Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Maybe I should have kept my thoughts to myself.
“Are you married?” King Ashton asks, smirking as he takes a sip of his drink.
“No,” I answer easily, the word escaping my lips with a surprising steadiness.
“In a relationship?” he presses, leaning forward slightly, making me feel a bit cornered.
I shake my head, anxiety coiling tighter in my stomach.Why do they want to know this? What does it matter to them?
“Are you done?” King Oberon’s scowl deepens, his impatience evident as he looks between the others.
“I’m done,” King Ashton informs him, combing a hand clumsily through his long blond hair in a motion that feels almost theatrical.
Is that all he really wanted to ask me? Why would any of that matter to him?
King Cassius’s pale blue eyes never leave my face, like a hawk assessing its prey. “Are you a warrior in the human world?”
“No,” I admit, the truth escaping my lips before I can think to fabricate a better response.
His nose wrinkles up in disappointment. “A witch?” he probes.
I frown, bewildered. “No.”
King Cassius sighs, a sound heavy with disappointment. “Then, Alette, may I ask… what makes you special? Why would the goddess choose you?”
I wonder if telling the truth will get me killed.Poking at the fancy dish on my plate, I force myself to take a bite. The rich flavors explode on my tongue, but it feels foreign and unsettling. The truth is, I’m not a very good liar. They’ll see right through me if I try, so it would be better to be honest.But how can I explain the truth?
“Only the goddess knows why she chose me,” I admit.
My words seem to surprise all of them. It’s like for once they’re all in agreement, and right now they can’t seem to see why I was chosen either, which isnotwhat I wanted them todraw from this conversation. I’m absolutely certain that I’ll be dead the second I stop being useful to these fae, and the thought sends a fresh wave of panic coursing through me.
Just remember, information is power. It’s how you’ll escape this alive.
I take a deep breath. “What do you all mean by me being the chosen one?”
“You know, the chosen one," King Sylvian repeats, looking amused. "It’s not a hard concept to grasp, little human."
“I-I’m going to need more of an explanation than that,” I stammer.
King Sylvian is the first to offer an explanation. “It’s simple, Alette. You’re here because as you pointed out, Varua chose you. We need you to help us restore our magic over the elements.”
Don’t back down.“Restore it how?”
They’d said something about a labyrinth? Something that I was too anxious to properly process.
They all glance at each other, an exchange filled with unspoken tension.
King Cassius sits up taller, his pale hair falling further over one eye. “Varua has created a magical labyrinth filled with danger. She has proclaimed that only we fae kings, with the help of our chosen human, can survive the labyrinth, reach the end, and restore our most sacred magic. So, in other words, you will be guiding us through this labyrinth on a quest the likes of which every fae warrior will envy you for.”
“What?”
He nods. “You will lead us through the labyrinth. Then, our powers, the ones that connect us to the elements, will be restored.”
“N-no,” sputters out of my lips before I can stop it.
Silence. Complete and utter silence follows my words, and I can feel the weight of their eyes on me, heavy and filled withdisbelief. I clench my hands tightly on my lap, realizing that these fae have probably never been told ‘no’ by a human before. For all the beauty and glamour they’ve shown me since I came here, every creature in here is a bloodthirsty monster, and my refusal might just unleash them.
King Oberon leans forward, his voice dark, his patience clearly running thin. “You don’t have a choice, human. You’re here to serve us. To help us bring back what was stolen from us.”
