Page 63 of A Fable of Riddles and Redemption

Until his gaze caught on tiny pink numbers etched into the mirrors. Twenty-five. Thirty-seven. Fifty-five.

So that’s how she did it.

Clenching his teeth, he realized she’d labeled each mirror in her escape—and with magic she’d claimed she did not have. The pink numbers were further proof of her lies. He would now have to go through each room and remove her markings before waking the labyrinth. It wouldn’t do for Herrick to wake before then, which would only delay my enjoyment of watching him suffer.

Caliban deepened the sleep he’d cast on the guard and his little pet, then systematically zapped every single number off the mirrors throughout the maze.

This is going to be fun.

Chapter nineteen

In the Labyrinth

Zorina

Everything ached when Zorina stirred from a deep sleep. She groaned, not entirely sure if she ever wanted to move again. Exhaustion washed over her, and she tried to remember how she’d gotten this tired.

With a start, all her memories flooded her mind, and she sat up in alarm. Even more disconcerting was the fact that she was somehow back in Caliban’s lair, lying on the same bed as before.

“No. No, no no. How did I get here?”

Last she recalled, she’d been in the woods…with Herrick. Kissing him. Her fingertips landed on her lips, seemingly of their own accord, as she remembered the blissful sensation. She started to smile, and then froze with horror as she realized that music had interrupted them.

Beautiful music.

Ethereal song.

Caliban.

“He must be furious,” she whispered against her fingers with a gasp.

Fear for Herrick, not just for herself, chilled every inch of her. “He’ll kill him.”

Rapidly, Zorina leapt to her feet and ran to the door—only to find it locked.

“No!” she cried. “Caliban! Let me out! I am not your prey!”

A diabolical laugh met her ears through the locked door. “Oh, Zorina, you’re awake! Excellent! Perhaps you’d like to enjoy the show?”

Dread twisted her stomach. “What do you mean? What show?”

“An execution! Of a treasonous queen’s huntsman! The very best kind of spectacle!”

How does he—? Every inch of her chilled at the realization that he knew. Caliban, of all people, knew about Herrick’s past—and was going to use it as an excuse to kill him. Had he overheard them somehow? Did that mean he also knew she’d lied about hers? Or had he gained his knowledge another way?

Regardless, she had to stop him.

“No! Caliban, I swear if you hurt him, I’ll—”

“You’ll what? You can’t harm me. Not when you claim to have no magic—though I know you do. With our souls linked, you cannot stop me—for my power and control over you grows stronger with every moment, with every breath.”

Her heart skipped a beat. The thought of him controlling her beyond what he already had…it was horrifying to imagine.

Worse still was the fact that Herrick was in danger.

“Please, release him. Release both of us. We don’t want to hurt you.”

Caliban barked a laugh. “Ha! You might not, perhaps, but that guard of yours? He would run me through with his sword if given the chance.” His voice hardened. “But I won’t give him that chance.”