Page 36 of The Lord of the Labyrinth

“You said they’d tell the royal court what they hear? Does that mean Roan will hear what they say?” Kate asked Patch who was still angrily swiping at the pixies now clustered around his head.

“Yes, that’s exactly what the little beasts will do.”

“Excuse me,” Kate addressed the pixies. The parade of pixies halted their gleeful torment of Patch and turned her way. “I hear you noble creatures possess the ear of Lord Arun?” she asked them.

The pixies all exchanged curious glances with each other and then began nodding proudly.

“Please kindly tell the king that I’m getting close to solving the Labyrinth. Iwillwin.”

Clearly excited about this bit of gossip, the pixies swarmed upward into the skies and shot out of sight.

“There, that got them away.” Kate laughed as Patch fixed his cap on his head and double checked his gems. “By the way, I thought you said no one could travel through the labyrinth. But the pixies flew through just fine.”

Patch scratched his beard before replying. “Pixies and sprites can fly over the labyrinth. For some reason, they aren’t controlled by the wards, perhaps its because they aren’t loyal to the Seelie or Unseelie. They are neutral.”

Neutral. Kate digested that idea. So there were some exceptions with the magic that guarded the labyrinth.

They walked without speaking for a long while. Kate noticed the ivy on the walls thinned out and eventually gave way to stone. Part of the rock turned dark and wet as a light storm passed overhead, and a faintly rotting smell reached her nose.

“Do you smell that?” she asked.

Patch nodded. “There’s something dead nearby. Told you, it’s a dangerous place.”

Kate repressed a shiver. Still, she couldn’t turn back. She had to figure this thing out so she and Caden could go home. The more they walked, the darker the path became. The sound of water dripping against the stones was the only accompaniment to their footsteps, which echoed endlessly against the rock walls.

“I suppose... I suppose I should thank you,” the kobold said as they rounded another bend.

Kate turned to him in shock.

“Don’t look so surprised! You saved my life. It’s only right.”

Kate laughed at how utterly displeased he sounded by that admission. She stopped and Patch stopped walking as they faced each other. Kate smiled at him.

“You’re welcome, Patch. You’re my only friend here, and I didn’t want you to drown.”

“Friend?” He eyed her skeptically.

“Yeah. Friend,” Kate said.

“Huh,” said Patch. “So what’s that going to cost me?”

Kate frowned. “Cost?”

Patch rummaged in his pouch. “Everything’s got a price. I reckon I have a stone here I could part with. Not one of the best ones, mind you.”

Kate chuckled. “Friendship is something yougive, not buy. If you have to buy it, it’s not worth anything.”

“Now that just makes no kind of sense,” said Patch, shaking his head. “Everything worth having costssomething.”

A distant rumble ahead of them caused Patch to grip Kate’s arm and jerk her to a halt.

“Wait,” he whispered.

She leaned down to hear him better. “What is it?”

“Rocks... that’s rocks tumbling. You know what that means.” Patch’s dark eyes scanned the passage ahead of them, focused on something she didn’t see.

“You know full well I don’t know what that means,” Kate replied, her voice still low. “So tell me.”

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