I spin on my heels, turn away from the scenes, but the torment doesn’t stop. Rain pours as Daed kneels in the courtyard of Baev’Kalath, his shoulders slumped in despair. A blade arcs downward toward him, and his eyes meet mine as he whispers, “It was all a lie.”
“No!” I cry, spinning wildly, desperate for an exit, but every path only leads to more torment.
My Sisters of the Vine call out to me, their voices heavy with accusation, their faces twisted in anguish. “You failed us!” they scream, and I stumble backward into another vision. Solena stands by a bathtub, serene for a heartbeat, before the image shifts, her lifeless body now submerged beneath the water.
I whirl again, only to face Arax. Lightning splits the sky behind him, illuminating the grotesque truth: half his face stripped to bone, the skeletal grin a cruel mockery.
But the worst is still to come. I see myself reflected in endless mirrors, splintering into countless versions. Each one smaller, weaker, more fragile. Each version breaking under the crushing weight of my fears, shattered and defeated and alone.
I force myself to breathe. This isn’t real. None of it is real.
I close my eyes, blocking out the images, the sounds, the whispers clawing at my mind. I focus instead on the faintest sensation, the tug of something deeper, something true, pulling me forward. It’s barely there, like the faintest thread brushing against my soul, but I follow it.
When I open my eyes, the illusions have grown more desperate. The mirrors crack and shift, now throwing images of everything I’ve ever wanted: Ashen, free and unchained. My home, my friends, my love, my child. Safe and happy. Those I’ve lost, watching over me, at peace. They all call to me, urging me to join them. To rest at last.
But there is no rest. Not until my task is done. I must be close.
Tears blur my vision, but I grit my teeth and push forward. Each step is harder than the last, the images growing sharper, more tempting, more cruel. But I don’t stop. The pull grows stronger, guiding me toward the heart of the maze.
Finally, I step into a clearing. The air feels different here, fresher, as though the weight of the illusions has finally lifted. The mirrors fall away, their haunting reflections vanishing into the ether. I’m left standing before a single, unbroken surface. It doesn’t reflect me, not even a hint of my image. It reflects nothing at all. Pure. Untouched by illusion. A blank canvas, waiting to be filled with truth.
“This is it,” I whisper, the words barely leaving my lips before I realize how final they sound. How finalitfeels. There is no more trickery, no more deception. This is the truth.
I reach out, my hand trembling slightly. The mirror surface is cool against my fingertips, but it’s not hard like glass. There’s an odd sense of yielding, like the very fabric of reality is ready to bend beneath my touch. My heart beats louder, echoing in my chest as I press forward. The moment my fingers make contact, the mirror doesn’t crack or shatter with violence, it dissolves, as if it’s been waiting for me to unlock it. The surface breaks apart gently, each piece turning into light that swirls upward, vanishing into the air like stardust.
Suddenly, I gasp for air, my chest heaving, eyes snapping open, but before I can scream, before the fear and anguish can claw their way out of me, I feel it, soft, familiar, the warm nuzzle of a nose against my face. I blink, my mind struggling to catch up, and as I focus, reality slowly settles into place. I’m inside Ashen’s cage, his body curled around me like a shield, his purrs rumbling in my ear.
I don’t think. I just move, pressing myself into him, burying my face in his thick mane, wrapping my arms around his neck as tightly as I can.
“Congratulations, Princess,” Anethesis says from outside the cage, his voice floating in like ice water. “You passed with ease. You’ve earned this reward.” His words are as empty as they are cold. “I’ll give you some time alone. Someone will attend to you when dinner is served. I believe you’re having seasoned squash with a selection of tubers,” he says, nose twitching ever so slightly as his expression curdles. “Delicious.”
I glare at him through the mist of Ashen’s mane, my heart still pounding in my chest as I snap, “Anethesis.”
He pauses, glancing over his shoulder. “Yes, Princess?”
“When I’ve completed these tests, when I’ve opened this portal…” I force the words out. “Give me your word that you’ll release us.”
He dips his chin. “You have my word.”
And then, just like that, he’s gone. The cavern falls into a strange, aching silence. A hollowness gnaws at me, deeper than anything I’ve ever felt. I’ve passed the test, but I don’t feel victorious. I feel…broken. The toll of it all, the illusions, the false hopes, the fears I had to face, still echoes inside me, like a distant, unwelcome voice.
I glance around, half-expecting the darkness to swirl back to life, for the maze to rise again. But it doesn’t.
I burrow further into Ashen’s mane, the comfort of his warmth sinking deep into my bones. I remind myself over and over that none of it was real. That it was all just an illusion. But the images that flash behind my eyes, the voices that scream in my head, those feel anything but.
Chapter 5
Daed
Before her.What a curious thing this human is. This Amara Tyne.
I have been watching her for some time now, studying the way she works the soil, her hands caked in mud, dirt wedged beneath her nails. She brushes a stray strand of hair from her face without care, smearing dirt across her cheek, so unlike the pristine, delicate females of the Fae courts.
I can smell the sweat on her skin, mingling with the natural sweetness that lingers there. But beneath that, another scent emerges, something deeper, sharper. It fills my head, burns through my veins like molten fire. It is intoxicating.
She is unlike any human female I have encountered. Every small, insignificant movement she makes strikes me with such force that she might as well be a titan. I am captivated by her, by her mannerisms, her subtleties, her presence.
It seems almost a pity that something so fascinating must die.
