I frown at him as I nibble my cheese and follow. “Have I done something to annoy you?”
He shoots me an incredulous look over his shoulder.
“Besides the usual. You’ve been cold all morning. I feel like I’ve done something wrong.”
“I wouldn’t have expected a sense of guilt to be something that concerned you.”
“It’s not guilt, so much as curiosity. Because I know I haven’t done anything this morning. I haven’t… been quite feeling up to it.”
“It’s nothing.” He stomps ahead, clearing the way.
I stare at the enormous outline of his back. “That is an outright lie. You’re angry with me.” I can sense it in his words, in his stiff movements. “Why?”
“I’m not angry with you.” Bael sighs and turns back toward me, sword in hand. “I will get you to the end of this maze. You and this friend of yours. And then we don’t ever have to see each other again. But that is all this is.”
His words feel like a surprise slap. There’s not even a hint of flirtation. Something definitely changed.
I miss his smile. I miss the gentle way he touched my hair last night. I even miss his sarcasm.
But if that is the way he wishes to play the game… “So be it. Where do you think they’re taking Kari?”
“There’s a set of caves on the edge of the Labyrinth, embedded with crystals. The Baron de Mahl calls it the Crystal Cavern, and he’s of the same ilk as Rhykus. They sell women there, though it’s not as organised as Rhykus’ operation. There’s also a portal there, which leads directly to the end of the Labyrinth. If Rhykus makes the portal, he could take Kari back to his keep in the Iron Kingdoms.” His voice roughens. “If he returns home, then she is lost to us.”
“How long until we reach it?”
Bael gestures toward the stormy skies above us. “That depends on the weather, on Kasaros, on the other hunters… Tomorrow, if the odds are in our favor.”
“He could be there by tonight then.”
“He could be,” Bael replies. “But the portal requires the Blood Moon to reach its zenith in order to activate. We have two days.”
It should be enough.
“You know my reasons to pursue her,” he suddenly says, “but I don’t know yours. You barely know her. Why risk your life for her?”
“Because you come from a world where a man’s strength and brutality are his greatest weapons. But I am a bride. We will never be able to overpower these hunters. Not alone. Our greatest weapon is our friendship, our loyalty to each other. Only united can we protect ourselves,” I tell him. “Together, we rise. Alone, we fall, picked apart piece-by-piece by the hunters. Karisacrificed her safety in order to rescue all the other women. I promised her I’d keep her safe. And I don’t break my promises.”
Bael slashes at one of the darting thorns and the dismembered end retreats with a hiss. “And what happens when your quest brings you to a crossroads?”
“What do you mean?”
“You have two days until Rhykus can escape with Kasaros none the wiser. But you also have another goal. The Beast won’t be here in this maze forever. What if he’s claimed a bride already? What if he’s reached the maze’s end? What’s more important to you? Saving Kari? Or killing the Beast?”
The problem is that it’s not merely about killing the Beast. Do I save Kari, the girl who’s become my friend? Or do I risk it all for a single chance that maybe my sister survived?
“I guess I will make that choice if it comes to it.” I hiss as a darting thorn slashes at my arm. “Ouch.”
Bael turns immediately, lopping off the bramble. He grabs my wrist, turning my arm to see the slash in my sleeve.
“It’s fine.” I don’t want his help, not after his comment, “But that is all this is.”
It’s too confusing.
He swipes the blood away. “Sorry. I missed that one.”
“Is it just me, or does it seem as though the Labyrinth is trying to directly hinder us in a way that it doesn’t seem to hinder others?”
Our gazes meet.
