Page 38 of Muse

"Technically, this is a labyrinth and not a maze," Madge interjected knowingly. "Mazes have one entrance and a separate exit, while a labyrinth only leads to the center."

Throughout the gardens, woodwind music is softly played, somehow both lively and soothing. The air was filled with the sweet, enchanting aroma of the flowers opening for their night bloom.

The main draw of the night venture was the beautiful flora, like the luminescence of the star violet, the cosmic glow of the night rose, and the shimmering petals of the moonflowers. But there was so much more to captivate the eye beyond the flora.

There were figures carved of marble, carefully manicured topiary creatures, and beautiful art pieces. Giant butterflies made of stained glass and backlit by lanterns cast rainbows across the pathways.

The statues of the Matronae of Muses—the three goddess mothers of muses, Brigida, Mnema, and Freya—had been recreated with stunningly realistic folds in the fabric and dimples in the skin. When the light hit the marble just right, they seemed to move, smirking down at me and shifting their shoulders. But that had to be the light playing tricks because I didn't know of any statues that moved.

There were even a few animals, apparent inhabitants of the garden. A slow-moving tortoise crossed our path, with the night sky shimmering on his shell – a cloaking device that reflected the night above. Snails with glowing shells in blue and green and fluffy bunnies that dove between hedges whenever we got too close.

I crouched to peek at a baby bunny hiding underneath a large toadstool. When I straightened back up, Wrenley had somehow gone. It was only Rowan waiting, watching me with a soft smile as I greeted the bunny, the same way he'd smiled at me when I moved the snails safely off the path.

"Where is Wren?" I asked, and Rowan glanced around as if he hadn't noticed xer absence.

“I’m not sure. Maybe xe went ahead with the others." He motioned ahead, where I could see other muses rounding the corner out of sight.

“That doesn’t like xer,” I said.

Wrenley had never been the type to hurry, but then again, xe hadn’t really been acting like xerself tonight. Maybe xe had hung upside-down too long today.

“Wait a moment,” Rowan said, putting a gentle hand on my wrist, but his eyes were on the wall of vines behind us. “I think there’s a secret spot on the other side.”

“Of the wall?” I asked.

“No, it’s not a wall. It’s a curtain.” He swept the vines to the side and revealed a secret entrance through the hedges.

He held them open so I could see the little koi pond and a bench swing hanging from a cherry blossom tree. The hornbeam hedges surrounded it, creating a cozy, quiet little space.

I crouched down beside the pond, admiring the fish. They were plump with fanned tails and iridescent scales in all the colors of the rainbow. They swam up to the surface, their big eyes imploring me for treats I did not have.

“How did you know about this place?” I asked Rowan.

He languidly strolled around the pond, and he grabbed the rope swing and leaned against it. “I’ve been to a few Dandy Days, so I’ve had my chance to explore.”

“Is the night labyrinth always this lovely?” I asked.

“I actually haven’t been to a night one. I don’t know if they’ve ever had them before, but this is definitely the first time that the King has mandated time off.”

I came over and sat down on the swing beside him. “So how does the night version compare to the day?”

"I'm enjoying it more, but that might just be the company." He smiled at me, and I felt the heat rising in my cheeks.

Romances between muses weren't exactly encouraged, but they were allowed. Which was good because they were actually fairly common, especially among teenage muses.

It made sense, really. We were mostly young, attractive, single people who worked closely together for weeks on end. We were passionate and often shared interests and skills.

But that same combination meant it was not without pitfalls. Forced proximity meant things could get quite dicey if there were disagreements.

It was something that I had tried when I was younger. Mostly nothing more than a few harmless kisses exchanged here and there, but I did have a full-fledged year-long romance with another muse, Baxley Cole. He had been a few years older than me, and I had been swept off my feet before things turned sour.

After we had broken up, I had vowed to avoid dating other muses. Since then, I honestly hadn't even been tempted. Excluding whatever had happened between Soren and me, and that was prohibited anyway. But Rowan was making me reconsider my previous policy.

Chapter 25

Unlike every other conduction I had ever done, muses entered the performance areabeforethe audience in Lamida. This was also the first time our practice space doubled as the performance arena, but that was likely because of the specific needs of aerial silks.

Besides, the gymnasium was gorgeous, with the marble platform surrounding the circular sandpit in the middle, mimicking the ceiling and the domed skylight. During the practices, the marble was left bare, and we used it for exercise and stretching. Now, it was full of cushioned chairs in rows, and I noticed the balcony seating on the walls.

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