I have Lumina again.
—Ludo?—
Alexis looks at me quizzically, so I add him into the telepathic link.
—Ludo? Where are you? I’m with Alexis in Defectivum—
The silence in my head is devastating.
“He’s not replying.”
Alexis clutches my hand. “Keep going, he could be sleeping.”
—LUDO!—
I hold my breath, then a weak thought reaches me.
—Nymph—
—Lu! I’m here!—
—Nymph—
—Ludo? Can you hear me?—
I push and push, but Ludo’s call to me flickers out.
He sounded wrong. Exhausted.
Hurt.
“You said the building site. Deep underneath there is where the Conclave labs are.”
Alexis passes me a sweatshirt. “I know. Drakeward explained. Now, keep trying to contact him. We’ll go down into the tunnels. That’s our minotaur’s natural habitat, maybe it will amplify his voice.”
His eyes widen. “And it’s the perfect place to shift if necessary.”
9
Imprisoned—locked in. Locked up.
The knowledge I’m caged enrages me.
When I was too small to fight it happened, but that I should be in the same position now?
No.
At least I am not chained as well.
The fact I am below ground level soothes me slightly.
Rabbits have burrows.
Badgers have setts.
Foxes have dens.
And Minotaurs have labyrinths.
