Page 97

At last, I saw it—the vibrant glow of a flower overtop a narrow archway that’d half-collapsed beneath a cascade of icicles.

“About time,” I grumbled. Followed by a kinder, “Thank you.”

I didn’t know where it led, but it didn’t matter. It was an escape, however fleeting. With a wolf snapping at my heels, I dove, slipping beneath the sharp ice just as the wolf got a mouthful of my tunic. The hem tore.

I’d lost a sleeve, and the ends of my tunic. It wasn’t a good day for my wardrobe.

But I lived.

While the wolves tried in vain to find a way after me, I examined where I was. The passage beyond was dark and cramped, the air colder than ever. But it was quiet. The wolves didn’t follow, their snarls fading into frustrated howls. I slumped against the frozen wall, her chest heaving, her hands trembling around the hilt of her dagger.

For now, I was safe. But winter had a way of turning fleeting victories into frozen graves. And I wasn’t out of the labyrinth yet.

Delilah’s light glowed again. It beckoned me deeper into the cave. My body protested that it didn’t get rest, but Delilah saved me twice today, and I wouldn’t anger her by not following her call. I pulled myself to my feet to wander down the cave, where the air tasted stale and the only light was that which Delilah provided.

Five minutes later, I was deeply grateful I’d followed Delilah when it led me to a pool of glistening blue water.

I dropped to my knees to drink. Somehow the water wasn’t frozen, and nothing had ever tasted more glorious. I drank until my stomach could burst, then I rolled to my side.

Delilah looked down upon me. She wore a thick dress with long sleeves and stitching up the middle, with a wool cloak over her shoulders. The black fur contrasted the white of her stone skin.

In surprise, I scrambled to my feet. “I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

“No one ever is,” she said with a smile as if it were a joke I didn’t understand. Her hair had been braided then wrapped like acrown on her head, though a wayward piece fell as she tilted her head. “You are a difficult mortal to keep alive.”

I dried my mouth. “I appreciate the effort. Truly, I do.”

“It’s not over yet.” She passed me a thick wool cloak colored green and white, like snow overtop grass. I eagerly wrapped it around myself as she went on. “The Stone Gods loyal to Dimitri have set their sights on you to gain his favor. You might not win this one.”

It took a moment to realize she meant the labyrinth. My fingers fell from the laces of the cloak. “No, winning is everything to me. Those are my father’s ships.”

“And yet, most of the labyrinth wants you dead. How long do you suppose you can outrun them?”

For as long as she’s able to keep me alive, I thought, but it didn’t feel fair to say it. Truth was, I was at her mercy here. Without Delilah, I’d be dead.

But without me? “You wouldn’t get your mortality if I left.”

“You can trade someone’s life for mine before you leave.”

I frowned. “That wasn’t our deal. I have to win, remember?”

“What do you think happens then? You’ll be taken out of the labyrinth. I need you to slay someonebeforeyou win, and bind their existence to the labyrinth in exchange for me.”

“But if you aren’t a Stone God anymore, who will keep me safe?”

She grinned. “This is a delicate game you and I chose to play.”

I thought for a bit. “Get me to the end—but before I step into the center, I will wait to kill the next person who reaches it.”

“No longer set on killing Leif Balgoran?” Her knowing eyes went to my pocket, where Clark’s note was.

I can’t stay and watch you fall in love with someone else.

I tugged my cloak tighter. “I’m thinking an easier target.”

Delilah chuckled. “Regardless, I can’t get you to the end. I can keep you safe, but that was our deal. Stone Gods can manipulate, but I can’t force the winner. You must earn your victory.”

I couldn’t be more than a few days away from the center. Perhaps only one. But that one day was filled with Stone Gods, wolves, and perhaps other competitors who were all just as determined to win—and far deadlier.