Page 90 of Of Monsters and Mazes

Rai stepped forward. He braced himself, ready for a fight. “Move, Dream Weaver.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” Theron asked through a half smile. “You’d ask me to step aside so the tribute can face down the king with time to spare?” He glanced up at the clock that ticked down to one hour and fifteen minutes. “I could stall you here and let you pretend you stopped her if you prefer. Jericho would surely reward you for your loyalty.”

Rai scoffed, but I said nothing, not wanting to lead an answer.

“Move.” He repeated sternly.

Theron smiled, stood, then stepped aside. “Maybe you’re not the most pathetic devil to ever live.” He acquiesced with uncharacteristic grace.

“And maybe you’re not the most insufferable.” Rai rolled his eyes with a petulant smirk.

“Doubtful.” Alessi said upon a sudden shift into human form. He caught me in his strong arms before I could hit the ground, then squeezed me to his chest. He held me there, filling me with that extra injection of love and confidence, before setting me down on my own two feet. “Now if you two are done posturing, the Twilight Clock is still ticking.”

“Not yet.” Theron shook his head, then he approached me. Before I could say a word—chastise him, forgive him, thank him: I wasn’t sure what that word might have been—he got down on one knee, and he dropped his head. His platinum hair shone under the morning sun, offering a brightness that starkly contrasted his black horns. “I’m sorry.” He began. “You called me a friend, when I’ve never been anything but the darkness in your light. When you stand against the king, I’ll stand beside you. Should you fail, I’ll continue to stand beside you every day and every night to assure you’re safe, so long as you live in this realm I call home.” He continued to kneel, like a man begging at my feet. “But when you succeed, I’ll personally assure you’re able to return to your home, and no one will ever harm you again. I can erase the trauma we’ve all caused you, and this can all just be a fevered nightmare, locked deep in an unwanted past. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but you don’t deserve to live forever with this pain.”

I swallowed. He probably thought that was a gift, but to me, it sounded like an end I never wanted. How could I forget this? How could I forget them?

“Get up.” I said. “I want you to stand with me, not beneath me.”

Theron laughed as he rose to his full height. “As you wish, Butterfly.” He shook his head. “As you wish, Sela.” He corrected, and I loved the way my name sounded on his tongue. My platinum haired Dream Weaver gestured towards the staircase behind him, then he took one final bow. “Ladies first.”

Chapter 48

I climbed the stairs as fast as I could, while the clock ticked louder and louder in the shrinking distance. The crimson steps slowly dissolved their color, fading rapidly from red to dark grey to black. At the top, a large door stood in my way, and I stopped to take a ten count before I opened it. I put on the front of needing to catch my breath—not hard to do after climbing what must have been 30 floors worth of stairs—but more than anything, I needed to process the full extent of what this entryway meant.

This was really it. The end of my journey. Pumpkin was just on the other side, and I couldn’t wait to see his cute, squishy little face again.

I drew a deep breath through my nose, until my lungs were as full as could be, then I pushed through with everything I had.

The door swung open easily and silently, with well-oiled and perfectly maintained hinges. Admittedly, I’d have been more surprised if anything about Jericho’s personal home was subpar or neglected. He seemed like a very particular kind of person. I could respect that.

On the other side, I entered a large hexagonal room, with stairways and doors embedded into each side of the shape. The clock now appeared on the ceiling, where less than fifty minutes were left on its face.

“Which door is it?” I asked my companions with a frown. I didn’t have much time to waste.

It was Rai who stepped forward to answer that question. “To the right. The stairs.” He nodded towards a particularly well decorated spiral staircase that had just enough gold and gaudiness for me to believe him.

But then again, wouldn’t that be a little obvious?

“Are you sure it’s not a trap?” I asked, feeling uneasy at the idea of committing to any of these unknown pathways.

“It is.” Rai confirmed with a shrug. “Everything with the king will always be a trap. But that’s part of what makes it fun.”

Reassuring…

“You live here. How are you still leading her into a trap, when you know damn well what entrance it is?” Theron snapped, and they were right back at each other’s throats.

“Because they’re all traps, but that trap at least goes in the right direction.” Rai rolled his eyes. “Stop pretending you don’t know how this works. The king obviously wants her to make it, or we wouldn’t be here. If he actually wanted the clock to run out, he would have, oh I don’t know, locked his front door.” The Minotaur was unexpectedly sarcastic when it came to Theron.

Theron bit his lip before he responded. He placed his hand beneath his scarf and closed his eyes for a few short moments. “Fair point.” He nodded after another minute of silence. I wanted to say something, but Alessi stepped in and placed a hand on Theron’s shoulder like he was grounding him. “Fine. We’ll try the stairs. But don’t get used to me agreeing with you.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Rai shot back with a mocking smirk.

Maybe that was their way of getting along. Hard to say.

Regardless…

“I’ll try the stairs.” I corrected the both of them. I looked between my three companions, building my courage to say what was next. I knew what I had to do, and I’d been thinking on it since I’d danced with Jericho in my… maybe dream? Maybe reality? I kept the dress, so I was fairly certain that had all really happened. “I really appreciate everything you guys have done for me up until this point, but I think we all know I have to face him alone.”