Page 49 of The Labyrinth and the Threaded Daughter

Bristle was the first to demand they continue walking. The beast had awoken from its slumber and decided that running around and disappearing, only to reappear several moments later, was all too fun of an activity. It was just like the creature had been back with Taleon not long ago when they journeyed to his chamber.

Corin swallowed around the lump in his throat at the memory.

The group walked in silence for a long time after that, like they needed time to move and be productive to distract from the emotions coursing through them. The only distinct sound was the tapping of Bristle’s limbs on the cool stone beneath them.

Watching the beast was a decent distraction while wandering the halls, seeming to speed up the time it took for them to journey. He wouldn’t say it brought back fond memories of the time with Taleon, but it did leave a small smile on his lips as he watched the beast with curiosity.

He wondered how long the creature had been here—what it even was—and what it did on a daily basis. Corin had hoped that maybe Bristle was with Taleon still, though there had been no sighting of his kin’s psyche since the chamber collapse, only the body he had abandoned.

Corin wasn’t entirely sure if he really wanted to see the psyche of Taleon, but at least then he would get to see the cooky being. Maybe ask him for more details on the trial, on the Labyrinth. If he knew anything else.

He shook his head. All Taleon would do was give him more confusing words. At least Ariadne was a bit more clear in her answers now.

Corin wasn’t sure what to think about the entire experience. He thought going through the trials was some big right of passage that he had to pass in order to be worthy of being king. But the more he was navigating the halls of the maze, the less he believed that.

Why was sacrificing something to the Labyrinth the key to ruling Knossos? If the Labyrinth was truly such a worthy judge, why did it need to imprison Ariadne?

It seemed like this was only convenient. Or traditional. And neither of those were valid reasons for being.

After a while, he grew bored of silence. He attempted to start many conversations, hoping for any bit of distraction other than Bristle’s interesting travel patterns, but nothing seemed to stick for too long.

He asked about her life inside the Labyrinth, which he realized she was dreadfully bored of. She navigated the halls much of the time, though that had gotten tiring after the first many years. She weaved thread that found its way inside the halls. She found little trinkets to occupy her time. None of it was particularly thrilling.

He asked her about her family, which was a hard stop in conversation as talking about any person from her past seemed to be.

The only conversation that seemed to have any tooth to it was when he asked about her desires if she were to ever leave the maze.

“What do you mean?” she questioned as they moved swiftly.

“If you were to get out of here,” he posed, “what would you do? Where would you go?”

Ariadne thought for a while, so long that Corin wondered if she was again stifling the conversation. Finally, she released a deep sigh. “It is useless to think of such things.”

Corin frowned. “I don’t believe it is.”

“I do not—”

“Please,” he begged. “Just tell me. It’s not useless to me.”

She caught his gaze then, and he could have sworn she was trying to push some message directly into him, as if words alone were too simple to explain her feelings. “I do not know if I would leave.”

Corin’s heart fractured then. He could feel the steady beat splinter off. He knew that she felt a duty to the maze, to being here and supporting her family, but he had hoped that she would have dreamed of something else. Of something outside the stone walls.

But no. She had resigned herself to stay. She had no hopes, no dreams. Just the reality of the stone surrounding her.

“I suppose there is so much new in Knossos that I would have much to explore,” she mused.

Corin blinked once. Twice. He stumbled forward and only barely caught himself before tripping over Bristle. Did she…

His heart rate increased then, nearly bursting in excitement. She would stay. She would stay in Knossos, stay close to him.

“Oh,” he said, barely hiding his joy. “I suppose you’re right.”

She eyed him curiously, a small twinge of her lips hidden in the darkness of the halls. They didn’t speak again for a bit.

But a smile graced his lips for a long while after that.

As the three navigated the halls, the corridors narrowed and widened without warning, much more often than it had previously. The stone underfoot changed texture frequently like the Labyrinth was growing tired of pretending to be whole and stable.