Sylvian chokes, half laughing. “Subtle.”
I glare at Cassius. “I didn’t say I wanted her.”
He raises his eyebrow. “Then why did you nearly break your hand on the hedge trying to get to her?”
Sylvian looks at me, then at Cassius. “If anyone’s got a claim, it’s not Oberon.”
Cassius laughs, a cold, sharp sound. “You think because you rolled in the dirt with her a little, you’ve marked your territory?”
Sylvian’s face goes red. I wonder if he’ll hit Cassius, but he doesn’t. He just clenches his fists. “It’s not like that. We’re… friends.”
I finish the jerky in my mouth. “Since when does fucking make you friends?”
He tenses, and for a second I think we’re going to fight for real. But he stops himself, turning away. “You don’t understand.”
Cassius leans back, eyes half-closed. “Then enlighten us.”
Sylvian is silent for a long time. When he finally speaks, it’s barely audible. “She makes me feel… real. Like I’m not just a king. I know it’s stupid, but I can’t help wanting to explore that feeling. Besides, I like her. She’s funny, smart, and kind. What’s not to like?”
For a second, nobody says anything. I want to laugh, but it comes out as a growl.
Cassius glances at me. “What about you, Oberon? Is it just a conquest, or do you feel something?”
I hate him for asking, but I hate myself more for not knowing the answer. All I can say is how I feel, which, well, I’m not good at either.
“She’s mine,” I say, and my voice is flat, absolute.
“I’ve never heard you say that about any woman,” Cassius says, then adds, “ever.”
“Well, I’m not letting you have her,” Sylvian says.
“You might not have a choice.”
He flashes me a grin. “Right now, I’m pretty sure she thinks I’m a hot bod with a hard dick. I think she’s just scared of you.”
I glare, even though he might be right.
Cassius sighs. “Maybe it’s the labyrinth, you know. It’s making us want her. It’s part of the test.”
Is this part of us? Is saying that enough, thinking that enough, until we make it true?
“Bullshit,” I say. But even as I say it, I don’t know if he’s wrong.
We keep walking, but the mood is worse than ever. I try to focus on the path, but every few steps I see the girl in my mind, her hair tangled, her eyes bright with hate or fear or both. I want to find her, but I don’t want to admit why. I don’t want to admit it’s almost painful to be away from her, because that’d sound cheesy, like I was admitting to feelings I never said.
After another hour, the path opens a bit, and we see something up ahead. We all rush forward, eyes narrowed, trying to figure out what we’re seeing… which is a pile of sticks and stones. A pile? We walk closer until we see the same spot Cassius had marked earlier.
We’ve been walking in a circle.
Cassius laughs, soft and bitter. “Well, fuck me.”
Sylvian sits down hard, head in his hands. I want to punch something, but there’s nothing that would be satisfying to hit. Besides, I’d already seen that doesn’t help, so I just sit down, staring at the useless pile.
For the first time, I let myself wonder if we’ll ever get out. We’ve lost our chosen one. Maybe now we’re just doomed to walk around in circles forever. Or maybe we’ll be the screams Alette and Ashton hear in the labyrinth.
“We could still find them,” Sylvian says, but this time it sounds more like a prayer than a promise.
Cassius sits beside me, not touching but close enough to feel his warmth. “Let’s hope so,” he says. “Because if we don’t, we’ll never make it out of here.”
