Chapter 15
Without any conscious decision, I start to shift back into minotaur form.
My snout twitches, the ring heavy and almost comforting. I already know there is a tunnel under that marble throne, and it will take us back to Validus Vale.
“Ludo?” The nymph calls my name.
—I lead us to Earth realm—I take us home—
Home.
Is the basement where I live home? I don’t think so, not anymore. My home is simply wherever my nymph is.
She pulls away from the men and comes closer, reaching out a hand and stroking my chest. “Thank you. We’ll follow you.” Her head is several feet below mine. The minotaur in me revels in her delicateness.
So tiny and precious.
—Time to go—
My ears pick up a slight grinding sound, and I move behind the throne. The back panel is a heavy stone slab. In my human form, I would not be able to move it, but my minotaur has the ability. I heave at the giant stone until it falls with a deafening smash.
The scent of earth and damp coming from the dark tunnel is familiar to my muzzle.
—Nymph?—
“Ready when you are.”
“I am safe and calm, spiders cannot hurt me,” the centaur is muttering. I can taste his fear, but ignore that and look into the gloom.
“You got this, Donovan,” Theo tells the horse. “Just concentrate on the fact we’re going to find Wes.” With that, she moves behind me. “Lead the way, Ludo.”
Stepping through the threshold, the world warps, and then nothing surrounds us but familiar black rock walls. My horns brush against the low ceiling.
It’s interesting, this is a new pathway in the labyrinth.
It hadn’t existed when we’d arrived in this realm; I have the schematics of this place imprinted on my soul. The route will circumvent the skeletal beasts in the pit and is a gift from the protector of Avalon.
Suddenly, a whisper of something floats in the air, an invisible touch on my brow, like a benediction. “Keep her safe, minotaur. There is little time.”
I nod a reply; the spirit of the protector already knows my heart and my intent. I felt its energy search my body, as if it were seeking out any impurity in my devotion to Theo.
It found none.
Did the other men feel themselves being weighed by the entity?
For me, this scrutiny has changed everything. The perception I held of myself and where I belong in Theo's world is beginning to crumble.
I am worthy of the role of defender.
Though I still want more. I want a future where I love and protect my nymph with every part of me, a future where I can express my worship with my body.
Bowing at the altar of her core.
To scent her, taste her, mark her, and fill her.
The idea of that honor is almost overwhelming. Heady, throbbing desire beats through the veins of my beast. My bull wants her. My man wants her. Maybe it’s not entirely beyond the realm of possibility.
I’ve never lain with another being, so I can wait decades more. Her safety will always come first. Though the thought of squeezing her breasts, splitting that sweet slit open with my cock…
I let out a forceful snort.
“Ludo? Are you OK?”
—All is well—
It’s a good thing this minotaur form can split its conscious thoughts. Concentrating on the task ahead, I set a pace that will not tire my nymph, but can still have us moving rapidly.
Everyone is silent, lost in their thoughts.
—Very soon at the portal to Earth Realm—
“So soon?” The Nymph is surprised.
—A new path—the protector made it for us—
“Whoa, amazing. Hey, guys, Ludo says we are almost there,” she tells the group.
Yes, almost there.
There. Back to Validus Vale.
Will I still be in this minotaur form? The bull is strong enough to defeat her enemies, so I hope so. But whatever form I am in, I will defeat her enemies, then take her deep into the basement.
Make her a nest.
Keep her safe.
My beast wants to claim her, to fill her until she smells only of me. But she is small. Precious. I must always be careful. I push away the urge to rut, rut, rut until she is so filled with me I’m bursting out of her every pore.
My horn almost catches on a low-hanging part of the roof again. Careless.
The cartographer part of my minotaur wants to bury the lust that's trying to take us over. My minotaur is correct.
I pull my focus back to the journey.
It was a Sunday, October 24th, when we left my basements. Will years have passed when we return? Or only seconds?
It doesn't matter to me either way, but it might to my nymph.
Other men's wants and needs do not concern me.
Theo tugs on my hand. “One minute, Lu.”
I stay still, while she turns to the cavern wall, easily creating a fresh water spring from a crevasse.
She is incredible.
“Water break,” she says.
The centaur-boy comes over, whipping his ragged shirt off and putting it under the stream. When he begins to wipe his face, the scent of myrtle is released.
It hits me like a physical blow, stripping away the labyrinth's calm. It catches me unawares; there is no time to readdress my mental defenses.
“You need to stop crying, kid.” An older boy tosses me some bread.
Even though I’m so hungry, I don’t get off the floor to retrieve it. “The crying makes it worse. You gotta pretend it doesn’t hurt.”
It’s winter and the room is so cold. I haven’t been in the circus very long. I had a mattress on the floor. There were other boys and girls. Many mattresses. The circus employed many children.
Another new kid, a girl, was sobbing so hard she’d puked up her bread. “Seriously, don’t be like her,” the older boy says. “Keep silent. And eat your food.”
Days and nights blur. Almost every day, I’d be taken to another place. That place is a blank spot in my memory, even now. Except it smelled like a specific bitter herb.
The children came and went. I learned to be silent. The older boy disappeared.
I became him, telling the new kids to eat their bread and bite their tongues. Be silent.
It wasn’t until I came to Validus Vale that I learned the name of the bitter herb smell.
Myrtle.
I read about it in one of Mr. Quinlin's botanical tomes. A herb blessed by Aphrodite, Goddess of Love. For protection and beauty. Myrtle; an aphrodisiac that promotes youth and vigour.
Myrtle, used by old men for virility and stamina to achieve their desires.
What would Aphrodite think of its use at the circus?
That place was not one of beauty.
There has been no beauty in my life.
Until now.
“You want some water, Lu?” Theo asks me.
I shake my head. This shifted form doesn’t seem to need any sustenance. Just being in these tunnels replenishes my energy.
Once everyone has had their fill of water, I pass the message to Theo that we should continue. Currently, these passages are safe, but the undead creatures that dwell in the dark will not be ignorant of our presence forever.
—Are you tiring, Nymph? I can carry you—
“I’m good, thanks though.”
It’s true, she’s energized and eager. Eager to find her other man. The minotaur in me knows that she needs all these men and reminds me that being one among a number of consorts is fitting.
What will the professor shift to? Hopefully, a deadly beast.
“Before we portal, we should plan,” the man I’m thinking about says suddenly. This is why I need him in Theo's retinue. I’m not strategic.
“Oh, I’ve got a plan, alright,” his cousin says. “Hellhound the shit out of the place. Count how many people I can get to crap in their pants.”
Theo shakes her head, the dragon ignores the comment, but the centaur grins. The dog amuses him.
But not the professor. “For fucks sake, that’s a hard no, Maximus,” he sighs. “You, Drakeward, and Donovan need to keep your shifted forms under wraps. You too, Ludo.”
That is not a problem. I don’t want to draw attention to myself; there is power in going unnoticed.
“I don’t think you’re in a position to tell us what we can and can’t do with our new forms,” Drakeward drawls in that cut-glass voice. “After all, you and the dud haven’t even shifted.”
I grind my teeth every time he uses the word ‘dud’.
“Why do you think you didn’t shift, Alexis?” Theo asks. “I’m not surprised I didn’t, but you are the most powerful witch among us.”
Drakeward snorts at that. “Hardly.”
I watch the professor turn his back on the dragon and address Theo solely. “I felt the shift under my skin, and I know a creature is in me, but the imperative need to bring it out just wasn’t there.”
“Really?” the hound asks. “I couldn’t stop mine, it just burst out of me.”
“Me too,” the centaur agrees.
—It was the same for me. The minotaur came out because it was needed. Maybe the professor’s creature hasn’t been necessary yet—
Theo repeats my thoughts. “Most likely,” the professor agrees.
“That was my line of thinking. But back to the portal; firstly, we must find out how much time has passed since we left. Being gone for hours or days will be very different from being gone for months or years. I suggest we lay low until we can speak with your friends, Theo—Bloomhower and Links.”
There are general grunts of agreement. “Can we lay low somewhere with food?” the dog whines.
“We can follow the tunnels back to my room,” the nymph says. “I’m sure Willow or Duncan will get us food. To be honest, I’m famished too.” She stops suddenly. “Unless we’ve been gone for years and they’ve already graduated? What if that’s happened?”
“Then we deal with it, pulu.”
“If I’ve been gone for more than a couple of days, Striker will have done something to cover up my absence,” Drakeward adds.
The centaur looks confused. “Striker?”
“Private investigator. She was looking into your disappearance.”
“Aww, you really did miss me,” the centaur grins, punching the dragon on the arm. Sadly, it’s not a very heavy punch.
“Fuck off,” he grumbles. “So that’s the grand plan, professor? Hide in the Defectivum basement and get the duds to bring us some cafeteria scraps? Some brilliant logistics right there.”
“Stop it, Cosmo,” Theo scolds. “What else can he say? We have no idea what we’re walking back into, and won’t, until we can speak with my friends.”
“Fuck my life. Relying on more duds? This is going to go great.”
I’ve had enough of hearing his voice
—We go now—
“Yes, good idea. Thanks, Lu.” The smile she gives me is slightly brittle. Nervous.
Hmm, yes, I can sense her anxiety.
—I keep you safe—
“I know you will,” she murmurs. “It’s the rest of the world I’m worried about.”