Silence.
“I don’t know if I’m strong enough,” I said, tears slipping freely now. “But I’ll try. Even if it breaks me.”
The words left me like a blade drawn too fast, sharp, and painful.
And then—
The altar lit.
Golden fire bloomed from beneath my palm, soft and alive. The flames didn’t burn me.
They held me.
Cradled me.
The vines sighed as they drew back like curtains. The thorn-covered roots curled upward as if bowing in retreat.
And the path ahead unfolded, it revealed a straight exit, lined with glimmering moss and light.
My breath came fast, ragged.
I looked down. The scratches along my arms glowed faintly in the firelight.
The glowing moths floated ahead once more.
So, I pressed my hand to my chest, feeling the warmth that lingered like a heartbeat that wasn’t my own.
The moment I stepped through the last arch of thorns, the world felt louder.
The wind exhaled, and the trees appeared to lean closer. The air tingled with the scent of crushed moss and copper, sharp and clean. I blinked against the light—soft gold clung to my skin like morning mist, fading but not gone.
They were all waiting.
Alaricstormedover, his jaw tight, his eyes blazing.
“Princess Wynessa of Elyrien, what in the gods’ names—” His voice broke off as he took a complete look at me.
Jasira covered her mouth. Gideon dropped the satchel he’d been packing.
Erindor didn’t move.
I glanced down at my arms. The scratches were still there, but something shimmered around them, faint golden traces where the fire had touched me. The light hadn’t vanished completely. It lingered beneath the surface, as if it had made a home there.
No one spoke.
I shifted awkwardly. “I…I found a way out.”
Finally, Jasira cleared her throat and stepped forward. “It closed behind us after you vanished. I tried to follow, but the path folded back on itself. I shouted until my voice cracked.”
A tight grimace etched Alaric’s face as he nodded. “I tried cutting through it. The vines bled. Then they regrew twice as fast. Bran panicked. Gideon threw rocks.”
“I threw one rock,” Gideon muttered. “Maybe two.”
Jasira ignored him. “We each ended up walking in circles. Different circles. It was like the maze split us apart, made sure none of us could reach you.”
“It wasn’t built for escape,” Erindor stated, not turning around. His voice was tight. “It wanted to break us apart first. But you made it out.”
His words dropped like stones into the quiet.
