Chapter 10

"Fuck! Ow!" My face smacked into the corner of a false wall, and I recoiled in pain. I swear to fucking god some of these hidden sections moved after I found them. I'd been feeling along the walls to find the illusion panels, because hunting for half a millimeter of variation in a swirly carving was giving me worse eye strain than spending all day staring at a computer monitor, coding in a dark room. Even with my short cut methodology, it had been twice now that I'd misjudged the size and shape of the opening and suffered the consequences. Sometimes only a portion of the wall was fake, and sometimes the whole ass wall was fake, and sometimes it surged between fake and solid and I had to time it to get through.

"You could have entered anywhere in a five foot span, and you literally picked the spot with the lowest pass-through?" Theron stepped through the wall behind me, once again not so much as knocking a hair out of place, and I glared at the Dream Weaver in irritation .

"Why don't you lead the way if you're so good at identifying the passages?" I snapped.

"Right now we're in the safest and least troubling part of the maze. If I helped you get to the other side and you ended up in a much more violent sector, you would blame me for leading you into danger, and I still wouldn't win. So instead, I want you to figure it out without my help so you have only yourself to blame." He doled out with a dismissive wave.

"Wow, a man who believes in accountability. Do you apply that same kind of doctrine to your own fuck ups?"

Theron raised a brow. "I don't fuck up, so I've never had the opportunity. But obviously you're considerably less graceful." He gestured towards my forehead that I'd just hit into a stone wall, where I would guess I had a visible mark. My whole expression flattened. I fucking don't like this guy.

"If you're not going to help, then why don't you go away and leave me alone?" I scowled as I started running my fingers lightly along the next violet wall.

"I thought I owed you." He parroted my own words mockingly. Quick rephrase: I fucking HATE this guy. "I'll happily go back to my home outside the Labyrinth, and you can go through this all by yourself. I'm only here because you obviously need me. Just say the word, and I'm gone."

I glared at him, and he rolled his lightning blue eyes, because he knew I needed him more than he would ever need anyone or anything. "Can't you at least give me hints if I'm doing something right?"

"No." He shut me down immediately, though with the way he was standing around scratching his ear in complete disinterest, it didn't exactly sound like he had any compelling reason for his douche-baggery.

"Why?" I whined, in a way unbecoming of my otherwise very capable self.

"Exactly. Why . What would I get out of helping you? More of your sarcasm and sass? You're going to give that to me anyway, so it seems pointless to give you additional reasons." He continued staring at the clock in the sky in boredom. "At best, I could offer you another nightmare. Maybe fuck you with a knife to your throat, while I remove your fingers one knuckle at a time. How does that sound? I gather that's more to your taste than walking through vaguely unpredictable walls."

"No, I'm good. This is fine." I grumbled as I tested another false wall for its boundaries. Even though he'd blamed me for having masochistic fantasies, I was still blaming at least a portion of that nightmare scape on him. Bleeding out after getting kidnapped by a serial killer was, admittedly, one of my irrational fears though, so it tracked a little bit. But then again, what woman who has delved into the misery of online dating didn't fear that possibility? Even if 99.999% of men on there were normal, that 0.001% meant it was still a game of psycho roulette.

As someone who just lost that game, I'd say I was now an authority on the subject.

Comparatively, while this wall thing was annoying, it really didn't seem particularly dangerous. One row at a time, I was getting closer to the center of the Labyrinth. I continued down the next row, my tennis shoes tapping over the amethyst stones embedded in the floor. The corridors were wide enough that I couldn't reach both sides even with my arms outstretched, but not so wide that we could totally comfortably walk side by side. Overhead, the maze was open, allowing an always clear view of my time limit. I considered that it might be easier to scale the wall and traverse the top of the maze like I was walking on a balance beam, but with the unpredictability of what walls were real versus imagined, I thought better of it.

I skated my fingers across the purple stone barriers, until I felt another dip in reality. My whole hand went straight through the false stone, and I felt around the edge of the illusion, determining what kind of height I had to work with. Once I was satisfied I'd judged my entry, I ducked through the panel in an effort to avoid a concussion.

And of course, I hit my temple on another corner of the wall that definitely wasn't there when I tested it, and I screamed in aggravation.

Theron said nothing. Just followed like he was a puppy dog watching its owner make a fool of themselves for a crowd. Just another day in the life of Sela versus The Universe.

"You know, back on Earth—because I'm assuming this isn't Earth—people actually respect me." I noted as I started along yet another plum wall covered in ivy. "Not only that, but I'm the boss, and they do as I say, and they like it. They choose to follow me, because I'm strong and competent and know what I'm doing."

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" He continued to watch me with those condescending raised brows and an unmoved expression, while I rubbed my forehead.

"Neither. I'm making a statement. These are facts." I exhaled then examined the pattern in the next long corridor as I walked along the gem-like cobblestone. "I'm just saying, there are way worse people you could be stuck with. Help me, and I'll help you."

Theron didn't bother entertaining my attempt at selling myself. He just shook his head and continued to follow me through each hidden break in the walls. One more row and the bright violet started to fade to a vague indigo. The indigo led down to a door that was deeply blue.

This must be the end of the section , I thought as I recalled seeing it from the cliff side. I glanced up at the orange sky overhead, and the clock was ticking down past the sixty-two hour mark. I'd spent a full ten hours just getting this far, but that included the cliff and the forest and the bad dreams. Though, being this rainbow only technically offered six distinct colors, and the indigo stripe was just vaguely transitional between the first and second sections, that would mean I just needed blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. So I had over twelve hours available per remaining section, with a little time to spare for the castle itself. This was totally doable. Now that I was getting the hang of it, it would probably start going faster, and I assumed the next section wouldn't have stupid invisible walls.

With a heavy exhale, I gripped the doorknob to the blue section, and I hoped for the best. I twisted the knob and… nothing happened. The knob just spun on its axis endlessly, like I was spinning a top.

"Let me guess, this isn't a real door, just like these aren't real walls."

Theron shrugged, and I've mentioned I hate him, right? "You're so smart and brilliant and brimming with leadership. You tell me, Butterfly."

"Fine. It's a false door, and we're going elsewhere." I snapped, then I pounded down the corridor to yet another blue door. This one spun its knob freely too. I groaned as I found a third and a fourth to the same note .

Theron continued to watch me struggle, while he leaned against the wall with his arms and legs crossed, looking cool and bored and irritatingly hot. Despite all the scars that marred his flesh, he had a perfectly sculpted body, and an unfairly perfect face. The fact that my lady bits were ready to flutter over those horns had me questioning my taste and dedication to feminism. Though I didn't think there was anything in the doctrine about not getting fucked by the devil, was there? The Bible probably frowned upon it, but the Bible frowned upon women's rights, too, so I wasn't going to use that to dictate my kinks. If he could make me come, that was part of women's lib.

I think.

Probably?

I should verify.

The next knob I turned, I noticed the little scars that speckled my arms. Scars that made me his possession, according to him. His "good girl," I believe he'd called me.

Yep. Lady bits fluttering .

That for sure wasn't in the doctrine. Why was it that I was happy to run the show everywhere but in bed? My dream should have been to be a dominatrix, but my heart was practically palpitating every time I thought about the moment he told me I belonged to him.

The fact that I was here because I fell for a man who promised to choke me with red flags until I came was telling and apt. I deserved everything I got for being so basic. Just me, crushing it in the board room, while letting the patriarchy dictate my kinks instead of looking for healthy, equal partnerships like the bad bitch I was. Imagining someone else taking control in my life and dominating me for once shouldn't get me wet. Men applauding my great value and superior contributions while on their way to therapy should get me wet.

I frowned and rubbed my forearms nervously, like I could wash away the scars that way, then I moved on to the next door.

"The difference between the real walls and the fake walls are in the tiniest imperfections." Theron said loudly and absently, like he was talking to no one, and it was just a random general statement. "I wonder if such a thing could be consistent?" He asked the sky. "If only there was some logic to this Labyrinth, but of course, there is not." He waxed poetic. "If only—"

"Hint taken." I yelled back, not interested in the mocking that was definitely coming next. I squinted at the patterns on each door, and that was when I noticed it. There, just above the doorknob, was a slight hitch in the pattern. A scratch on the rock that didn't belong. I touched my fingers softly to the stone door, and my fingertips sunk into the surface. I hit a switch inside the false panel, and a loud click rang through my ears. I grabbed the knob again and gave it a twist. This time the door opened.

"I got it!" I shouted, turning to Theron before celebrating with a fist pump. He snorted, and I could tell the pursed lips were an effort to hide the smile so clearly visible in his eyes.

"Figured that out all by yourself. I'm so impressed." He said flatly, but the accidental upturn of his lips was still obvious, completely betraying his snark. "Hopefully you're more observant in the Blue Sector. This is when it starts to suck."

"What do you mean? Suck how?" Hoping he might actually give up some half way useful information, I looked at him with my most pouty and sweet puppy dog eyes. Men always fell for that shit.

"On a scale of ‘sunshine-and-rainbows' to ‘your personality,' I'll just say it's not sunshine and rainbows."

Rude .

Clever jab though, and I might have laughed if not for the fact that I was still bitter about the nail thing, and that was obviously intended as an insult.

"So it's spectacular and sparkly then." I shot back as I shoved open the door. I stepped through the transitional indigo opening into a corridor that was starkly blue. The temperature dropped dramatically, chilling me to the bone in a matter of seconds. I rubbed my arms and covered my chest, trying not to acknowledge my hard and prominent nipples that were poking through my thin shirt. I was a puffy-coat-when-the-weather-dipped-below-sixty-degrees kind of girl, and this was definitely way colder than that if the icicles frozen to the walls were any indication.

"I was thinking more ‘frigid and unapologetic,' but it all depends on what you're into." Theron followed me through, and despite being shirtless, he seemed unfazed by the temperature change.

"A-a-a-aren't you freezing?" I managed through my clattering teeth. My short skirt and my cute top were not my friends anymore. My only respite was that my nipples were so hard and pointy, I could probably poke someone's eyes out if we encountered any monsters.

I took one tentative step, only to immediately realize the floor was as frozen as the walls. My feet slipped out from under me, and my life flashed before my eyes.

Theron caught me without even trying. He rolled his neck nonchalantly, sighing like he was terribly inconvenienced, while still stabilizing me by my shoulder with a very warm hand. The second he touched me, I was bombarded with the comfort of his body temperature radiating through his skin. His touch was something akin to hot chocolate in a warm mug, while his scent was still heavy with cinnamon, and that combination washed down through my core in a pleasant wave.

"Devils don't freeze, Butterfly." He said coolly, before he removed his hand, and the chill returned. It was almost worse having had the brief warmth and losing it than it had been to have none at all.

"W-wait." I gasped at the shock of an icy breeze blowing through the corridors. "If you don't need it, can I borrow your scarf at least—"

"No." He snapped before I could finish. "No one touches my scarf." The scowl on his face said it all. He shook his head then, with a heavy sigh, he offered me a hand. "But you can hold my hand until you're less pathetic." Though he grumbled, he still offered me his palm, and I still took it.

Instantly, that pleasant warmth flooded into me again, and I squeezed him softly with a smile. "Thank you." I said, in genuine appreciation. It was a small gesture, but he didn't have to do it.

"Sure." He replied without eye contact.

Then I started down the first twisting corridor, tensing my hold on his hand whenever my feet would start to slip and slide.

The turns and corners were no longer hidden by illusions, but the icy tunnel went on forever, and I never knew if I was going the right way or not. Theron offered no opinions on what way was right or what way was wrong, and I led us both to several dead ends, yet he just kept holding my hand, letting me lead him around while sharing his warmth. I suppose I couldn't complain too much. I didn't know that I would be functioning at all without that little concession.

One slippery turn led to another and another. More dead ends, more forks in the road.

Though he talked about this section like it was daunting and scary, all I was finding was low temperatures and a mildly annoying lack of traction. That was hardly a world ending terror. I had this.