The water seemed to help, the redness on his face calming quickly. Our eyes met and we exchanged unsaid words.
Thank you. His eyes said. I love you.
And I love you, please always remember that.
Please remember that when I break your heart, please remember that when I tell you it’s not enough. I felt tears welling up inside of me. I hoped he would take them as happy tears.
Then his face twisted, and I simultaneously heard Jinx bark.
Darkness overtook me and I felt hands on my body, a person grabbing me and pulling me back. A sack had been placed on my head. My breath was ragged as I fought them, the fabric scratching me and muffling my intakes. They pulled my arms back behind me and bound my wrists. They pulled again, and I stumbled backwards, backwards, backwards. And then, with a single push, I fell back completely, landing on something hard. It felt wooden against my wrists.
“Come on, Jinx,” my captor said. The voice was feminine.
I screamed for Leo. But I did not hear his voice, could not hear his reply. The panic was overwhelming. I felt fire rise inside me. Anger and fear filling me, every nerve sparked as if I was about to combust.
I kept thrashing, fighting for several moments as the sensations filled me with rage and then… WHACK.
Light flooded in. My head throbbed. My throat was dry. The ground was swaying. A wet tongue licked my face. I opened my eyes.
Jinx was above me, licking my face with a smile. The sky above was bright, the sweet sun shining down. A breeze rustled around me. I was lying on a wooden floor. I hoisted myself up, my head pounding with each movement. I was on a boat. Everything came swimming back to my memory.
“Sorry about hitting you, but I was worried you would fall off the boat if I let you keep wiggling around like that,” a voice said, the same feminine voice. I looked over to see her standing above me, her gaze searching the horizon.
Her hair was jet black and tied into a long braid down her back. Her beautiful face was young and sharp, with large, dark eyes that were full of life, simply teeming with adventure. Her skin was a light golden. Her expression was serious, but somehow kind. I knew she wouldn’t hurt me.
She wore a cream tunic with a tight grey sash belt around it, holding a pistol to her side. Her grey pants were loose, slightly feathering out behind her in the wind. Was she a pirate?
She looked down at me and reached out a hand to help me stand.
“Watch your footing, the water is rocky today,” she said dryly, her eyes floating back up to search the horizon.
I looked around for Leo, but I didn’t see him anywhere on this small boat. It had a flat open deck but was high off the ground. Perhaps storage lay underneath the floor. I stood and noted the sides came up to your waist. It only had one sail. Another person stood at the back near a spoke wheel. I assume they were steering the ship, but the sun was behind them and I couldn’t make out their features.
“Who are you? Where is Leo?” I noted my sheath still on my thigh, they hadn’t disarmed me. And they hadn’t killed me when they had the chance, so what did they want from me?
I pulled my dagger out, holding it in front of me in a defensive stance.
“My name is Minka. That’s Jubilee,” she said, taking her thumb and pointing backwards to the person at the back of the ship. She barely raised a brow as she assessed me with the dagger.
“Where is Leo?” I said back sharply. “Why did you take me?”
“I just did what I was told, which was to leave the boy,” she said with a shrug as she walked off.
“Wait, that’s not what I asked,” I said, following her, my dagger still in hand. She kept walking to where Jubilee was standing, ignoring me.
“Please tell me you didn’t hurt him,” I said, my voice pained.
“What do we look like to you? Killers? We didn’t touch him. He could barely stand when we grabbed you, anyway. We had you and were gone before he even reached the water’s edge,” she said with a laugh. Jubilee laughed with her.
A hint of relief flooded me, but was immediately replaced with worry. Would he be ok on his own? Would he keep searching for me? How could I find my way back to him?
“Where are you taking me?” I said, my voice deepening to keep from shaking.
Jubilee answered, “Somewhere safe, Valeria, just rest.”
Jubilee looked at me. Her eyes were warm and kind. Her skin was a luscious onyx, her chocolate eyes speckled with amber in the evening sunlight. Her hair was shaved off short to her scalp and her face was painted with the most beautiful violets on her eyelids and crimson on her lips. She wore an outfit similar to Minka’s, but her shirt was a deep gold and her sash belt a bright red. Her flowing pants were a deep bronze.
If they were pirates, they had to be the most beautiful pirates who ever lived.
It felt strange but, I felt I could trust them. Felt they wouldn’t harm me, that they weren’t lying to me. I stifled a laugh at myself, trust the women who had just kidnapped me. My head throbbed, but I placed the dagger back in it’s sheath.
Minka whispered something to Jubilee softly, and I noticed the intimate nature of their body language toward each other. I wondered how the two most gorgeous women I had ever seen had met. How had they found each other in this cold, ugly world?
But the Labyrinth wasn’t ugly, was it? No, every part was as beautiful as the last. Maybe they had both been born here, the beauty of the Labyrinth brushing off onto them as they entered this world. Like smearing paint from one canvas to the next, one life to the next.
Jinx trotted over to them, Jubilee reached out and ran her fingers through the luscious snow fur. Jinx seemed completely at home. This was their dog. Had Jinx been leading us here this whole time? I assumed she was Alder’s, his way to help me and joke with me at the same time, but maybe Leo had been right and she was a trap all along.
I looked around the boat, turquoise water on either side. We were sailing through the Labyrinth, hedge walls surrounded each side of the shore. It was too far to swim, too deep, the water was moving too fast. I sat with my back against a side and let my head fall into my hands. I didn’t know what to do next.
Chapter 18
We sailed for what seemed like hours until the girls finally began to prepare the ship for docking. I had sat the entire time, watching the Labyrinth go by, wondering if we were getting closer to the center or farther away. I asked my beautiful captors several times, but they didn’t feel inclined to answer. They just kept telling me to rest and wait.
For what?! They never answered.
My heart leapt when they went into motion, moving the sails and grabbing various ropes. They did so expertly and silently, a well-oiled machine. They knew their roles and communicated with simple glances to one another. I wondered what a life it would be to sail around the world with one’s love. A nice one, I decided.
I noticed we were coming upon a bank on the river, two trees at the edge. Jubilee maneuvered the boat closer while Minka stood at the front and tossed a rope around the nearby tree, pulling the ship to the bank. She tied us to the tree as Jubilee tied the back of the ship to the second tree. In a matter of seconds, we were docked.
“Where are we?” I asked again. This time, Minka gave Jubilee a look and nodded.
“You can stay in the boat, we are just picking up someone and… something,” Jubilee replied, a sly smile on her face. Minka met her gaze and slipped on a large jacket.
“No, I want to come,” I said, slightly stomping my foot. They both exchanged looks and chuckled. Heat flushed to my cheeks as I realized how silly that must have looked, like a kid throwing a tantrum.
“May I please come?” I asked, swallowing back the embarrassment.
“If you would like,” Minka said simply, stepping off the boat and onto the bank. I followed suit, Jinx right behind us. Jubilee stayed behind, I assume, to guard the boat.
I wondered why they were so flippant. I could easily run now. But neither seemed concerned with th
at chance, perhaps because they knew it would be incredibly stupid. I had no idea where I was or how to find Leo. I did not know how far we had travelled down stream. It could take me months to find him alone, months I would probably not survive.
I sighed and glanced around at the bank. It was simple. Sand reached the water’s edge and then turned to grass further up. A few large trees stood in the clearing. Behind them lay another entrance into the Labyrinth, hedge walls welcoming in travelers.
I followed Minka as she walked into the opening. Jinx running ahead with excitement, clearly knowing exactly where she was headed. Minka took several turns. It felt like only a few minutes and then she stopped. We had hit a dead end.
She turned around and looked at me. “Keep walking, don’t stop or you will get very disoriented.” Then she and Jinx walked straight into the hedge, disappearing inside. A shimmer rippled through the hedge as it engulfed them, like some sort of mirage.
I took in a deep breath. This was impossible. And yet, so many impossible things had already happened. I walked forward.
It felt like walking through mud, thick and heavy around me, but I kept walking. And then that was it. I was through. I gasped as I took in my surroundings.
It was a town. People bustled by holding baskets. Carriages with large horses wheeled around me. A town inside the Labyrinth, hidden within. I wondered how many there were, how many had I walked right past?
I saw Minka walking up the street towards several vendors with cloth roofs. Jinx was delighting in the numerous pets she received as she passed each person. A familiar face to them. They all greeted Minka as she walked past. She waved to them all, saying each of their names with a smile.
She slowed as she approached a tavern and turned back to me, her hand pressed against the tavern door.
“Why don’t you buy some food, we have a few days of sailing ahead of us.” Her tone was clear that she did not want me to follow her into the tavern. I nodded as she disappeared inside, Jinx right behind her.
Well, now was definitely the time to run. I walked back to the vendors we had passed. The smell of freshly cooked fish and meat hung decadently in the air. I salivated. I reached into my bag. Thankfully, it had been on me when I was taken. I had the coin pouch from the tavern man as well as half of the money Leo had gotten from selling all of his things. I hoped they would take the same currency as Villam.
A vendor was selling a freshly roasted duck, it was skewered on a stick with crispy dark orange skin, a citrus smell coming off of it. It had been marinated in oranges. I could not resist.
“One duck please?” I asked, handing him a few coins. He assessed them, then me, looking me over with a skeptical eye. He handed the coins back.
“For you, no charge,” he said as he handed me a duck skewer.
“Thank you.” I said warily, confusion on my face at the kindness. He only nodded and went back to his work.
I stepped away and took a bite. It was hot and delicious, its juice started running down my face as I ate, but I didn’t care. It was the best thing I had ever tasted.
“Be careful, that duck is rich, if you eat too fast it might make you sick,” said a deep voice behind me. I turned to see Alder, beautiful, perfectly handsome Alder, looking down at me as I had half a duck in my mouth and grease covering my face. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest.
Splendid timing. I thought as heat warmed by cheeks. I quickly finished the bite and wiped my face. I couldn’t have felt any less attractive with duck grease coating my face. Not to mention I had barely bathed since we had entered the Labyrinth, only washing in the small creeks we had come across. I wanted to run and hide.
He just stood there grinning at me, his clothes fresh and proper. His hair jostling in the wind. His musky scent filling my senses with a tingle of lust. Then it dawned on me why he was here.
“You,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him. “You hired them. You took me away from Leo.”
“Val, I am sorry, but it had to be done. And, weren’t you just complaining to me about bringing him?” His eyes were sincere, but I didn’t care.
“So you thought you should just intervene and take me? You thought you could decide for me? That you could leave Leo in the labyrinth to die and I would be fine with it?” I spat back at him, the fire behind my words making his eyes widen.
“He’s not going to die, there are plenty of resources in this part of the Labyrinth. If he is smart enough he will make it just fine. He will find a town eventually.”
“That doesn’t make this ok! I would never have left him!”
“I know that, which is why we took you in the way we did,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets while looking at the ground. He looked like he felt sorry. Well, good. He should feel sorry.
“You literally kidnapped me,” I shouted. “Do you think he will just accept I’m gone? Of course not, he will never stop looking for me! We have to go back for him! To find him-” I started, but Alder’s eyes met mine and I stopped. Something was behind those eyes, something he wanted to tell me.
“Please, Val, just trust me. We have to do this next part alone, he-” he began. But then Minka and Jinx burst out of the tavern, running.
She grabbed Alder’s hand. “We have to go NOW!” she said, not breaking her stride.
We ran, Jinx sprinting ahead of us at full speed. I looked back to see a man coming out of the tavern, cursing her and taking off after us. I wasn’t sure what happened, but I didn’t want to find out.
I kept stride with them as we ran back through the magic wall and into the Labyrinth. I heard the man come through the wall after us, yelling in a language I did not understand. We reached the bank, and Minka yelled at Jubilee to untie the ship.
“QUICKLY!” she shouted to her.
We all jumped onto the ship, one after the other, landing hard and making the boat rock. Jubilee untied us from the trees and quickly steered us into the current as the man burst through into the bank. He reached the end of the bank and shouted, shaking his fist at us.
Minka waved back to him.
“Thank you!” she yelled back, a wicked smile on her face.
I looked down to the duck skewer that was still in my hand. Alder was right, it was rich, and the running had not helped it settle. I ran over to the side of the boat and retched.
Well, at least it was free. I thought.
“Val, are you ok? Do you want me to hold your hair back?” Alder said. I shooed him away with my hand.
Please don’t look at me right now. I thought as I emptied my stomach into the river.
He laughed and went to help Minka with the sails.
I wiped my mouth and sat down on the swaying ship, looking up at them as they finished tying their knots.
“So,” Alder said to Minka, “what did you steal?” His eyes were lit up in amusement.
Minka didn’t answer. She just smirked and reached into her jacket, pulling out the largest bottle of dark liquor I had ever seen.
“Bottoms up!” she said as she popped off the top. She took a big swig and passed it to Jubilee, who followed suit. She handed it down to Alder, who did the same. He handed it to me, a silver glow surrounding him.
I had more answers to demand from him, but maybe liquor would help.
What the hell. I thought, as I took a large mouthful.
Chapter 19
The liquor was like acid in my mouth and fire in my belly. It warmed me, and I gradually felt my inhibitions disappear. I drank several more mouthfuls, as did the others, enjoying the delightful feeling. We were just four people sailing, enjoying each other’s company.
Or so they thought. I had played this game before, and I had Alder right where I wanted him. I was too tipsy now to worry about how I smelled, how my clothes looked, or how brushed my hair was. He appeared too tipsy to care, either. Gratuitous self-confidence soared inside me. I would get answers from him.
We sat together at the front of the boat, watching the moon rise in the night
sky. Minka and Jubilee were together in the back, steering and whispering amongst themselves. Jinx laid lazily at the back with them, all four of her feet up in the air as she snored.
I hadn’t pushed more about Leo yet. I was biding my time. He had been telling me about the town we had been in. About how there were dozens of towns in the Labyrinth, hidden from the world, but there if you knew where to look. I asked him how they were untouched by the curse, but he didn’t answer. We sat in silence for a few moments as I debated my next step.
The moonlight cast that beautiful violet glow over us. I prayed it softened my edges and hid the dirt on my clothes. I leaned closer to him and turn my head ever so slightly, looking up at him through my thick lashes. I felt something build up inside, a will for him to answer my questions.
His face turned toward me, the moonlight accentuating the silver hue radiating from him. He waited for me to speak, but the way his jawline looked, shadowed and sharp in the violet light, momentarily distracted me. He raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
“Tell me who you are, tell me why you glow,” I asked, my chin lifting slightly to draw attention to my lips. His eyes fell to my mouth.
He looked back up to my eyes and took in a breath, “I’m a warlock, as I’m sure you’ve guessed by now,” he said, holding my gaze.
“A good warlock or a bad warlock?” I teased, leaning even closer.
“That depends on who you ask,” he laughed, his glow turning darker. My face was so close to his that the glow seemed to almost shroud us, as if we were completely alone, the only two beings in the universe. The whiskey on his breath mixed with his musk. The scent was irresistible and filled me with heat.
“And what am I?” I asked, narrowing my eyes and turning my head slightly. I knew exactly what I was doing, and he was falling for it just as planned.
“I think you already know that Valeria…” His voice was heavy with desire. It was all too easy. I relished in the power I had over him. I willed for more of it. I waited for him to continue, for my eyes to pull the information out of him.
The Labyrinth King (The Labyrinth Series Book 1) Page 10