I had to be in the courtyard.
The castle wall was a few meters from where I’d been laid to rest, towering menacingly overhead. Vines crawled up the stone to ensure there was no space between the castle and the thick maze of twisted plants that surrounded the courtyard on all sides. The brambles looked thick and impossible to penetrate, leaving no room to slip between them.
In the middle of the courtyard was a black stone fountain spewing red liquid that resembled fresh blood too much for my liking.
Judging by their color, the plants were dead, but something pale–possibly fruit or flower blossoms–dotted the thorny brambles. There were three gaps in the wall where the branches arched, creating entrances to the labyrinth. A shiver worked through me as my attention settled on them and realization set it.
The only way out was through the maze.
The thought of making my way through a thorny bramble labyrinth wearing nothing but a sheer nightgown was horrifying, and I wished I at least had my boots on, something to protect my feet. I would have settled for anything–bunny slippers, or those little booties you got at rich people’s open houses. But no. The Lord of Bones had to be a fucking sadist.
He was probably watching me now from his study window, jerking off.
I was determined to give him a real show, and take whatever this labyrinth had to throw at me with my head held high. I had three days to get through it.
Or I’d be his forever.
Stomach flipping with nerves, I turned and headed toward the towering forest of brambles. I had no idea what nasty things I would find inside. It was hard to fathom anything worse than the Lord of Bones.
I stopped short when I was close enough to see the pale objects decorating the dark, twisted branches. My stomach gave a sickening lurch. They weren’t blossoms or fruit at all.
They were body parts, hundreds of severed body parts strewn amongst the brambles. Hands, toes, torsos, heads.
The worst part: they were moving.
Bile burned up the back of my throat and my heart slammed painfully against my ribs. It was like the oubliette all over again. Thankfully there was enough space between the high hedges that I could make it through without any of them touching me, but deeper in the maze? Would it be different there? Thicker?Would I have to fight my way through walls of severed limbs inside?
I squirmed with nerves.
I took a few steps closer, and that’s when I heard them. Whispers. A low roll of murmurs drifting through the hedges, the voices an indecipherable song. The blood drained from my cheeks, fear pushing its way up through my confidence and gripping me with its icy claws.
Fuck.This wasn’t good.
Just seeing these limbs—especially the grasping hands—was triggering.
I couldnothave a panic attack here. I refused to let the Lord of Bones see me crumble before I even started.
I swallowed down the nausea threatening to undo the rest of my determination, and turned to march into the thick of the brambles. I kept my head high, my arms tucked tightly around me to maintain as much space as possible between me and the wiggling body parts in the walls of the maze. The whispers grew louder, dancing over my skin and leaving goosebumps on every inch of my body.
I hated being here, but I hated the thought of losing to the Lord of Bones even more.
Step by step, I slowly made my way deeper into the maze, eyes darting around, nervous that the wiggling hands in the walls would grab me unexpectedly. Thankfully, they didn’t seem as greedy as those in the oubliette.
When I made it to the first fork in the maze, I paused, hesitant to make a decision, but my thoughts were interrupted by a rustling sound behind me. Stomach pitching toward the ground, I spun around with my fists held up to prepare myself for an attack, but there was no one there. I was still alone.
Movement at the end of the path caught my eye, and I watched in horror as the brambles came to life, the walls shifting and moving toward one another, until the place I’d entered the maze was a dead end.
Holy shit.My brain could hardly process what was happening.
Just like the castle, the maze was alive with dark magic, and it was sealing me inside as I watched helplessly, unable to do anything to stop it. Going back the way I came wasn’t an option.
I ran down the path on my right, afraid the walls would continue to knit together until they swallowed me whole, the rough terrain stabbing into my bare feet as they slapped against the sodden ground. It had stopped raining, but the soil was muddy and filled with rocks and broken pieces of thorny bramble.
Despite all that, I didn’t slow down. I fucking refused.
A left, a right, another left. I was lost before I had a chance to come up with a plan, hoping that luck would lead me somewhere.
It didn’t.
