a spot overhead.
A minute later, “We are good to go. I’m gonna untie you now, so remember to hold on tight.”
Like an anaconda.
She wrapped herself around him so well they could have meshed bodies.
“Pity we’re not naked,” was his naughty whisper. “Get ready to fly, honey.”
Before she could retort or even mentally brace, they were off. Wind rushed past, and she heard a strange noise, a whizzing, as they traversed his rope bridge. A short trip, as it turned out.
“Mmph.” Taurus made a noise as they impacted, but in good news, they didn’t fall.
“The entrance is right below us,” he stated.
“You’re sure it’s the right cave?”
“I’m sure.” A grim reply.
He didn’t state why the certainty. Perhaps the hairs on his body all stood at attention, too.
It took him a moment to create a new rappelling rope, which he tethered to his harpoon anchor. Once secured, they moved slowly, as he chose to descend hand over hand. The strength that took carrying her weight plus his weapons and the packs…
Such a bad time to be getting aroused.
When he stopped moving, she lifted her head to see they stood in the mouth of a cave that had partially collapsed.
She unwound herself from him and then stood still as he removed the safety rope that tied her to him.
“Let’s see what we’ve got going here,” he murmured, pulling out a flashlight from his pack. The beam illuminated the fallen stone that blocked the rear of the cave.
“Guess we’re screwed, since the ceiling collapsed,” she noted.
“Only partially. Probably explains why, even if someone made it to the cave, no one found the maze.”
“Because they smartly left before the rest of the mountain could fall down and crush them?” Her sarcastic reply as he began grabbing rocks and tossing them out into the gorge.
“If I hear rumbling, I’ll get us out of here, but I think we’re good.”
“You’re a geologist now?”
He glanced at her. “Nah, but I know we don’t die in this spot.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because Sage and Olivia saw us making it into the maze.”
Which required her believing in their visions. Seemed better than convincing herself the mountain would crush them.
Soon he’d widened the passage enough for them to slip through. He led the way with a handheld flashlight, and within a few paces, the tunnel widened. Not just that, the walls became smooth and curved, meeting at the rear, where a door nestled in the stone.
A big portal made of metal, the bronze of it green, and on it, still visible, the carvings mentioned in the journal.
They’d found the entrance to the Labyrinth.