Page 19 of Crownless Heirs

“The entire maze,” Maelan echoed.

“That seems excessive,” Sorcha was turning in a circle, looking at the new surroundings.

“It’s magic,” he shrugged.

“Still,” she murmured.

A reluctant smile tugged at Maelan’s mouth. “Now we’re starting from the beginning.”

Sorcha glanced around the endless hedges and winding paths. “Okay then, I guess we better get moving unless we want to be married inside the maze.”

“Firelight, I’d marry you now if you’d let me,” Sorcha started walking before he could see the heat rising in her cheeks.

They wandered through the labyrinth for what felt like hours. At some point, Sorcha stopped trying to solve the maze and simply enjoyed it. The sky above never truly darkened; the perpetual twilight deepened from lavender to rich shades of indigo and violet. Stars emerged one by one until they glittered overhead like scattered diamonds. The glowing moths became brighter as night settled over the garden. They discovered statues of forgotten gods and moonlit fountains overflowing with silver water. They found archways woven entirely from blue roses and a grove where crystal bells chimed whenever the wind stirred. Every time they thought they understood the pattern, the labyrinth proved otherwise.

Sorcha found another moon statue and confidently announced, “I think this is it.”

Maelan studied her, pointing out, “You said that last time.”

Sorcha, already approaching the statue as she answered, retorted, “And I was confident then, too.”

Maelan replied, his voice echoing, “That doesn’t help your argument.”

Despite his words, she touched the statue. For a glorious second, nothing happened. Then, all the paths around them vanished as stones shifted and hedges moved. Somewhere in the distance, bells began to chime. Sorcha groaned, but Maelan laughed so hard he had to lean against the wall.

“Oh, that’s not funny,” she replied exasperatedly.

“It absolutely is, Firelight,” Maelan chuckled, still laughing.

Hours passed as the sky’s colors deepened, and stars glittered overhead, their reflections captured in the crystal fountains scattered throughout the labyrinth.

Sorcha groaned again as she dropped onto a stone bench, exclaiming, “We’ve been walking for hours.”

“We’ve been getting lost for hours,” Maelan corrected.

Sorcha laughed and leaned her head back, finding the gardens even more beautiful at night as she watched glowing moths drift lazily between the hedges. Suddenly, a loud growl interrupted the silence, causing Maelan to raise an eyebrow.

“We should probably find food,” he suggested.

Sorcha looked around at the seemingly endless maze, questioning, “And where exactly are we going to find food?”

Maelan paused, then inhaled deeply, a slow smile spreading across his face as he uttered an astonished, “Oh.”

“What?” Sorcha asked.

Maelan stood so suddenly that Sorcha nearly jumped.

“Follow me,” he commanded.

“Where?!” she exclaimed loudly.

Before she could argue, he grabbed her hand and began pulling her down the path.

“Maelan!” she protested, but he simply urged, “Trust me.”

“I did,” she retorted, “and now we’re trapped in a labyrinth.”

He laughed but didn’t slow down. They wound through several twisting paths before Maelan suddenly stopped, facing a wall of flowering vines.