chapter thirty-nine

Sending her away was the most crushing feeling Zared had experienced since being trapped in the labyrinth as a child, but even that wasn't enough for him to hold Thea back. He gathered supplies for her, throwing together a small bag of food and other items in case she needed them on her journey back to Olympia. She tried to tell him she didn't need anything, but he refused to tell her where the portal opened without it. She finally accepted, and they stepped out of the cavern's hidden section to venture out into the maze.

"Are you sure about this?" Thea asked, her fingers twisting tightly around the rose. "Once I leave..."

"I know," Zared said, not willing to hash out everything that could go wrong now that he'd made up his mind. "Ultimately, it's up to you, but I won't hide the door from you if you so choose to exit."

Thea went quiet after that, and Zared hoped it was because she was feeling confident and not afraid. There was no telling how quickly the curse of Underworth could sap her life. It affected everyone differently from what Thea explained, and it favored those with magic. He hoped that meant the rose could help keep her safe, or at the very least provide her guidance like it had in the tunnels.

They reached a dead end, and Zared's ring warmed with the softest buzz, alerting him that he had found what he was looking for.

"Here it is," Zared said, his voice echoing against the corners of the cave.

"Will it show up later?" Thea asked, reaching out to touch the cool wall.

"Yes, but it never appears in the same place twice," Zared explained. "The labyrinth is always changing, so not even King Hayden can keep track of where the portal needs to appear. On some occasions, it hasn't even found its way into the maze at all, but usually, it sticks to one of the walls."

"I see," Thea said as she pulled her hand back. She looked so much better now after a few days of rest. There was still a decent sized lump hiding under her dark hair, and she still didn't get out of bed too quickly, but she seemed to be back to her normal self otherwise. "I suppose this is where we say goodbye, then."

Zared's heart sank to his hooves, but he forced a smile on his face. He couldn't let her see how much it hurt to let her go. She deserved to be free. Unlike the other prisoners that were sent to these tunnels, she hadn't committed a crime worthy of staying trapped. It would be so easy to keep her here... so easy to ask her to stay for just a little longer. But, even if he couldn't fully admit it to himself, he knew he had grown to care for her. So much so, he wanted her freedom even if it meant his solitude.

"I need you to promise me something, Thea," Zared said, his eyes drifting to the rose. "Once you leave, I need you to promise me that you'll never return unless you have a way to get out again."

Thea's eyes widened, fluttering Zared's stomach as he gazed into her stunning irises. "But what if I figure out how to cure you?" she asked. "I don't want to make you wait a moment longer if I—"

"Please." Zared reached for her hand, and she easily accepted it without so much as a flinch at his claws. "Don't give up your freedom for me anymore than you already have."

Thea bit her lip, then shifted closer so only the width of the rose stood between them. "Then I'll find a way for us both to escape," she said boldly. "The answers to the rose are in Olympia, I'm certain of it. Once I make it out of Underworth, I promise I'll do whatever it takes to break your curse, then break you out."

Zared smiled. Just hearing those words was enough. He might be alone once Thea left, but he would always have the memories to keep him company—not to mention, a new hope to cling to... He didn't need a rose to give him purpose. There was someone right in front of him who was willing to fight for his life, so he was ready to fight for it, too.

"I'll be waiting." He lifted his hand to her cheek, his massive palm encompassing almost the entire side of her face as she leaned into his touch. "Just please stay safe. Even if you don't come back, I'll be all right so long as you're still well."

She deserves to live her life again, even if it's a life without me.

"I will come back," Thea said. "Either because I found a way to set you free, or because I murdered your brother after he forced me to marry him."

Zared laughed. He'd miss having her stubbornness around.

"You laughed," Thea smiled. "You don't smile very often, but I'm glad I got to see it again before I left. I can't wait to see it again, soon."

Don't say that, Thea. Don't make me hope I'll have you back.

Zared pulled his hand away, his heart jumping as he remembered the last thing he had hoped to do. He looked at the golden ring on his finger, the only gift from his mother, which had shown him everything he wanted, but could rarely have. He tugged the ring off and held it out to Thea.

"I want you to take this."

"Your ring?" Thea stared at the gold. "I can't take that. It's too precious."

"Do you remember what this ring does?" Zared asked.

"You said it guides you to what your heart wants most in the moment," Thea said, repeating what he had explained to her during their time in the caves.

"That's right, so once you leave. It will forever be useless to me." He took Thea's hand, then uncurled her fingers to place the ring in her palm. "The only thing I'll want to find is you, Thea, but I won't be able to search beyond the walls."

"Zared..." Thea breathed, her eyes misty as they remained latched on him.

"If you ever want to find me again within these tunnels, it will guide you back to me," Zared continued. "Until then, it will help you find what you're looking for on the surface."

Thea looked at the ring. It seemed so small in her dainty hands. She slid it onto her thumb, then curled her fingers to hold it close to her palm. "Thank you," she whispered. "I promise to take good care of it until I'm back."

" If you come back," Zared said through another painful smile. "Remember your promise."

" When I come back."

"Always so stubborn." He was going to miss that.

The faint smell of smoke interrupted their conversation, and a second later, a small blue flame flickered on the wall. The flame grew brighter, then ever so slowly, trailed into a ring to create the shape of the portal.

"It's time," Zared said with a heavy heart. "Once the ring of fire is completed, a portal will open through the smoke. It doesn't stay open for long, so you'll want to be quick, but careful. There are usually only a few inches of the cliff available before it goes straight into the drop."

"Got it." Thea nodded as she tightened her grip on the rose. She tucked the bag of supplies Zared had given her over her arm, then took a long breath as she stared into the circling flames. She looked back at Zared, her eyes sparkling in the light of the blue fire. "Time flows differently in Underworth."

"That's right," Zared said, unsure what she was getting at only moments before she needed to cross through the portal .

"Which means that even if I do make it out, it could be days or even weeks longer for you than it will be for me," she thought aloud, her eyes watering as she stared straight through Zared's crushed soul.

That's right... There's no telling how Underworth's curse will warp time while she's gone.

"It will be all right." Zared tried to sound reassuring, but his gut was twisting at the thought of never knowing how long he might be waiting. Perhaps it was best if he just treated this goodbye like it was truly their last... "I'll be waiting either way. Don't worry about me."

Thea shifted closer, one hand curled tight around the rose while the other twirled the gold ring on her finger. The portal was nearly completed, but she didn't seem rushed. Instead, she took her time inching closer, silently closing the distance between them as the crackle of the flame echoed behind Zared's pounding heart.

She was so much shorter than him, but he could tell she was focusing on his face. He knelt on one knee, meeting her eyes on equal ground like when they both took turns lying injured in bed.

"Be safe, Zared." Her lashes fluttered closed, and Zared shut his eyes as her soft lips gently pressed against his forehead. She didn't shudder at his fur or his horns, and she didn't even jump back when the portal completed with a puff of thick smoke. She lingered in the moment, letting it last so Zared could savor it for the eternity of solitude that awaited him. He didn't want this to be their last goodbye, but if that's what it was, it was more than enough for him to cherish forever. "Don't lose faith in me, all right?"

"I won't," Zared promised, his voice barely a breath as she pulled away and turned toward the portal.

The pits were dark and looming, but just like before, there was the slightest edge of the cliff that marked the start of the grave. Thea took a deep breath, then stepped through, one foot at a time. Her foot wobbled a bit on the cliff, and Zared winced when he heard a few rocks crumble off the edge. She planted her second foot, barely balancing on the cliff's edge as she turned back to look at Zared one more time through the smokey opening.

"Goodbye, Theabelle."