Prologue
Stark Warrick
As I descended the staircase to the labyrinth, I forced my shaking hands to quiet. My thoughts drifted as I absently rubbed my knuckles, trying to calm my trembling nerves, preparing myself for the unknown tasks that lay in wait for me.
Witnessing Queen Minaeve’s power last night shook me to my core. I couldn’t fathom how a ruler could be capable of such mistreatment of their subjects and still hold their throne. That the fae could stand to live like this.
But, then again, what choice did they have?
The wilt was growing, and the high queen’s magic was fading.
After arriving in Aelius nearly a month ago, waiting for all the high princes to heed her call, I witnessed the unspeakable depths of her wicked nature.
Minaeve needed power, life’s energy, to fuel her ability to combat the wilt—the price of safety resulting in the cost of life.
Last night, like a prized trophy, I was forced to watch from the side of Minaeve’s golden throne as she siphoned not only magic but life forces from the three high princes of the Inner Kingdom.
I didn’t bother familiarizing myself with all of their names. What was the point?
I was going to die today.
I’d even wager that the Gods themselves knew my fate was sealed. That all too soon, I would lay my eyes on the riverbanks of the crossing into the afterlife.
There was no hope of surviving these trials, let alone a labyrinth. In Solace, I was training to become a healer. My talents lay in nurturing and in the pursuit of knowledge. Yet somehow, I was selected for this task.
Was I simply chosen to fail? This question plagued my mind in a relentless cycle.
A piece of me still held onto the hope that there was a higher purpose to all this. Perhaps I was destined to be a stepping stone for the next shifter to be the last.
I prayed to the Mother and Father that my death would bring fortune to Valdor. That my life was worth more than a sacrifice to fuel a tyrant’s reign.
The darkened stone hallway leading to the labyrinth’s entrance was silent. The magical fae lights in the corners dimmed, depleting any source of comfort in the abyss beneath the keep of the palace above. The royals thankfully granted me a moment of solitude before I entered the trial of the mind.
Glancing toward my left, footsteps echoed along the gray cobblestones. Inhaling a jagged breath, I braced myself. As the glow of the fae lights unveiled the stranger’s identity, my stomach leaped into my throat.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I seethed in a hushed whisper, my hands shaking. “I told you—”
“You honestly expected me not to see you off before you enter the trial?” His deep laugh was laced with sarcasm and a dash of dark humor. “I’m hurt.”
As he reached the final step, his piercing gaze seized the breath from my lungs. His presence jeopardized his very existence, but still, he was here.
I sighed, shaking my head. “You risk your life coming to see me like this.”
“Ha,” he scoffed. “You speak as if I have a life.”
“You do.” I frowned, my eyes never leaving his. “You could.”
“Existing is not living,” he said, stopping a length away and leaning his shoulder against the wall.
His handsome face held lines of secrete sorrows, and I desperately wished I could do something, do anything, to make them disappear.
“It’s more than I’ve got,” I answered, leaning in.
“Don’t,” he rasped, retreating into the shadows along the corner.
“Why?” I asked, following his footsteps and closing the distance between us. “What hope is there for me to win this?”
“Your bloodline is—”
“I’m aware of my bloodline,” I countered. “But I am not an alpha.”
“How do you know? How are you so certain you won’t succeed and win this trial?” His eyes snapped open as his shoulders heaved with the labored breaths that fought to contain his outrage. “This is a task for the mind, and yours is one of the brightest I have ever seen.”
“Which is why I know,” I tell him, anxiety winding up my throat and stilling my voice during our precious minutes remaining together. “I didn’t ask for this. However… I’m grateful for fate bringing me here. That my journey in this life ends with—”
“This journey is not over yet!” he cut in, grasping my hands. “It’s not over,” he whispered, pressing his brow to mine.
Closing my eyes, I embraced him and inhaled his scent. The smell of him calmed my shaking nerves and settled my animal spiraling in my center. “I’ll be waiting for you at the crossing.”
“I’ve told you not to speak like that.”
“Since the first day I arrived in Aelius,” I said with a bright smile. “And every day since.”
“Along with every night I’ve visited your room,” he said as his lips brushed along the nape of my neck, causing me to moan. “I must admit those have been quite enjoyable.” I chuckled, biting my lip. “I wasn’t expecting to favor anything in this place, but fate had other ideas in mind.”
Threading my fingers around the nape of his neck, I pulled his lips to mine.
It was short but ever so sweet. His lips parted to taste me, and I lost myself in this blissful moment that would inevitably disappear.
With a heaving breath, he broke our kiss, pulling back to gaze at me with those entrancing eyes I would never forget.
“This was worth it,” I said, my heart thundering, threatening to break. “Meeting you was worth everything.”
I couldn’t make time stand still, but dear Gods, I wished I could. If I wielded the power to forbid time to continue, I would grant us eternity together.
Tilting his chin, I pressed my lips against his once more.
The sound of dungeon creatures broke our embrace as the darkened hallway behind me lurked with my impending doom. But to my surprise, my hands stopped shaking, my breathing slowed, and I was at peace.
“I love you.” I whispered the words I’d known the day I arrived in the Inner Kingdom and saw him for the first time, lost in the depths of his stare that unlocked the secrets buried within my heart and mind.
The idea of love at first sight was a fleeting hope I never thought possible. That was, however, until I met him.
“Don’t.” He tensed, grip on my waist tightening, reluctant to succumb to the reality of what was to come. “You can’t tell me this mere moments before you enter the trial.”
“And why not?” I challenged him. “I have nothing holding me back.”
In my youth, I knew I favored the company of males, thankful for having a brother to carry on our bloodline. Still, I never found someone worthy enough to say those three words to, until now.
“I love you,” I said again, kissing him once more.
I memorized every fleeting second of his touch and the way his body pressed against mine. The way he smelled. The sensation of him in my arms, and most of all, the way he made me feel. With him, I was cherished and seen in a world of utter chaos.
“Love,” he scoffed, pulling back. “Love is a foolish game in the lives of mortals and immortals alike.”
I smiled, not needing to hear the words I knew he felt.
“Good thing you’re smart enough to not only know the rules, but also how to break them.” The very air around us seemed to tense as our moment together faded. “I must ask you something.”
“Anything.” His voice quivered despite his iron will.
“You must help whoever comes next. Whomever the queen chooses after me.”
“Stark, I—”
“You must help the next shifter, if I fail.” I paused, hearing him inhale a pained breath.
“For the salvation of both our worlds, you must lend your aid, my love.” I leaned back, my stare boring into his, preparing to confess what I’ve learned during my weeks captive in this palace.
“There’s a resistance forming amongst your people.
There are whispers of overthrowing the queen and taking a stand against her.
Together, you can help unite and free your realm. ”
“How do you know this?” he asked.
I tapped my ears and raised my brows with a taunting smirk.
“I’m a shifter and, thankfully, constantly overlooked during my time here.
Do you remember me telling you what I believe my animal would be if I could shift?
” There was no guarantee, but if I ever got the chance, I knew in my heart that I would be an owl.
“During my stay as an honored guest for nearly a month, I’ve been able to hear and see things missed by others.
It’s one of the reasons you fell for me so quickly. Remember?” I teased.
I felt him stiffen as I wrapped my arms around his neck. “What you suggest is a death sentence,” he answered in a muffled voice.
“And living like this isn’t?” I countered. “Constantly afraid of who the queen will destroy next based on a whim of desire or obsession over power. The high princes aren’t the only ones she drains. I’ve seen others brought to her chambers.”
He sucked in a pained breath. “I’m well aware of who she drains.”
My heart shattered.
“My love.” I sighed, tucking a strand of his hair behind his pointed ear. “You must fight back. You know and see too much to allow this to continue.” I bent to gently kiss the unique patch of freckles in the shape of a crescent moon at the nape of his neck, hidden beneath his mesh of hair.
“I’ve stayed alive.”
“But you’ve said it yourself, existing is not living.” I paused as he looked up at me with tears in his eyes. “Fight. You must fight!”
“On one condition,” he countered with an even tone. “You… must fight as well, Stark. Fight to make it out alive and return to me.”
“It’s a bargain.”
I gave him a curt nod as I took one step back. Forcing myself to place distance between us, or else, I might never let him go. Despite my reservations, I knew this wasn’t goodbye. Even if I died in the chasm below the palace, a piece of me would always remain with him.
I silently prayed the Gods would allow me to watch over him. To wait for him until our time together could finally begin. In this life or the next.
“I have to go,” I said with a quivering voice, desperately reaching out to pull him toward me to kiss him, one last time. Savoring every ounce of him I could.
“I promise to fight, Stark,” he said as I severed our kiss and forced myself to turn away. “For you. Always, for you.”
“I know you will,” I answered, my heart shattering as I marched toward my fate.