My chin quivered with fear-fueled rage. “You don’t get to change things again. Say what you mean and mean what you say.”
Astaroth’s brows popped up, and his lips pinched together as if he were trying not to laugh. It infuriated me. Always had. I was bone-tired. My skin was dried out from the caked-on mud and dirt. It even matted my hair down. And my fingernails hurt from breaking off, and the dirt compacted under them. I was done. Icouldn’t play his games any longer. I needed to know my brother was safe and to go home far away from this crazy place.
“I always do.” He paused, and when I didn’t contradict him, he clasped his hands behind his back and began to pace. “AndIkeep my word. You completed the labyrinth.”
His words stung as they slapped me. But at the same time, relief flooded me, and my shoulders sagged a bit.
“However,” Astaroth completed a sharp turn on his toes until he faced me and stopped. In all his pacing, I hadn’t noticed him getting closer. Satisfaction gleamed in his eyes, making the star-like specks glow brighter. “You cheated.”
I gasped. “What?”
“You were guided to the castle; therefore,youdid not beat it.” He studied my shocked face. “I have eyes and ears everywhere. It’s a wonder Jessandra didn’t warn you of this.”
“Not once did you say I couldn’t ask for help.”
“Ah, therein lies the issue. You didn’t ask her for ‘help.’ You coerced her into beating the labyrinth for you. What easier way to win than to have someone who knows give you the answers?”
My face flushed from my hairline to my shoulders. If I were a cartoon character, flames would erupt from my head and steam from my burning ears. I did most of the work myself. I could already see the castle and was close to it when I came upon Jessandra.
“Jess didn’t guide me. She joined me,” I grated through clenched teeth.
“Humans and your pet names.” He chuckled.
“You didn’t mind your pet names,” I reminded him.
His gaze hardened as I forced him to remember our times together. “Regardless, you gave it your best. Unfortunately, your best wasn’t enough.”
The unspoken words hung in the air between us, held tight by the strings that once connected us and now bound his broken heart.
“That’s not fair! If you would just talk—”
He held up his hand. The air sucked out of my lungs, taking my words with it. “I will honor my word, though.”
Astaroth strolled over to the dais where the black drapes hung on either side with long, thick-tassled cords. He pulled on one, and the drape swung open revealing a person-sized birdcage. I ran to my brother, ready to take him home.
Kaiden uncurled himself as I approached. I nearly tripped over my feet as I cried out, “What have you done?”
His eyes were larger, darker, and more pronounced in his now graying skin. Sharp claws protruded from the tips of his fingers clutching the bars of his prison. He even looked smaller, as though he shrunk, and a small hump stuck up on his back beneath his neck.
“The moment you cheated, the change began.”
I covered one of Kaiden’s hands on the cage and reached through with the other, cupping his face. Tears formed in his eyes.
“It hurts,” he whimpered. “Make it stop.”
I spun toward Astaroth. “This is not keeping your word! Change him back, Roth.”
“Once the change has begun, the realm has staked its claim.”
“I can’t take him home like this!” I looked at my brother and wept for him. “Please change him back,” I begged.
Astaroth searched my gaze. Something rested deep within his that I didn’t quite understand. A want, a need… desperation… as he watched me console my brother. I had only seen it one other time when I got lost within their depths. I wondered if he’d ever had someone fight for him.
His voice lowered. “You would do anything for him.”
It wasn’t a question. It was an observation, albeit one he should have realized by now with the lengths I had gone to.
“Yes.” My chin quivered. “I have proven that at every twist, turn, and trick of your labyrinth.”
