Page 61 of The Labyrinth

The first Raven stepped through the smoke, as if appearing out of nowhere. Their face was entirely chalked in gray and brown, camouflage even in the smoke. It was their calling card after all. The next stepped through next to him. And then a third. And a fourth. Soon, there were too many to count, appearing through the smoke one right after the other.

A low whistle next to me caught my attention. Hades stood at my side, hands on his hips. “They really think they’re the chosen ones, don’t they?”

“Hades,” I snapped. “Please.”

He shrugged. “I’m just saying.”

Griffin stood with his men, everyone with their hands on their weapons, but no one moved forward. The Ravens stayed where they were, and so did we. I took a step closer through the crowd. It was impossible to tell how many of them there really were with the smoke. Could’ve been a hundred or a thousand. I hoped the men we had sent around would be here soon.

I walked closer, holding my hands in the air. Fury was pulsing through my veins, the same anger that drove me every single day. But I would bite it down, if it was best for my people. I would spare my citizen’s lives, even if I wanted nothing more than to rip the Ravens’ heads off, one by one. “There doesn’t need to be a battle here today. We can go back to our own spaces. Our own homes. We can keep our separate lives, and do what we need to do. This doesn’t need to come to war.”

A smaller Raven stepped forward, the crowd parting around them. The Ravens valued strength, so the fact that the one they had chosen to speak for them was smaller spoke volumes. “Are you willing to relinquish control of the Labyrinth to us?”

“No.” My voice was short and firm. “But I will not harm you if you choose to go back to Beggar’s Hole and remain there. This is a one-time offer. You have killed many of my people, innocent people. If you choose to remain here and fight, we will slaughter you until none remain.”

The Raven shook his head, gripping the machete tightly in his hands. “We are thechosen ones. The ones given the power when the world began again. We deserve to wield our power. And you are over here running the Labyrinth with what, exactly?Love?” He scoffed, and the Ravens behind him began to murmur in agreement. “We heard you even live with a human. A human, meant to serve you and your needs. It lives with you as anequal.”

My blood boiled, pissed that he dared to speak about Rissa as anit. But I needed to stay calm and collected. Avoiding a war was best for my people. I needed to keep them at the forefront of my mind. “The Labyrinth will not be yours. You may return to Beggar’s Hole.”

“We are chosen. Chosen. Chosen.” A quiet chant began to echo through their numbers, eerie in the low visibility. Countless voices chanting, without bodies in sight.Chosen. Chosen. Chosen.Somewhere in the crowd, the bird call sounded again.

All Hell broke loose. The Ravens charged our ranks, men fighting with whatever weapons they had in hand. One of ours decapitated a Raven with a shovel, and at the same time a Raven blinded one of ours with his thumbs.

War was vicious and bloody, and I wished it could’ve been avoided, for my people’s sake. But given the choice between sacrificing some of my people, and them living underneath the Ravens’ rule, I knew what I would choose time and time again. I threw myself into the fray, smashing any camouflaged faces I could get my hands on. I grabbed the shoulders of a Raven who strayed too close, throwing my knee into his stomach until he keeled over. I grabbed the blade he gripped tightly, and ran it cleanly through his stomach. He dropped to the ground, and I whirled around to the next one, blade in hand.

Again, I sliced through the Raven, and the one after him. The blade was sharp, and for that I was grateful. But it seemed for every Raven I killed, there were two more in its place. The smoke rolled in like the tide, waves of visibility rising and falling. Sometimes you could see the entire battlefield, stretched out in the streets between the destroyed buildings. Sometimes you could only see your hand in front of your face. Men from both sides were falling everywhere, and still more ran through the thick fog. It was unnerving to only be able to see a couple feet in front of you. Even when you thought you were alone, there was someone there. I found myself in one of those pockets of aloneness, the thick black smoke surrounding me. But I knew I wasn’t by myself. I could hear the sounds of battle, even if I couldn’t see them.

“You should’ve just given in, Ten.”

I spun around, trying to see where the voice came from. Finally, I spotted it. A camouflaged face rose out of the smoke, the smaller Raven holding the machete. “We aren’t afraid to start from scratch to claim our rightful place. Even if that means killing everyone in Solaris to do so.”

He strolled through the fog as if we were on a walk together, casual and easy. I gripped the small knife in my hands, tiny and useless compared to his blade. “I will not give the Labyrinth over. Not in a million years.”

He shook his head. “You don’t see how good life could really be for you. To be worshiped and revered for simply being yourself. All of your people.”

For a moment I thought of Rissa, on her knees before me. But then I thought of the way I had sank to my knees in front of her, and the way she had offered me her benediction even through my sins. I wouldn’t threaten that. Not now. Not ever. “No.”

He shrugged. “You’ll die, then. Maybe not today. But push us back, and we’ll come back stronger tomorrow. We’ll attack when you least expect it. We’ll take that pretty little human from your bed and—”

His words stopped as I brandished my knife in his direction. “Say one more word, and I’ll cut your fucking throat out.”

He smirked. “Did I touch a nerve? Mal did say you were sensitive. I didn’t realize quite how much though.”

I froze. The sounds of the battle raged on around me, but my ears rang with the realization. “Mal?”

“Oh, yes.” The Raven nodded, smiling gleefully. “He’s back in Beggar’s Hole, telling usallyour secrets. We couldn’t have done this without him. He told us the best time to attack, and when you’d likely be distracted and weak. We’re forever grateful for him.”

Mal had done this. My father had done this.I had done this.

With a lone, wild roar, I leapt, tackling the smaller man to the ground. He lifted his machete, but I snapped his wrist before he struck. His hand fell limp against his wrist, the machete dropping lamely to the ground. He screamed, but I didn’t care. I had done this. I had forsaken my people.

If I hadn’t pissed Mal off, if I hadn’t done a thousand things, maybe all those people would still be alive. I would pay for my wrongdoings eventually. But right now, right now, I needed to win this fight and get home to Rissa. I needed to hold her in my arms, and know she was safe. I tore at the Raven’s flesh with my hands, my nails, ripping him to shreds until he was little more than a smiling face and a wide set of eyes. His flesh hung in tatters around him, blood dripping from every orifice.

“Kill me if you want. Another will take my place. We aren’t a person. We’re a cause. A mission. We’re chosen, Ten.Chosen. And one day, we will rule the Labyrinth.” The smoke lifted, the battlefield revealed to me in its entirety. Men lay everywhere, others still fought. With their dirty faces, it was hard to tell the difference between us and the Ravens. “Look how many of us there still are. Can you really kill an enemy that can never die?”

He was right. There were still countless Ravens flooding the field, sneaking into apartment buildings. We were outnumbered. Our men were tired, coughing through the smoke. I saw Griffin fighting two Ravens at once, and in between him and myself was Hades, his grin apparent even from this distance. My heart sank, even as I knelt over my foe’s dying body.

Rissa. She was, as ever, my most prominent thought. My most important thought. All of this was for her. For her safety. Her protection. I couldn’t let it be all for nothing. I had to do something. I would slay a thousand Ravens myself if it meant she was safe. I got up from the mutilated body coughing his last breaths, and turned to the battlefield. I would keep her safe, if it was the last thing I did. I would sacrifice my body for her life. She deserved a second chance. She deserved the opportunity to be who she wanted to be without fear of repercussions, or life tying her down. I would do everything in my power to give her that chance. I threw back my shoulders, and turned, ready to throw myself into the fray once more. For her. For Rissa. “I love you,” I whispered, hoping the wind would carry my words through the streets, and into her ears. “I’ll love you forever, deliciae.”

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