Page 28 of Labyrinth of Broken Vows
“What updates do you have for me?” I demand, impatience curling at the edges of my words.
Grath hesitates, and the silence is damning.
“We’ve sent as many men as we could to find her,” he begins, his tone cautious. “But… the maze is changing. It’s shifting faster than we anticipated. There have been no new sightings of her.”
I slam my fist down on the table beside me, the force shaking the chalice and scattering papers. “And what of Lord Valak? Has he sent his men into the Abyssal Quadrant? She was last seen there.”
Grath’s face tightens, his eyes flicking to the ground. “I’ve been informed… Lord Valak has not yet returned to his quadrant.”
I freeze, my blood turning to ice. “Where the fuck is he then?”
“We do not know, sire,” Grath admits, his voice quiet but steady. “He should be back by now, but we’ve had no word from him or his men.”
A low growl rumbles in my chest, vibrating through me. The room seems to close in as rage threatens to bubble over. Valak was supposed to have control of his quadrant. I grit my teeth, fighting the urge to rip something apart. No, someone.
“I want more of you out there searching,” I snarl, my hands curling into fists. “I don’t care what it takes. Find her.”
Grath holds steady, though I can see the uncertainty in his eyes. “My King, we’ve sent as many as we can. But the threats still remain at the borders of the maze. If we pull too many men, we risk losing the borders entirely.”
I whip my chalice from the table and hurl it at the wall, the metal sounding off against the stone. “I must find her!” The words tear from my throat before I can stop them, a raw, desperate quiver I didn’t intend to release. The sound of my vulnerability echoes in the room, and Grath’s head lowers slightly.
A long, tense silence follows. I feel the weight of my own weakness, the crack in my armor, and it gnaws at me. I never should have let that slip out, never should’ve shown how deeply this affects me. But damn it, if she dies—if Brielle dies—the blood will be on my hands. And that’s blood I can’t bear to have. I can live with the blood of anyone else on my soul, but never hers. Never Brielle’s. The thought claws at my insides. I turn away from Grath, the tension tightening like a vice around my chest. I need to regain control. I need to find her before the maze takes her from me forever.
"Go," I say, my voice low, controlled.
Grath doesn’t leave immediately, as if he's wrestling with something unspoken. I narrow my eyes, already sensing the shift in his demeanor.
“What is it?” My voice slices through the air, sharp and impatient.
Grath hesitates, then clears his throat. “My King... Lord Nyria’s whereabouts.”
The name alone sends a ripple of suspicion through me. I still my hand on the table, my eyes boring into him. “What about her?”
Grath shifts his weight, his reluctance clear. “She hasn’t reported in for some time. We’ve heard little from her quadrant. I suspect she’s trying to get the situation under control, but...”
“But what?” I snap, my patience fraying.
“There have been breaches,” Grath continues. “ Challengers of the maze are making it through her quadrant with ease. Her own hounds are running wild. Our men have been tied up dealing with the chaos.”
The shade hounds—of course. Nyria’s pets, her twisted tools of control. And yet now, they are the ones running rampant? My suspicion deepens, coiling around my thoughts like a serpent. If Nyria has lost control of her own domain, it bodes ill. But themore unsettling question gnaws at me; has she truly lost control, or is she playing a more dangerous game?
"You believe it's just a matter of her struggling with the chaos?" I ask, keeping my voice steady, though the doubt is creeping in.
Grath hesitates, glancing at me. “I do, but… I can’t say for certain. Something feels off. I will send for a report, my King. We need to know more.”
I study him for a moment, the words hanging between us. Nyria is no fool, but her ambition runs deep, her allegiance questionable. Too many unexplained shifts in the maze, too many threats coming from her quadrant. And now, Brielle, seperated from Grom and lost in the maze. Grom’s words ring in my ears, the pack was organized and knew their target. My fingers tighten on the arm of the chair, tension radiating through me.
“Send for that report,” I command. “But I want more than that. Keep your ears open, Grath. I have my suspicions about Nyria. If she’s involved in this in any way…” My voice trails off, the threat implicit.
Grath meets my gaze, his eyes darkening with understanding. “I’ll find out, my King.”
I lean back, narrowing my gaze. “See that you do. And I want those reports no later than this afternoon.” Grath bows and finally takes his leave, the heavy doors closing behind him.
As soon as the room is silent again, my mind races.Nyria.Always ambitious, always eager to prove her worth, but never without an ulterior motive. If she’s somehow behind Brielle’s entrapment in the Abyssal quadrant, if she’s toying with the maze to seize control... the repercussions will be brutal.
I stand, pacing toward the window again, my hands curling into fists at my sides. The maze stretches out before me, an endless labyrinth of stone and shadow. Could she truly be foolishenough to challenge me? How could she be altering the maze itself? The questions burn, searing into my mind, and I rub my temples, trying to stave off the building rage.
Nyria... She always fancied herself clever, believing she could stand by my side, a throne of her own awaiting her. And yes, in my youth, when I was weaker, I entertained her advances. Her body was always easy to claim, but that’s all she was—easy. Her affections weren’t for me, but for the power I held, the throne I sat on. I saw through her quickly, and whatever passing interest I had died just as fast. She was never the one who would sit beside me. That place had always been meant for someone else. Someone far beyond Nyria's reach.
