“An oracle?” Thea breathes from behind me. “Like, someone who can see the future?”
The oracle’s sharp but blind eyes land on my little bird, and my hackles lift.
“I know you have a lot of questions, my dear. Ask away. I may be of some assistance to you.”
“Wait! Don’t!” Zaid shouts, and I realize he has his hand over Thea’s mouth, keeping her from speaking. She struggles futilely in his grip, but he doesn’t loosen, his desperate eyes flicking from face to face. “The inscription… The wise speak when they know and listen when they don’t.”
“So we need to listen to the oracle?” Everett surmises, frowning.
Zaid shakes his head adamantly. “I think the trick here isnotlistening to the oracle. Showing restraint. If we were to start asking her questions, we would receive misleading answers that could guide us down a route we can’t return from.”
Thea finally wiggles away from Zaid and turns to glare at him. “Okay, first, your hand smells good. I kind of wanted to bite it.”
Um…okay?
Fuck, I love it when my little bird gets feisty. It makes me hard.
“Second, this may be the only way of getting answers. Who knowswhatAthena will tell us…or if she will even tell us anything worthwhile? The oracle has answers, answers we need.”
“Oracles are known for being vague intentionally,” Krystian points out, raking a hand through his white-gold hair. “I think Ineed to take Zaid’s side on this one. It’ll be best if we just ignore her and continue on our way.”
“You have to remember that this is a test, Thea,” Zaid says gently, beseeching her with his eyes to listen and understand. “Everything about this maze is designed to test our intelligence and strength.”
“I’m not an idiot, Zaid,” Thea snaps.
Zaid seems taken aback by her sharp tone. “I know you’re not.”
“You guys are all forgetting that this is about me. I should be allowed to make decisions concerning myself.” She jabs a finger at her chest for emphasis.
“There’s no ‘you’ anymore,” Everett growls, moving to stand directly behind Thea, so close that his chest brushes against her back with every exhale. “The second we agreed to help you—the second we made you an honorary member of our team—that ‘you’ turned into an ‘us.’ We make decisions together.”
All of us stand in stunned silence, unable to believe the words leaving Everett’s mouth. My brows crawl upwards in disbelief.
My, my… It seems as if our gruff, growly shifter has a heart after all. I always knew Thea would wear down his defenses. I just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.
When Everett sees us gawking at him, he bares his teeth. “Fuck off.”
“So we take a vote?” Krystian asks, his gaze flicking towards the grinning oracle.
“All those who want to ask the oracle questions, raise your hands,” Zaid says.
Thea’s hand automatically lifts, and after a moment, mine does too.
She’s right. For all we know, Athena will give us no answers. But if this oracle can tell us something, anything, about Thea’s origins and how she’s able to remain in a physical form…
Zaid’s lips purse when he sees my hand up, but he doesn’t call me out. Instead, he says, “And all those in favor of continuing along?”
Krystian, Everett, and Zaid all raise their hands.
Thea frowns, appearing discouraged, and Krystian quickly moves towards her.
“It’ll be okay, love. Athena will have answers. I know she will.”
“Are you sure about that?” The oracle tilts her head to the side, strands of white hair reflecting off the flickering torches. “Or will you just receive more questions? Don’t you want to know where you came from? Who you are?” The creature’s white gaze flicks towards me. “I can see the wheels in your head turning, Rafael. What questions do you have for me?”
I bite down on my lip hard enough to draw blood, that one move filling my magic reserves and making power spark in my fingertips.
This whole damn Labyrinth feels like it’s leading somewhere dangerous, and I can’t stand the thought of Thea falling into whatever trap Athena has set out for us.
