He considered me for a moment and nodded. “True. But I promise you’re awake.” He hesitated, running his fingers around the cuff of his T-shirt. I wasn’t used to seeing a nervous tic on the Warden, but something was clearly bothering him. His entire demeanor had changed, and in the next breath, he admitted why. “You remind me of someone,” he said softly. “Someone I couldn’t save.”
His words from his last visit returned to me, the ones about how sometimes we couldn’t choose our paths or our destinies. Sometimes they just ended badly.
Was this admission related to his previous speech?
The haunted look in his eyes told me it was.
He cleared his throat and shook his head. “I shouldn’t be helping you, Cami,” he admitted almost hoarsely. “But I can’t seem to stop myself.” He sounded kind of mad about it but palmed the back of his neck and blew his frustration out with a sigh. “They’re going to drop you near a lava pit. It may look like a border crossing. Don’t fall for it.”
I blinked in surprise. “Okay…”
What had brought on this change? Was it another ploy to make me fail so he could punish me again?
Although, it was theprincewho’d sent that cupcake, not the Warden.
Now that I thought about it, Ajax had always been straight with me. Even if he’d been a blunt asshole, he’d always told me the truth, and hehadprovided the amenities for me that first night.
And now more sustenance.
And from what I could tell, he hadn’t woven a spell over the furniture again, unless he’d concealed it somehow.
Which would explain why he was sitting on the ground with me.
He continued, oblivious to the war I was waging internally on whether or not I should trust him.
“The first trial will last for several hours with no help from the outside,” he went on, making my eyes go wide. “You’ll be on your own in the Barren Lands. Maybe even the Nightmare Fae realms. It depends on your choices along the way.”
Several hours in Hell’s realms. No safety from the paradigm. No help.
Except, that wasn’t true. I’d received help in the form of spells from Melek, and now guidance from Ajax. I leaned in, listening intently.
“There are deadly creatures you’ll want to be on the lookout for. Remember the cells in the first half of the prison?”
I nodded. “How could I forget?” A toothy Siren had tried to seduce me to crawl into the tank with her.
He didn’t smile, his expression remaining solemn. “Right. But those beings were locked in cages. It’s very different when you come face-to-face with them. Especially the Centaurs.” The blue rim of his irises thinned as the darkness bled outward from the center. “They hunt in packs.”
A moment of silence passed as I internalized this new piece of information. “Shit.”
“Yeah. Then there’s the Manticore…”
“Oh, I’ve already fought one of those,” I said, although I didn’t look forward to facing another.
He frowned. “Right. When you were out wanderingpast curfew.”
“Hmm.”
“You can’t afford to test the rules like that outside of the paradigm,” he pressed. “Listen carefully to what I have to say and youmightsurvive.”
I sealed my lips shut, ready to absorb every piece of information he was willing to share.
Because for whatever reason, Ajax wanted to help me.
Because I remind him of someone.
Someone he couldn’t save.
Which meant he had tried and failed. Not an encouraging track record, but I didn’t have much choice in the matter.
