chapter forty-four

I made it.

Thea took a long breath, assuring herself that this was no dream and she truly had returned home. So many emotions crashed down on her; she wanted to laugh, cry, and even scream as she relived the last moments she had spent in this household. Everything started in this house, and now this is where she would figure out how to end it.

She tucked the rose delicately into her bag, careful not to crush any of the petals or the stem. She couldn't look at the rose the same way now that she knew what it truly was. She worried that crushing the rose at all would hurt Daida or, at the very least, cause her distress.

"Don't worry," she whispered to the flower before tucking it away, "I'm going to find the answers we need." The rose glowed at her once before she slung the bag back over her shoulder, assuring Thea her efforts were appreciated.

She went to work hunting for the documents. The study was completely turned upside down compared to the last time she'd been in to clean it. The shelves were half broken, with the contents spilled on the floor, and there were various piles of papers, writing tools, and books scattered across the ground. Thea started digging through the first pile, hunting for anything that looked useful. She'd only seen the document for a brief moment before, but it was enough to remember that the paper had been old and yellowed.

She sifted through the piles one at a time, scanning the contents for anything that looked to be well worn. She found old diagrams for the labyrinth gates, and even the original blueprints for the Ashoran estate, but the papers on the rose were nowhere to be found.

Think, Thea...

She went back to the shelf she had first found the papers on and started shoving away the clutter. She brushed her hand along the back of the shelf, feeling the slightest movement, like something was pressed flat against the shelf's wall. She dug her nails under it, peeling away the paper that had been hidden in plain sight.

Yes!

There was more than one. She tugged the papers free and spread them out across the floor in full view. They were the same yellowed color she had remembered, with sketches of twisted tunnels and passages that all appeared to make up the labyrinth. Her heart leaped as she read the scribbled note at the top of one of the pages.

The Rose and the Labyrinth.

"We found it, Daida." Thea smiled to herself.

She scanned over the documents, looking for any sort of instructions, or history that would explain how the rose and the maze went together. All she could see were maps, but none of them truly fit together. Each map of the maze looked completely different from the other, with twisting tunnels that had no rhyme or reason.

"Come on... There has to be something." Thea turned the papers over, looking at them from every angle possible until a soft warmth distracted her from inside her bag.

She looked inside, seeing that the rose was practically flashing with its glowing magic, trying to get her attention. Thea pulled out the rose and held it over the papers, as if trying to let Daida join in on the search. Once she held the flower above the tangle of maze tunnels, something finally stood out to her.

"Hold on..." Thea shifted the papers back in order, then held the rose above them like a centerpiece. When looking down at the sketches of the tunnels, it almost looked like the rose had... "Roots!" Thea exclaimed. "It looks like a root system! "

The rose beamed at her, flaring with warmth and it's enchanting glow like its own version of a smile. Thea placed the rose on top of the papers, trying to figure out how this all went together. Prisicilla and Hayden had mentioned that the rose likely needed to be reunited with the maze to become whole again. Does that mean that Lord Malik cut the rose off from the roots?

"So how do I reattach it?" Thea thought out loud. "The roses in the labyrinth... they started to wilt when I brought Daida's rose into the tunnels. Of course... the labyrinth was trying to show us that a new rose needed to be planted, once that could truly connect to the roots. Oh, Daida, that must be it! You need to be planted in the labyrinth!"

Thea hugged the bloom, her heart pulsing with the warm flares of the flower. It was all coming together. If Thea was correct, then Daida would be free soon, and Zared...

I can only hope Daida knows how to save him next.

Thea stood from the floor, prepping to make her way straight back into the labyrinth, despite barely having set foot in the sun. Zared was waiting for her, and she didn't want to leave him guessing any longer than he already had been.

She turned to leave, but froze when she saw a familiar figure standing in the doorway, his face ashen with shock as his lips parted. She had been so distracted that she never heard the door open, or anyone step inside.

"Thea...?" Ceyden gaped at her, his eyes glowing from his divine gift. He must have used his power to find her the moment she set foot in Olympia. "It's you... It's really you!"

He ran straight for her, wrapping her in his arms so tight, Thea was afraid he would crush Daida's flower. Hearing him tensed something deep inside Thea. She forgot how much he sounded like Zared.

"I can't believe it!" he said, pulling back to get a good look at Thea. "You made it out! I was starting to think that you had perished and that the rose was utter garbage."

"Hello, Ceyden," Thea said with a dry swallow. "Yes, I made it out, but I'm afraid I can't stay right now."

"Can't stay?" Ceyden laughed. "Don't be silly. It's been months since you left. The least you can spare me is a few minutes."

"Months?" Thea's eyes went wide. How long have I been gone?

"Yes, didn't you see that winter is nearly over?" Ceyden pointed toward the window. "But it doesn't matter. You're finally back. Oh, Theabelle, I never stopped thinking about you. Have you seen your family yet? They're doing quite well now, just like I promised. You'll be quite pleased with how I held up my end of the deal."

The deal? Oh no...

"Right," Thea said. "About that deal... Ceyden I need to—"

"We'll likely have to elope before my father finds out you escaped," Ceyden continued. "He wasn't happy to hear that I gave you the rose. Why don't we do it today? I can hardly wait to have you in my arms now that you're finally back where you belong."

Back where I belong...

"Ceyden, I'm going back into the labyrinth," Thea said boldly, pulling away from his embrace.

Ceyden stared at her, his dumb smile still plastered on his face. "W-what? Don't be silly, Thea. You're safe now. You never have to go back in there again. I'll make sure of it."

"I know I don't have to, but I need to," Thea said. "There's someone in there who needs my help, and I can't abandon him now."

"Him?" Ceyden's tone shifted, her brows furrowing as a dark cloud passed over the window. "Who could you possibly know that is in the labyrinth? Everyone down there is a criminal or a murderer. They're the scum of Olympia. "

"I was down there," Thea reminded him.

"Yes, but that's different." Ceyden rolled his eyes. "I don't care who's down there. You're not going back. You're lucky enough the beast didn't rip you to bits the first time; I'm not risking you stepping foot in there again."

"The beast is the reason I need to go back," Thea said, her heart flaring as she thought back to Zared's heartbroken gaze. "Ceyden, there's no easy way to tell you this, but the beast... his name is Zared, and he's your brother."

Ceyden didn't say anything at first, his eyes narrowed as he tried to determine whether or not Thea actually knew what words were coming out of her mouth. A second later, he burst out into full-blown laughter.

"Thea, do you hear yourself? The beast is my brother?" Ceyden wheezed. "You must have been isolated for too long. Come on, let's get you some water and then we'll—"

"Ceyden, this isn't a joke!" Thea pulled away from him, stopping his laughter and earning another of his possessive glares. "I know I made a deal with you, but it's going to have to wait until I save Zared. I promised him I—"

"You promised him?" Ceyden's voice raised. "No, no, no, you promised me that we would wed if you made it out alive. I don't care what kind of promised you made with your imaginary friends in the tunnels. Beast or not, you're staying with me now, Thea. That's what you promised." He grabbed her by the arm, his grip as tight as an iron shackle as he dragged her out of the study.

"Ceyden, wait! Let me go!"

"Quiet! My father will be home any minute. We need to get someone to officiate our wedding before he returns. He won't dare send my bride back into the tunnels," Ceyden said as he dragged her through the halls.

"Ceyden, please! Your brother needs help! I know you never met him, but—"

"Enough!" Ceyden jerked Thea to his side as he threw open a storage room door with his free hand. He tossed Thea into the room, causing her to stumble to her knees and nearly collide with a collection of brooms. "No more nonsense about brothers, or beasts, or the labyrinth. You're going to stay here until I get everything sorted, then we'll get you some help, Thea. Your mind is sick from the tunnels, but don't worry, I'll help you. I'll always be by your side soon."

He started to shut the door, and Thea clambered to her feet to try stop him, but she was too slow.

"No!"

The door slammed shut, and once again, Thea was a prisoner.