7. Moon phases #2
They wandered through the labyrinth for what felt like hours.
At some point, Sorcha stopped trying to solve the maze and simply enjoyed it.
The sky above never truly darkened; the perpetual twilight deepened from lavender to rich shades of indigo and violet.
Stars emerged one by one until they glittered overhead like scattered diamonds.
The glowing moths became brighter as night settled over the garden.
They discovered statues of forgotten gods and moonlit fountains overflowing with silver water.
They found archways woven entirely from blue roses and a grove where crystal bells chimed whenever the wind stirred.
Every time they thought they understood the pattern, the labyrinth proved otherwise.
Sorcha found another moon statue and confidently announced, “I think this is it.”
Maelan studied her, pointing out, “You said that last time.”
Sorcha, already approaching the statue as she answered, retorted, “And I was confident then, too.”
Maelan replied, his voice echoing, “That doesn’t help your argument.”
Despite his words, she touched the statue. For a glorious second, nothing happened. Then, all the paths around them vanished as stones shifted and hedges moved. Somewhere in the distance, bells began to chime. Sorcha groaned, but Maelan laughed so hard he had to lean against the wall.
“Oh, that’s not funny,” she replied exasperatedly.
“It absolutely is, Firelight,” Maelan chuckled, still laughing.
Hours passed as the sky’s colors deepened, and stars glittered overhead, their reflections captured in the crystal fountains scattered throughout the labyrinth.
Sorcha groaned again as she dropped onto a stone bench, exclaiming, “We’ve been walking for hours.”
“We’ve been getting lost for hours,” Maelan corrected.
Sorcha laughed and leaned her head back, finding the gardens even more beautiful at night as she watched glowing moths drift lazily between the hedges. Suddenly, a loud growl interrupted the silence, causing Maelan to raise an eyebrow.
“We should probably find food,” he suggested.
Sorcha looked around at the seemingly endless maze, questioning, “And where exactly are we going to find food?”
Maelan paused, then inhaled deeply, a slow smile spreading across his face as he uttered an astonished, “Oh.”
“What?” Sorcha asked.
Maelan stood so suddenly that Sorcha nearly jumped.
“Follow me,” he commanded.
“Where?!” she exclaimed loudly.
Before she could argue, he grabbed her hand and began pulling her down the path.
“Maelan!” she protested, but he simply urged, “Trust me.”
“I did,” she retorted, “and now we’re trapped in a labyrinth.”
He laughed but didn’t slow down. They wound through several twisting paths before Maelan suddenly stopped, facing a wall of flowering vines.
“A dead end?” Sorcha inquired.
“Not exactly,” he replied, pushing aside a curtain of ivy to reveal an opening.
Sorcha’s eyes widened as she beheld the hidden grove, filled with trees she had never seen before. Their silver branches twisted toward the stars, heavy with glowing orange fruit, while nearby, clusters of golden pods hung from broad-leafed plants, their shells gleaming like polished amber.
“What is this place?” Sorcha whispered.
Something in her voice made Maelan glance at her before returning his gaze to the grove. He stepped inside, his smile softening as if reliving a memory.
“When I was a kid, I used to sneak away here,” he explained.
Sorcha followed him between the trees, careful not to brush against the low silver branches.
“You?” she asked, surprised.
“I know. Hard to imagine,” he chuckled.
“No, I can imagine you sneaking away,” Sorcha admitted.
Maelan plucked one of the glowing fruits and tossed it to her, she caught it.
“You had secret hiding places?” she inquired.
“I’m a prince,” he responded, reaching up to pull another fruit from a branch. “Sometimes I needed somewhere people couldn’t find me.” His gaze drifted around the grove, lingering on familiar corners. “I spent half my childhood hiding in this labyrinth.”
For a fleeting second, Sorcha saw a side of him she hadn’t noticed before. She peeled back the skin of the fruit and took a bite.
A sweet citrus burst across her tongue. "Mmmm."
Maelan grinned. "I know."
They settled in the grass beneath the trees. Sorcha sat cross-legged with a pile of fruit beside her while Maelan stretched out on his back, one arm tucked beneath his head.
”Do you think they’ve noticed we’ve gone?” Sorcha asked, lying next to Maelan.
“Oh, absolutely, they probably are running around with half the kingdom looking for us.”
Sorcha turned toward him. Moonlight filtered through the silver branches overhead, bathing him in pale light. The sharp angles of his face had softened; his eyes were fixed on the stars above. He looked peaceful. Maelan was so different from what she had imagined.
For months, he had been Cat—annoying, reckless, impossible to get rid of. Yet sitting here now, listening to him talk about the boy he used to be, Sorcha realized how little she truly knew about him. And somehow that made her want to know more.
As if sensing her gaze, Maelan turned his head and their eyes met. The world seemed to still around them. Sorcha forgot about the labyrinth. The stars. The fruit resting in her lap. All she could see was him. A cool breeze drifted through the grove, and Sorcha shivered.
“Cold?” Maelan asked, looking her over.
“I’m fine.” Sorcha replied, but before she could further explain, another gust swept through the trees, and she shivered again.
A smug grin spread across Maelan’s face. “Would you like to try that again?”
He shifted beside her before she could question what he was doing and draped an arm around her, gently pulling her closer. Maelan settled back against the grass. “There.”
Sorcha relaxed against him. His chest was warm beneath her cheek. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat echoed beneath her ear.
Above them, the moon shone brightly, and the last thing Sorcha remembered was listening to his heartbeat as sleep slowly claimed her.
“There you are!”
The shout jolted Sorcha awake. For one disorienting moment, she had no idea where she was. Then she realized she was still pressed against Maelan’s chest. His arm remained draped around her waist.
Standing at the edge of the grove were Callan and Titan. Titan crossed his arms, and Callan looked moments away from strangling someone.
“There you two are!” Callan exclaimed. “Korat has had half the realm searching for you.”
Maelan blinked groggily as he groaned. Sorcha rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands.
Titan’s gaze moved between them.
Then to Maelan’s arm.
Then back to both of them.
A slow grin spread across his face.
“Oh.”
“Oh? Sorcha said, confused, and then it struck her. “Oh.”
Titan’s grin widened.