AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Levet’s wings drooped as he watched the fireballs reach the massive hole. He’d hoped they would choose that moment to explode and collapse the opening. Or catch any gasses inside the hole on fire. Anything that might help. Instead, they flickered before slowly fading into tiny embers that fell harmlessly to the ground.
Acutely aware of the disappointed glances that were now trained in his direction, Levet grabbed his tail and nervously began to polish the tip.
“Well, that is embarrassing,” he muttered.
The minotaur abruptly stomped his heavy foot, making the entire balcony shudder beneath the impact.
“You must have another magic.”
“I do,” Levet assured the male, refusing to be blamed for the fizzling fireballs. “I have tremendous skills, but they are not the sort of power to repair a gaping hole in the sky.”
“That can’t be true,” the male growled. “You were seen in a vision. You are our savior.”
Levet glanced up, glaring at the male next to him. It wasn’t as if he’d presented himself to the minotaurs claiming to be some sort of god. He’d been kidnapped, held captive, and was now expected to perform a miracle. It was all massively unfair.
“It must have been a faulty vision,” he groused. “Like a dude.”
“Dude?” The minotaur blinked in confusion. “You mean a dud?”
“Oui.” Levet stomped his foot with impatience. Wasn’t that what he’d just said? “A dud.”
The minotaur stared at him for a long time, as if waiting for Levet to concede that he was joking and that he really did have the magic needed to close the hole. Finally, he turned away.
“Then we have no choice.” He lifted his hands and smacked them together, the loud clap ringing in Levet’s sensitive ears.
Levet sucked in a sharp breath, watching the minotaurs below step away from the table, leaving behind the female who continued to scream at the top of her lungs. What was happening? Were they going to leave the poor female tied to the table?
Preparing for the worst, Levet tried to judge the distance between the railing where he was perched and the table far below. Could he reach the female before the minotaurs could grab him and—
His frantic thoughts were abruptly interrupted as a loud roaring noise filled the air and a black mist funneled out of the hole. Levet flinched. He didn’t know what was in the mist, but he sensed it would be a very bad thing if it touched him.
It swirled downward, seeming to head toward the balcony before it was curving back to surround the table in a cloud of darkness. At first nothing seemed to be happening. The mist covered the female and simply swirled around. Heaving a premature sigh of relief, Levet was about to return his attention to the minotaur next to him when there was another loud roar and the mist simply disappeared.
Along with the female strapped to the table.
“Non,non,non,” Levet breathed in horror. “Where did she go?”
“We’re not sure,” the male next to him admitted. “They never return.”
Levet’s wings flapped in distress. The female had been a minotaur. One of their own people. It was the height of callousness to feed her to the hole as if she was a porky chop, not a valuable member of their tribe.
“Why would you do that?”
The male sent him a fierce glare. “A sacrifice is the only means to keep the darkness from growing.” He pointed a finger directly into Levet’s face. “Unless you can perform the miracle that we have been promised.”
Chapter 12
Ryshi managed to land on his feet this time. A miracle. And just as miraculous was that they were dumped onto a soft patch of grass. Still, he was on full alert as he glanced around. They were standing near a thick forest of towering pine trees that perfumed the air with a refreshing scent. Lovely.
Unfortunately, the smell couldn’t overcome the stench that floated from the nearby town. The reek from rotting food, brackish water, and filthy minotaur fur was too potent to be covered.
Ryshi clenched his teeth as he realized exactly where they were. It wasn’t quite as bad as the previous maze, but it was close. And worse, this area was going to be the most dangerous for Sofie.
Turning his head, he watched as she wandered toward a nearby tree, reaching out a hand to brush her fingers over the green needles.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She turned to face him, her expression icily composed. “This is no illusion.”
