Chapter 109: _ Must Find Her
Lady Mirenia looks at the Bellamy twins like they’re appetizers she hasn’t decided whether to nibble or devour.
"Well, the infamous twins come crawling to me. Tell me, Grayson, Morgan... why would you want to cut a deal with me?"
Grayson hates the way his name rolls off her tongue. Like a spell or a dare. He doesn’t flinch, but his stomach flips anyway. He forces his voice to stay steady and come out low and sharp.
"Don’t probe into our business," he clicks his tongue. "Just tell us what you need us to get for you in the labyrinth."
Morgan, standing a step behind him, tilts his head and adds dryly, "We’re not here to pour our hearts out. Just point us at the prize, lady."
Mirenia smiles as if they amuse her. She steps closer, and Grayson smells roses.
"You Bellamy boys." She sighs, almost lovingly. "Always so blunt. Very well. What I need is simple. There is a demon in the labyrinth. It swallowed something... precious to me. An object of power, not large, but very old. If you find it, you will know, because the demon carrying it will not be like the others. It will be unusual. Strong. It will make your skin crawl."
Grayson’s throat goes dry. Demons are already bad enough. A strong one? One that feeds on magic? Yeah, that’s exactly the kind of nightmare they need right now.
"And you want us to... what?" Morgan prompts, one brow arched. "Shake its hand? Ask politely if it’s got your thing tucked in its stomach?"
"Cut it open," Mirena says sweetly, as though describing how to slice a cake. "Split it from belly to throat. You’ll find what I need inside."
Grayson imagines the stink of demon guts, the slippery warmth of blood, the way his blade might drag against something otherworldly. His wolf snarls, ready for it. His human side wants to vomit.
Morgan whistles low. "Charming."
"Oh," Mirenua purrs, "one more thing. I cannot assure you the portal will drop you exactly where the Moon blesseds entered. The labyrinth is unpredictable. The weave shifts."
Grayson smirks despite the sick feeling in his gut. "Our wolves won’t have a problem finding who we’re looking for."
Mirena studies him. He hates the way her gaze lingers, like she’s peeling layers off him with her eyes. "So confident," she nods.
He shrugs, pretending it doesn’t burn when he thinks of Heidi. Pretending confidence is easy when inside he’s a mess. "Call it a deal."
Mirenia’s smile sharpens. She extends her hand, and when neither twin takes it, she simply curls her fingers and mutters a word under her breath. Her nails glow faintly, the red of them flickering like embers. She reaches out and, with a swift slash, draws a rune onto each of their wrists.
The mark sears like hot iron. Grayson hisses through clenched teeth, but doesn’t pull back. Morgan, of course, doesn’t even twitch—he just grimaces like someone stepped on his shoe.
"There. The rune will tether you to the portal. When you return—with my item, you will find me again." Mirenia says.
Before Grayson can reply with something biting, Mirenia lifts her hand and draws a circle in the air. Light spills out, swirling, and bending the forest into a tunnel of warped shadows. The portal hums with a low, hungry sound.
Morgan exhales and looks at his twin. "You sure about this?"
Grayson doesn’t answer. If he opens his mouth, doubt might spill out with the words. Instead, he takes one step forward, then another, and before Morgan can so much as grab his arm, he steps into the swirling light.
The world swallows him whole.
Grayson hits the ground hard, knees buckling against stone that is slick, cold, and pulsing faintly with an eerie heartbeat. The air reeks of sulfur and wet earth. His wolf claws at his insides, restless, and growling.
A heartbeat later, Morgan crashes down beside him, landing with far more grace, because of course he does. He straightens, brushes dust from his jacket, and Grayson can’t help but to mutter, "Show-off."
The portal snaps shut behind them with a sound like a door slamming in their faces. Darkness surges in. The only light comes from the faintly glowing walls, veins of luminescence running like cracks through bone.
Grayson exhales shakily then forces a grin he doesn’t feel. "Gods, it doesn’t feel good to be back here."
Morgan scoffs. "Like coming home to your ex’s house."
"Worse," Grayson mutters. "At least my ex didn’t smell like this place."
Morgan chuckles, but the sound dies quickly. The labyrinth suffocatingly presses down on them. Any sound made is probably too long or too sharp.
Then Morgan smiles. It’s the kind of smile that says he’s about to cause trouble. He lifts his hand, and with a flick of his wrist, a blade of shimmering green light erupts from the air itself—his aetherblade. It hums, carving shadows into sharper shapes.
He twirls it once, casual, then grins at his twin. "Well... Let the game begin."
Grayson paces a few steps ahead with a tight jaw before throwing his head back and yelling into the choking darkness.
"Hey! Yeah, I’m talking to you ugly bastards hiding out there. Don’t even think about trying your cheap labyrinth tricks on us. We’re not novices. We won’t fall for your crap!"
His voice ricochets through the tunnels, bouncing until it sounds like a dozen Graysons are screaming back. The echo scratches at his ears, louder and harsher, like the labyrinth is mocking him.
Morgan sighs behind him, dragging a hand down his face. "Subtle. Really subtle."
"Better than waiting around to get ambushed," Grayson shoots back, scanning the shadows.
Tris growls approval inside him, ears pricked, hackles raised. "Let them know we’re not prey."
Morgan twirls his aetherblade lazily, the green light humming as it carves arcs in the air. He leans against a jagged wall as though they’re in some frat house hallway instead of demon hell. "Or you just rang the dinner bell."
"Good," Grayson mutters, cracking his neck. "I’m starving."
He doesn’t mean food. His wolf is gnashing its teeth, not for meat but for release... for a fight, for blood, for anything to take the ache of Heidi’s absence out of his chest. He hasn’t even been here a full five minutes, and already the labyrinth is pulling her image out of him like a splinter lodged deep in his skin.
Her hair reflecting the light yesterday morning in her emerald dress. Her sharp voice refusing to bow to them. Her eyes that cut straight through his smug grins and left him raw. Hell, they need to find her soon before those demon bastards get to her.
Grayson’s throat tightens. It’s the only way to loosen it is violence.
So he yells again, voice booming: "You hear me? Come out here, you cowards!"