The guards forced us toward him, their boots scraping against uneven stone. My pulse thumped furiously in my ears, but I kept my expression defiant. Fear was a predator that fed on the faintest trace of weakness. I wouldn’t give this man the satisfaction.
Lore tilted his head back, his sharp gaze locked on the king as though he could burn a hole straight through his heart.
“Disarm them, if you will,” he said curtly and the guards pawed their hands all over us, including our packs, tearing off what weapons remained and flinging them to the side.
Once the one I took for the head of the guard grunted, the king's smirk broadened. “Now that the formalities are out of the way, we can get started.” He dipped his head forward in a mocking bow. “I’ve been expecting you.” His eyes gleamed as thoughsavoring our confusion. “You see, a lovely woman whispered about your arrival in my ear. When you breached my wards, I told my court to prepare to welcome you.” His cackle rang out, echoed by…
Prager slithered out from the shadows behind him, her gown glimmering like molten sunlight. The fabric clung to her as if it had been poured over her perfect frame and crafted to accentuate her every curve. Her porcelain-smooth face appeared ageless and sickeningly pretty, the kind of beauty that held venom behind its allure. Her golden hair had been coiled artfully on top of her head, a few loose strands draping to frame her calculating features.
Her lips curled into a smile that dripped sweet malice. She slid her arm through King Tallin’s as though she belonged there, as though she shared in his domination of this wretched place. Her red lips parted, and a poisonous laugh spilled out, shrill enough to shatter bone.
“I shared a little secret,” she purred, her fingers brushing lightly over the king’s arm.
Lore bristled and strained at his binds, his rage pulsing across the space between us.
“Prager,” I spat her name.
She cocked her head at me, feigning innocence with wide eyes that gleamed too brightly, like stones polished clean of soul. “Oh, my sweet queen,” she said, her tone dripping with cruelty. “You didn’t think you could sneak into Halendor Court without someone alerting the host, did you?”
King Tallin’s gaze shot between us, a slick smile rising on his face.
“You’re a monster,” I snarled, my teeth bared.
Her laugh rang again, delicate as crystal yet as cutting as broken glass. “Nowprecious. Is that any way to speak of yourgracious hosts? We’ve gone to great lengths to make this…theatrical.”
The Halendor King’s rich, baritone laugh rolled across the courtyard, the sound vibrating in the very air and sinking like a blade into my chest.
Lore strained harder against the magical ties, his entire body taut with fury. His elemental magic rippled through him but didn’t burst out. Just like the shadows I could call but not release, I could feel his power pressing against his skin, writhing, coiling, roaring to break free. The magical binds swallowed it whole.
“You’re boring me,” Lore drawled, his words so cold they froze the air between us.
Prager’s lush smile deepened, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Such bold words from a puny king who, until moments ago, was drowning in guards. But you're right. Let’s get this over with.”
A flick of her finger and the air shifted around us, snapping with cold. We were transported to a broad grassy area with the castle behind us in the distance. Mountains stretched and rolled ahead under a sky void of color other than faint, choking swirls of dusty gray. Nearby, dark hills formed a wicked spine that sloped down to the brittle stretch of lawn ahead. An enormous metal door anchored in stone had been cut into the closest hillside.
The Halendor King strode forward before gesturing grandly to the doorway. The heavy metal creaked, the sound dragging across my nerves like a rusty blade.
“My labyrinth,” he said, his voice thick with glee. “None have made it through, not even my only son.”
Son?
“Perhaps you two might do what no other can.”
Prager’s annoying laugh spilled through the air as she sidled up next to him. Her arm slid casually through his again, herpolished nails grazing the sleeve of his coat. “I doubt it,” she cooed. “They’re passionate, yes. But passion can be so blinding.”
Lore’s low voice cut across the space. “You talk too much, Wizard.”
Her smile remained fixed, but the playful glint in her eyes faded, darkening like storm clouds. “How charming. Tell me, Viper, are all your words venom, or do you reserve the sweeter ones for that little queen of yours?”
Lore sighed, and I could tell he was daring her to try to provoke him further. My pulse hammered, the invisible magical restraints digging into my skin like fiery chains. I focused on steadying my breathing, counting each inhale as if it could bank the raw fury roaring through my veins.
King Tallin turned, his boots sweeping through the arid, brittle grass.
“Like everyone who has entered before you, you will do so without magic,” he said in a jovial voice.
“You have only yourselves, your wits, and whatever broken courage you think will help the two of you survive,” Prager said.
I wasn’t sure why they hadn’t taken our packs. Maybe because the small number of provisions inside would make no difference. They’d missed the small dagger hidden along the inside of my left calf. My secret stash too.
