Page 133 of Find My Way Down to You

“I’m leaving,” I declare.

Stepping backward, Milos throws his arms wide dramatically. “Please, show us your power! Leave! You are free to go.” Gold slithers around his eyes. “If you can do it on your own, that is.”

On my own…How do I do that?

Two hours ago, I didn’t even know any power existed somewhere in my bloodline. That it was passed down from a Deathless. Now I’m just supposed to use it?

I look around for help. Henri lowers his eyes. Aminta turns away. Cary offers me a long, unyielding stare. I’ve only seen him travel between my world and Aides through water.

But there’s none of that here and I’m not him. I’m not a ferrier.

I don’t knowwhatI am.

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. My fingers spread. I reach for a thread of something I’ve never knowingly had access to. An outlet. A well waiting to be filled.

Seconds drift by. Then a minute.

Finally…nothing. I’m as empty as when I came here. There’s no buried power inside me.

And I’m never going home.

Next to me, I hear Milos snort arrogantly. “Pathetic. You will make a nice addition to my collection of—”

“There is another way.”

My eyes fly open. It takes me a moment to recognize where the voice comes from. But I know it as sure as my heartbeat.

Cary strides forward, his stare pointed at Milos. “The labyrinth.”

“The labyrinth,” he echoes, incredulous.

“What if he solves it? He can leave Aides, right?” Cary proposes. “Is that not one of the bargains you make with souls who want a second chance?”

Milos glares at him, then lets out another short laugh. “No one has ever escapedmylabyrinth.”

I look between them. A moment slips by before recognition sets in. They’re talking about the garden’s maze.

“He can do it,” Cary announces. He avoids my eyes while adding, “August is so much more than any of us thinks he is. Including you, brother.”

A burst of warmth spreads unexpectedly through my chest. It radiates with the same bright confidence in Cary’s voice. Hebelievesin me.

The feeling is short-lived. Milos waves a dismissive hand above his head.

“Fine. Let him try.” His wolfish smile is all teeth. “Either way, he is never leaving Aides.”

“How does it work?”

Henri flinches, surprised I’m speaking to him. I am too. His betrayal still stings. But I’m alone here, minutes from doing something I’m not even sure I can. And he’s the closest I’ve had to a friend in Aides.

Eventually, he asks, “How doeswhatwork?”

I gesture widely at the elevator. It’s only us inside. Milos insisted on a personal escort to the labyrinth. Someone other than him. I wasn’t shocked when Aminta didn’t volunteer.

Cary didn’t either, which both relieved and amplified my anxiety.

“Oh.” Henri leans against one of the brass walls. “It’s ma—”

“Don’t youdaresay magic.”