“Everyone calls this place the Labyrinth,” Autumn explained as he led us down one of the dusty, cracked streets spreading from the square like a spiderweb. As far as I could tell, he’d chosen this one randomly. “The Research Institute looks after it, but anyone can come here to train.”

  “Then a-are we going to run into anyone else, Sir Autumn?” Thomas asked nervously, peering down a small alley between two buildings.

  “Nah.” He waved a hand. “Once we hit the first floor, we’ll be all on our own.”

  “‘First floor?’” I echoed.

  “Yeah. We’re not really in the Labyrinth yet — this floor’s more like floor zero. Kind of a massive lobby.”

  “So the next floor’s different? What’s it like?”

  He shrugged. “No clue.”

  “What? The fuck’s that mean?” Cael grumbled. “This your first time here or something?”

  Autumn grinned. “I train here a lot.”

  He pulled something from his pocket and tossed it to Cael.

  It was one of the pieces of wood from the offering bowls. Tiny runes were scratched onto the surface, spiralling across the entire sliver.

  “That’s a Labyrinth key,” Autumn told him. “Different keys get you different monsters and different floors. There’s a sort of guidebook for some of the symbols on the keys, but the best it gives you is a rough idea of what you might end up fighting and how far down you can get before you hit a dead end. This floor’s the only one that never changes.”

  He grinned enthusiastically. “It’s part of what makes this place so great for training: you never know what to expect. Way better than trying to chase monsters down in the wild.”

  … Well, damn. I was about to explore a randomly generated dungeon.

  I really was trapped in a video game.

  Autumn led us deeper into the abandoned city, the street we were on splitting, then splitting again as it wound through the ruins. It took a sharp turn, then abruptly ended at a mound of rubble where half of a building had collapsed across it.

  “Damn place doesn’t make it easy,” Autumn huffed, looking around. He pointed at a narrow alley leading off at an angle, partially hidden by some of the debris. “We can try that one.”

  “What are we looking for?” I asked, carefully stepping over chunks of building as I followed him.

  “Stairs going down — that’s how you get to the next floor, but they’re always kind of hidden. Good news is, the further out you get, the easier they—”

  His hand snapped up, stopping us dead as an eddy of wind curled around our ankles.

  “… Autumn?” I breathed.

  He shook his head silently, the muscles in his neck tensing.

  A stronger gust sent down a cascade of dust, the sound of falling pebbles bouncing and echoing between the empty buildings.

  “Ambush,” he whispered, jerking his head forwards. “Two — no, three of ‘em.”

  “Did … were we followed?”

  A thrill of naked fear ran down my spine, tightening my chest as the memories of my kidnapping rolled over me. I — it hurt to breathe. The smell of Stephen’s blood filled my nose. His widow had wept on my shoulder at his funeral. Autumn… he was saying something. I could see his lips moving but his voice — I couldn’t…

  I was having a panic attack, a small, detached piece of my brain informed me.

  As Logan, I’d faced death before; that had been my job. I’d seen it in so many horrible incarnations. I’d buried friends and fellow officers far too young. Logan had learned to distance. He’d learned to cope.

  But I wasn’t Logan anymore. I was Violet Briar Dusk, a scared teenager with a head full of memories that weren’t really mine.

  Violet had never learned to cope.

  The ground rushed up to meet me. Tiny rocks felt like needles stabbing into my palms. Everything began to swim. The edges were fading.

  Two hands caught my shoulders, burning like brands through the fabric of my shirt.

  “Princess? Violet?!” Cael’s frightened voice cut through the static. His worried warm chocolate eyes filled my vision.

  I focused on those. I could focus on those.

  “—I—" gasped out of me.

  “Deep breaths. C’mon, Princess.”

  He helped me sit upright and leaned me back against something warm — and rumbling.

  … What the…?

  “Lord Violet?” Thomas’s voice spoke up from behind me.

  Shakily, I let myself look over my shoulder. He was right behind me, just supporting me. And he was “… purring?”

  The rumbling stopped and he looked away quickly.

  “… It’s nice.”

  It really was. It had helped, too — my chest felt less like it was full of rocks.

  Thomas’s eyes went wide and shot back to meet mine. Then he gave me a small smile and leaned closer against me, that soothing rumble resuming. The next breath felt easier. And the next.

  “Fuck,” Cael sighed, drawing me back. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and offered it to me. “Scared the shit outta me. You okay?”

  I nodded, raising a trembling hand to wipe my blurry eyes. I shouldn’t have been so surprised when my fingers came away wet.

  He gently pushed the hanky into my hand. “You went all pale and shit. Up for telling me what happened?”

  “We can turn back if you need to,” Thomas added, still purring. It must have been a Beastkin thing. It was comforting, but hell on what little dignity I had left. “We can come back another day.”

  I wiped my tear-stained cheeks, leaving dirty smears on the square of fabric. “… No. I’m — I’ll be fine.” I was here to help Thomas. I would deal with it.

  Using the wall beside me for support, I slowly climbed to my feet. My knees still felt like jell-o, and my throat like sandpaper, but I could deal with it. “I’m fine. We should–”

  “No.”

  I jerked in surprise. Sir Dave was scowling at me, his arms crossed.

  Autumn stood behind him, his back towards us. He’d been watching out for danger, keeping us safe while I had my meltdown. His head still scanned the alley, but from the tightness of his shoulders and the way one ear was always pointed our way, I was pretty sure we had his attention.

  “I’m not going to let false bravado place anyone under my command in danger,” Sir Dave growled. “If there’s a problem, I expect you to say something.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, to lie and insist I was fine. But … I was a five-foot-two twink in green silk, and I’d still been chosen to be here.

  No one cared how ‘tough’ I pretended to be.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “I’ve been having nightmares,” I blurted out before I could second guess myself. “Flashbacks. My guard was murdered right in front of me. I froze. I was too afraid to move.” I sighed, leaning heavily against the wall. “It’s not every night. I figured that it wasn’t a big deal — I’ve been fine in practice. But when Autumn mentioned an ambush… it came rushing back.”

  “… Shit.” Cael pulled me into a gentle hug. “You should’ve told me.”

  “I… thought I could handle it. I didn’t want you to think I was weak,” I admitted, unable to meet his eyes.

  Cael grinned. “You’re a lotta things, Princess. ‘Weak’ isn’t one of ‘em.”

  Thomas wrapped himself around my back, purring even harder. I leaned my head back on his shoulder.

  Fuck it.

  I wasn’t alone.

  “Earl Dusk,” the commander rumbled. “There’s no shame in choosing to leave. Not everyone’s meant to be a warrior.”

  “You’re right. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. But.” I met his eyes. I needed him to understand. “If I leave, that’s it. I’ll never be able to come back. If you’ll allow it, I would like to keep going.”

  I was not alone.

  Commander Dave looked at me sternly, but there was a glimmer of pride in his eyes. “Let me be clear: if it happens again, we will be leaving.”

  “I understand.” I took a deep breath and pushed myself off the wall, feeling steadier with each exhale. “So. What’s the plan for dealing with our little trap?”

  Cael grinned. “Easy. Autumn thinks they’re kobolds or something small. So, Thomas takes lead, and I’ll back him up. Princess, you hang back and cover us.”

  “I can fight,” I protested. “There’s three of them. We can each take one.”

  He shook his head. “My magic’s still crap, and Beastkin can’t cast. If things go to shit, you’re our backup.”

  Stupid logic.

  If only he were wrong.

  Thomas drew his short sword and took the lead, silently stalking along the alley. Cael stayed close behind him, his own weapons at the ready.

  A little further down, another alley crossed ours. One side of the crossing alley was blocked by debris, forming a slope down from the surrounding roofs. As we neared it, Thomas slowed, looking in askance back over his shoulder.

  Autumn nodded, pointing up the scree and holding up three fingers.

  I shook my wrist, dropping one of my throwing knives into my hand as we moved into position.

  My hands were sweaty and trembling. I took a slow, deep breath to slow my galloping heart.

  Stopping just shy of the scree, I nodded at Thomas. He smiled and walked forward calmly.

  There was a loud screech from above. A goblin threw itself down the slope, shrieking wildly and baring its fangs. Thomas met it at the bottom, stepping into its charge and skewering it in one clean motion, then danced out of the way of a second goblin’s swinging club as he pulled his sword free. Cael flowed past him, seeming to appear from nowhere and delivered it a hard blow to the gut followed by a strike to the head. It went down like a sack of stones.

  By the time the third goblin had stumbled down, the pair had already flanked it. The monster barely had time to gasp before it fell under their combined assault.

  I breathed out an unsteady sigh of relief.

  Cael grinned confidently back at me. “See? Easy.”

  His foot shot out from under him as a plate-sized rock flew into the sky, buzzing and shrieking like a siren. He spilled on the ground, swearing loudly.

  “Lord Violet!” Thomas shouted, pointing at the swooping rock.

  I coated my knife with Wind and threw it.

  The whole sequence took less than a second, so fast I didn’t have time to think or panic, just react.

  My aim was exquisite. The knife soared towards its target, requiring only the smallest instinctual nudge, before hitting the thing dead-on. The fast-moving Wind screamed along its edge like a chainsaw, and the small knife sank in up to the hilt.

  “Damn it.” I ducked beneath my arm.

  A loud boom echoed between the buildings as the rock exploded, showering us with dust, pebbles, and fragments of my knife.

  Cael sat up, a bit wild eyed. “The hells was that thing?!”

  “A rock imp,” Thomas replied, brushing some debris off his shoulder. “They’re nasty little monsters. Their shriek calls the rest of their flock, and then they swarm you. That was a very good shot, Lord Violet.” He smiled cheerfully at me. “We’re lucky you took care of it so fast.”

  “Thank you.” I flipped over a small chunk of rubble with my foot, and picked up the twisted remains of the hilt. It had peeled open like a flower from the force of the blast. Nothing else left was bigger than the nail of my pinky. “I just wish it had been intentional.”

  “How many knives you have on you?” Cael asked, brushing himself off.

  “My usual assortment, plus another two braces of throwing knives. So… maybe twenty? I hadn’t considered I’d need to manage with a limited supply.”

  “But… you’re a Shadow mage,” Thomas interjected. “Can’t you just…” he mimed reaching into a shadow and pulling something out.

  Cael snickered. “Princess’s still a baby Shadow mage. ‘Shadow Puppet Show’ is the best he’s got right now.”

  “Traitor!” I hissed. “You said it was a great puppet show!” It had only been a few little shadows on a sheet, but he’d applauded even harder than Lilian and her friends had.

  “It was fantastic, Princess. Lily said it was the best birthday show ever. But that’s not gonna help us in here.”

  Thomas carefully took the burst hilt from me and examined it. “Why does that happen?”

  I shrugged. “We don’t know. Originally, we thought I was forcing too much magic into them, but they tear themselves apart no matter how careful I am. It’s effective as hell, I’ll admit, but I’d like it to be intentional.” I tapped my lip thoughtfully. “It’s interesting. Anything I don’t throw is fine. My magic tutor thinks it might be due to my resonance.”

  Everyone’s magic resonated — it wasn’t good or bad, it just was. Mine just happened to be on the stronger side. Add in my Shadow magic and the trace of Fire I’d inherited from Logan, and things I imbued could behave… abnormally.

  I sighed. “We’re trying to figure out a way to mitigate the effect, but… Thea’s distractible.”

  “…Maybe you need cheaper knives?” He suggested. “The kind with soft steel. They can’t hold an edge, but you don’t need them to — not if you’re using your magic to make them sharp like you did.”

  “That’s…” so simple. Why hadn’t I thought of that? “You’re a genius!”

  I could have hugged him.

  Thomas looked startled. “No! I mean, not really,” he demurred. “It doesn’t actually solve anything.”

  “Who cares?” I replied cheerfully.

  My next training session was going to be very productive.

  —————————

  According to Autumn, the goblin ambush was a pretty big hint that we were close to a stairway. We decided to split up and look for it. I’d been paired up with Thomas and Cael with Autumn, while Sir Dave chose to act solo, ready to support either team if we needed help.

  “You sure nothing else’s gonna jump us?” Cael whined as he trailed after Autumn.

  “Gods…” My brother groaned. “For the last time, there’s nothing else!”

  “… How’re you so sure?”

  “Because that’s my godsdamned Talent! The air tells me things. I could tell they were there because they were breathing.”

  “… You’re shitting me. You found monsters ‘cause of breathing, but you can’t use your super air power to find a set of fucking stairs?!”

  “Air is stupid.”

  I shared a grin with Thomas as Cael’s swears echoed back through the ruins.

  With nothing better than “pretty close” to work with, Thomas and I decided to start looking by going down the intersecting alley, checking each door, window, and arch as we went. We wandered through ancient, cracked courtyards and dusty halls.

  We found plenty of stairs. Unfortunately, none of them led down.

  I groaned as we forced yet another warped door. It gave way with a loud squeal, spilling us onto a terrace. The dry breeze tugged at my hair, spiralling away across the rooftops.

  The city fell before us like a shallow bowl. Through the gloom, I could just see a faint, flickering glow at its deepest point that marked the central square we’d started from.

  Thomas leaned on the stone railing and sighed. “I wonder what happened to this place.”

  “I don’t think anything did,” I replied, leaning beside him and staring out into the city. “There’s no sign there were ever people here. No ancient furniture or scraps of cloth. There aren’t even bits of broken pottery. It’s just destroyed buildings and dust.”

  His head swivelled towards me. “You’re very observant,” he remarked.

  “Not really. If I were, I’d have realized you were a Catkin right away.”

  Thomas stilled. If he’d had a tail, it would be twitching.

  “The colour of your eyes was a clue, but it’s mostly the way you move. You’re graceful — you don’t walk, you glide.” I glanced up at his cap. “I’m guessing that hides your ears?”

  He stared at me, watching me intently.

  I stayed still, glancing down and idly tracing the wind-worn carvings on the balustrade with my finger.

  Ever so slowly, his hand drifted up and he pulled off his cap, revealing an adorable pair of black and white cat ears poking out of his messy brown hair.

  He flinched as I straightened, as if he were expecting a blow.

  “… So cute.”

  He blinked, his ears standing up straight and his brows shooting up. “I’m sorry?”

  He leaned away in surprise as I stepped closer. “They look so soft. Can I touch them?” I asked, my hand twitching involuntarily. I’d always liked cats.

  “Uhm… Sure? But please be gentle; they’re sensitive.”

  His ears were every bit as soft and silky as they looked. As if drawn by a magnet, my fingers found a spot just behind his left ear and began to scratch.

  Thomas melted against my hand, purring like a diesel engine.

  “Ooh. That’s nice.” He sighed happily. “You’re — a little to the right, please — a very strange person, Lord Violet. You’re a lot nicer than I’d expected when Sir Autumn told me an Earl was coming with us.”

  “I’ve heard that a lot recently,” I admitted ruefully. “Thank you for earlier, by the way. It helped.”

  Thomas blushed. “I could tell you were scared and hurting. It wasn’t much, but I wanted to help you.”

  For just a moment, scattered beams of sunlight broke through the clouds, illuminating the city around us. The faint haze of dust that drifted between the buildings sparkled in the light.

  He smiled softly, the light in his eyes sincere. “Because you’re my friend.”

  His smile was sweet and hopeful. The faintest hint of a fang peeked out from between his lips as he purred, my frozen fingers still sunk into his tousled hair.

  A shout rose above the ruins, and the dark grey clouds choked off the sunlight once again.

  Thomas looked away, his ears swivelling. “Looks like the others found the stairwell.” He pushed off the railing, tucking his cap into his belt as he walked away.

  I stood, my hand still raised, staring at the spot where Thomas had just been.

  I’d had a moment. With a guy — a cat-boy. A cute cat-boy. And not just a little moment, but a full-on Moment, worthy of the kind of illustration that had always made Els squeal.

  Just like with the cute waitress.

  … What the fucking hells was happening?!

  Villainesses Did Not get Scenes! Even I knew that. Especially not with a sensitive cat-boy. That was Heroine bullshit. How had I ended up in her role? Twice?!

  And the game hadn’t even started yet!

  “Lord Violet? Are you coming?”

  I spun, my heart pounding.

  Thomas was waiting for me in the doorway, a quizzical look on his face.

  “Coming!” I called, hurrying to catch up.

  There would be time to freak out later.