Chapter 18

Chapter

Eighteen

"We need to keep moving," I say quietly, glancing over at Anthony when he tries to rest against the wall. His face is pale, but he gives a tight nod, his eyes scanning the shadows as if he's waiting for the labyrinth to strike again. I can tell he's struggling to stay on his feet.

He has been brought in here with me. I figure that means he deserves to know everything. However, I don't have the energy to tell him the whole story. Therefore, I simply said I needed to fix my amulet's magic so I could have protection again.

Every step I take is a strain, but at least Anthony is by my side. I'm grateful not to be alone. The weight of choosing between both brothers presses in on me. I know I made the right call—the only call—but I still feel guilty. I try to push the feelings down. There's no time to dwell on Conrad's unknown fate. Not now.

Anthony stops.

"This isn't right. Something is off." He tilts his head, listening. Louder, he calls, "Who's there?"

I've felt like someone was watching me since I entered this place.

When no answer is forthcoming, I say, "It's just the labyrinth. It is playing tricks on our mind. It's trying to distract us and make us paranoid."

"No," Anthony shakes his head, tensing as his voice drops to a near whisper. "Someone else is in here with us, following us."

I stiffen in fright. Is this the next trial? What did Costin call it? A test of courage?

"I don't think there is," I say. "I've had the same feeling since I entered this place."

Suddenly, Anthony relaxes and gives a big sigh. "Costin, come on, show yourself. I know you're there."

Costin?

I don't know how I know, but as soon as my brother says the words, I know it's true. I can feel Costin's nearness, like a ripple in the air, a presence I should have realized much earlier. Has he been following me the whole time?

Costin steps into the dim torchlight. Relief floods me to see him, but it's brief. Why didn't he let me know he was following me? Why wait to be called out by my brother?

"Where did you come from? What are you doing here?" I leave Anthony's side to confront him.

Costin doesn't answer. His expression is unreadable.

My stomach drops, and for a moment, all I can do is stand there, my mind racing. Yes, I wanted him to come to me in moments of weakness, but the troll's instructions were clear. He was supposed to stay out.

"How long have you been following me?" I demand.

Costin steps closer, his face calm, but there's a tension in his eyes. "Long enough."

What kind of answer is that?

"Long enough for what?" My mind spins, trying to understand why he's here, why he didn't say anything before now, why he's been watching from the shadows.

"Hey, maybe we can have this lovers' spat later," Anthony tries to reason. "I don't know about you two, but I do not want to be trapped in here for an eternity."

"You can't be here, Costin," I insist.

My brother threads his arm through mine. I let Anthony lead me down the tunnel. I can't help but feel safer now that I'm not alone. But I'm not supposed to feel safe. I'm supposed to be tested to prove myself so the troll will fix the amulet and stop the great evil from rising.

"No, I just…" I stop to face Costin, who is walking behind us. "You're not supposed to be here. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure the test of courage doesn't come with babysitters. This is all wrong."

"I told you to wait for me. I couldn't let you walk into this place alone." Costin says, his voice steady, but there's an edge to it. "The labyrinth is dangerous. You don't know what it's capable of. You're not trained to be here. You're?—"

"I didn't have a choice but to come in here," I defend. "Make up your mind. Am I the one chosen by fate, or do I need saving?"

"Hey, buddy, you going to drink that?" Anthony asks.

I frown at the interruption but realize Costin is holding a water bottle. He hands it to me.

"The troll was clear. He said that this is my test. My trials." I gesture around in frustration. "You've ruined everything. Now, I've gone through all of this for nothing. I killed…"

I can't say Conrad's name.

"No, Tamara, Conrad died in the fire. What happened in that trial is not your fault. Like you said, this place likes to play tricks," Anthony interjects, trying to sound reasonable and calm. "If he is really a ghost, one of us would have seen him by now."

I look guiltily away.

"She has seen him," Costin answers, his eyes steadily on mine like the challenge. "Haven't you, Tamara?"

"You know?" I ask in shock. "But you didn't say anything."

"Neither did you," Costin counters.

I'm not supposed to tell anyone about Conrad because he threatened to hurt Paul and Diana if I did. I suppose it doesn't matter now if Conrad has been taken by the labyrinth. But nothing here is what it seems, and how can I know for sure that it's safe to talk about it?

"Tamara?" my brother insists when I don't answer.

I flinch, the word hitting harder than it should.

I can't make myself say the words. How do I explain everything that happened before? How do I tell Anthony that our brother is a lying murderer? Why not let him at least have a decent memory of what Conrad was?

"I wasn't going to let you face this alone." Costin's eyes burn with intensity. "I didn't trust it. I'm protecting you."

Anthony gives a little cough. "Tam-tam, are you going to drink that? "

I hand him the water bottle.

My brain focuses on that one word. Trust.

Costin reaches out like he wants to touch me. I take a step back. My thoughts are spiraling. He doesn't trust the labyrinth? No one should trust the labyrinth. But I read something deeper in his meaning, something he's trying not to say. It's not the labyrinth he doesn't trust. It's me.

My chest tightens, confusion mixing with the lingering pain of everything I've already faced in here. First, the physical pain that left me exhausted and emotional. Then Conrad's betrayal, and facing my own doubts about my worth, and now…

Costin doesn't think I'm capable of doing this. To him, I'm just a mortal. He's like all the other supernaturals in my life. He thinks I'm some delicate creature that can't fend for myself. Everyone always thinks I need to be protected. No one thinks I'm ever good enough, capable enough, or worthy enough to make my own decisions.

Part of me thought maybe he was different.

I'm such a fool.

I hear the plastic seal on the water bottle crack as Anthony opens it. I ignore him.

"You were protecting me, or you didn't think I could handle it?" I ask.

He blinks, and for a moment, I see a flicker of uncertainty. "Tamara, this isn't about you. The labyrinth is ancient and unpredictable. You don't understand how dangerous it is."

"Out of the two of us, I think I'm infinitely more qualified to say how dangerous the supernatural world is to someone like me. I don't need you to follow me." My voice sounds more uncertain than I want it to. A million thoughts race through my mind. I clench my fists, my nails biting into my palms. "I needed you to trust me. The troll said?—"

"I don't care what the troll said," Costin interrupts, gliding closer. Our argument is tumbling in circles. "You don't understand how dangerous this place is. I couldn't just stand by and let you face it alone. You're just a…"

I flinch at his words, the familiar pang of uncertainty creeping in. He stops himself from saying more. He doesn't have to. I hear that same old echo reverberating through me: I'm a delicate butterfly in a world of fiery dragons.

Mere Mortal. Human. Fragile.

It can die.

I don't care that we're standing in a tunnel in a dark labyrinth that has already tried to kill me. I feel a long-dormant rage bubbling up inside me. I'm so tired of everyone treating me like I'm nothing. I'm tired of people telling me what I can't do and doubting my abilities .

I just want to be normal. I just want to belong somewhere.

"Go ahead. Say it. I'm a mere mortal," I finish for Costin with a sneer of disgust. "Just a poor, helpless, stupid human."

"I wouldn't say it like that, in that tone," Costin defends. "But yes. You are a human. You are mortal. Those are the facts."

The words sting more than I want them to. I trusted him. I thought he believed in me, too. But now, all I can feel is the weight of his disloyalty. Conrad had betrayed me because he didn't believe in me and thought he could control my life and choices. And now, here's Costin, doing the same thing, thinking that because I'm fragile, I need him to control me without asking me what I want.

"You don't trust me." My chest tightens as the words slip out before I can stop them.

"Hey, Tamara, take a breath and have something to drink," Anthony encourages. "You're tired and overreacting. I'm sure when this is over, Costin will explain himself, and everything will be fine."

Anthony pushes the open water bottle into my hand. When I don't move, my brother nudges my arm to urge me to drink. I swallow once before pulling the bottle away.

Costin's expression softens for a moment, and he steps closer, reaching for me. "It's not about trust. It's about doing what's best for you. This prophecy?—"

I throw the bottle at Costin's head to cut him off. He easily avoids the attack by leaning to the side. The water splashes and thumps its way down the tunnel.

His words ring hollow. That's what they always say, isn't it? The ones who betray you. The ones who think they know what's best regardless of what I want.

"Tamara, you're not alone in this," Costin says. His tone might be gentle, but I see the bloodlust swirling in his eyes. "I care about you. I wasn't going to let you get hurt."

"But you don't believe in me. You don't believe I can handle it, do you? This is my trial," I snap. "It's supposed to be my test, not yours. You were supposed to let me handle it. If we make it through this, and the troll decides I didn't earn the magic needed to fix the amulet, it will be your fault the world ends."

Costin's expression tightens, but he says nothing more. He just watches me, his intense gaze filled with something I can't quite read.

"Whoa, prophecy? Are we talking about a real, actual prophecy? I don't suppose anyone would want to clue me in on what's going on here. I'm a little bit in the dark about this whole troll amulet world-ending thing," Anthony says, trying to pat my shoulder.

"You're right. We should go." I spin around and march through the tunnel. I stay out of their reach, not wanting to be touched. Under my breath, I mutter, "So help me if I have to go through another version of this freakshow again..."

I'm tired and hurt. I didn't ask to be a hero.

What was I thinking, taking up with a vampire? Of course, he thinks I'm incapable. He feeds on my kind. We're snacks to him, not equals. I'm just something to slake his desires, whether it's for blood or sex.

I don't need another person watching me from the shadows, making decisions for me.

The silence between all of us becomes a palpable thing. I try to focus all my energy on solving this stupid puzzle so we can get out of here.

"I haven't betrayed you," Costin says quietly.

I refuse to stop walking. My hands tremble at my sides, and I ball them into fists. "But you don't trust me either."

Before we can say more, the ground beneath us rumbles. The labyrinth is changing again, the walls groaning as they rearrange themselves. A narrow door creaks open. I see bits of light reflected from within.

"Seriously, does anyone want to tell me about this prophecy?" Anthony asks.

He doesn't get an answer.

I'm still shaken from the argument, but there's no time to dwell on it. The labyrinth isn't going to wait for us to sort this out. I take a deep breath, forcing myself to focus on the path ahead.

I try to move forward, but Costin and Anthony step in front of me. I frown at their backs.

"Stop it, both of you." I forcibly push between them and give Costin a pointed look. "I don't know what's waiting for us in there, but you need to stay out of my way and let me do it."

Anthony drops to the side and lifts his arms out of the way to let me pass.

Costin seems more hesitant to obey. He doesn't say anything. He just nods, his expression unreadable.

I move past them to enter the chamber first, feeling the need to prove myself. It feels like I've stepped into a kaleidoscope with fragmented light dancing across the walls, turning into soft rainbows, like those cast by prisms. The effect is mesmerizing, almost beautiful, but something about the way the colors unnaturally shift, and change keeps me on edge.

The floor beneath my feet feels solid, but the air is thick, shimmering with the kind of magic that makes my skin prickle. I step forward cautiously, but my heart is already racing. This place feels alive. The labyrinth is watching us, waiting for me to take the next step, the final step. I know this is it—the last test. The test of courage. But I have no idea what form it will take, and that terrifies me more than anything else we've faced so far.

As I walk deeper into the chamber, I feel a chill crawl up my spine. Large antique mirrors line the walls. Their smaller handheld counterparts hang from the ceiling to reflect the light, scattering it in a dozen directions. Each one catches glimpses of us, casting us into a hundred different versions as they reflect against each other. The reflections twist and stretch, multiplying until I can't tell where we end, and the illusions begin.

"The magic is stronger here," Anthony says. "Be careful."

A mirror catches my attention. There is nothing special about it other than I've seen its design before in the penthouse library. For a moment, I stand, staring at the dirty, frazzled reflection staring back. A familiar feeling creeps over me from when I was in the library the night Costin came to tell me of the prophecy. I had stared at myself for so long, watching my face blur, wishing I could step through the glass into another world, a place where I could be free from everything that weighed me down. I wanted to escape. To disappear.

Now, as I peer into the reflection, it's not just a longing for another world that stirs inside me. It's the realization that no matter how many worlds I wish for, I can't outrun the one I'm in. This time, I must face it.

"Tamara?" Costin asks. "What do you see?"

I can't answer him. The background of my reflection is not the mirror chamber I'm standing in. There is a foggy haze hiding something lurking within its depths. I watch it move around, a mere shadow against the foggy light. I lean closer to see what it's trying to show me.