by Cece Rose
Standing up, and turning to the door, I freeze as I see Nick standing in front of it with his arms crossed. Shit.
“You're planning to go, aren't you?” he asks.
“Shut up, elf-ears down there will hear you,” I whisper furiously.
“Calm down, Moany, the room is soundproofed,” he replies, speaking at a normal level. I look closely at the door, and I think he might be right.
“You can't stop me,” I say, stepping closer, trying to figure out how I'll get around him and out this damn church without Kaden hearing me.
“Who says I am here to stop you?” he questions me, as he leans back against the door.
“Well, the fact you're blocking the door isn't exactly giving me a positive signal,” I answer, not even attempting to rein in the snark I can hear in my tone.
“If I let you out this door, Kaden will just hear you try and leave, and he will stop you,” Nick replies, his tone not giving anything away.
“So, what else am I supposed to do Nick? This isn't a game. This isn't a good solution and you know it. We can't hide in a church every god damn night!” I snap.
“I know, and I also know there isn't another way. I've thought of everything, and nothing would work long-term. Unless we kill every demon that knows of your existence, I doubt you'll ever be safe,” he says plainly.
“You...agree with me?” I ask, unsure. This has to be a setup.
“Stranger things have happened,” he answers, smirking at me.
“Like pigs flying maybe,” I snort.
“Pigs can fly, with the right amount of magic shoved into them,” he retorts.
“What happens now?” I question, not really sure what's happening between us.
“Whatever you want to happen. We can hide in here all night, every night for the next few weeks, and attempt to prepare you during the days for demons only know what, or you can face it tonight, and get it over with. It's not like any of us can prepare you when we don't even know what it's for,” he suggests.
“Why are you asking me?”
“Because it's your life, Mona. I can't make your decisions for you, you're a fucking adult. I'm not going to coddle you or control what you do. This is your life, if you want to go with the demon tonight and do this, I'll jump you out the building,” he offers.
“I don't understand you at all sometimes, Nicky. Wait, scratch that, I don't understand you full stop,” I reply, looking at him like he's an alien. I just can't figure out that brain of his.
“People made a lot of choices for me, people still make choices for me. If you want to make your own choices, I will help you, even if I think they're stupid choices. But if you think you can do this, which by the determination in those blue eyes of yours, I’d say you do, then let's do this,” he says, reaching out a hand in my direction. Steeling my nerves, without another word I step forward and take his hand. He pulls me closer to him, wrapping both his arms around me. At first, I think it's just to jump, but then I realise. Nicky is freaking hugging me. He initiated a damn hug. I wrap my arms back around him and return the embrace.
“I'll be fine,” I mutter. I look up at him, still pressed tightly against him as he holds on.
“I know, you're too damn stubborn not to be,” he replies, looking back down at me. His green eyes are flickering in the coloured lights of the room, the reflections off them making his irises seem otherworldly.
“You ready?” I ask gently, and he nods.
The pressure hits my head, and suddenly I feel the chill of outside hit us. I pull back from Nick and look around frantically, but there's no sign of Adam anywhere.
“You didn't pass out,” he says with a smile.
“I'm getting better at shorter jumps,” I admit.
“Maybe you'll make the reality jump without losing consciousness this time?” he suggests hopefully, and I snort.
“Yeah, I'm not that hopeful,” I reply.
“I don’t hold much hope either,” a familiar voice drawls. Damn, that was quick. I turn in the direction of the voice.
“Hi, Adam.”
“Hi? You’ve made us late and all you have to say is ‘Hi?’ are you trying to get us both killed? Is dooming yourself not enough for you?” Adam replies furiously.
“I don’t really see how my trying to keep myself alive is dooming us both,” I mutter back, I feel a hand rest on my back. Shit, Nicky is still here.
“Making us late to the first test reflects not only poorly on yourself, but also on me, seeing as I was the one entrusted to collect your stubborn ass,” he growls.
“Well, sorry for wanting to try and avoid a test I'm sure is rigged so I'll fail—wait, the first test?” I question, just catching onto those words in my mind. The first test means there's a second, maybe even more after that. That's not what I agreed to, not that my agreement was really taken into consideration.
“Yes, they’ve decided there shall be three tests,” he answers.
“Three tests?”
“Three passable tests. I know what they are, dove, and it’s entirely possible for you to succeed. Asmodeus and others who voted in favour of your survival ensured that,” he explains. I feel Nick move even closer to me. Shit, maybe he thinks three tests is too much and is gonna jump us out?
“What are the tests?” I ask, pressing back against Nick. If we know what they are, maybe we can prepare for them.
“A test for brains, one for strength, and one for loyalty,” he answers, with a sly smile. I wait for a moment to see if he’s going to elaborate, when he remains silent, just watching me and Nick sharply, I accept that he’s not going to be explaining any more than that.
“Freaking damn peachy,” I mutter darkly.
“Now, that’s enough stalling, we must be leaving. Say goodbye to your friend, now,” Adam drawls, taking a leisurely step closer.
“She won’t be saying goodbye, demon,” Nick says, finally speaking.
“And why is that?” Adam asks him, sounding amused. I look at Nick, confused.
“Because I’m going with her,” he answers, not even blinking as he stares Adam down.
“Your kind are not permitted in our realm, as we are not permitted in yours,” Adam replies, just brushing him off.
“I don’t care.”
“Nicky, you cannot be serious,” I say, shocked he’d offer to go with me. The demon realm isn’t exactly a place you want to go to.
“Yes, I quite hope he is joking, too, love. Because he will not be stepping foot there. He knows as well as I do, that if he comes with us, it’ll be a one-way journey,” Adam says, seeming to take Nick’s words more seriously now.
“Wait, why would he not be able to leave?” I ask.
“Fae cannot make the reality jump between the demon realm and human one, they can only reality jump between their own and the human one,” he explains.
“If you took him there, why couldn’t you just take him back?” I ask.
“It's in the rulebook, dove. Personally, I value my own life much more than his, so I'll be declining to take him anywhere,” Adam says firmly.
“There are other ways to cross between,” Nick says quietly. Other ways?
“But sadly, you will not find one in time,” Adam drawls, not sounding sad at all.
“Fine, then don’t take me back again, but you will be taking me to the demon realm, or I will just jump Mona away right now,” Nick threatens, grabbing onto my arms tightly. I look between Nick and Adam, and I see the acceptance pass over Adam’s face. No. No freaking way am I getting Nicky stuck in a realm he can’t jump himself out of.
“Circumdo adnecto,” I whisper, pushing the energy from me, and onto Nick. He’s pushed back away from me, no way he can hold on as he’s trapped in my hazy, red bubble.
“Mona,” Nick practically seethes.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, stepping back closer to Adam, as Nick presses his hands up against the circle holding him.
“Drop the fucking circle right now, or I swear t
o god, I will kill you myself if you make it out of their tests alive,” he growls.
“I can’t do that, Nicky,” I say gently.
“Mona—”
“It’ll drop the second we’re out of this reality, right?” I ask Adam quietly, ignoring Nick. It’s painful to look at him trapped in my circle. He looks pissed off, but also hurt, his green eyes are blazing with it.
“Of course, love,” Adam says gently, reaching out an arm. I force myself to take a final look at Nick.
“If I don't come back tell them…” I trail off, not able to finish the sentence. Nick glares at me, not answering. “Please, Nicky,” I whisper, just as I feel Adam's hands grab hold of me. I swear I see a slight nod, but the world is already slipping away around me, as the pressure builds and a slight pop hits my ears.
Chapter 20
The pressure in my head makes me want to vomit, I cling to the demon jumping me between worlds, my eyes shut tightly. When Nick had jumped me within one reality, the two times I had managed to stay conscious, the jump was almost instantaneous. This jump between worlds with Adam, however, is not; I can feel it. The pressure in my head, the feeling of my body both soaring and falling and then my feet finding the ground again. The pressure dissipates, and I force open my eyes, seeing we have arrived. Wherever the hell it is we are. I want to step back from Adam, but I don't feel steady on my legs yet. Falling on my ass in front of the demon doesn’t sound like a fun idea either.
“You didn't pass out,” Adam comments lightly, like he's not about to lead me to my slaughter.
“I think I'm gonna be sick,” I mutter, pushing him away as I stand back. I wobble on my feet a little, but keep myself standing. I glare at Adam when he steps closer as if to grab hold of me again. I don't want his help. I brace my hands on my knees as I bend over, trying to see if the nausea will pass.
“You'll be fine, dove. It really does get easier with practice, the more you jump, the less you'll feel the effects,” he explains, stepping closer to me, despite my obvious resentment of his proximity.
“I know, but that doesn't stop me from feeling like I'm about to hurl all over your shiny shoes right now,” I say, and he steps back again. Note to self—threatening to ruin the demon's shoes works.
The wave of nausea seems to pass, and I stand up straighter, taking in my surroundings. There's a large marble fountain at the centre of the space we are in. The figure at the centre carries a sword in hand and has large wings spanning outwards. I look around and all I can see surrounding us in this pocket of space is a tall green hedge. The dark-green leaves seem slightly menacing, and the branches of the bush are covered with pointy thorns.
“Where the heck are we?” I ask.
“In the centre of a maze,” he answers, his lips quirking as if in humour.
“I mean more, why the heck are we here?” I question, looking around. The green walls of the maze are tall, at least double my height. I can't help but feel vulnerable inside of it, like there's no escape. The thought alone makes me shiver.
“This is the first test,” he answers, shrugging.
“A maze? That doesn't seem very demonic, kind of a little dumb actually,” I mutter, stepping a little closer to the maze wall to take a better look at it. A thorny vine shoots out towards me as if to attack, and I'm pulled back away from it before it can get me. I blink. “What the freaking hell...” I trail off, turning around to face Adam.
“Don't insult the maze, she'll get offended,” he offers.
“She'll get offended? It's a freaking maze!” I shout, feeling ridiculous as I stick closer to the demon for safety when the vines shoot out towards me again. A demon is the safer option. I snort at the ridiculousness of the thought. As if Adam could ever be considered safe.
“She's a labyrinth with a temper,” he replies.
“No kidding,” I mutter, watching as the vines snake back into the maze wall.
“You need to escape the labyrinth before the sun rises in the human realm,” he explains, giving me a disapproving look.
“So, what you're saying is that my avoiding you, just gave me less time to escape this thing?” I ask.
“Exactly, Firefly,” he answers, not looking at all pleased with me. Well damn.
“So, how do we get out here?” I question, stepping closer to the maze wall again, seeing if the vines will attack me again, which they don't. Good sentient labyrinth. No need to attack me, I’m just gonna pass through nice and quiet like.
“There's no we here, dove, I have to leave now, but I'll be waiting on the outside for you, though. Let's hope you can figure the way out in time,” he says with a smile, but it doesn’t reach his red eyes. I shove off the weird feeling it gives me.
“How does figuring my way out of a maze make me a demon?” I ask, completely baffled.
“They want to see how you think, how you'll devise your way out of here. Think like a demon, Desdemona, or you may find yourself a lost little halfling with no chance of escape,” he says. I bite my lip as I turn to face him. He’s holding my sword out, his hands protected by thick, leather gloves. I hesitantly take the sword from him, not liking the feeling of dread it gives me. I’m guessing the sword isn’t for cutting my way through the walls of the maze…so that means it’s for something else. Something else is in this maze. Of course, it wouldn't be as simple as figuring the route out of here. Freaking demons.
“Think like a demon? What’s that even meant to mean?” I ask with a groan, not expecting an answer.
“Work smart, not hard. Don’t be afraid to use trickery, don’t be afraid to use anything you possibly can. There are no rules here, just that you need to escape the labyrinth before sunup in your world. There are four exits, you may leave by any of them, a demon waits at each. I’ll be waiting at the north exit with Asmodeus,” he answers, surprisingly. I take in his words, trying to understand how I am meant to use trickery to escape. What the hell could that even mean?
“Any other words of wisdom?” I ask, forcing myself to keep my voice steady as I meet his eyes.
“Don't die,” he adds with a thin smile, pressure hits my head, and he’s gone with a quiet pop. I let out a shaky breath, feeling my teeth chatter a little. I zip up my grey jacket, and look around in every direction, spotting a gap in the hedge I swear wasn’t there before.
Don't die? Why do I feel like that's going to be so much harder than it should be?
Chapter 21
This maze never ends, I’m sure of it. Having walked for hours through the maze without seeing or hearing anything at all, I am completely convinced this maze is never-ending. My sword is nothing but an annoyance to carry around, considering I haven’t seen anything in here that would have me need it, other than the bloody maze itself.
When I walk through the bush sections of the maze, I can't stop to rest for more than a few minutes before the hedge starts to shoot its damn thorny vines at me. Even if I had more than a night to escape this thing, I'd die of not being able to sleep, I'm sure. There are brick sections of the maze, too. I tried walking down one when the walls started to close in on me, so I ran back and tried another hedge route. I wanted to head for the north exit, but then I realised I have no idea which way north is. There's not even a north star in the damn sky. What the hell is up with that?
I hear a soft buzzing noise, again. I swear all these walls of green are turning me insane, as I keep hearing things. I look around for a cause of the buzzing, but there’s nothing in sight.
“Grrr! This is so freaking stupid!” I shout, slashing my sword at thin air.
“Hey! Watch where you’re swinging that thing,” a familiar high-pitched voice squeals.
“Abby?” I breathe, freezing my motions with the sword. A glittering spot flickers in front of my face, and then Abby appears from the sparks of glitter. “Oh my god, Abby! What are you doing here?” I question her, completely shocked to see the pixie in question. I was sure she was gone for good after Adam scaring her off. She glares at me.
“Tis your fault I am here,” she snaps, crossing her tiny arms over her chest.
“Umm…how?” I ask.
“You left me in this ridiculous darkened world days ago. If they find me here, I shall never get to leave!” she cries.
“I didn’t leave you here? How did you even get here?” I ask, stumped on how the little pixie could have gotten herself stuck in the demon realm.
“When the red-eyed demon came, I hid in the hood of your jacket. The others of your clan were poised to defend you, I thought you would be the safest place to take shelter from the demon,” she explains.
“You hid in my hood?” I ask incredulously.
“Yes, and my wing is still sore from being squished in there,” she says, glaring at me fiercely, flashing her pointy teeth. I put my hands up in front of me, as she flies closer.
“Hey, calm down,” I begin, and she hisses at me. Freaking hisses. “Cut it out, Tinkerbelle,” I snap, losing my patience with the tiny pixie. I swallow the lump that forms in my throat at the use of Luna’s nickname before I can continue. “Let’s get something straight here, it was your choice to hide in my damn hoodie, not mine. Therefore, it’s your own damn fault you’re in the demon realm. Secondly, if you help me figure out how to get out of this damn maze, I’ll sneak you back into the other world with me? Does that sound good?” I offer. She narrows her eyes untrustingly at me.
“Why should I believe you?” she asks.
“Do you have any other options here?” I ask her back. She seems to visibly deflate as she drops down and flies a little lower.
“No,” she grumbles.
“Great, so partners?” I offer, holding out my hand for her to land on like she did when we made an agreement before. She lands on my hand gently and nods her head.
“We have a deal,” she answers. I look up at the top of the maze. All I need to do now is get her to fly up and point me in the right direction, that should be easy enough.