Page 3 of A Monarch's Fall

She sighed heavily, pushing her dark hair out of her face.

“Probable,” she answered.

I smiled. Percy was safe for now. No one would be foolish or brave enough to follow her in. And if there was any realistic chance that anyone could manage the maze on their own, I’d place my life on my Percy being that anyone.

“What are the chances that Ardens Estate falls today?” I asked Rylan.

“Less than an hour ago, I would have described such a situation as inevitable, but recently there has been a marked decline in the number of rebel bodies. We’ve dispatched at least a dozen ourselves,” Rylan began, “It seems to be stragglers, those lost from their companions.”

“We observed rebels appearing to retreat just before we found you, Ma’am. We were preparing to ambush a group of seven heading in this direction when they appeared to receive a new command and changed route, unexpectedly. If it weren’t for Kostas’ excellent hearing, we would have kept following, but we found you,” Pheidon added.

“Retreating or regrouping?” I questioned aloud.

“We don’t have any intel,” Rylan continued. “I’ve been out of communication for some time. My radio took a hit early, in my first interactions with the rebels.”

“Ariston last checked in that his squad was going to offer support to Ardens' guardsmen at the main entrance. He implied it was a dire situation,” Pheidon explained.

I nodded. “He better not get half my Royal Guard killed,” I replied. I hated having to replace any member of my Royal Guard. Rylan handled most of the vetting, but it took so long to train them. A new guard was a liability. I already had one new guard, Theo, after Yanis retired. I didn’t particularly welcome the thought of replacing anyone else.

“It’s that bad?” Sasha asked, and I turned to her, my farewell to Adamantia at the forefront of my mind, and unable to hide my sympathy.

“What?” Sasha demanded.

“It appeared to be the epicentre of the attack,” I explained.

“Selene, speak truthfully, what are you hiding?” she asked, worry seeping into her voice.

“Ada refused to leave the battle with me.”

“Okay,” Sasha replied and immediately turned away from me.

I reached limply and managed to grip her shoulder.

“Sasha, it was chaos,” I warned.

She turned back to me.

“Would you not walk into chaos for your Percy?” she questioned. Of course I would. But Percy was my soul match. We were bonded in a way that so few others had ever experienced or could ever understand.

“It was certain death,” I explained.

“If death has taken my love, she will take me too. I will not abandon Adamantia. I chose to live this life with her, many years ago, before your birth. I choose her in life and in death. If today is the day we enter the long darkness together, then so be it,” she shrugged easily out of my grasp.

“Don’t sacrifice your life, Sasha. Ada knew what she was doing; she made that choice for herself. Not for you,” I pleaded. I couldn’t lose them both.

“Will you enter the maze for Percy?” she asked me.

“It’s different.”

“How so?” she asked, “Percy chose to enter the maze, a maze that offers only death to those who do. Yet you would follow her,” she continued. I didn’t reply. “Love is an action — a choice. Adamantia is my home. I will follow her anywhere.”

I could not argue with her. I would make the same choice.

“Go safely,” I encouraged.

Sasha nodded and continued on her way, her quick steps becoming a run.

“We need to get eyes on Percy in the maze,” I began, turning back to Rylan.