Chapter 9

Rhysand

I squinted my eyes against harsh light as they took the hood off of my head. Jurian sat in a chair next to me, grinning down at something below, a sea of colors painting his neck.

I looked over the balcony to see a maze. The twisting curves made the whole thing look like an optical illusion while the white surfaces smeared with brown made a mud effect. Jurian leaned towards me a little, "If you think that's good you should see what's at the entrance," he pointed.

My gaze drifted to where he was pointing. Feyre laid there unconscious, her hair swept over her face; her chains seemed to be missing. I looked down at my own, rooting me to the floor.

I turned and tried to make a grab at him, but he was out of reach. He laughed at me, "Do you think I would really sit within your radius?"

I ground my teeth and looked back at Feyre groaning slightly as she woke up.

Feyre

I looked at the walls that surrounded me as I stood, turning and looking around for Jurian. A light turned on, revealing him sitting and smiling down at me, Rhys stood a couple of feet away, looking at me with wide eyes.

I swore softly, realizing that the extra food last night had been spiked so they could move me easily. Thin blue bands on my wrists and ankles restricted my powers. My eyes darted back up to Jurian. He leaned forward and gestured towards the maze, "Your task is simple Feyre, all you need to do is complete the maze," I froze at his words.

He smirked and glanced towards Rhys before continuing, "I hope you like it. I put a lot of detail into it."

I looked around again, at the muddy looking walls and the tight corners. My mouth went dry. He had modeled this after my first trial.

Memories hurled at me as I backed up a few steps and clutched at my arm, remembering the pain, and the absolute terror, and the jeering calls, and the putrid smell of the tunnel themselves.

A half sob escaped my throat. Jurian's eyes flashed, "Begin."

I did my best to swallow my panic. And then I ran.

vVv

I leaned against the wall, trying to catch my breath. Each turn was leading me nowhere; the muddy brown surrounded me. I looked up at Jurian and his condescending smirk. I had to finish this before something terrible happened to me. A growl sounded from behind me and I spun, facing whatever was before me.

A fleshy colored creature crawled towards me, its nails clacking on the floor. My eyes widened as it stopped, trying to find me. I cocked my head, realizing it couldn't see or smell as I racked my brain for all of the monsters I read about when I first returned to the Spring Court. I had made myself memorize dozens of them in case Tamlin realized I was a spy.

It started to move slowly, using its blank face to rub the floor, searching for me. I looked at its yellow nails, knowing something was special abo- One scratch would leave you paralyzed long enough for it to eat you… If I remembered correctly its head should be soft. I turned and sprinted down a hall. It immediately started running after me.

I slid down the hallway before turning; I heard it skid after me. I looked over my shoulder as I turned to see it gaining on me. I gasped and looked back in front of me right before I slammed into the wall.

My yelp sounded as the room flipped and I landed on my back.. I looked behind me again to see it had slowed down; I was at a dead end. I slowly got to my feet; it was no more than 5 feet away from me.

It felt around as I tried to come up with a plan. My arm shook as I slowly raised it and made a fist. If this was going to work… I would need to be fast. I slammed my fist into the wall, the loud thack it made breaking the silence.

It lunged, claws outstretched as I leapt from the spot and rolled. Its head hit the wall with a crunch before it wiggled, trying to stand but not being able to.

Resentment bubbled in my chest as I strode towards it and lifted my leg before bringing it down with all of my force. Blood splattered the walls as I growled, kicking its head again and again. Tears sprang to my eyes as I looked at the bloody mess before me. Hate burned through my blood as I glared up at Jurian. I couldn't let this affect me, not now. If he wanted to play a game, I would win.