Page 37 of A Tempest of Shadows

“Yes,” I replied. “Plus, all those who maintain the labyrinth have been here.”

“You’re right,” she said. “They have all seen it, but who outside of them has been here? We’re a rarity.”

She closed her eyes and tipped her face back to bask in the fading sun. I forgot all about the bowl as my attention remained focused on her.

I couldn’t deny she intrigued me. I’d never met anyone quite like her before; she’d been willing to lose her hand for a scruffy child, rolled in the snow like a commoner, and now she sat on a bench, enjoying the triumph of having made it this far.

It was something I hadn’t planned to acknowledge. Yes, we’d made it this far but failed to do so in the time Ivan allotted us; this was another failure to me but not to her.

Despite preferring not to have much more to do with this woman, I moved toward her. The stone bench sank a little into the lawn when I sat beside her.

She opened her eyes, but it wasn’t to look at me. Instead, she focused on the multiple colors streaking the sky. “It’s beautiful.”

I hadn’t planned to acknowledge the sunset either. I’d seen thousands of them but couldn’t remember the last time I’d sat and enjoyed one. I did so now.

Despite every fucked-up thing that had happened over the past few years… no, throughout my entire life, I relaxed as I drank in the red, oranges, and pinks spreading across the sky as birds soared overhead. For the first time since the war with the ghouls started, the ophidians, and Leo’s death, some of the tension in my chest eased.

Outside of this maze, we were surrounded by some of the biggest assholes I’d ever met throughout all the realms. That was saying something, considering I’d spent months locked in the ophidians’ dungeon while being tortured.

But here, inside this garden, it was just her, me, and peace.

As I sat there, I became aware of her apple scent. I also detected blood and sweat on her, but her sweet apple scent was stronger and so very enticing.

When I shifted my attention to her profile, I was captivated by the small smile curving the corner of her full mouth. Sensing my gaze, she turned to look at me, and our eyes clashed.

As I stared at her, I couldn’t figure out what I wanted from her… was it to touch her, kiss her, or say something?

But I had no idea what to say. When my gaze fell to her mouth, lust hardened my cock as I contemplated what she would taste like.

While I suspected she might let me kiss her, I couldn’t ruin this moment of tranquility by having her stop me. Instead, I reluctantly shifted my attention to the sky as the colors faded and night descended.

When the shadows stretched around us, I knew it was time to go. I’d prefer not to leave this small bit of peace I’d found in a life that was anything but tranquil, but Ellery rose, stretched her arms, and examined the sky.

“My mother’s probably so worried about me,” she murmured.

My father was probably still pissed I was here and hadn’t considered the possibility I might get hurt. I’d survived the Ghoul War, Doomed Valley, and the ophidians. I wasn’t going to perish in Ivan’s maze.

She turned to walk back toward the entrance to the labyrinth, but I stopped her. “Aren’t you going to get a coin?”

Her gaze traveled across the beautiful garden to the bowl in the center. “No. I know what I’ve done, and that’s enough for me.”

I understood that for her, but it wasn’t enough for me. While she was content to keep the secrets of this maze to herself, I wasn’t.

Rising, I strode across the garden to the bowl in the middle. I stopped beside it and studied the mound of undisturbed coins in the center. No one else had made it into the center.

I dipped my hand inside, removed a golden coin, and flipped it in the air before sliding it into my pocket. Ellery’s eyes were watchful as I walked back over to her, but she didn’t say anything before turning and entering the maze again.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Ellery

It didn’t take as long to find our way out as it did to reach the labyrinth’s center. I didn’t kid myself into thinking it was because we somehow knew what we were doing on the way out, there just weren’t any creatures attacking us.

I doubted they all went to bed at night. Instead, I suspected King Ivan had somehow pulled them back once the game was over, or maybe they’d been trained to retreat with the blowing of the horn. No matter what, they were all gone, something I was sure the servants who worked on the labyrinth were extremely grateful for.

I wondered how many amsirah remained lost in the maze as we emerged, but I wasn’t going back inside to find out.

We both stood in the shadows of the exit, surveying the party unfolding on the lawn. Then, Ryker spoke. “Good night, Ellery.”