No, because I didn’t want you to figure it out on your own and hide your thoughts from me. It’s safer this way.
She didn’t bother asking for whom. Obviously, it was for him.
Obviously,he thought.
The tunnel wound around and down, then split into offshoots that went in various directions. A maze, it seemed. Tarian took the lead on this, always seeming to know where he was going. Only twice did he take a wrong turn and berate himself for it. When asked how he knew the way, he described the stonework and the various tells the Celestials always used as markers for the dummy tunnels. He’d paid attention to the othermazes he’d had to travel, each set of throughways apparently having one.
As she’d expected, they had periods during which to catch their breath before hitting the next challenge. And the next. Each battle went like the first, the two of them working together seamlessly to cut down the creatures the Celestials had thought would pose a problem. For Tarian individually, and certainly for her, they would’ve. At one point, two three-headed, bearlike things with spikes for fur had chased them around a large sandpit. He’d had to use magic for that one, not trusting them to bring the creatures down without it.
She’d, of course, mentally yelled at him for not using magic up until that point, intentionally wasting their energy. To which he’d responded that magic took energy and she was a horribly selfish little nymph. It was starting to feel like he couldn’t be serious for longer than it took to fell their enemy. That wasn’t training. She didn’t care what he said. He would’ve gotten along great with Jack and Donovan and the rest of the gang, joining in at poking fun at her. It would be a shame when she had to kill him.
It wasn’t until what Tarian suspected was the final obstacle, when they were dead tired and splattered with the dried blood of dead creatures, that they encountered the worst one yet. Not for him, though. For her. For a human. The Celestials knew what he was smuggling into their lands, and they were making sure he wouldn’t be able to get it through to the other side.
19
The tunnel was the same size and shape, with shadows draping across the open space, but it was no longer clear. Huge, briar-like plants dominated the walkway, squeezing out the walking area until there was barely enough room for Tarian to squeeze through.
Those are lethal to humans,he said, his tone somber.They were cultivated a long time ago when humans were flocking to Faerie.
Why in the world would humans flock to Faerie?
He barely shook his head.I don’t know.It was well before my time. And yours. Ancient times in human years. Fae created these plants as a passive line of defense. The plants required minimal upkeep and did the job very nicely until the humans realized what killed the plant.
What kills the plant?
I have no idea. They’ve been mostly eradicated in the wylds. A few types of creatures feed on them and they don’t grow back very quickly. When fae touch it, it stings badly but it doesn’t kill us. Like a thistle would to you. Or…a thistle mixed with a cactus.
She was smaller than him, obviously, with a slimmer stature, but it left her no room to maneuver. No room to dodge an attack or even stumble and regain her balance.
The thorns resembled something like a thick needle, spaced every few inches and sticking out an inch. From each point welled a brownish-crimson liquid, enlarging until it was too big to cling to the end and then dripping down. Where the liquid touched the packed dirt floor, a wisp of smoke rolled up and a hole started to form, like acid.
Tarian stared at it, his expression a hard mask entirely devoid of any teasing banter. He didn’t try to lighten the mood.
Please tell me I will surprise and impress you in this,she said, noticing the occasional metallic gleam on those “thorns”. As if they actuallywereneedles.
You’d have to be fae for that.He took a deep breath and approached the beginning of the plants. His eyes darted from one side to the other as he stuck his arm into the opening. Nothing happened. He then moved it a little to the right, then left, before pulling it back out.They seem to be stationary. That’s at least good news. They haven’t been growing longenough to mature. They don’t yet reach for their victim. Or…
She waited for him to go on.
Or they’ve thought of other ways to shove you into the poisoned thorns.
It was her turn to take a deep breath.How long will it take the poison to work?
Instantly, I’m given to understand, but I don’t know if that is true. Quickly, I would assume. Ancient humans learned how to kill it before finding an effective antidote…
Thoughts of this new issue rolled through her head.And going back? The creatures along the way would’ve stayed dead, right?
Most, yes. But Celestials can feel the presences within the fringe. They will meet us at the entrance if we go back, and if we dally too long, they’ll rework the interior and crush us within.
Her eyes widened. She hadn’t known that.Why haven’t they done it already?
Changes to the heart of the fringe have a ripple effect into other areas, including the sanctioned pass-through beneath the arches. That might kill other creatures or innocent life, which they always try to avoid. Because of this, as defined by the natural balance, they can do only one large change every sunrise.
They still had some time to get through. It couldn’t have taken them the last half of the day and a whole night to get this far. However, theyhadtaken the longway, and theyhadrested between obstacles. Given the strength of her fatigue and the depletion of her energy, she wasn’t just weary, she was sleep deprived. It must’ve been well into the night, then. They couldn’t just sit around and count their toes until they were ready to brave this next situation. Not like they’d do that anyway. If they couldn’t go back, they might as well go on. There was no sense in delaying the inevitable.
Meeting you was the worst luck,she thought gloomily.
That’s a fair assessment.
