by Grant, Donna
“Yes,” Shannon said. Before she turned away, Aimery stopped her and handed her the dagger she had used to kill Gyles.
“You might need this.”
She nodded and tied the dagger, now sheathed, around her waist. “I just might.”
* * *
Cole and Gabriel reached the village to see people screaming and running for their lives. Through the smoke of the fires, they spotted the Minotaur, his hulky form striking at anyone that got near.
Gabriel pointed to the right. Cole nodded and slipped off to the left. They would circle the creature and corner him, then kill him. It was a simple plan, a plan that would have worked had the child not gotten in the way.
Cole spotted the toddler screaming in the road the same time the Minotaur did.
The Minotaur let out a roar and rushed for the child. Cole took aim and released an axe that embedded in the Minotaur’s back just as he reached the child. It gave Cole the moment he needed to grab the toddler and hand him to a woman who he urged to race to the forest.
No sooner had he handed the child to the woman than he was yanked backwards to land with a jaw jarring thud that knocked the air from his lungs. As he struggled for breath, the Minotaur loomed over him.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” he growled before he lifted his hand, ready to strike.
Cole didn’t think, just reacted. He immediately rolled away and came to his feet, reaching for his axe. But his hand came up empty. He scanned the area and found his double headed war axe several paces away and closed his hand on the pommel of his sword.
He studied the Minotaur as the creature slowly advanced. “You weren’t in the maze.”
The creature laughed. “I was there and ready to strike when I was released with the death of Gyles.”
“I would have thought the killing of Shields would have overruled your need to slaughter the village.”
“I knew you would come. You Shields always do.” Out of the corner of his eye, Cole saw Gabriel approach. He unsheathed his sword and circled the creature. “You’re time is at an end.” In response, the Minotaur roared and lunged at him. Cole spun and brought his sword around to slash the creature’s chest. Bright red bubbled and fell from the open wound, but just as quickly it healed.
The Minotaur advanced, his great arms swinging in an attempt to get hold of Cole. Cole used his quick feet to keep out of the way. Several glancing blows caught him, and the strength of the Minotaur gave him pause.
While Cole kept the Minotaur occupied, Gabriel had taken aim and let loose with a flurry of arrows. The creature screamed in pain and turned to Gabriel. Cole used the chance to dive for his axe.
He gained his feet to see the Minotaur had Gabriel by the neck squeezing the life from him. Cole’s blood rushed in his ears. He ran towards the creature, his axe lifted over his head.
The Minotaur raised his arm, his claws unsheathed. Cole had just enough time to reach him before he struck Gabriel a killing blow. Using all his power, Cole swung the axe at the Minotaur’s arm and heard the slice of the blade as it connected and his hand fell to the earth.
The momentum of Cole’s swing brought him forward, and he rolled to land on his feet. When he turned around, he found Gabriel on the ground and the Minotaur holding his arm against his chest. The roar the creature issued sent chills of dread racing down Cole’s back.
Before he could blink, the Minotaur raced toward the castle. Cole helped Gabriel to his feet, both men staring at the destruction and death the creature wrought.
“How does your neck feel?” Cole asked.
Gabriel shrugged. “Probably as good as your swollen eye,” he said, his voice cracking and hoarse.
“We’ll mend later. Let’s kill this thing.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Cole and Gabriel raced through the open gates of the castle. What few castle guards they found were slaughtered, which left the castle empty except for Shannon, Aimery, and the Minotaur.
“He went to the maze,” Gabriel said.
Cole nodded. “It’s his home. Let’s find Shannon and Aimery first to see if they have the stone. It won’t be long before the creature has his hand back.” They ran into the castle and found Shannon and Aimery searching Gyles’
chamber. Shannon looked up as they entered, a welcoming smile on her face.
“Both of you look like hell. Did you kill it?” Cole laughed. “Nay. We wounded him, but it’s just a matter of time before he attacks again.”
“Did you find the stone?” Gabriel asked.
Aimery shook his head. “The most logical place would be in this chamber, yet we have not found it.”
“Its here,” Cole said. “Gyles would not have put it too far away.”
“I agree,” Aimery said.
As one, all four left the chamber and walked to the hallway.
“Gabriel and I should keep an eye on the Minotaur. Be ready to strike before he fully heals,” Cole said.
“Good idea,” Aimery said and looked to Shannon. “I’m being called back. I cannot stay. You’re going to have to find the stone.” Shannon nodded woodenly. She had never felt so much pressure in her life.
From what Aimery had told her while they searched Gyles chamber, the creatures were near invincible. Each one had a certain way to kill it, and the most effective way was by smashing the blue stone.
Her gaze turned to Cole. He looked a mess, and she wanted nothing more than to hold him tightly against her. “I’ll find it,” she promised.
He stepped toward her and brought her into his arms. “I know,” he said just before he kissed her.
The kiss was slow, soft, but it held something in it she hadn’t felt before.
Something she dared not ask him about until the creature was dead.
“Whatever happens, stay out of the Minotaur’s way,” Cole warned. “If we fail
….”
“You won’t,” she interrupted.
He smiled sadly. “If we fail, stay hidden and call to Aimery. He’ll see you safe.” Shannon glanced at Aimery to see the Fae smile at her before he disappeared before her eyes. She turned back to Cole. “I….”
“I know,” he said and kissed her forehead. “Remember what I told you.”
She nodded and clenched her hands in an effort to not drag him back to her as he walked away. He stopped just before he reached the stairs and turned to look at her. She was barely able to make out his face in the dimly lit hallway, but she thought she saw him smile. She returned his wave and then he was gone.
Shannon leaned against the stone wall and wondered where she should search next. The castle was huge, with many rooms and corridors. It would take her weeks, if not months, to search every room.
She looked back into Gyles’ room. She had been sure they would find the stone hidden there. Her feet took her back into the room. Something told her to look again.
The trunk against the wall caught her attention. She had searched it, dumping the entire contents on the floor. But maybe she missed something.
* * *
Aimery took a deep breath before walking into the throne room. Theron and Rufina awaited him, and it wasn’t until he was nearly before them that he noticed they were alone.
“Aimery,” Rufina said in a choked voice. “What have you done?” Theron glanced at his wife before he stood and walked down the steps to Aimery.
“You have brought attention to us. I know you needed to help Shannon, but giving her one of our weapons to kill Gyles goes against what we are allowed to do.” Aimery had been prepared for this. “We just gave Mina and Elle weapons to help kill the Harpies. This isn’t so different.”
“I know,” Theron said with a loud sigh. “The evil is one step ahead of us. We will never defeat him unless we can outmaneuver him.”
“I have reports from my army that the sightings of creatures have dwindled.”
“What?” Rufina asked as she rose to her feet. “How
is that possible?”
“Think about it, love,” Theron said and reached for his wife’s hand. “The evil discovered information about the Chosen Ones. He now realizes that they will determine if his plans succeed.”
Aimery nodded in agreement. “He’s focusing all his efforts on finding the other two Chosen Ones and killing them.”
“Aimery-….”
“I’ve already dispatched my army, sire. They will find where the other two creatures have surfaced.”
Rufina shook her head sadly. “Let us pray that we reach the Chosen Ones before the evil does.”
* * *
Cole and Gabriel overlooked the maze from the castle window that had climbed through earlier. They could hear the creature as he continued to scream in pain, but they hadn’t yet found him.
“I don’t see him,” Gabriel said.
Cole shook his head. “Me either. He must be hiding.”
“Then its time to find him.”
He looked at Gabriel and smiled. “Most definitely.”
“Where did he enter?” Gabriel asked. “I was brought to the maze at the back, near the bailey.”
“I was brought in through the castle. My guess is that he went the same way you were brought. Quicker and easier than trying to go through the castle.” Gabriel nodded. “I’ll move there and watch the entrance.”
“Stay
safe.”
With one last look, Gabriel turned and disappeared down the hallway.
Cole went down on his haunches and prayed for the clouds to move away from the moon so he could have more light. If he could get a view of the creature he could attempt to wound him again. As it was, the clouds were many and left him little to no light to see by.
He decided to walk the top of the maze as he and Gabriel had done when they escaped. He blinked his bad eye, noting that the swelling had gone down somewhat, but it still hindered his ability to see clearly. He would have to rely on his hearing to make up for his eye.
With a quick adjustment of his sword and axes, he jumped from the window and landed on a thick wall of the maze. “Time for some hunting,” he whispered as he unsheathed his doubled headed axe.
* * *
Shannon threw the clothes down with a vicious snarl. How could she have been so wrong? She had wasted precious time looking in a chest that had already been searched. Suddenly, the roars of the Minotaur reverberated throughout the castle, sending ice through her veins as panic began to choke her.
Her fear for Cole and Gabriel grew with each second that passed. She jumped to her feet and slipped on what she thought was a tunic. As she moved her foot, she saw the parchment. She hurriedly unrolled it to see a language she didn’t understand, but she was able to make out the crudely drawn map.
“Oh, my God. It’s a map to the stone,” she whispered. She clutched the map in her hand and scrambled to her feet. In her haste to leave the chamber, she fell as she rounded the corner into the hallway.
Her heart pounded in her chest, and her blood rushed in her ears. She couldn’t shake the unmistakable knowledge that she wouldn’t get to Cole in time.
She stopped in the great hall, unsure of how to get to the maze. She turned, grabbed up the hated skirts and sprinted out of the castle into the bailey. The Minotaur’s roars had lessened, which meant her time was running out.
In her mind, she imagined an alarm clock with only seconds before the alarm sounded and all was lost.
Her gaze swept the bailey. It was completely deserted and quiet as a tomb. She began to run across the bailey when she saw movement to her left. Her head turned, and she spotted Gabriel and turned mid-stride toward him.
“I found a map,” she said. “A map to the stone.” His brow furrowed. “What kind of fool would leave a map to the stone?”
“This kind of fool,” she said and held up the map.
Gabriel looked it over and cursed. “Come on,” he said and took her arm as he drug her to the castle wall.
To her surprise, she saw an entrance that would otherwise have been hidden.
Gabriel hastened through it, and she followed, trusting him completely.
She stared in horror at the massive stone walls that surrounded her. Solving puzzles had always been a specialty she had, but now, she was beginning to hate them.
“The
maze.”
“Aye,” Gabriel whispered. “Stay near me,” he warned.
“Where is Cole?”
Gabriel shrugged. “Somewhere in the maze,” he whispered over his shoulder.
“We’ll find him.”
Shannon’s entire body shook with fear. She compared it to the insane times she went with friends during Halloween to the old buildings they converted to spook houses.
She was never one who liked the thrill of the scare.
Safe and secure, that was Shannon.
The Minotaur’s roars ceased all together. She reached up and took hold of Gabriel’s vest. He turned and looked at her, but all she could do was shrug. How could she tell him that all the horror movies she watched had the person that was last taken first?
Instead of blurting that fact out, she kept hold of his leather vest and constantly looked over her shoulder to see if anything had snuck up behind her.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Cole ceased his movements on the top of the maze when the Minotaur’s roars stopped. He waited expectantly, but when no more roars ensued, he knew the Minotaur had fully healed.
Slowly, he squatted and closed his eyes as he opened his ears to the sounds around him. If he concentrated hard enough he would be able to pick up the movements of the creature.
Several heartbeats passed before he heard the heavy footfalls of the creature to the front and left of him. He was about to stand when he heard something else. Two more sets of footfalls. One long, and one short and quick.
His eyes flew open.
Shannon!
He knew Gabriel would have had to have a very good reason for bringing Shannon this close to the creature, but it still didn’t stop the anger that consumed him.
Gabriel and Shannon were to his right and slowly coming towards him, just as the creature was. He had to get to them before the creature did.
Cole sprang up and jumped from wall to wall as he hurried to Shannon. He never looked down, only concentrated on finding Shannon. The scene in his dream where he held Shannon’s dead body in his arms flashed in his mind, and he realized just where he had been while holding her.
The
maze.
He refused to allow the dream to come to pass. He’d sacrifice his own life for hers. It wasn’t simply because she was one of the women chosen to aid Earth, but because he loved her. Aye, the gods help him, he loved her.
Finally he saw them. With one final leap to his right he dropped down behind them.
Gabriel spun around, his sword ready to strike, but Cole’s eyes were for Shannon.
She took one look at him and flew into his arms. He allowed himself a heartbeat to hold her tight before he pulled away.
He looked over her head to Gabriel and motioned that the creature was headed toward them. Cole placed a finger over Shannon’s lips, hoping she understand that meant to keep quiet.
In response, she held up a piece of parchment. He unrolled it but wasn’t able to discern much with the cloud cover.
With a shrug, he handed her the parchment. She pulled him down and moved her mouth by his ear. “This is where the stone is.” He jerked back not believing her words until Gabriel nodded. Cole raked a hand through his hair. They had to find the stone to complete the mission. He took her hands in his and gave her a squeeze.
“Go with Gabriel. Find the stone and smash it,” he whispered.
“And you?” she asked.
“I’ll keep the creature occupied and away from you.” He glanced at Gabriel to make sure he had heard.
“Come,” Gabriel whispered and took
Shannon’s arm.
Cole didn’t want to let her go. He couldn’t shake the picture of her dead body out of his mind. When they rounded the corner and she was out of site, he readied his axe and walked toward the creature.
“Looking for me?” Cole shouted. “I could hear your heavy breathing in another realm. I would have thought this great evil, your master, would have chosen a more competent creature to try and best the Shields,” he taunted.