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He was the villain in all the history books, the one who broke the world. And he was nothing like I’d imagined.
I grabbed the tin of healing ointment and dabbed the cool salve on my feet and the scratches from the thorns. My heart clenched in my chest as I thought of my brothers. Even with Nan here, and these kind strangers, I still burned with a desire to escape, to protect my brothers—though only one of them was capable of manifesting magic—from the eyes of the king. If anything, discovering Nan was still alive fueled my yearning to be free.
I looked up at Ferrier. “Have you ever tried to escape this place?”
Ferrier jumped at the sudden question. Her slightly rounded face shook quickly. “No. You’ll die.”
“What?”
Her eyes widened. “If you try, you die. Everyone here knows that.”
“What about digging?”
“Buried alive.”
“Swimming?”
Another head shake. “Anything you can think of, someone has tried it.” Her expression looked too sad in that moment to be on such a young face.
Her words settled heavily on me. The mist had a mostly silver tint to it now, but the blue eddies of fog writhed around the clearing below like a pool of angry snakes.
For several moments, neither of us spoke. My hand gradually numbed, thanks to the healing salve, and the tension in my muscles drained, leaving me so sluggish I could barely turn my head. My body had been in near-constant terror since I arrived, and this moment of respite was dragging me down into what was to be a deep sleep. As the sounds of a fresh, crackling fire drifted up to the treehouse platform, I couldn’t hold off the exhaustion any longer. I only hoped no monsters attacked while I slept.
9
The scent of grilled meat roused me from my nightmare. I sat forward, hands splayed on the wooden platform beside me. My abdomen smarted, and I touched the torn fabric darkened by dried blood. The pain had been mitigated by the magical ointment, but the wounds still throbbed gently.
Glancing around for my companions, I noted the décor of this treehouse, something that had slipped past me earlier, when I’d been in such a nervous state. The platform had three levels, each only a step apart, situated around the largest branches of the enormous tree. The middle level where Nan slept was partitioned off with a strip of fabric that hung from an overhead branch. The highest level, which curved around to the opposite side of the tree, also had a makeshift curtain serving as a wall, which hindered my view of it, as did the massive trunk. Ash’s quiver of arrows hung on the broken stump of a sawn-off limb. A pair of women’s white undergarments spread over another branch. The contrast between the two items elicited a nervous giggle from my chapped lips.
“You awake up there?” Edith called.
I leaned over the edge of the lowest platform, gripping the sides with all my might. Down below I spotted a crackling fire a few paces from the tree. Edith sat with her hands cupped around a steaming bowl. Ferrier paced around the edge of the small clearing, her booted feet so quiet, I could barely hear a dead leaf crackling.
Ash leaned against the tree, directly below me. As he rolled his head up, he locked eyes with me, and a wave of unexpected nerves danced down my skin. Silly me. I was in a death trap with mind mages. There was no time for butterflies from handsome boys…even boys who’d saved my life.
I had to remember who he was. What he’d done.
You can choose to believe what the king’s version of history told you about me. His words echoed in my mind. Had the king lied about his enemy? The king was my enemy now, so was it so farfetched to believe he’d twisted the truth? Maybe this place was merely messing with my head. After all, Edith warned me of the Labyrinth’s lies.
I shifted back and swung my legs over the side of the platform, likely only as high as twice my body length, willing my heart not to fall out of my chest as my feet dangled over the ground. I’d run from an enchanted, murderous moose. This platform shouldn’t leave me shaking so badly.
Sensing my hesitation, Edith called up, “Stay there. I’ve got something for you.”
My bare feet slithered back onto the platform, and I tucked them under my crossed legs.
Edith set her bowl down and wiped her hands on her sides. “We found fresh clothing. Let me show you.”
She rose, picking up a dress that was draped over a log beside the crackling fire. When she moved, I saw a wash bowl along with other items of clothing that were scattered over rocks and stumps near the fire to dry.
Within seconds, the rope was shaking. Edith scampered up it like a lizard on a brick wall.
“Feeling better?” she asked as soon as she was on the platform.
I nodded.
“Excellent. I think Ferrier slept for two straight days when we arrived. I was forced to carry her.” Shadows ghosted Edith’s features, as if memories plagued her mind. “Fear is exhausting.”
I made a throaty noise of agreement, but I hated to think that it was merely fear that pressed my body down like a thousand stones laid across my chest.
