Page 55 of A Fable of Riddles and Redemption

Steeling herself for what would likely be yet another duplicate mirrored room, she felt around the edges of the frame for a catch. As she slid her fingers up where she could barely reach, they caught on something. She’d found it.

When she opened the door, a whoosh of fresh air invigorated her, tantalizing and energizing as it whispered of her previously elusive freedom.

Finally!

Zorina stumbled through the last door—noting an odd magical zing as she burst through it—into the dark of night, nearly collapsing in relief. As she glanced around, she realized the maze had spit her out into the woods not far from her home. But most importantly, she was free.

At least, she was free of the maze. Freedom from Caliban was another story.

Chapter seventeen

Rooftop Confessions

Herrick

Three days. Zorina had been missing for three days. Herrick was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, if not already in the midst of one. Would she return just as broken as the women before her?

True, they eventually recovered their wits. Mostly. But they still had no recollection of what had happened.

Or would she even return at all?

Somehow, he felt that she was surely the targeted woman all along. How could she not be? She was beautiful, intelligent, and vibrant—all traits any man with a lick of sense could wish for.

Additionally, the Maestro sought a woman with magic. While Herrick did not know for sure whether Zorina had any sort of magical ability, from how reticent she always seemed to become whenever the topic came up, part of him suspected that she did, despite her claims.

The others were likely released once their abductor realized they weren’t the one he’s looking for.

That realization struck Herrick hard. If he was right and Zorina was the one the fiend wanted…

He had to find her. But where to start looking? He’d already combed the woods by her home for any sign of her. Since Zorina had found all the other missing women in that area, he kept checking again and again to see if she’d suddenly reappear there, too.

Unfortunately, she had not.

While he wished he could spend all of his time searching for her, and he was assigned to her case, he also had other guard duties to attend to. Never had he wanted to quit his current position more so he could dedicate all of his time to looking for her. At the same time, however, he needed the resources and authority of the city guard to do so.

It was maddening.

Where in the blazes was she?

And why couldn’t he find her?

Not that he’d been able to find any of the previously missing women on his own… It had always been Zorina who’d found them in the woods as dusk fell on the third day.

In Zorina’s case, that was now.

Herrick wanted to rush back out into the woods to see if by some chance she would appear, but his current assignment was within the castle walls. He ran his fingers through his hair as he marched along his patrol route in the castle courtyard. The moment his watch ended, he would hightail it out of here. He glanced at the darkening sky. Soon.

And with any luck, when the remaining hour ended and he was free to search, he would find her.

He didn’t know what he would do with himself if he didn’t.

The next hour was agony as Herrick patrolled the castle courtyard. Anxiety for Zorina’s safety and well-being nipped at his every step. Once he found her—if he found her—he would pull her into his arms and finally tell her everything. And maybe, just maybe, she would let him hold her close and kiss her.

But he’d have to find her first.

At long last, Cadby came to relieve him of duty. Herrick immediately marched toward the gate—

—only to see a petite blonde woman in a black and white peasant dress running toward it from outside the castle walls. His heart leapt at the sight of her, even as the guards at the gate crossed their spears, shouting, “Halt!”