Page 68 of Mostly Shattered

In the vision, the lava did not burn me. I have a feeling that’s not going to be the case if those events really do come to pass.

I don’t want to do this.

I don’t have a choice.

The fairies’ shouts become louder, and I press my hands against my temples to drown them out. I can’t concentrate. It is all too much.

I lost Paul and Diana, but more than that, I lost the dream of a normal life that they represented.

I lost my best friend, Conrad, to betrayal. And now he’s haunting me and keeping me from moving on.

I’m being forced to marry Chester. Enough said. Just picturing his face makes me want to throw up.How can they expect me to look at that for the rest of my life?

And then there is this prophecy. With everything else going on in my life, I’m expected to go into a labyrinth by myself to do trials—whatever that means—with absolutely no protection or power, or knowledge for that matter, and save the fucking world from Draakmar, a lava breathing ancient evil monster.

As bad as the first timeline was before the reset, this one is starting to look much worse. And, at the end of all of this, everyone might be dead anyway.

“I can’t deal with arguing with you right now. Please, let’s just get through this next task.” I don’t add that the odds are I’m going to fail, and none of the other stuff is going to matter anyway. “What do I need to know about this labyrinth?”

“Have you heard of the Greeks?” Costin asks.

I arch an unamused brow and stare at him.

“Of course.” Costin has the good sense to look apologetic. “What I meant to ask is, have you heard of the Greek labyrinth?”

I hug my arms across my chest, wishing I could make myself smaller. “Please tell me I’m not going to have to fight a minotaur.”

“Nottheminotaur,” Costin explains. “But your version of it. I can’t tell you what that is. There is noway of knowing what you will face when you accept the challenge.”

“Well, this sounds fun,” I drawl sarcastically.

He leans in close to me. His look says,I told you so.

I’m getting really tired of that self-righteous expression.

“Do you think…” I glance around to make sure no one is staring at us. “Do you think Draakmar is my minotaur in the labyrinth? Do you think I’m going to have to… fight…?”

My breath catches.

“I don’t know what you’ll face. Like the labyrinth in Greek mythology, this labyrinth is a test,” he explains. “It represents the complexity of your personal journey. It takes the things you fear the most in your life and makes you face them. And this isn’t just some metaphorical figure out your feelings type of journey. These things can kill you. There will be confusion, challenges, misdirection, powerful magic. It will be harder than anything you’ve ever faced. Once you go in, there’s no escape button. When you’re in, you’re in. You either make it out or you don’t.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, willing myself to wake up from the nightmare.

“Are you listening?” Costin touches my arm. “Because this is important.”

I nod and look at him. He’s standing so close that I can’t see anything else. I stare at his neck, watching his jaw move as he speaks.

“I can’t tell you how the trials will manifest for you. Like I said, it’s different for everyone. But essentially, you will face three tests that will embody strength, knowledge, and courage.”

My eyes move down to his chest. I placed my hand flat over his heart. I feel it beating like he’s alive. Alive. Undead. Unalive. As much as he aggravates me at times, I have to admit there’s a part of me that appreciates Costin’s protective nature.

“What if I can’t do it?” I remain focused on his heartbeat, needing to feel close to someone. “What if I fail?”

“Then Draakmar wakes up, and the world as we know it dies.”

The words are not exactly comforting. Then again, Costin has never been one to pretty up the harsh truth.

I can’t help but hear Astrid’s voice in my head, saying,“It can die.”

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