Page 39 of Crown and Dragon

“Fara,” she said, voice cracking. “I want to know everything, but currently, I’m stuck in a very deep, probably cursed hole under a madman’s fortress. I might die.” An unhinged laugh bubbled from her. “Like soon. Lija, I miss you. I hate being so far from you. Fara, can you make it so I can talk to Marius?”

“Hello, rider,” Lija said.

Her voice was low and soft, comforting but edged with desperation. This wasn’t like the experience of speaking mentally; this was like Lija was nearby and Tahlia could simply hear her. So fascinating!

But despite the joy of this magic, Tahlia could easily tell that Lija wanted to hide how poorly she felt. Not being able to fly truly was bringing her down.

“I’m going to finish this thing and get you healed, Lija.”

“I believe it.”

A tear tracked down Tahlia’s flushed cheeks. “Fara, can I contact Marius?”

“He isn’t with you?”

“No. Only I fell. And for some reason, I can’t even see the hole I fell through nor can I shout up to Marius. If up is even truly up here…”

“Gods, that sounds terrifying. All right. Hold on.”

“Can this herbwitch heal Lija?”

“No, she tried. She says she isn’t very powerful and her talent sits mainly in communication so she was thrilled to find this rare herb that facilitated this due to your soul bond with Lija and?—”

“Fara. Please. I don’t know how much time I have. Marius is assuredly desperate and searching for me, which will make him vulnerable to attack. For all I know, he is dealing with a siren right now.”

Fara swore creatively. “I thought sirens had gone extinct.”

“I thought they were never real.”

“Hold on, sorry. Just a minute,” Fara said.

The sensation of the magic they were working rushed over Tahlia’s scalp again.

“Try now,” Fara said, her voice going in and out.

Saying a silent prayer, Tahlia took a breath. “Marius?”

There was a grunt of surprise, then silence.

“Marius, it’s Tahlia. Fara and her gang are doing some sort of communication magic. It’s really me. Ask me anything.” If it was even working… What if it wasn’t him she was talking to?

“Tahlia.” His voice flooded her with warmth from the top of her head to the very tip of her toes. “Where are you? Are you hurt? Are you able to communicate with them and with me due to your Weaver magic?”

“No. It has to do with Fara and Lija. I’ll explain later. I fell into a dark cavern of sorts. There is a small hole in the far wall down here, and I smell the sea. Sadly, I can’t see the hole I fell through. I think this is a cursed or spelled area.”

“Agreed. I can’t find the broken path you fell through on this side either. There are Unseelie runes everywhere in this damned fortress. Idiot humans messing with powers they can’t possibly understand.”

“Yes, yes,” she said. “Berate them at your leisure once you get me out of the very scary hole, agreed?”

“I would begin working on that if I weren’t currently on top of the labyrinth wall, trying my best to find a minotaur that apparently is capable of portalling from one place to another as he sees fit.”

“I’m sorry. What?”

“You heard me correctly. Half-human. Half-bull. Disappearing and potentially reappearing. Even grouchier than I am, if one can believe that.”

Tahlia laughed darkly. “I’m glad you’ve adopted my whole humor-in-the-face-of-death practice. Do you have a guess on where the minotaur is right now? I can’t believe we have to deal with not one, but two mythical dangers on the same mission. This is too much. I want a raise.”

Marius growled. “I heard a noise in that direction,” he said pointing farther into the labyrinth. “Could be the minotaur. But something is very off here, Lady Tahlia.”

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