He watched her idly pluck at her shift. “You have learned the hardest lesson there is to learn about living in this cursed place.” Vedikus pushed her hair back to reveal her face. “We do what we must to survive. There is no living beast or human who is not afflicted.”
Aldora grasped his wrist when he pulled back, bringing it to her cheek. “It’s not just those who are here but those on the other side who are equally affected.” She shuddered and he caressed his thumb over her skin. “I’m glad I was journeying home when I was, when I heard your voice. I blamed you at first for everything, but know now that it may have been fate.”
Fate.Vedikus rose to stand, pulling Aldora up with him. “What are we doing?” she asked.
He led her from the small cave and back out into the open. “I want to show you fate.” Vedikus searched the roiling, shrouded sky looking for the tiny bright orb of the rising moon. The mountain breeze curled the mist in spinning swirls overheard but he caught a glimpse among the clouds and pointed. “Do you see the moon?”
“Yes.”
“It was watching us that night.” But that was not why he showed it to her now. “The history of my people says we were born under a moonlit night. It was said that the first of our kind ruled the labyrinth, eons ago. She was the queen of all the winding paths and hedges that were meant to mislead others but she was trapped within, lost, because she could not leave it, and she was feared. The world feared her and her domain because it could not be claimed, though many had tried.
“There was a king who claimed the bull’s lands, the giant maze, and built his kingdom around it. The queen, stuck within, could do nothing but grow in hatred toward this weak man who dared to own such a magical place, and so, for years, she killed all who dared to trespass, and with her loneliness and anger, her kingdom grew. The walls split and expanded and rose from the dirt, and what was once peaceful in the daylight had become tainted.”
“Is this... Is this truth?” Aldora asked.
“It is truth to the minotaur. We are all descended from the first, under the guise of the moon. Come.” Vedikus led her back inside when the moon vanished overheard and the night deepened. He stoked the fire, and with a little bit of water, cleaned root stores to feed Aldora. When she was done eating, he handed her the wax vial from his pouch. She took it carefully and clutched it to her chest.
“What happened next in the story?”
Vedikus unsheathed his axes and placed them safely away. “The king sent men to stop the bull. Many, in fact, but none returned, and with each new attack, the labyrinth grew, and with it, the queen lost what little peace she had left. Eventually, the king retreated because his lands, and even his people had been taken from him. Those that still followed him, followed with renewed fear of the place and it became something to avoid. In a final effort, they brought fires to the labyrinth to burn it down. That night, under the moon, his castle succumbed to the magic and the queen came for him. She had trapped him like he had tried to trap her.”
“Why didn’t the king flee?”
“He was a warlord and refused to be defeated. Men who have had power cannot easily relinquish it when there is still a chance to fight to keep it.”
Aldora peered at him curiously. “I would have fled, rallied, and then returned with a plan.”
“Would you have gotten into his situation to begin with?”
She hummed and pursed her lips. “No. I wouldn’t. I was always best at hiding. I would not make a great queen.”
“It is good you are not a character in this story then, female. Those who lead cannot hide.”
“I agree. The current king of Savadon does not hide...” She trailed off. “He is not a good man.”
“Rulers rarely are,” he agreed. “My sire was chief of our old tribe and was not liked by many. We followed him because we respected and feared him; he was the best warrior among all minotaur and no one, not even his sons, could best him in battle. He was more bull than man and those animalistic traits were apparent for all to see. You have feet where I have hooves, you have straight legs where mine are bent, but my father had more for his parents were both minotaurs. My mother could not kiss my sire for his face was not human. I was born with more of my mother in my appearance than my sire.”
“Your family does not all look the same?”
“We are all minotaurs but our differences are easily discerned. Do all of your family members have brown eyes?”
“I—” she started and stopped. “I can’t remember. I believe we all do. Why?”
“My mother had blue eyes,” he said.
“And yours are black. It is the same for humans. We do not all look alike.”
“Hmm...”
Vedikus lifted the jug and checked the temperature of the water with his finger. It was cool enough to drink and he offered it to her. “Use this to wash that down.” He indicated the vial. Aldora placed the water by her knee, taking a deep breath.
“I’m afraid.”
The light of the fire cast her soft features in gold and shadows. Her smile had faded and her expression grew pensive. He missed the quiet moment they shared now that it had passed.I do not want this to end.She looked at the medicine in her hand as if it were the only thing left in the world.
“Do not be, I checked it for ill magic and ingredients. The hag of Prayer would not offer you false goods for fear of bringing the Bathyr into her lands.” The hag would be dealt with, but in what way depended on her.
“She does not like chaos,” Aldora muttered.
