Unless, that is, we’re in a cosmic terrarium, and the Gods are keeping us like pets. I don’t want to be like a turtle in a tank; tricked into believing I’m living my best life, but really, I’m just entertainment for some dumb kids in a classroom.
Vines and tree roots start sprouting from the tunnel ceiling, making the going slow, so the minotaur starts acting like a living battering ram, clearing a path through the debris. Max follows in second place, then it’s us.
Theo clings to my torso.
“Look, Tee!”
There is a light literally at the end of the tunnel, a blue light glowing through all the foliage. Ludo destroys the final wall of vines, and then, we see it properly. A swirling, shiny vortex, like light coming through sea-glass. It’s got that whole ‘I’m a portal exit here’ vibe going on.
A shimmer-portal? I’m never going to keep things straight unless I name it.
"Shimmer-portal,” I say. Yep, that’s definitely the term. Maybe I should write the Other Realms Dictionary when I get out of here.
“Should we go through it?" Theo asks, her voice is whispery but not nervous.
Slip, slap. The wet, snapping sounds of the minotaur’s transformation echo down the tunnel, then he’s shifted back to human again.
Ludo looks at Theo but doesn't say a word; no change there.
Theo, bless her mind-reading soul, knows what’s up. "Ludo says this is the end of the labyrinth," she announces. "He doesn't know what lies beyond the portal…”
“Shimmer portal.”
Theo pats my chest. “Shimmer portal, but says Wes definitely passed through."
Now Max shifts. "Sweet. Me and bully should go first; we are practically besties now."
I send Theo a message through my mind.—Wanna walk from here, Tee-Tee?—
The shimmer-portal is narrow, so I guess I’ll need to be regular old Donovan to get through.
“Sounds good,” she replies, so I kneel on my forelegs, allowing her to slide easily down onto the ground.
When Theo steps aside, I feel overwhelmed by my love for this woman.
Even though Wes’s absence stabs at my heart constantly, Theo makes it bearable. She’s the woman who found me, not just in the white sand lands when I was alone and desperate, but back at Validus Vale when I was a mindless jock who thought the world would always suck.
My beautiful, delicate girl. Tiny but with the heart of Furiosa—I’ll follow her for the rest of our lives, anywhere she wants to go. And that includes through the shimmer-portal at the far end of the tunnel.
Looking around at the gang, everyone is staring at the swirling portal, half-mesmerized.
“I'm drawn to it, like at Validus Vale,” Theo says. “But I’m more in control here. It feels right. It feels good.” She turns to face me. “And Wes is through there. I can feel him.”
That’s good enough for me. I trust my baby-girl to the ends of the earth, or wherever this place may be.
Pushing past Max, the professor, and the white-haired dude, I whisper, “Keep her safe.”
Then, without waiting another moment, I step into the light.
???
A wide, blue sky stretches above me. Gods, it looks good—just as good as the grass beneath my feet. The warm air and sunshine on my skin feel like a cuddle. After years of endless white and dust, all the colors make me want to cry.
I take a step, everything spins for a moment, then settles. “WES!”
Where is he? “WESSS!”
I scan the landscape. It’s beautiful but a little washed out. Overexposed? Is that the word? Wes would know the right word for it; he’s the artist. The thought makes my chest ache. “WES!” I yell again, louder this time.
