Page 21

Chapter Eight

T he bride spoke softly to the trees in the dark woods, and creatures answered her call. She was unafraid of the monsters, for in them she saw they only wished to live beneath the stars like her.

“Join me,” she urged, and the creatures followed her, bound by a magic greater than any other—love.

—Anon., Tales from the Twilight Court

A gentle tickle on her nose roused Kate from a sleep that had been deeper than the morgens’ pool. She scratched her nose and drowsily opened her eyes, only to see a bearded, goblin-like face looming close over her.

She screamed.

“It’s only me!” Patch shouted as he pulled back from her.

“Patch! You scared the crap out of me.” Kate flopped back down on the bed, staring up at the wisteria as a breeze breathed through the blooms. She still had only her bra and panties on—not her favorite way to sleep—but the bra that Babbitt had made for her was soft and had no irritating underwire to poke her.

She was beginning to suspect humans could learn a thing or two from the Fae.

Patch jumped off the bed, muttering darkly.

It took Kate a moment to recall everything that had happened. The attack in the morgen pool, reliving that lost memory of her mother, the way Roan had rescued her, and how he’d carried her to this bed afterward. Then something about losing a memory...

She touched her lips with her fingertips, still feeling the ghost of the king’s exquisite kisses.

He’d tasted of spice and dark hunger. She found herself missing the warmth of his body covering hers and the power of his muscles as he’d gently pinned her down.

And the way he’d touched…used his hand to get her off.

It had been incredible. He hadn’t even asked her to do anything for him in return.

He’d just given her pleasure, like Patch had said he would.

A romantically selflish Fae? She wanted to laugh at the idea, but she didn’t.

All she thought of was the way his eyes had darkened as he’d taken care of her wounds, held her in his arms, and then kissed her senseless. If that wasn’t romance, what was?

It made her miss more than just his body. It made her miss him, his voice, his words, his very presence. He’d made her feel like she was the only thing that mattered, that nothing else outside of her existed for him. Feeling like she mattered? That was something she could get seriously addicted to.

I shouldn’t miss him. But she did. Stupid Stockholm syndrome.

“Where did Roan go?” she asked as she forced herself to sit up. It was tempting to just lie there in the shade, but time was slipping away from her.

“Gone. You think the king of the dark woods is going to wait for you to wake up? Hah! ” Patch plopped to the ground, digging through his satchel, examining his cache of rough gemstones.

“Has anyone told you that you’re rude?” Kate asked. She pushed back the covers on the bed and searched for her clothing. Hadn’t she left her sweater and jeans by the pool when she’d stripped down?

“Of course I am,” Patch shot back. “Got no time for niceties.” He glanced away. “Your clothes are over there.” He pointed a knotted finger at the foot of the bed.

She found her jeans, sweater, boots, and socks beneath a gold blanket.

Everything was dry and folded. She lifted the sweater to smell it cautiously.

No scent of lily pads or fish monsters. Roan must have had them cleaned.

Probably just snapped his fingers to do it.

For a selfish jerk, Roan could be thoughtful, if only for the little things.

She got dressed and stared around at the tall walls of the labyrinth.

“Patch, which way was the morgen pool?” she asked, feeling a little distressed that she had lost her way. She’d gotten turned around when Roan had carried her away from the pool, and she had no views of the palace to orient herself.

“Doesn’t matter which way it was.”

“Why not?”

Patch shot her an irritated look. “Because it’s gone, foolish girl. His lordship was most displeased by what those slippery fiends tried to do. He destroyed the pool and killed all of the morgens. Watched him do it myself. That’s why it’s best to stay on the king’s good side.”

“Okay... so I’m starting from scratch... again .” She planted her hands on her hips and started forward until she reached a place where there were several paths to choose from.

Remember, you must search for the heart of the labyrinth, not the other side, she reminded herself.

Rather than choosing the right, she opted for the second one inward, hoping that it would take her closer to the center.

Not that she had any real way of knowing at this point.

If she couldn’t get an overhead view of the labyrinth, she’d never really see the right path.

That realization hit her hard enough to make her chest tight with rising panic.

She really had been a fool to think she could solve the labyrinth and find the center.

No wonder Roan had given her a month—she’d need every day of it to even get close.

Patch shouldered his bag and followed. “You’re going this way too?” she asked.

“Might as well,” he said. “There are a few places along the way where I can deliver my gems for retrieval by the palace.”

“Oh... well, okay.” Kate didn’t want Patch to know how relieved she was to not be alone in the labyrinth.

As they moved together through the seemingly endless passageways, a sudden fluttering sound above drew their attention. A glittering flock of birds…no wait… those weren’t birds, swirled like a murmuration of starlings.

“What are those?”

“Pixies,” Patch spat. “Don’t say anything. They’re always listening. They’ll tell the royal court what they hear.”

The little creatures danced in the air, shimmering dust drifting down from their hummingbird fast wings. A high pitched cackling sound filled the air as the little pixies chittered wildly. They swooped down, swirling around Kate chanting.

“Kate of the Winslows…Kate of the Winslows…”

Kate, fascinated, peered at their little bodies, seeing the bright green or bright blue skinned little humanoid bodies covered in glimmering iridescent clothes.

“Shoo! Shoo!” Patch leapt up into the air next to Kate, swatting at the little creatures who began to jeer at him.

“Patchy-Patch, the Kobold cat!”

“You said they’d tell the royal court what they hear? Does that mean Roan will hear what they say?” Kate asked Patch who was still angrily swiping at the pixies now clustered around his head.

“Yes, that’s exactly what the little beasts will do.”

“Excuse me,” Kate addressed the pixies. The parade of pixies halted their gleeful torment of Patch and turned her way. “I hear you noble creatures possess the ear of Lord Arun?” she asked them.

The pixies all exchanged curious glances with each other and then began nodding proudly.

“Please kindly tell the king that I’m getting close to solving the Labyrinth. I will win.”

Clearly excited about this bit of gossip, the pixies swarmed upward into the skies and shot out of sight.

“There, that got them away.” Kate laughed as Patch fixed his cap on his head and double checked his gems. “By the way, I thought you said no one could travel through the labyrinth. But the pixies flew through just fine.”

Patch scratched his beard before replying. “Pixies and sprites can fly over the labyrinth. For some reason, they aren’t controlled by the wards, perhaps its because they aren’t loyal to the Seelie or Unseelie. They are neutral.”

Neutral. Kate digested that idea. So there were some exceptions with the magic that guarded the labyrinth.

They walked without speaking for a long while. Kate noticed the ivy on the walls thinned out and eventually gave way to stone. Part of the rock turned dark and wet as a light storm passed overhead, and a faintly rotting smell reached her nose.

“Do you smell that?” she asked.

Patch nodded. “There’s something dead nearby. Told you, it’s a dangerous place.”

Kate repressed a shiver. Still, she couldn’t turn back.

She had to figure this thing out so she and Caden could go home.

The more they walked, the darker the path became.

The sound of water dripping against the stones was the only accompaniment to their footsteps, which echoed endlessly against the rock walls.

“I suppose... I suppose I should thank you,” the kobold said as they rounded another bend.

Kate turned to him in shock.

“Don’t look so surprised! You saved my life. It’s only right.”

Kate laughed at how utterly displeased he sounded by that admission. She stopped and Patch stopped walking as they faced each other. Kate smiled at him.

“You’re welcome, Patch. You’re my only friend here, and I didn’t want you to drown.”

“Friend?” He eyed her skeptically.

“Yeah. Friend,” Kate said.

“Huh,” said Patch. “So what’s that going to cost me?”

Kate frowned. “Cost?”

Patch rummaged in his pouch. “Everything’s got a price. I reckon I have a stone here I could part with. Not one of the best ones, mind you.”

Kate chuckled. “Friendship is something you give , not buy. If you have to buy it, it’s not worth anything.”

“Now that just makes no kind of sense,” said Patch, shaking his head. “Everything worth having costs something .”

A distant rumble ahead of them caused Patch to grip Kate’s arm and jerk her to a halt.

“ Wait ,” he whispered.

She leaned down to hear him better. “What is it?”

“Rocks... that’s rocks tumbling. You know what that means.” Patch’s dark eyes scanned the passage ahead of them, focused on something she didn’t see.

“You know full well I don’t know what that means,” Kate replied, her voice still low. “So tell me.”

“Trolls.” Patch scratched his bearded chin. “Must be trolls.”

Trolls? Kate’s stomach knotted in fear. What had Patch said? Be fast and avoid getting hit by clubs or something? She could be fast. Sure. That was something she could do.

“Let’s see if we can slip around them,” said Patch.