“That”—Javi pointed at the impenetrable black hole ahead—“looks horrifying.”
The Wolf nodded. “It is a treacherous path.”
“Maybe we should take our chances with the sheriff,” Risa whispered.
Another rumble reverberated through the mountains as the Wolf stepped inside. Torches flared to life, flames throwing long, dancing shadows across the stone walls. She glanced back from the threshold and jerked her head at them.
“Bring the horses,” she ordered.
“What am I, a stable boy?” Javi muttered. But he coaxed the horses to follow.
The tunnel unfurled when Risa stepped inside, and with it, the telltale spark of heat across her skin that meant magic was there.
“What makes the Underground Pass so treacherous?” Javi asked. “You didn’t bother explaining.”
The Wolf marched forward with confidence, not missing a step as she explained, “It is an ever-changing maze.”
The entrance chose to rumble closed then, trembling as the cliffside shut out the new dawn.
Risa stumbled. Javi reached to steady her without looking, one hand around her elbow.
“Love it.” His voice was coated in sarcasm.
Risa didn’t want to start considering what her bad luck might do in an enclosed space with no means of escape. How many pitfalls, rockslides, and cave-ins could she sweep aside before the prince started wondering whether she was really good luck?
“I assume you have a plan?” Javi questioned. “Or a map?”
“Nope. You simply trust the maze.”
“Trust,” Javi repeated, “the maze.”
“Yes. Those with the purest of hearts will prevail.”
“Thatsounds like a riddle,” Javi retorted.
Risa sighed. “I guess Javi is going to have to die after all.”
Javi rounded on her. “I am thepurestof hearts. All I have isheart. I give my heart away to all who want it.”
“Perhaps you should be a little more discerning,” she quipped.
He crossed his arms and regarded her with unwavering fierceness. “And perhaps you should be a little more aware.”
“You two flirt in a very weird way,” the Wolf interrupted, effectively shutting them both up. “And you would never make it to Madros without me.”
There it was again. The ease with which the Wolf was able to mention their ultimate destination, while Risa and Javi couldn’t conjure a thought about it, let alone recall its name without it slipping away. And with the way the Wolf said it, it seemed like Madros was a part of her.
“That’s rich coming from a cursed twelve-year-old,” said Risa, choosing to remark on the first comment rather than the second, since the Wolf was probably right about not making it to—wherever.
Javi turned to the Wolf, surprise on his face. “Cursed? What curse?”
“I am sixteen,” the Wolf corrected.
“What is she talking about?” Javi demanded, looking between them.
“I am more curious as to how you can see my curse. It was made to be indetectable. Literally. I am not meant to be perceived or remembered. It is why I wear this hood—to help people see me.”
Well, if the Wolf wasn’t going to dignify her with an answer to her questions, Risa saw no reason to dignifyherwith any, either. She ground her teeth, stuck her nose in the air, and said nothing.
