Chapter 11 #2
Of course he would say that. All I’d done was pique his suspicions. I’d need to find a way to get him truly alone, to remove him before he began to piece together my inconsistencies.
“Good evening, Lord Regent.” I was so much better at killing vampires than talking to them.
“Rest up. It’ll be a while until you feel safe to sleep again.”
I stiffened but gave in to the bait. “Any more hints you’d like to provide?”
Mathias, damn him, was still perfectly at ease in his seat. “Good luck. I’d mourn if you died tomorrow.”
“Why’s that?” It couldn’t be out of any kind of attachment.
A hint of a smile curved his generous mouth. “I’d never get the opportunity to learn why you already hate me so much. If you don’t take that secret to the grave, I will eventually figure it out for myself.”
I scowled back at him. This lack of pretense between us could open up difficult problems in the coming days.
“Good evening, Lady Ilyana,” he added in dismissal.
I had no other reason to stay at the ball, so I simply left. Eager to put some space between me and Mathias’s knowing gaze, I went straight to my rooms.
“For Aetherius’s sake,” I muttered once I had the door locked behind me and the illusion of privacy. I wilted as all my lost sleep caught up with me.
I pulled off the dress and cleaned my face before lying down and staring up at the ceiling as I turned over my meager gleanings from tonight. One thing stuck out most: how Mathias had described my grandmother. Her great fault.
And instead of adapting and making a new plan, I fell asleep afraid, curled with that concept close to my heart. Hubris. Something that could run in family lines like an inherited condition. I couldn’t let it define me, even though I feared it already had.
I rested through most of the night. At least I was functional again, and I had the advantage of being awake while the rest of the monsters lay dormant until sunset.
The first task I did was write a note to Finn, which a human servant promised to deliver once the sun set. I paid extra to get him to deliver it now, ignoring the nervous jitters that shook the letter in his hand before he turned away.
Within the hour, there was a knock at my door.
I let in Finn, who came in carrying a new pitcher of blood as his cover for this early morning visit.
A soft rustle brushed the hall, and an orange tabby trotted in after him as if it belonged here.
As the cat brushed up against my leg, I bent down to pet it.
Finn’s red hair was hastily combed into place, and hints of dark half-moons darkened his under eyes. He offered me a tired smile, and something in my chest tightened. I kept my eyes on him, and he held my gaze with a heat that sent a surprised thrill down my spine.
The slump of his shoulders pulled a knot of worry tight inside me. Did you catch some rest? I signed.
Some, he signed back. He flashed his fangs in what was probably meant to be a reassuring smile. I will be okay. I learned a lot about the first trial last night.
I nodded and motioned for him to come sit, taking the pitcher and pouring him a glass of blood once he did. Mathias’s suggestion to enter the trial with a full stomach still haunted me. I glanced away as Finn took a big gulp, before having a seat beside him.
So, you used your animal spies? I signed, stifling a chuckle at the thought.
Yes. Nibs is still out there. The cat jumped onto his lap. And Butters just reported in. The cat claimed him with a firm headbutt to the ribs before kneading its claws into the dark fabric of his pants.
He didn’t flinch. He settled his hand on the tabby’s neck, fingers working through its thick ruff. As he traced the line of Butters’s spine, a low, steady purr filled the quiet between us.
And my own two eyes. The other vampires treat me like furniture, remember? I caught a conversation the regent had with a couple council members before dawn. They were discussing last-minute changes to the— He signed a word I didn’t know.
The what?
Maze, he clarified, then spelled out “labyrinth” for me by the individual letters. The Trial of the Labyrinth starts tomorrow at moonrise.
I swallowed thickly, and Finn elbowed me.
I met his eye, and a pang of guilt twisted in my belly.
He was about to risk himself because of me.
Now we knew where we both might lose our lives, in the controlled environment of a labyrinth.
I pictured death traps and monsters locked into the same corridors as we were with a shiver of fear.
Are you sure you want to come along with me? I signed, my expression growing serious. This will be dangerous. Very dangerous.
His smile faded, but his hands moved with firm resolve. I know. But you need me. He rested a hand on my shoulder for a moment before adding, You cannot do this alone.
If you are sure.
I am. Now, some things you should know…
He spent the better part of an hour with his hands flying through the information he’d gathered about the trial. We planned in a frenzy for the challenges to come.
I will befriend every animal down there, even if it is just the rats, he promised.
There were a few big blind spots that we couldn’t account for.
The labyrinth was riddled with old snares and nasty surprises from the last time it was used, ages ago when Nemea competed for the throne.
He’d seen Mathias mention having a scrying plate that could observe certain points in the labyrinth.
I couldn’t let my guard down and expose my true face even for a moment.
You should rest while you can, I suggested while pushing a third glass of blood into Finn’s hand. His cheeks had the rosy glow of satiation, but I wanted him overfed. He placed it aside.
Worried about me? He flashed a cheeky smile. Soon as I leave your room, I am heading there. The rats know where the tunnels are under the estate.
I should not be surprised. The underground hosted bloodsuckers throughout the day, tucked in the safety of darkness. Wealthy vampires likely came and went at their leisure. Be careful.
His grin only grew. Oh, you A-R-E worried about me.
I nearly scoffed at him. Of course I am! Maybe we should play this straight rather than sneaking you into—
Finn caught my fingers in his. Our gazes met, and the quiet affection in his eyes hit me harder than his grip.
He squeezed my hands in reassurance. There wasn’t a hint of doubt in his expression.
Before he drew back to sign, I knew what words his fingers would form. Do not doubt me, Sidney. I can do this.
You can do this, I echoed with my hands.
I am going to be the best devotee you ever had.
I never had—
He waved dismissively. Then I am the best by default. I will set the standard of greatness for future devotees. He winked. So, I am going to go and do what I am good at. See you soon.
He drained his third glass of blood and stood.
As I drew to my feet as well, he offered a hug, and I let him fold me into his embrace.
A slow warmth slid through me. Heat pooled low in my stomach.
He smelled like he’d been outside, carrying tinges of wood smoke and a note of something pleasantly sweet, like honey.
Then I pulled away, my breath a little unsteady.
Bye, Finn. Good luck.
With a wink, he took the pitcher and left.
I prepared myself from there, turning over the variables for our success as I did so.
When the pair of vampiresses from last night knocked on my door, they found me already dressed in Ilyana’s leather combat attire.
I’d circled my rooms, crouching and stretching, breaking in the new armor while I had time.
My belly grumbled irritably from the weight of two ration bars.
They’d settled in my stomach like bricks, but I’d appreciate them more soon.
The two house servants were here to retrieve me, not help me.
I ignored the snide tone of the red-lipped vampiress, as I was already fully prepared.
Blades sheathed at my hips and thighs, a pair of vials in one secret pocket, one with rupture poison and the other full of blood wine, with a flask of water and some ration bars in another.
My engagement ring remained pressed to my chest as an eternal reminder of why I’d chosen this path.
They ushered me outside along with all the other candidates and their Devotions. Most of us were dressed for a fight, though I caught a glimpse of a vampiress in pink. Felicity had poked fun at this one earlier. Now that is hubris, to show up to a trial in brightly colored skirts.
I wasn’t necessarily in a bad position to endure a long trial with limited resources.
Unlike the vampires around me, I didn’t need to drink blood, while they needed it daily.
Some of them could push it to every other day before the situation became desperate for them.
All the easier for a hidden slayer to kill them.
We exited the estate and approached a set of massive, black coaches waiting in the front drive.
I spotted Razira’s distinctive head of white hair and dropped back to walk with her and her Devotion of three.
We exchanged a round of greetings and introductions.
I’d already noticed that Devotions were something of an afterthought for most vampiresses, but Razira rested a possessive hand on each of them in turn as she shared their names.
I shook hands with Damien, the last of her mates.
He was built broad rather than tall and wore a chainmail shirt over the expanse of his chest. As soon as we’d said our hellos, Razira stroked Damien’s chest affectionately.
They whispered together, something about one of the other vampiresses.
Damien raised his head to glance where she was looking and nodded to Razira.
A few officials circulated, encouraging us to get in the coaches. “The regent will explain the trial when we arrive,” one said.
“When we arrive where?” one of Razira’s devotees asked.
“Please board the coach, sir.”
With a shrug, he did, and the rest of us followed. I squished in with Razira and an unfamiliar vampiress, along with their Devotions. We swayed together as the coach jolted into motion. The silence that shrouded us was a thick fog, the calm before the storm to come, no matter what form it took.
For a while, we followed a smooth road, before the interior started jumping over the bumpy terrain of a less trodden path.
I snuck a glance out of the window to see that we were leaving the buildings of the well-to-do side of Pythia behind and venturing into an overhang of tree branches.
The forest went on and on until the coach came to a stop with the window facing a thick tree trunk.
We emerged alongside the rest of the bloodsuckers in the other coaches, forming a crowded semicircle. The air was charged with anticipation and the murmurs cutting through the thickness of the anticipatory stillness that’d engulfed us.
We were in a clearing of sorts. The ancient forest behind us, with its towering trees and overgrown vegetation, gave way to a slab of solid rock.
My left foot was inside of an indentation.
If there weren’t so many vampires here, I would’ve taken the time to bend down to inspect the carvings below our feet.
Next to Mathias was a hollow tunnel of rock, its rectangular opening man-sized, with a circle of darkness suggesting hidden depths below.
There would be a portal at the bottom of it, waiting to scatter each of us to different places in the labyrinth.
“Good evening, candidates,” the regent said.
His voice echoed into the night’s darkness.
“Before you is the first test that will separate the queen from the chaff, so to speak. The Trial of the Labyrinth. Know this: Only the candidates and their Devotions are permitted to enter. Violators will be put before the Flask for judgment.”
His stern glare swept over the crowd. “Every individual who enters will be put in a random location inside the labyrinth. For three days, you all will be tested in more ways than you can imagine. Bottles of blood have been secured behind puzzles and traps for you to feed yourself and your Devotions. But you have to move quickly, as the maze reshapes itself at will.”
I forced a swallow. I carried enough rations to get Finn and me through this, but my stomach twisted with dread over the risk he was taking. He was stepping into that labyrinth, and he wasn't my devotee.
Three days would also push the end of the spell Adelaide had cast on my fang bracelet.
We would see soon whether it faded slowly or all at once.
If the disguise failed while I was still trapped in that maze, surrounded by vampires, there would be no escape.
My only recourse if my ruse was discovered was to run away.
Well, whatever happened, I would adapt and persevere. I had to.
“There will be additional challenges that I’ll let surprise you,” Mathias continued. “Not only are we testing your survival skills, but also your critical thinking.”
My hands clenched into fists as I thought of Finn alone in those tunnels, unable to hear approaching footsteps or the scrape of claws on stone. What if he’d encountered trouble getting to the maze? What if he’d gotten lost and I couldn’t find him?
Mathias’s gaze swept over his audience before inevitably settling on me. I met his eyes defiantly. He smiled my way, an infuriating smirk that only got my blood up further. A chuckle escaped his lips as he must’ve sensed my reaction.
“After three days, survivors only need to look down, as the floor will light up with a pattern of arrows to lead you on a path to safety. I will be taking no questions at this time. Good luck, candidates.” The regent inclined his head. “I will see some of you on the other side.”