“Wait!” Kaz called.

  “Why?” Izzie asked. “For what?”

  “It’s going to be crazy out there,” Kaz said. “I just wanted a moment with us before it got loud.”

  “Me, too.” Prinna smiled at Kaz.

  The two women laced their hands together, and then Kaz held out a hand for Izzie. I took Izzie’s other hand and smiled lovingly at my magical ladies.

  “We won,” Kaz said almost like she couldn’t believe it.

  “We did it together,” I said, and the reality of our victory started to really come over me. “Holy shit.”

  “I’m so glad I get to bear witness,” Farrah murmured.

  “Let’s get out of this maze,” Izzie said, and she pushed on the stone slabs.

  I didn’t expect they were meant to hinge both ways, but they were no match for my brunette pirate and her gift of opening things.

  The stone slabs made an unpleasant grinding noise as they swung outward, and a hot breeze rushed from behind us to mingle with the cooler night air of the oasis.

  “Oooh.” Farrah shivered forcefully.

  The oasis was dark other than the oil lanterns that burned steadily in the area. The amplified starlight that had followed us since sundown continued to shine softly down on our heads, and between the two, we could easily see who awaited us at the entrance to the maze.

  The armed guards who’d been following us since the end of the Test of Strength were lined up near the entrance. They leaned tiredly on their polearms, and one of them didn’t even bother to cover his enormous yawn.

  Potorn, Obin, and Hool were lounging nearby on comfortable pillows as a small group of the serving women treated them like royalty. They had all sorts of food and drink at the ready for the three wizards.

  The only other people nearby were about two dozen spectators who must have been the most die-hard fans. Most of them were asleep on blankets on the sand, but one little girl who was clearly up way past a normal bedtime for a child of her apparent age, spotted us right away.

  “Champions!” The little girl pointed at us with a huge smile on her chubby-cheeked face. “The Champions have returned!”

  Chapter 18

  In an explosion of movement, Potorn, Obin, Hool, and the sleepy guards looked at me and straightened up. The sleeping spectators woke up as word spread like wildfire that not only had we survived, but we had returned.

  We hadn’t even stepped out of the stone slab or wooden doorway before we were rushed upon by excited people offering amazed congratulations.

  “Champions!” Hool almost shouted with excitement. “We have new Champions!”

  “I knew you could do it.” Obin grinned widely. “I knew you would be the ones!”

  “You’ve succeeded!” Potorn announced, and he smiled welcomingly at Farrah. “And claimed the ultimate prize as your own!”

  Farrah threw her hand against her forehead again as she took a deliberate step in front of me. I could tell what she was doing this time, and I caught her more easily as she pretended to swoon.

  I knew if cameras had been a thing in this realm, we would have been blinded by the photo op. Instead, everyone cheered, clapped, and laughed with glee as my lovers and I stood there.

  It was the most surreal moment I’d ever experienced in my life up to that point, and I just soaked in all the praise.

  “It is time!” Hool declared at a volume that surpassed all the shouting of the crowds. “For the Ultimate Atruuxo!”

  Everyone shouted, and like Hool’s words had triggered movement, they began to swarm away from the opening of the maze. In a rapid flood of bodies, everyone in the oasis began to move away toward the huge open tent for the final, and presumably, the largest celebration of the Trial.

  I placed Farrah onto her own two feet, and she gave me a sly smile. It looked like she was quite proud of her little damsel in distress performance, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at the whole thing.

  She was an odd woman, that was for sure, but I found it sort of charming.

  Only Potorn, Obin, and Hool remained with my lovers, Farrah, and me. Even the armed guards walked away, and that gave me a huge sense of relief. I took that as a good sign that we were free people once more, and we were no longer bound by whatever magic held us to the Trial.

  “Well done, venturer,” Potorn said in a casual tone. “The Trial is notoriously difficult, and you and your companions excelled every step of the way.”

  “We have never seen such outstanding performances,” Hool admitted, and his crow ruffled its wings in what looked like agreement.

  “Your likenesses will be praised for centuries in our gallery of Champions,” Potorn added.

  “Oh, how rude of us…” Obin looked around as if he’d realized we were still in the entryway of the maze. “Please, come past the threshold, and the final traces of the binding will be removed.”

  Obin pointed at a wide and narrow strip of stone carved with more of the geometric patterns as the courtyard and stone slab. I realized the carvings must have held magical things in place, and I stepped across first.

  I felt a soft tingle wash over my body that felt like one of those pleasant rushes whenever I listened to a really good song. Then it was just normal.

  I turned around to watch Kaz, Prinna, and Izzie step across the threshold, and they each had a little shiver shudder down their spines, too. Then only Farrah was left standing on the other side.

  The odd magical light continued to shine down on her, and her curly brown hair glowed softly like what I thought an angel might look like. She didn’t look nervous or anything, though, and she seemed to be savoring the moment.

  Farrah took a deep breath and then stepped across the threshold. I expected the light to disappear, but against all logic, it intensified for a second. Farrah’s brown eyes sparkled again like all the millions of stars in the sky above were shining just for her.

  I started to wonder if the light wasn’t linked to the labyrinth as much as it was to Farrah herself. Maybe it took time for the enchantment to wear off.

  But the big shift in Farrah’s expression seemed to dash that theory to bits.

  “Oh!” Farrah gasped. “I’m so hungryyyyy!”

  “Well, you haven’t eaten in maybe fifty years,” Prinna giggled. “I’m not surprised.”

  “Come, we will bring you to the Atruuxo,” Obin laughed lightly. “You won’t want to miss your celebration.”

  I kept searching for the source of light that shone down on Farrah as the wizards led us through the oasis for our ultimate celebration, but I couldn’t figure it out at all. It was like some invisible little sun hovered over us just for Farrah’s benefit.

  A dull sound of static radio filled my mind as I had a new thought.

  What if Farrah was making the light?

  I mean, hell, Izzie could literally open quicksand with her magic, Prinna could feel the desires of others, and Kaz could charm men to kill themselves. Was it so impossible to think Farrah could warp light somehow?

  Kaz, Prinna, and Izzie seemed to notice the way I kept looking up, and they searched for whatever it was I was looking for. Kaz furrowed her eyebrows at me in question, and I just shook my head to let her know it wasn’t important mostly because I couldn’t explain it.

  By the time we arrived at the tent, it was filled to bursting. Everyone spoke in excited voices, and when they spotted us, they rose to their feet and cheered.

  “Champions!” Several mouths shaped the shout in one collective voice.

  “The newest Champions!” Hool announced proudly. “Tonight, we celebrate their victory, and their entrance into our Gallery of Champions! Forever will their names be spoken with reverence in this great realm!”

  I grinned from ear to ear, and I looked at the four beautiful ladies beside me.

  Izzie smiled with an almost cocky air as she waved graciously to the crowd. Prinna smiled a bit more sheepishly, and Kaz looked totally in awe of the praise that was being thrown at us. At the same time, Farrah’s brown eyes scanned the tent with a visceral hunger, and I knew she must be absolutely starving.

  Sure, the magic enchantment that had sustained her for the last five decades had kept her from starving to death, but her stomach was as empty as anything. I knew that kind of hunger, the kind where it felt like your stomach had collapsed all the way against your spine. I’d been lucky to not feel it often, and usually, it was my own fault for getting too involved in whatever I was doing or during the recovery from a stomach bug, but I knew how uncomfortable it was.

  And suddenly, all I wanted was to give the poor woman something to eat.

  “Come on,” I said to the four beauties. “Let’s go sit and eat.”

  “Yes, please,” Farrah said, and her voice was genuinely wispy and faint this time.

  Izzie and Prinna continued to wave as we walked through the tent to the raised platform, and Kaz broke a smile finally. The reality and excitement must have broken through her shock, and she looked just as thrilled by the attention as my other lovers.

  We settled onto the satin and silk cushions, and Farrah began eating without asking permission. Not that she needed to, in fact, it made me smile that she was so ready to take what she needed.

  I expected her to scarf down food like a wild animal, but the princess-like woman ate with the same proper delicacy as she seemed to do everything.

  And that strange light continued to shine down on her like a gentle spotlight.

  “What is with this light?” I muttered to myself as I stared around at it again.

  “Mmm!” Farrah grunted through a dainty mouthful of food, and she nodded at me like she had something to say. She finished chewing and smiled at me. “Do you like it?”

  “I’m confused by it,” I said. “Are you doing it?”

  “Of course,” Farrah giggled, and the light in her brown eyes seemed to dance with the tinkling sound. “I’ve had a lot of time to perfect it.”

  “Wait,” Kaz gasped. “You’re making all this light?”

  “What?” Izzie chortled. “Really?”

  Izzie’s expression looked like she was torn between feeling impressed and trying to be annoyed. I chuckled at the sheer opposite personalities of the two ladies, and I could tell they would need some time to find common ground.

  Holy shit.

  Was I already thinking about Farrah coming home with us?

  I mean, that was obviously what she and the wizards expected to happen. She’d been the ultimate prize, and we’d won, so she was ours to keep, right?

  I shuddered at the utterly alien thought process that had just passed through my mind. But I was already certain she would have nowhere else to go. If she’d really been in that labyrinth for five decades, all her friends and family were probably long gone. Her parents had probably died a long time ago, assuming she hadn’t been an orphan or something beforehand.

  I couldn’t just tell her no and shove her out into the realms to fend for herself. And I didn’t want to, either.

  She was intriguing in her prissiness, and she was fucking gorgeous. Besides, this light-bending power, or whatever it was she seemed to have, could be wildly useful in a variety of situations.

  Fuck it.

  I was a venturer, why the fuck shouldn’t I bring Farrah home, too? It didn’t mean anything had to change between Kaz, Prinna, Izzie, and me.

  I grinned to myself with pleasure at my decision, and I tuned back into the conversation between Farrah and my three lovers.

  “So you can’t make light?” Prinna asked.

  “No,” Farrah said. “But I can amplify tiny bits of light.”

  “And you can put it where you want?” Izzie asked.

  “Yes,” Farrah said, and she smiled as she tilted her head.

  The light around us suddenly shifted, and Izzie’s bright blue eyes shone with the new cool starlight that washed over her. Her tan skin developed a beautiful pale quality like a porcelain doll, and even the little metal cuffs on her ears caught a hint of the light.

  “Wooooow!” Kaz breathed as she stared at Izzie. “You’re beautiful.”

  “Aren’t I always?” Izzie smirked.

  “Obviously,” Kaz giggled, and she gestured at me. “Give her the mirror. Let her see what I mean.”

  I dug the little gold-framed mirror from my rucksack, and I held it up for Izzie to see herself.

  “Holy hell,” Izzie scoffed in amazement.

  I could see the way Izzie battled with herself and tried to cling to her initial opinions of Farrah, but the light-bending woman’s power was quickly winning Izzie over.

  “That’s not all I can do, either,” Farrah boasted.

  The curly-haired woman pulled the light away from Izzie and herself, and I was able to see her as she really was for the first time. I was delighted to see she was just as beautiful in the same flickering light of the lanterns as she had been in her specialized spotlight. Her skin was just as beautifully golden-brown, and her curls were silky and healthy.

  I forced my eyes to her long-fingered hands as she collected a ball of light between her fingers. She held her fingers curled around the light like it was a physical thing, and then she released it into the air like a baby bird taking flight for the first time.

  The ball of light didn’t last for more than three seconds after it left her hand, and she frowned at it as it dispersed back through the tent to a normal kind of light.

  “Well, I’m still working on that one,” Farrah said.

  “That’s incredible,” Prinna said.

  “Very impressive,” Kaz agreed.

  “It’s pretty neat,” Izzie allowed with less excitement than I could see in her bright blue eyes.

  I smiled lovingly at my brunette pirate, and I couldn’t wait to watch the two of them figure each other out.

  “Do you like it, champ–” Farrah blushed and corrected herself as she leaned close to my side. She laid one delicate hand on my forearm for just a breath before she daintily tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “I mean, Sam.”

  “It’s a fascinating skill,” I said.

  The celebration carried on around us, and every time one of the locals or travelers came up to offer congratulations and gifts, Farrah would lean heavily toward me and flirt openly with me. She giggled shyly and manipulated the light to sparkle in her brown eyes or on her thick curls.

  I noticed the light shift easily over my lovers and me, too, and I was pleased to see Farrah included us so easily in her attempts to enhance our visual presentation for the crowds. She was literally painting us in the best light possible, and I kind of loved every second of it.

  At one point, Farrah and Kaz became engrossed in a conversation as Kaz explained her own powers to the curly-haired woman. I decided to take the opportunity to speak with Prinna about Farrah’s intentions before I revealed my intentions to bring her to Earth with us.

  I needed to know if she was secretly harboring plans to murder us all in our sleep or something, but I was pretty confident that wasn’t what she was about.

  “Hey,” I murmured to Prinna. “What are you finding?”

  “Not much,” Prinna replied without needing clarification. “She loves the spotlight, and she seems genuinely pleased to have been brought out of the labyrinth. There was relief and…”

  Prinna scrunched up her nose as she tried to articulate what she’d felt.

  “Delight?” I offered playfully.

  “Yes, sort of,” Prinna giggled. “She was filled with a sense of… completion. Like she felt as though she’d done her job. She also fully intends to spend all her days at the side of her savior. That’s very clear.”

  “Oh, geez,” I chuckled. “Anything worrying?”

  “No.” Prinna shook her head and smiled softly at Farrah. “I think she’s a kind person. I think she volunteered for the labyrinth because she was bored. I think she wanted something exciting to happen in her life, but that’s just a guess based on what she said and what I’ve felt.”

  “I could easily believe it,” I said, and I smiled adoringly at Prinna. “Love you.”

  “Love you.” Prinna blushed. “Will you bring her back with us?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “She’s got nowhere else to go, and she obviously wants to come with us.”

  “Yes,” Prinna laughed. “Very much so.”

  “What are you two whispering about over there?” Izzie asked.

  “We weren’t whispering,” Prinna said with a smirk.

  “Yes, you were!” Kaz laughed.

  Farrah smiled easily like she already felt as though she were a part of our little family, and I was surprised by how naturally she seemed to be finding her place.

  “Prinna and I were just thinking about how we should head home soon,” I said.

  “That will be nice,” Kaz said easily.

  “Where do you call home?” Farrah asked.

  “I guess you’ll find out soon enough,” Izzie said with a casual shrug.

  Deep affection swelled in my heart at Izzie’s easy acceptance. I gave her a grateful and loving look, and she sort of shrugged it off.

  “It’s called Earth,” Kaz answered Farrah’s question, and she turned to me with a silent question in her eyes.

  “Yeah, it’ll be your home, too,” I said. “If you want it.”

  Farrah smiled slowly, and there was the tiniest bit of relief in her brown eyes. From the corner of my eye, I saw Prinna’s warm smile. I could only guess, but I felt like Farrah hadn’t been sure if we would bring her with us or not.

  “I would like that very much,” Farrah said. “I haven’t ever really had a home.”

  “Really?” I asked. “Not even before you volunteered?”

  “Why do you think I volunteered in the first place?” Farrah scoffed. She looked like she was about to cry, but she straightened her shoulders and the light brightened again. “I will not be a burden, I promise.”

  Farrah’s brown eyes welled up with tears, and Prinna’s eyebrows furrowed with sympathy.

  “I’m not worried about that,” I assured Farrah. “And I’m not about to throw you out to the wolves.”

 

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