I swore as my toes met yet another obstruction beneath the carpet of old pine needles and dead leaves that covered the trail.

  Thomas appeared like a ghost and caught my arm before I stumbled.

  “Rock!” Cael called out. The shuffling and crunching following me doubled in volume as the three stomped along behind me.

  A tiny, amused twitch creased Thomas’s lip. “It was a root this time. Are you alright, Lord Violet?”

  “Fine,” I sighed. “Cael was right — this forest sucks. Anything worth noting?”

  “Yes. The path splits again up ahead. We should take the left one — it’s steeper and a bit rocky, but the right path’s a dead end.”

  Great. My feet were going to be nothing but bruises by the time this was over.

  Instead of drifting off back into the darkness, Thomas stayed close, biting his lip. “Lord Violet, may… can I ask you something?”

  “Hm?”

  “Why does Cael call you ‘Princess?’”

  “That’s—”

  “A great question!” With the sudden, loud crunching of leaves and twigs beneath his feet, Cael threw his arms around our shoulders. “How much d’you know about the ‘slaver gang’ thing?”

  “Uhm… N-not much, actually. Only what everyone does: that Lord Violet stopped them, and his Majesty made him an Earl. Trainees like me don’t have access to official reports. You… you were part of the gang, right?”

  “Yeah, but not exactly.” He waggled a hand. “It’s complicated.”

  “I’d be curious to hear your version of events,” Sir Dave remarked, only a few steps behind us. When Cael had sped up, he and Autumn must have stayed close. “The official reports were thorough, but impersonal.”

  Cael laughed. “So. It starts when Lily — that’s my sister; cutest kid, you’ll love her — doesn’t come home in the afternoon. By supper time, she’s still not back, and I’m freaking out—”

  “Shouldn’t we be quiet?” I asked. “So we don’t attract monsters?”

  He shrugged, his arm still draped over my shoulder. “Hate to say it, but we’re already fucked on that ‘being quiet’ thing. Pretty sure everything in here already knows we’re here.”

  “Don’t worry, Lord Violet. I’m still keeping an eye out,” Thomas added from his other side. “The only creatures I’ve seen were a small pack of wolves. They looked more curious about us than anything else.”

  “See? We’re good, Princess. Right… so I’m freaking the fuck out…”

  Cael continued spinning his yarn as we reached the split in the path Thomas had warned me about. I turned left. It was bad, but it didn’t even slow Cael down.

  “… and this short cutie’s mouthing off at the psycho bitch. ‘Course, I’m expecting her to get her dumb ass handed to her—fuck! Warn a guy, Princess. Damn rocks… So, I look over, and I shit you not, the shortie fucking jumps up and kicks her. In the head! She goes down like a bag of rocks…”

  “I didn’t jump, Cael.”

  “Shh, Princess. My story. And maybe you didn’t jump-jump, but you totally kicked the crazy bitch in the head.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “Anyways, turns out that the tiny hottie’s actually a dude! I get the damn cuffs off him, and Lily says…”

  The rough section was mercifully short, and the path soon flattened out, running along the top of a small cliff. From up here, the forest seemed to go on and on. A soft breeze teased the tops of the trees and caressed my face.

  “…and kicks the guy in the balls. Fuck, I felt that hit.”

  “It was an accident. I slipped.”

  “Princess. Kicking someone so hard his fucking grandkids feel it is one hell of an ‘accident.’ So then, I tackle the guy–”

  “You tripped.”

  “I tackled the guy, on purpose, and it was awesome.”

  “So you meant for the keys to the slave pen to fall in the river?”

  “… So, then Princess claws my damned leg out from under me and I go flying into the bastard…”

  The little game trail wound back into the forest, splitting twice more before descending into a starlit glen. Wildflowers surrounded a wrought iron spiral staircase sitting incongruously in the middle of the clearing.

  “…swoons in my arms. And I’m standing there with a court full of nobs and the saints-cursed king staring at me. No fucking clue what to do…”

  “Tempest was standing right beside you,” I reminded him as we started down the staircase. I had no doubt my brother had stepped in instantly. “Autumn was there too.”

  “That giant baron guy showed up first, actually.” He retorted, one arm still draped across Thomas’s shoulders. That neither of them had fallen down the narrow iron steps was a miracle. “Like having a fucking mountain roll up on you. He throws the fucking sail he calls a coat around us, and he and his Lordship hustle us outta there. And that, my friend, is why Princess here is Princess.”

  The rickety staircase took us down to a series of opulent and smoky rooms that smelled faintly of sulphur and made my sinuses burn. Autumn and I warded off swarms of air and smoke imps with our Wind magic while the others fought walking suits of armour and flying swords.

  I was thrilled when we finally stepped out on the eighth floor in the shelter of a cliff, supported by stone pillars that formed a half-cave. A beautiful, sandy beach stretched away from the foot of the wave-worn cliff, where white-capped waves sparkled in the bright sun. A salty breeze tugged at my hair, washing away the lingering stench of the floor above.

  Across the stretch of sun-kissed sand, a pair of rusty streaks on either side of a dark fissure marked the next set of stairs.

  I took a deep breath, stretching. “This… I didn’t think the floors could get this nice. Do you think we could take… a little…”

  A small goblin crept through the forest of stalagmites in the cave, glancing upward. It stopped at the edge of the beach for a moment, then broke into a run across the sand. A loud screech echoed off the cliffs, followed by a sound like paper tearing. The goblin vanished with a loud thump.

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  I watched in bemused horror as the gryphon soared away, the mangled goblin corpse dangling from its talons. “Autumn? You’re not allowed to pick the keys anymore.”

  My brother sighed. “Yeah, that’s fair.”

  ———————

  I put the finishing touches on my enchantment and charged it. “I still think this is a bad idea.”

  “It’ll work,” Thomas assured me. “Trust me.”

  “I do trust you. I’m unhappy with you trying to use yourself as bait. Again.” I rose, hands on my hips and critically surveyed my work. Four enchanted circles lined the area: two on the floor and two on a pair of columns not far from where the goblin had been attacked. Anything bigger than a breadbox would trigger them.

  “You played bait when we met,” Cael reminded me as he finished charging his circle.

  “And I nearly died doing it,” I retorted, “which is how I know it’s a terrible idea!”

  Thomas smiled and gave my arm a reassuring squeeze. “Thank you, Lord Violet, but I can do this. The gryphon is a lot bigger and slower than the harpies — it won’t come close to catching me.”

  “I just wish there were a better way to deal with it.” Was this how everyone else felt when I came up with plans? “Are we ready?”

  Cael finished charging the last circle and stood, brushing the sand off his knees. “As ready as we’re gonna get.”

  With a determined nod to us both, Thomas walked behind a pillar. A little black and white spotted cat walked around the other side. It sat down and began washing its face, purring happily.

  Whaaaat the…

  I knelt in the cool sand. “… Thomas?”

  The kitty sauntered over and rubbed his head against my fingers.

  I picked it up and my fingers found their way behind its ears. Very slowly, I stood and looked behind the pillar.

  There was nothing.

  “Thomas?” I asked again, holding the cat up to my face.

  The purring got louder, and it placed a paw on my nose.

  Holy hells… he really could turn into a cat. Where had the rest of him gone? And… “What happened to your clothes?!”

  The purring stopped instantly, and its eyes went wide in surprise.

  Cael stuffed his fist in his mouth to muffle his laughter.

  “It’s a legitimate question!” I insisted, cradling kitty Thomas and glaring at my friend. “They’re clothes. They’re not a part of him, so why aren’t they still here?”

  “Great question, Princess. Just not a ‘now’ type question.” Still giggling, Cael took kitty Thomas from me and placed him on the ground. “You’re up.”

  He let out a chirpy meow. With a flick of his tail, he wound his way between a pair of stalagmites, heading for the beach.

  I grabbed Cael and dragged him to our assigned hiding place, just past the series of circles and a bit off to the side. Sir Dave and Autumn moved into position nearby, ready to intervene if this plan went sideways.

  Thomas stopped just shy of the open sand and looked back at us, his paw poised.

  I gave him a confident smile and a thumbs up. I believed in him.

  Crossing to the spot where the goblin had been attacked, he stopped, meowing loudly and pawing at the blood-stained sand.

  There was a curious kek-kek-kek call above us.

  Thomas hissed, his ears flat against his skull.

  A shadow swooped towards him. He dodged to the side and skittered into the shelter of the stalagmites just as the gryphon swiped at the spot he’d been standing. Using them as cover, he teased the gryphon, carefully staying in sight but just out of easy reach.

  Then an ‘unlucky’ dodge of a lazy swipe drove Thomas out of cover. He froze for a moment, staring wide-eyed at the beast. The gryphon let out a triumphant screech. Thomas ran deeper into the half-cave, his paws scrambling in the sand, the gryphon lunging for his tail.

  And straight into our trap.

  Thomas’s claws scratched at the rock as he threw himself sideways and into my arms.

  The spells activated, unleashing a windstorm that blasted the monster from four directions. It careened through the air with no control and kept going, smashing into the cave formations like a wrecking ball. The force of its impact against the cave’s inner wall knocked loose even more stalactites, burying the creature under a pile of rock.

  We ran for the stairs.

  ———————

  The stairs were short this time — only six steps that I practically jumped before I burst back out into humid jungle air.

  I broke out in a sweat almost instantly.

  I was standing on the remains of an old stone road, already lost to the heavy vegetation. Glittering insects as big as my hand zipped past me, and the canopy was alive with bird calls.

  Behind me, a stone ziggurat rose out of the jungle, half torn apart by vines. The statues that had surrounded it and lined the road were little more than unusually regular lumps of worn stone.

  Thomas squirmed out of my arms and ran behind one of the statues. After a few moments he strolled back, adjusting his clothing.

  He jumped as I grabbed his arm and leaned in, running my hand over his chest and examining his gambeson. Heavy fabric, likely stuffed with cotton. No enchantments I could detect. Was it because it was natural fibers? Did they count as part of him? But the fittings were metal, and his sword and buckler had vanished too…

  “Lord… Violet…? What are—?!”

  He squeaked as I pulled a bit of his shirt free from the collar of his gambeson, leaning in even closer to examine the threads. “Putting aside the headache-inducing question of what happens to the rest of you when a full-grown person turns into a tiny cat… What happens to your clothes?!”

  A winter shirt. Cotton or linen, heavier weave for the cold. Still no magic.

  “I’m… ah, not sure? If I focus, I’ve learned to sort of take it with me. It’s easier to change if I leave them behind, but… getting re-dressed in the Labyrinth seemed like a bad idea?”

  “That— Is it just your clothes? Does it work with stuff you’re holding? Is there a weight limit?!” The implications were mind-blowing.

  Cael’s hand dropped on top of my head. “Still great questions, still not the time. C’mon, Princess.” He picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder. “You can frisk the kitty later.”

  “No! Wait!” I struggled, reaching for Thomas as he carried me away. “Can any Beastkin learn to do that? What happens if you’re carrying a backpack?!”

  He deposited me on my feet beside my brother, and grinned when I pouted at him. Thomas joined us moments later, his face pink as he adjusted his shirt collar.

  Cael clapped his hands together enthusiastically. “So, what’s the plan? We following the road? Probably easiest — figure one of us can hack shit down if it gets too thick.”

  Thomas glanced over at the road in question. “That seems a little too easy, considering how deep we’ve come. It might be a misdirect, or have more monsters along it. Maybe it would be better to parallel it through the trees?”

  “Slows us down though… What d’you think, Princess?”

  “I’m wondering if we should consider turning back.”

  He blinked. “Wha? Why? I mean, yeah, it’ll be a pain in the ass, but it’s better than the damned forest. Worst case, we can… I dunno, set it on fire or something?”

  “Are you getting tired, Lord Violet? We can take a break for a bit.”

  “It’s not that,” I assured Thomas. “I’m still doing fine, which is why I suggested it. You three have been sharing your water with us — how much do you have left?”

  Sir Dave held up his canteen and shook it. It sloshed loudly, clearly more empty space than water.

  “I thought so. And I’m down to my last six knives. We still need to make it back up, which means we need to get past the gryphon again, which will only be out for so long, and deal with the harpies. I’d rather handle them while I have energy to spare.”

  Cael groaned, his shoulders slumping. “Shit. Forgot about those bitches. Think your puppet show’ll work again?”

  “I don’t think we should count on it,” Thomas replied, his ears drooping. “They’re not smart, but they can’t be that dumb.”

  “We can’t fight that many head on… We need an edge.” I bit my lip, staring absently into the jungle. A flash of bright red among the endless green caught my eye.

  “Poison ‘em?”

  “They’re carrion feeders. We’d need something strong, and a lot of it. We would also need some carrion as bait.”

  It was a clearing, maybe twenty feet into the overgrowth. It seemed odd in a jungle this lush. The sunlight falling through the break in the canopy made the luscious-looking fruit shine.

  “Princess knows a bit about— Princess? Where you going?”

  I pushed a branch aside, working my way through the undergrowth. It couldn’t be — they were supposed to be rare. But if they’d be anywhere, it was a Labyrinth full of monsters… “I think I found our edge,” I called back.

  A thick, emerald carpet of undisturbed grass blanketed the clearing, surrounding an old, twisted tree. The fruit hung tantalizingly close. Beads of dark red sap oozed from their cracked skins, releasing a sickly-sweet scent. From here, I could see a similar clearing further in. The trees must be scattered all over this floor.

  “Those.” I stopped short of the clearing and pointed. “Autumn, I’m going to need your shirt.”

  I was very careful not to step inside.

  “What for?! Use yours.”

  “Can you afford to replace it?”

  There was a long pause, followed by muffled swearing.

  “We need as many of those fruit as we can get,” I told the others as they crashed through the plant growth and joined me. Autumn stuffed his shirt into my hands, grumpily pulling his gambeson closed over his bare chest. “Try to grab them by the stems if you can. They’re heavy and will fall easily. And whatever you do, don’t step on the grass.”