Page 64 of The Labyrinth

Sam hugged me hard when Bear put me down, and then Lars did the same. “It’s good to see you, Rissa,” he murmured as we pulled apart. “Now, are you home for good, or just a visit?”

I frowned. The word “home” made me feel slightly adrift. Unmoored. I wasn’t sure how to acknowledge it. “I actually came to bring you news from inside the Labyrinth.”

A crease appeared in Lars’ forehead, and even Bear’s normally carefree face looked worried. “What kind of news?”

“There’s a war breaking out amongst the factions inside the Labyrinth.” I paused. “The group vying for power thinks they’re the chosen ones.”

Lars and Sam looked between each other. “What does that mean for us?” Lars asked.

I glanced at my mother, still chewing her lip as she watched her bubbling pot. “It means we all might soon face a Hell we don’t know.”

Chapter28

Ten

Ismashed my fist into another Raven’s face, making sure he was out cold. I didn’t want to kill this one. I just wanted him unconscious. If he was dead, I couldn’t get any information out of him. “Another one here!” I called.

A recruit—half human by the looks of him—jogged over to where I stood. “Where do you want this one?” he asked.

“Put him in the holding cells with the others.”

He nodded, lifting the body over his back, and carried him away. I wiped my hand over my face, staring at the destruction around me. Griffin’s men had shown up when we needed them most, and with their help we had managed to put down most of the Ravens. Some had scurried away like the slime they were, and if their leader’s words were anything to take seriously, there were a lot more of them hiding out there. They wouldn’t stand a chance against us though. I wouldn’t let them. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.

“So. What’s next?”

Griffin walked over to me, his face entirely covered in ash. “Next, you cover for me on captive duty so I can get home to check on Rissa. I’ve left her for long enough.”

He rolled his eyes. “That’s why I was coming over here. But I meant what’s next for this.” He gestured out wide, across the expansive destruction. The building in front of us was little more than rubble, small fires burning everywhere on bits of wood. Already the troops were carrying pieces of the building away, trying to find any survivors who might be hidden underneath. It wasn’t looking good, but we weren’t ready to give up hope yet. Bodies lay in the street, smoke still thick in the air in places. Ash piled up on the once green streets, turning what was once a paradise into more of a wasteland. A graveyard.

I sighed, rubbing my fingers over my eyes. What was next was hard work. A lot of hard work. “The Ravens are obviously working with someone. They’re getting support from somewhere, and it’s not from us. Mal alone wouldn’t be enough to sustain them. So who is it from?”

Griffin shrugged. “I’m not sure. But I’m guessing we’re going to find out.”

“We’re absolutely going to find out. We pushed them back hard today. They’ll be licking their wounds and recuperating for a while after this. But they aren’t gone. Not by a long shot.” I looked around us, knowing I shouldn’t be leaving, but also knowing I had to go. “Will you be okay?”

“You’re driving me crazy.” I glared at him, and he laughed. “You obviously need to make sure she’s alright, so just go. I can handle this until you get back.”

“Thanks.” With one final glance at the mess, I took off through the streets. I hoped Rissa wasn’t too worried, or too mad. She would’ve heard the explosion, maybe seen the smoke from the bedroom window. She had to know I wouldn’t let anyone keep us apart though. Next time, if there was a next time, I wouldn’t lock her inside her room. I’d make her understand I needed her to stay home, but I wouldn’t lock her inside. I trusted her. I had given her a piece of my heart, and she had taken it with gentle hands. She wouldn’t throw all of that away.

Our street was empty and quiet. People were being smart, staying inside until we told them it was safe. Once we had a clear idea of where the rest of the Ravens were, Draven would let them know it was okay. We’d probably have to do an official announcement of sorts, to reassure them. I wasn’t really sure what I could even say. We had won today, but at what cost? We had lost soldiers and innocents alike. We had won, but who knew when they would be back? All I knew is that we would be ready for anything. We had stood this long, it would take a lot more than the Ravens to tear us down, even if they did have a traitor in their midst.

But changes also needed to happen. We needed to incorporate the humans outside the wall in our lives more. My time with Rissa had shown me that letting them suffer while we lived in luxury was wrong. I couldn’t overthrow a hierarchy on my own. But I could make small changes, and show my people the right way to live. Eventually, they’d follow suit. They’d see it my way. And those that didn’t…well. They could join Neo.

The house was just up ahead, and my fingertips were tingling. My body was still tense from the fight, from the thought of never seeing Rissa again. But now I was here, and she was waiting, and I’d make her see why I had to leave, and all would be right. I’d lose myself in her body, and I’d show her exactly what she meant to me. I would make it up to her. I would.

My heart stopped when I arrived home to find Rissa’s bedroom window thrown open, a mismatched rope strung out of the window. I raced over to it, my lungs in my throat, and my brain screaming.Had the Ravens gotten to her? No. No, they couldn’t have. I was so careful. So fucking careful. I pulled at the rope, trying to calm my overactive mind and think things through logically. The rope, while well-made, wasn’t strong enough to hold a monster. It would be enough to hold the weight of a human, maybe. So possibly a half-human? Did the Ravens even have those?

I pulled on the rope until it snapped, the fabric unraveling in my hands. If anyone laid a hand on her, a single fucking finger, I would have them flayed within an inch of their lives. But as I pulled apart the makeshift rope, I realized what I was looking at. Bedsheets. Blankets. The odd pillowcase here and there. This wasn’t a rope someone had made to climb up. This was something someone had made in the bedroom and tossed down.

Rissa.

I tossed the rope aside with an angry cry, and stormed up the porch, pushing the door open. I took the stairs two at a time, tugging at Rissa’s doorknob. It was still locked. Which either meant someone had been in there with her, forcing Rissa to flee out her bedroom window, or she had been running fromme. My chest was tight, and my ears buzzed like a thousand bugs. She wouldn’t run from me. Would she?

What if something was wrong with her? What if she was injured, forced to get help, and I had left her trapped inside her room, unable to leave from the front door? A thousand things could’ve gone wrong, and I had abandoned her, trapped her inside with no escape. I was cruel, an evil master, and maybe she was right to run. With shaking hands, I undid the lock, finding the bedroom stripped bare of any kind of bedding, but no sign of a struggle taking place. Rissa had been alone when she left. I ran to the window, and roared into the empty space below, where she had made her escape. I roared for the mistakes I had made, and the missteps that had led me here. I roared for my missing woman, who might be injured, or so angry at me that she hated me. I roared for the love that was swelling my heart up so full it was going to burst. I was going to break if I didn’t have Rissa to fill in the cracks of my soul.

I had to find her. If she was hurt, she needed me. If she was running away from me…I couldn’t let that happen. I tore myself away from the window, and raced down the stairs. She was quick, and smart, and could be nearly anywhere. My feet pounded the sidewalk as I ran through the grass filled streets, trying to find anything out of the ordinary that might tell me where she was. Where had she gone? The smoke still hung in the air above the battle, but I doubted she would’ve gone that way. And if she had, one of my councilmen would’ve seen her and brought her home to me. Would she have gone to the camps? I could see her doing that, seeing the explosion go off, and wanting to make sure the women were safe. It was also one of the few places outside of my house she knew about, and of anyone, Clara would be the most willing to hide her. It was worth a shot, wasn’t it?

I turned and began to run in the direction of the camps, the streets beginning to fill up once more as people realized it was safe to leave their house, and ventured out to look for loved ones. People clapped me on the back, congratulating me on a well-won victory, but I pushed past them, my focus on getting to Rissa, and bringing her home.

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