“Good sense?”
The specter tapped his head. His jaw opened in an unnaturally protracted scream that sent Jesstin’s hands to his ears out of pure instinct. But there was no sound, and in the absence of it, he understood.
He should be in the midst of an all-out assault, but his mind was quiet and free.
The specter smiled. “We need you clearheaded, Jesstin. We’ve waited a very long time for someone like you.”
Jesstin laughed. “You’re a bit late. Someone else already used that line on me.”
“We know,” the man said. “They’re the reason you’re here.”
“You’re working with them. Of course you are.” He shook his head. He’d walked into a trap, all right, and was about to find out what kind.
“No,” the man said. “They want dominion. We seek freedom. We know it won’t come free, so we have something for you as well.”
While you should never trust a gift from an adversary, Asterin had said, but you accept it and let them believe in your gratitude.
There was nothing in the maze Jesstin could trust. Nothing in Rivenholde. Maybe not even himself.
But there was only one way out, and that was through.
“We have so much to tell you, and if you listen, we may show you the exit. If you don’t, then the crowd will enjoy themselves. Come, come, Jesstin.” The specter beckoned him like a treasured houseguest. His smile didn’t droop a bit when he said, “You’ll enjoy this so much more if you do so of your own volition.”
Chapter 15
The Only Way Out Is Through
“For all we know, he could be wounded, dead...” Elloven had been repeating herself. That continued action was, she realized, the only thing keeping her from sending the sky to the earth to get Jesstin out of there. It wasn’t the kindhearted Sesto, with one hand on her back, or even sweet Daire, whispering reassurances everything must be going well so far, for there were no screams yet.
Yet. That was why the watchers were so restless.
She’d know if he was hurt though. She’d feel it, like how he’d felt her falling from the sky, or how she’d known his pain after being pummeled by the bounty hunter. The emotional distance hurt more, and the chasm had never been wider than in the moment he’d looked at her and realized what a monster she was. And now that her head was clear of whatever her aunt had given her, the image of Jesstin most dominant was him sitting in the stands being fondled by Lexsea.
The endless night was a circus in her mind. The entire trip to Rivenholde, meeting more family members in a night than she’d met in her life, the real-life marionettes, watching her real father cast out and murdered by his own siblings, falling from the sky, and now Jesstin—who could apparently talk to the dead—had volunteered for something so absurd, she couldn’t think of any motive other than self-destruction.
“No use in trying to see. They’re not here to watch, my lady. Their imaginations create the image,” Daire said softly. “Rarely does someone have the courage to challenge the labyrinth, so many wait a long, long time for this experience.”
“Courage? Stupidity, I’m sure you meant to say,” Sesto quipped. He sounded collected, but his haughty edge was absent. He was just as scared as she was. “How long does this take, Daire?”
“As long as it takes.” Daire closed his eyes and said no more.
“Aelloven,” someone said from behind. She looked up and saw Acheron. “Can I speak with you for a moment?”
Her grief for Gennady twisted as she looked into his eyes—Gennady’s eyes. No one had even asked about him. Did they even care that he was dead? How he’d met his end?
“Now?” She glanced toward the maze.
“We won’t go far. Come.” He held out a hand. She turned toward Sesto, who was glaring but not at her.
Elloven took her brother’s hand—softer than Gennady’s hands, always calloused from his love of woodworking—and was yanked to her feet. Sesto rose, too, but was shoved down by an unseen force. Elloven’s mouth parted in protest, but Acheron was already dragging her away.
“What did you do to him?” She pulled away when they stopped.
“Nothing.” Acheron blinked innocently. “Other than remind him that one mustn’t seek to join conversations he is not invited to.”
“And what do we need to talk about now, when Jesstin is?—”
“Jesstin’s challenge is precisely what we need to speak about, and why it must be now.” He lowered his voice and gestured for her to sit with him in the mossy grass.
