Page 115 of Vipers and Vendettas

I follow her. ‘The maze does that all the time,’ I say, but she turns and looks at me with wide eyes.

‘Not to me, Axel!’

We turn another corner and are met with another hedge. Jules whirls, taking the next left I follow. We hear Fluffy howling, and Jules yells for him.

We’re closed off from another path, and we find ourselves in the middle of the maze at the next detour. The fountain has stopped, and the lights that are usually illuminating the space are dim.

‘Shit,’ I mutter. ‘Get behind me.’

‘What? Why?’

‘Because we’ve just been corralled here like fucking sheep,’ I say.

Someone slow-claps, and I see three dark figures by the font. ‘And they say demons are stupid.’

Jules stiffens next to me. ‘Tamadrielle,’ she whispers.

The first fae steps forward, and behind him are two others. One I recognize instantly.

‘Robertson!’ I snarl. ‘You sonofabitch!’

Our old butler doesn’t even look at me.

‘Grab her,’ Tamadrielle says, waving a hand. ‘Kill the demon.’

Robertson and the other fae advance, and I demon-up, but Robertson throws something, and all I see is a flash of bright light as I go down.

* * *

Jules

I’m frozen in fear. I see Robertson take Axel down in front of me, and I scream, clutching my stomach as if that alone will save me and Jellybean. I back away from Robertson and the other fae whom I recognize from my time in the house as the one who used to enjoy choking me.

‘How could you?’ I cry at Robertson, who looks grim as he delivers another spell to Axel, making his body jerk in the frozen grass.

‘Leave him alone!’ I cry.

I look around for a way out, but all of the paths are blocked, and I realize with dawning horror that Tamadrielle somehow has control of the maze itself. He’s made it turn against the estate.

The other fae comes towards me, a sadistic smile alighting his face. I just stare at him, coming closer and closer, my mind blank with terror.

When he gets to me, he hits me hard across the face with a laugh and grabs me by the hair, hauling me across the clearing towards Tamadrielle, who, as usual, isn’t getting his own hands dirty. But as we get to the fountain, something jumps over the high hedge and lands in front of us.

The fae blanches. ‘A fucking hellhound!’ he screeches, letting me go and pushing me toward the monster. He turns and runs, but Fluffy snaps his massive jaws and catches his neck and shoulder. The fae screams as Fluffy throws him across the clearing, and he lands hard on his back, gasping for air and writhing on the ground.

Robertson goes after Fluffy, and I scream at the hellhound to run, but I’m grabbed in an iron grip and pulled towards a portal that’s opening in the fountain.

‘Want something done, you have to do it yourself, I suppose,’ Tamadrielle gripes. ‘Clever having a hellhound to do your bidding, I must say. That guard was with me a long time, but one bite from your monster, and he’s done for.’ He chuckles.

The fae who used to choke me is dead. It’s a cold comfort, but I mentally check him off my list.

I struggle against Tamadrielle as we enter the portal and hear a curse, but then I feel the swell of magick, and everything goes black.

* * *

When I wake, it’s to the clank of chains. It’s dark, and I’m cold. All I’m wearing is my bra and underwear, and my heart stalls in my chest. I know where I am. My old cell. I vomit immediately on the damp stones next to me just as I see a faint blue light.

Toramun.