Page 30 of Labyrinth of Broken Vows
Villina shrugs again, her grin widening, as if she knew something I didn’t. "Well, you know how tales are, Brielle. Most of them are bullshit, right?"
I wanted to argue, but my thoughts spiraled as she stood up, leaving me momentarily rooted in place. He had called me a she-wolf, claiming he saw within me strengths I had yet to recognize. Could it be that I was the object of his pining, the very woman from the tale Villina had recounted? The thought sent a jolt of confusion through me. Was I merely a plaything for his twisted amusement, or could I truly be something more, someone he desired? I shook my head to dispel the idea, but the warmth spreading in my stomach betrayed me, igniting a mix of hope and fear that I couldn't fully grasp. I don’t notice when she stops abruptly as I run into her back. She is like one of the walls of this maze, unmoved by my body running into hers.
Staring at the massive wall that had appeared out of nowhere, blocking our path, her expression shifts from irritation to suspicion. "This... wasn’t like this before," she mutters, reaching instinctively for her weapon. "This is definitely not good.”
A loud caw echoed above us, causing both of us to jerk our heads skyward. The crow hovered, its dark silhouette stark against the gray sky, and as it did, the walls on either side began to shift and reshape, revealing a new path that we are compelled to take. With a sudden flutter, the crow dropped something shiny at my feet before landing on the jagged stone beside me. It stared directly into my eyes, its head tilting back and forth in an almost inquisitive manner.
Villina glanced between me and the crow, confusion etched on her face. I bent down to retrieve the object, discovering a dark obsidian dagger glinting in the dim light. But as my fingers closed around the hilt, a voice invaded my thoughts.
“Brielle.”
It was his voice—the Maze King’s—but it lacked the familiar taunting tone. Instead, it flowed through my mind like a warm breath, filling the air with an urgency that felt almost gentle. Villina’s earlier words swirled alongside his voice, causing a knot to tighten in my chest. I am not the one he pines for; I am just a plaything to him. Why else would he be changing the maze?
“What do you want? Upset you haven’t killed me yet?” I snapped, anger flaring as I met the crow’s gaze.
Villina shot me a bewildered look. “It’s him—The Maze King! He’s talking to me through the crow.” She pressed her palm to my forehead, her brow furrowed. “I think you’ve lost it or come down with a fever.”
The crow cawed in protest, flapping its wings as if to fend her off.
“What are you doing? Who are you speaking to? Where are you, Brielle?” His voice trembled with a note of fear that I had never heard before.
“Why should I tell you? You keep changing the maze on me. How is that fair? You want me to play your game, but you are cheating! I—”
“Brielle, I need you to—”
I cut him off, my frustration bubbling over. “You are an evil man for making me run in circles. You have no—”
“Damn it, woman! Would you shut that mouth of yours for a moment?” His voice thundered in my mind, cutting through my thoughts like a knife.
Silence enveloped me for a moment before he spoke again, his tone softening to something almost pleading. “Please.”
The sweetness of his voice caught me off guard, making my heart skip. I felt the tension ease just a fraction, and it pulled my full attention back to him.
“Fine, speak then. Tell me why you’re torturing me.” I relented, curiosity edging out my anger.
His loud sigh reverberates through my mind, "Brielle, I need you to tell me where you are. Things are happening now that are beyond my control. I need to find you."
I stare at the crow, my brows furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean, 'out of your control'?" I ask aloud, the crow’s dark eyes watching me closely as if waiting for something.
Villina catches my words and tosses her hands up in frustration. “What do you mean out of his control? He’s the king!” she exclaims.
I shrug, waiting for him to elaborate. His silence stretches for a moment before he finally responds, a thread of annoyance threading back into his voice. “I can’t go into details right now. Just... describe where you are.”
The return of his irritation oddly soothes me. Annoyed King Thorne, I can handle. Secretly in love with me King Thorne? Not so much.
“I’m not entirely sure," I admit, glancing around at the looming walls. "I think we’re still in the Abyssal Quadrant, but everything keeps shifting into dead ends. The maze wall just opened up again, and it’s forcing us down this path. It’s really dark, I—"
Villina cuts me off with a sharp laugh. “Oh, well, this is interesting. Tell lover boy we’re about to walk into the North." She shudders, her bravado faltering, and her reaction makes my stomach twist.
“The path is forcing us toward the North Quadrant,” I relay to him hesitantly.
His response is immediate and filled with urgency. “No, Brielle. Listen to me, do not go there. Turn around. Now.”
Before I can question him, a low, guttural growl rumbles through the darkness ahead of us. The maze walls groan and creak, shifting again, the sound grinding through the air as if the stone itself were alive. The path behind us is sealing shut, forcing us forward, trapping us in its relentless grip. The crow hovers above me, wings beating frantically.
Panic grips me “It’s moving... what do we do?” My voice wavers, breath shallow, and I can feel the oppressive weight of the maze pushing us toward something unknown. Fear swells inside me, choking the air from my lungs.
Then, his voice slips into my mind, soft but with an edge, as if he’s holding something back. “Brielle, breathe. Please, just breathe. You’ve come so far... don’t let fear take you now.” There's an urgency in his tone that I've never heard before, and it hits me deep, twisting something in my chest. “I need you. You’re stronger than you know, stronger than even you believe. You’ve always been.”
