The silence stretches, broken only by breathing. By the quiet, restless shifts of bodies that should be resting but can’t quite manage it.
We wait. Hoping and praying that with enough rest, Sylvian and Ashton might just be able to get us out soon.
And if not? I have no freaking idea.
6
Alette
The silencein the pit presses in on all sides, thick and heavy, broken only by our breathing and the faint whisper of leaves far above. The air smells like damp soil and moss, clinging to my lungs with every breath. I keep expecting the cyclopes to appear, to loom over the edge and drag us out one by one, but nothing comes.
Which… I guess is a good thing?
Oberon is pacing. Back and forth. Back and forth. The confined space clearly getting to him, his steps sharp and restless, his hand flexing at his side like he wants to burn something just to prove he still can. The faint light from above catches the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw keeps tightening.
“Stop,” Sylvian says mildly from where he sits against the wall. “You’re going to wear a trench into the ground, and then we’ll really be stuck.”
Oberon shoots him a look but doesn’t stop.
Sylvian sighs, dragging a hand through his long black hair before glancing at me. “On the bright side,” he adds, his tone almost light, “if we do dig ourselves deeper, at least we’ll be consistent. We’ve done nothing but go down since you met us.”
Despite everything, a small, surprised breath of laughter escapes me. It feels strange. Out of place, but not unwelcome.
Ashton perks up immediately, his gorgeous brown eyes practically lighting up. “There it is,” he says, a grin tugging at his mouth as he shifts closer, coming to sit beside me. “Knew we could still impress you.”
I roll my eyes, smiling. “This is your idea of impressive?”
“Surviving near-death experiences while looking this good?” he says, flashing a crooked smile. “Absolutely.”
I huff out another quiet laugh, shaking my head. “You’re unbelievable.”
“And yet, here I am,” he murmurs, just a little softer, his gaze lingering a second longer than it should before he leans back against the wall.
Cassius hasn’t moved much, still propped where we left him, but his eyes are open, distant and focused. “It isn’t random,” he says quietly, like he’s continuing a thought we can’t hear. “The suppression of our powers. It’s inconsistent, yes, but not without cause.”
Oberon finally stops pacing, turning toward him. “Meaning?”
Cassius shifts slightly, wincing before settling again. “Meaning the labyrinth isn’t blocking our power entirely. It’s limiting it. Weakening it at specific moments, likely based on proximity, intent, or…” He trails off, frowning faintly. “Something environmental. Something we haven’t identified yet.”
“So it’s choosing when to screw us over,” Ashton mutters.
“In a manner of speaking,” Cassius replies.
“That’s comforting,” Ashton says dryly.
“It’s information,” Sylvian counters, his green eyes thoughtful. “Which is better than nothing.”
Oberon exhales sharply, dragging a hand down his face before looking up toward the opening again, like he’s measuring it, calculating distance, angles, anything that might get us out of here faster.
“It doesn’t matter right now,” he says finally. “We’ve been burning through what little strength we have left trying to force something that isn’t working.”
He looks at each of us in turn, his voice lower now, more controlled. “This shouldn’t just be a brief break from trying to get out. We need to rest. I mean, actually rest, not this. Rest enough that we have the energy to really try to get out of here. We’re all spent.”
I blink at him. “Rest?”
“Yes,” he says firmly. “You just broke chains meant to hold fae kings. They carved into us for gods know how long. And we’ve been running since.” His gaze sharpens slightly. “We’re not climbing anything or digging our way out of this if we collapse halfway through it. Which means we have to sleep, eat, and drink… somehow.”
Sylvian nods once. “He’s right. We should recover what we can, then try again. The ground, the walls… something here will give if we hit it hard enough.”
