Immortal Consequences(40)

They reached a fork in the path.

Masika locked eyes with Wren. “Left!”

Wren nodded, determination propelling her forward.

But just as she was about to curve toward the left, following Masika’s path, Wren felt something slither over her body, tightening around her torso. She glanced down, panicked, and spotted a set of vines wrapped around her waist.

She didn’t even have time to scream before the hedge swallowed her whole.

15

Irene

Irene didn’t believe in fairy tales. She was eighteen, not twelve. The last time she’d been na?ve enough to wish upon a star or wait for a prince to scale the wall up to her bedroom window and profess his undying love for her, she’d been a young girl deluded by her own fantasies and useless daydreaming.

Honestly, the fact that she’d ever considered the possibility of a happily ever after was mortifying.

So, logically, the monster standing in front of her couldn’t be real.

Silver shards of magic crackled in her palm as she tried to make sense of what she was looking at. It certainly looked like something straight out of a fairy tale—a face made entirely of bones, limbs coated in leathery scales, yellow serpent-like eyes. Not to mention, the creature was at least seven feet tall, with a large hump protruding from its back and razor-sharp talons jutting out of its fingertips.

Whatever it was, it couldn’t see her. Irene had positioned herself next to the hedge, a cloaking enchantment surrounding her with an invisible veil. But time was ticking, and if she had any intention of making it out of the maze, she needed to move. Which meant she needed to figure out how the hell to get past the creature without being seen.

A flicker of movement caught her eye. Not from the creature, but from something behind her, in the periphery of her vision. She squinted her eyes and twisted around, careful not to accidentally cross the boundary of her cloaking enchantment. A moment or so later, her eyes adjusted and she spotted something breaking through the shadows.

Two faces.

Familiar ones.

Emilio and Olivier were crouched a few feet behind her, seemingly unaware that she was close enough to touch them. They appeared to be strategizing on what to do next, though neither of them was bright enough to cast a cloaking enchantment of their own.

Absolute idiots.

She stretched her cloaking enchantment toward them, enveloping them within the gauzy veil.

“Hello, boys.”

“Dammit—” Emilio cursed under his breath, nearly stumbling onto Olivier’s lap. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough. I don’t suppose either of you happens to know what that thing is, do you?”

“Not a clue,” Olivier admitted with a defeated sigh. His usually perfectly combed blond hair sat disheveled atop his head, dirt staining the bridge of his nose. “But I say we make a run for it. We can keep the cloaking enchantment on and it won’t see us.”

“The path is too narrow,” Irene pointed out. “We won’t be able to avoid touching it.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

The truth was, a plan had come to her, though something told her the two of them wouldn’t be thrilled about the idea, considering it involved kicking them out of the cloaking enchantment and using them as bait.

“We can work together,” said Emilio, catching Irene by surprise. “If the three of us attack it…we can overpower it.”

“You want to fight that thing?” Irene asked.

“Well, I don’t particularly want to, but I think it’s our best shot.”

Three against one.

Irene had to admit that a part of her was itching for a good fight, for a chance to get her hands dirty. She just hadn’t expected Emilio to be the one to suggest it. But now that the option had presented itself, she couldn’t help but lean into the side of her that was desperate for a bit of action.

“All right.” She released a sharp breath. “It can’t attack us all at once, so it’ll have to pick a target. We all know I’m far more skilled at corporeal magic, so I’ll be in charge of trying to destroy it.” She turned to face Olivier. “You’re in Litterman, aren’t you? You must be rather good at illusions, then.”

He nodded. “I’m exceptional.”

She rolled her eyes. “Right, well, do you think you’d be able to create an illusion of me?”

Olivier considered her words. “I suppose I could, though illusions meant to mimic people are always a bit fickle.” His eyes shifted to the creature behind them. “Though come to think of it, I doubt we have to worry, considering it’s highly unlikely that that bone-faced troll has more than two brain cells to rub together.”

“That’s good enough.” Irene could see the plan materializing in her mind. She glanced at Emilio, who was staring at her intently, a surprising eagerness in his eyes. “How are you at elemental?”

“Fine.” He shrugged. “Enough to get by.”

“That’ll have to do. When I give the signal, I want you to release a circle of fire directly around the creature. Understood?”

“Got it.”

“Okay.” Irene looked between the two of them. “Ready?”

They nodded in unison.

“Ready.”

The moment Irene dropped the cloaking enchantment, the gauzy veil dissipating, the creature turned its attention toward them, gnashing its sharp teeth. Beneath the alabaster bones coating its face, a set of sickly yellow eyes narrowed in on them, focusing solely on Irene—the foremost of the group.