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I was upon the open labyrinth now. All around, I could see stairs leading up, silent castles stretched high in the sky, paths hanging in the air…but not here. Eventually, all paths led here, to this one level.

There should be voices. There should be howling. Instead, I heard nothing but the grumble of my stomach, the pounding of my tattoo, and the scratch of my dry lips pressing together.

By midday, I got the idea to gather snow into my mouth for some water. All it accomplished was making me feel even colder. My boots were soaked, my body like ice, and my nose was beyond feeling.

“Of all the rotten days in the labyrinth…” I muttered. “This is the most miserable.”

Night drew near once more. I’d traveled east whenever possible, but the darkness would reveal the star along with the truth of how far I’d come.

Delilah didn’t send any guide today, not even when I pleaded through chattering teeth for a sign.

I started to wonder if she’d only helped yesterday to lead Clark and me to the right place to be in Leif’s path. I couldn’t guess the reason for that, but the Stone Gods were conniving creatures who seemed to enjoy toying with us for entertainment.

Another pair of footsteps made me pause.

No. Not footsteps.

Horse hooves.

My necklace warmed as my heart thundered in my chest. Speaking of conniving Stone Gods.

I sprinted toward a corner in the hedge maze to shove my body tight against it, where I pried the vines around me as best as I could before the sound of Dimitri grew too close that I dared not make a sound. My stomach twisted at the sound. Dimitri was almost here. I could feel it, a shadow pressing against the edges of my mind, as if his presence alone could suffocate me. I had known he would come, eventually. And yet, despite the weeks I had spent studying the labyrinth’s twists and turns, I wasn’t ready. I never was.

The sky grew dark, but I didn’t need light. I needed silence.

My necklace burned like hot coals against my throat.

My pulse raced as Dimitri rounded the corner. His sunlit hair mirrored the golden glow of twilight and the shimmering mane of his steed. His visage was radiant, the iron bands encircling his arms shining as if he’d been the one to steal the warmth in the world.

My entire being froze as he neared. I’d never noticed it before, but he brought with him a scent of turned soil and lilacs—likely the only thing remaining from when he worked the gardens, before he found the magic.

The scent was deceiving. It was the sort that ought to belong to a kind farmer, not the creature before me.

If I could smell him…he could smell me.

Dimitri dismounted at the edge of the labyrinth, his golden hair catching the faint, flickering light of a setting sun. His steed, restless and pawing at the ground, as if he sensed the tension clinging to the air. I prayed Delilah’s protection hid me from the horse’s sight as well, or else he’d give me away.

He inched forward, his iron-braced arms brushing the vines that curled along the walls. The faint echo of his boots striking the stone resonated through the narrow passages. Dimitri’s gaze was sharp, his eyes glinting like twin shards of amber, scanning each turn, every alcove.

I’d trained myself to hold my breath for two and a half minutes. I’d need every second of that now.

“Ren,” he called, his voice edged with steel. The sound felt like spiders crawling up my spine. It carried through the twisting corridors. “You know you can’t stay hidden forever.”

Leaves shifted as the wind swept through the pathways, but Dimitri didn’t falter. He pressed onward, his hand resting on the pommel of the sword at his side.

“I smell you,” he cooed. “Ifeelyou.”

I almost wished for some of my magic potion left, if only so I could turn myself to stone and be free of Dimitri. Would he still be able to smell me then?

The horse drew nearer. Did he smell me too?

“Why hide?” Dimitri called. “You know this ends the same.”

He stalked the passage, checking various outlets but always coming back to where I hid. Soon, his eyes went to the walls. I shifted back even further, then froze when the scuffle of my boots against the dirt made a faint sound.

Dimitri stopped abruptly to tilt his head as he caught the noise. His lips curved into a smile, more predatory than kind.

He couldn’t see me, but his eyes went to where I was.