The Hanged Man

His chest was on fire and he couldn’t move. His limbs were super heavy and he couldn’t feel his legs anymore.

Am I dying?

Loud thuds like distant thunder beat in his chest and he thought he heard someone saying his name. His head cleared, and it occurred to him that he had looked onto the shores of the afterlife and they had looked nothing like this. A loud scraping sound filled his senses and he was suddenly blinded by a bright light and someone called his name.

Oh shit. He really had died. This was the tunnel of light and somebody had come to collect him.

“Mike!” Warm hands grabbed him by his chest and pulled. His eyes adjusted to the light and he realized that he was looking at Zel from the confines of a large snow drift. She pulled him free of the snow and he fell forward, spilling crimson blood on the bright white canvas they were mired in..

“Here, hold on.” She ripped off part of her skirt and tied it around his upper arm. He looked down at his torso, expecting to see a giant hole. While there was a large hole in his shirt, the snakeskin beneath was still intact. However, the inside of his arm was bleeding pretty bad.

“How?” He was feeling light headed and couldn’t properly formulate his words. He leaned forward and fell, Zel grabbing him around the waist.

“The icicle slid off the naga hide but nicked your artery. We need to find my bag, it got lost in the snow.”

“Snow?” He looked at the ground, his eyes surveying the bountiful white clouds beneath his feet.

“Do you still have the sun stone? Your arms are freezing.”

“Um… nope.” He felt his pockets and looked up the hill. He wondered if he had lost it up there. There was a deep furrow of snow toward the top of the hill that turned into a wide groove that terminated roughly above the giant drift she had pulled him out of.

Tink was going to be pissed when she found out he had lost a Vault treasure.

“Mike.” Zel gave him a shake. “You’re bleeding too much and I can’t carry you. If you lose consciousness, you will die.”

“Oh.” He pushed her away with his good arm. He couldn’t lift the other one at all, so he fumbled with the pouch on his belt. Once Zel spotted what he was doing, her eyes went wide and she pushed his fingers out of the way, unsnapping the pouch and pulling out the red vial.

“You need to drink this and we need to get out of here right away.” She unstoppered the vial and held it to his lips. Heat flooded his mouth and throat and his eyes watered at the taste. She pulled the vial away and poured some of it on the gash in his arm. Steam rose from the wound and he nearly threw up from the pain.

“What happened?” All he could picture was an angry eye rimmed with fire.

“The Snow Queen found you.” Her face was grim. “If she catches up to us, she’ll kill you.”

Another loud boom up the hill ricocheted off the nearby hills, causing more of the snow to break free and slide. A ball of fire climbed into the sky, only to be consumed by a large flurry of ice and snow.

“Snow Queen? Is she part of the Society?”

“Not the Society. C’mon.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the trees. “We need to get back to the house and lock the wardrobe. She can’t follow you if it’s locked.”

“Okay.” The light headedness was starting to pass, his numb feet crunching through the snow beneath them. She took him into the trees, ducking her head to go beneath the branches. They had traveled a hundred feet when he caught a glimpse of something bright following them. He stopped for a moment and it vanished. It was likely an artifact of the bright sun above bouncing off the snow.

“Mike, c’mon!” Zel tugged at his hand.

“Wait.” He looked up the hill. “Where is Ratu?”

“She’s buying us some time. If we can circle up the hill, we can get back.”

“But what about her?”

“Honestly?” Zel’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know.”

“Oh.” He leaned on a tree for support, his body suddenly heavy. He couldn’t think straight, it felt like he was drunk off his ass. “Did that potion have my spunk in it?”

“Of course it did.”

“Okay.” He lifted his arm, inspecting the raw flesh. “This hurts still.”

“You’re experiencing the healing process in fast forward. You’re going to feel hungover in a couple of hours if you don’t get any water in you.” She grabbed his hand and pulled. “C’mon, let’s go.”

“Nope. Not without Ratu.” Another loud boom rattled the mountain and he cast his gaze upward. The trees along the ridge had been blown free and another avalanche had been triggered, carrying the flaming logs down the slope. Columns of smoke floated into the sky, ash now falling on them like snowflakes. The ridge disappeared and a geyser of fire shot through the air above them.

A loud roar echoed across the hillside. Mike turned his attention to a large shadow that slowly lifted above the distant tower, its large wings beating hard to gain altitude. The creature disappeared in the smoke above, but it roared again, much closer this time.

“Is that a fucking dragon?” He gripped a nearby tree so hard that he accidentally tore off some of the bark. Zel’s eyes had gone impossibly wide, her hands hovering over her mouth.

“We. Need. To. Go!” She pulled his shirt, yanking him free of the tree. They broke free of the trees and Mike realized that she was still trying to drag him uphill, but away from the sounds of magic. “I think we can circle around and get to the trees.”

“Are you nuts? There’s a dragon up there!”

“It’s better than the alternative, trust me!” She slipped in the snow and fell. He knelt down to help her up and caught the glimmer of yellow light out of the corner of his eye.

Another loud blast echoed from up above. Through the smoke, something was generating a tremendous amount of light. The wave of heat hit him suddenly, making his mouth dry out.

“The sun stone!” He thought it had made it down the hill with them, but he must have dropped it at the top.  The dragon roared and streams of water now trickled down the mountainside.

“Oh no.” Zel pointed through the smoke at a dark shape that was tumbling rapidly toward them. At first Mike thought it was a log, but realized it was a large snake about twenty feet long tumbling head over tail. He ran forward, hoping to intercept Ratu, and immediately noticed how soft the snow was becoming under his feet.

“We need to find shelter,” he called out over his shoulder. He could hear Zel’s feet sinking through the slush behind him, his stomach filled with that familiar cold sensation. It steadily built, filling him with dread as he knelt down and caught Ratu around the middle of her body.

She dragged him off his feet, causing him to slide several feet down the hill. Once he was able to stand, he struggled to lift her, grateful when Zel finally caught up and lifted Ratu’s tail. The large python in their arms was unconscious, making the dead weight feel that much heavier.

They all sank into the softening snow. Up top, another large sheet broke free and raced downhill, smashing into a thick group of trees.  The glow of the sun stone was becoming more intense, and he could see the shadow of the beast circling above. It didn’t seem to be looking for them, instead remaining directly over the molten red glow of the magic rock he had left behind.

“Where can we go?” He looked back at Zel, her face frozen in panic.

After several seconds, she let out a loud sigh and pointed downhill. “If we keep going, we should encounter a side trail that will lead us onto a bluff with a small cave network.”

He didn’t bother asking how she knew. Draping Ratu over his shoulders, he ran his hands along her skin, worried at how cold she felt. Zel did the same, but lost her footing and fell. She slid past Mike, her arms outstretched, and caught his ankle. This caused him to tumble as well, then all three of them were sliding on the slick hill.

“Mike!” Zel twisted around and pulled his feet under her armpits, leaning back on his lap as they picked up speed.. Realizing what she was attempting, he pulled Ratu onto his torso, holding on tight while trying to coil her up onto his chest. She stirred briefly in his arms, her body shrinking down to a more manageable six feet.

Rocks appeared on the slope ahead and Zel used her legs to steer, her hooves clattering off the tougher chunks of ice. They zoomed between them at a speed of maybe fifteen miles per hour, but Mike felt like they were going sixty. The cold wind grabbed at his ears, his eyes squinting against the ice and snow that blasted them. The mountain rumbled underneath him and he chanced a look back. Another large sheet of snow had broken free and was coming their direction.

The rocks were becoming more frequent, and Zel twisted her body to take them down a steep pass. They curled around a tall rock formation with deep crags. She spread her legs wide, the snow rolling up over her legs and onto her stomach. The ground was leveling out, but a large drop off was coming.

Mike shoved his free hand into the snow and they all came to a slow stop. Stumbling to their feet, Zel led him along an area with a twenty-foot sheer cliff above them. A ten-foot wide trail overlooked the valley below and a cave-like structure had been carved into the stone. Zel stumbled forward into it, collapsing toward the back wall. Mike was right behind her, the sounds of the mountain now vibrating the thick stone walls around their hiding spot. The world grew dark as the avalanche finally caught up to them, billowing over the rocks and filling the valley below.

Several seconds passed by, and the snow was mixed with water. Trees and rocks spilled out over the cliff, the sound deafening. Mike opened up his shirt and tucked Ratu inside to warm her up, then clung to Zel, praying that it would end soon.

-

Yuki narrowed her eye at the scene below. Astride the mighty Jabberwock, she watched as the sun stone sent out another wave of heat, nearby trees bursting into flame. The mountain was covered in smoke and steam, and she had lost sight of the naga.

Their fight had been intense and evenly matched, but Yuki had summoned the beast to her with a mere thought. Constructed of magic and clay, the creature wasn’t technically alive, but it did have tremendous power of its own. At the arrival of the Jabberwock, the naga had thrown what Yuki had thought was a poorly aimed fireball. Dodging to the side, Yuki soon realized that the target had been a sun stone apparently dropped by the man she had sent down the mountain.

Intent on winning the fight, it was far more important that the sun stone be extinguished. If the fire spread, it could burn down the trees that led back to the house on Earth, trapping her here officially forever. Commanding large cyclones of snow, she continued to pile on her ice magic, frustrated at how much energy she was wasting on something so stupid. She knew all about the sun stone and its abilities and wondered why the fool had removed it from the Vault in the first place.

Beneath her, the glow of the stone was making the mountain look like a volcano about to erupt. Frustrated, she stuck a hand in her pocket and pulled out a deck of tarot cards. She cut immediately past the Major Arcana and began sifting through the cards of the Minor Arcana. She hated to be wasting so much magic on a stupid problem, but it had to be done.

An updraft caused the Jabberwock to buck violently, and she grabbed on to her harness. All three of her tails flared out behind her, sending a radiant wave of magical energy beneath the beast to stabilize it. If she was going to act, it needed to be now.

She pulled the Ten of Cups free. Scowling, she tucked away the rest of the cards in the special pouch she had pulled them from. She had a lot of free time in the tower, and she had spent a substantial amount of that time drawing tarot cards. This deck, however, was the most special of all. She had infused every card with powerful magic, each one taking nearly a month to craft.

The ice and the snow had been enough to absorb the immediate heat of the stone, but she needed to smother the nearby flames that kept feeding it. The easiest way to do that would require a rainstorm of epic proportions.

The card glowed an icy blue in her hands as she undid the magical lock that she had put on it. Commanding the Jabberwock to climb higher, she threw the card down, watching it pulsate with light as it sank into the smoke. The Ten of Cups she had drawn depicted the valley below beneath a large rainbow surrounded by cups full of water. The easiest way to summon a rainbow was to wait until after a storm.

This card had been a pain in the ass to make primarily because she had captured a rainstorm inside. Years back, on the back of the Jabberwock, she had spent hours trapping the stormcloud inside while high up in the sky, nearly falling twice. The storm in question had been particularly difficult because she had captured it during the height of monsoon season.

Down below, she heard a blast of thunder as the storm was released all at once. Through the smoke, she could hear the torrential downpour of inches of rain falling onto the mountaintop all at once and could see the immediate rush of water farther down the mountain. This spell would inevitably trigger mudslides and wreak havoc on the ecosystem down below, but that was a problem for someone else to deal with.

She waited, her eye on the glow of the sun stone. It gradually faded, the nearby fires extinguished. After several minutes had passed, the Ten of Cups was extinguished, and she could no longer feel the magic of the stone. With a heavy sigh of relief, she commanded the Jabberwock to circle, pulling the Ace of Swords out next. This card shimmered like heated air, and transformed into a longsword in her hand. The Jabberwock flew lower towards the clouds beneath and she swung downward, commanding the magic to release once more.

A powerful blast of wind cut through the clouds, causing them to billow apart and flee. Soon, she could see the mountain top and grimaced at the devastation. They landed, and she frantically rushed through muddy soil to the copse of trees that were all singed around the edges. Pushing through, she was grateful to see that the ones in the middle had been spared any damage from the fires or the flood.

The doorway was secure. She sent a command to the Jabberwock to keep an eye on the mountain and used her magic to create a throne of ice. She pulled some smoked meat out of her pocket and took a bite, her stomach rumbling with hunger.

How many years had it been? Her face scrunched up as she tried to count. Being confined to this pocket world had driven her mad with rage for so long that she had been unable to keep track of time. Almost a couple years back, she had felt Emily’s passing and had become terrified at the idea that she might have to spend her remaining centuries in this place forever.

That was, until the new Caretaker had moved in. She had been able to feel his presence occasionally, trying to capture his attention through the portal. However, magic at such a distance was weak at best, and she was aware that Emily had sealed it from the outside. The thought had occurred to her more than once that the magical compulsion she had cast may end up in the destruction of the entrance but hadn’t cared. If he had destroyed the portal, then she felt like she could at least move on.

She stood up and approached the trees, her hand outstretched. She could feel the air currents that would lead her back home, escape only a few feet away. There was nothing stopping her from stepping through and claiming the house for herself. After all, she had the right.

“Not yet.” She couldn’t risk stepping through with enemies on her heels. And she definitely wouldn’t go without her loyal fairy companion. Emily may have left Yuki behind, but the kitsune refused to ever do the same to her friends.

Once she heard back from Daisy, she would make her next move. Until then, it would probably be a good idea if she found that troublesome sun stone.

-

Beth waited just outside the greenhouse, smoothing out the sundress she wore. She couldn’t hang clothes up in her closet because they disappeared when the cavern was opened, which meant folding them up in a dresser. She needed a better way to store her clothes if she wanted to avoid wrinkles.

She used her phone to check her makeup. She had quit wearing it since covering up the mirrors in the house, but she had used selfie mode to confirm that she had dark circles under her eyes. Happy to discover that Oliver didn’t appear in her phone, she had done some quick touch-ups before setting out for a little dalliance with Asterion.

The minotaur arrived, his axe casually slung over his shoulder. He bowed his head in greeting.

“Friend Beth.” His voice was the rumble of an old sports car, his dark fur shining in the sun.

“I was wondering if we could go for a walk?” She pushed open the door of the greenhouse, revealing the large space within.

“If you wish. I cannot be gone for long, not with Ratu absent.”

“We won’t go far. The faeries know they can find us here if they need us.” She let him walk in first, admiring the thick muscle in his thighs. If Asterion had an ounce of fat on him somewhere, she had yet to find it. Closing the door behind them, she fought the urge to ask him to leave his weapon behind. If there was something in the world more important to him than his axe, she had yet to find that either.

They walked along the edge of the cliff overlooking the jungle. The world was eerily quiet, other than the rustling of the trees down below. Behind them was a large wall of glass, an eerie anomaly due  to the greenhouse containing an entire world inside of it.

In her childhood, Beth had often dreamt of traveling to Fantastica, Narnia, or even being carried  away by a twister to Oz. The simple act of passing through the greenhouse door sent a thrill directly to that inner child; an entire world was now laid out in front of her ready to be explored. Mike had explained that he thought nothing else lived there inside the greenhouse, but he also had no idea how far it went. She wondered if it eventually had an end, or if she could simply walk for all eternity and never see another living soul.

“We missed our path.” Asterion’s voice snapped her out of her trance and she turned around.

They had found an easy path that led down to the bottom of the cliffs that wasn’t too hard to descend. She also liked it because it gave her a great view of a series of waterfalls that eventually emptied into a pair of rivers that trickled through the forest. She had no idea where the water came from—it blasted out of a hole in the cliff up above from underneath the greenhouse barrier.

The falling water filled several different basins, but she and Asterion had explored and discovered an offshoot near the bottom. Most of the water flowed into one area, but on the other side of the rocks was a second waterfall that filled a small pond before turning into a river that meandered into the nearby trees. Behind the rocks, the roar of the water was greatly muted, and the waterfall here fell in a smooth sheet that made it look like a pane of glass.

“I love how cool it feels down here.” Beth flipped her hair away from her neck, letting the mist kiss her skin. The sun was directly overhead, warming the hidden cove. As long as they stayed out of the shadows, they wouldn’t get cold.

“Hmm. I like how the sun feels.” Asterion rubbed the top of his head where his hair was thin enough that she could see the dark skin beneath. She didn’t know much about his past, and often wondered if he had been born in a different labyrinth or even created in the current one. What was the life of a minotaur like? It was easy to imagine them as vicious creatures, but watching Asterion tilt his head, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the sun’s warmth, she wondered if perhaps he was yet another victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

She stepped in between Asterion’s thick arms and pulled them around her shoulders. “I like how you feel.” It wasn’t even meant as an endearment---the sun had warmed his fur to the point where he gave off heat like an electric blanket. Finding a pocket of warmth in the cold shadows of the cliff made her smile, and she turned around and pushed her hips back into his.

He said nothing, one hand settling on her hip bone and squeezing. He lowered his weapon and set it against the rocks behind them. While not much of a conversationalist, this was one message that he received loud and clear.

Closing her eyes, she reached over her shoulder and stroked the tight flesh along his jawline. It was covered in thin, coarse hair that made a bristling sound when she rubbed it. His free hand moved up to her breast and squeezed it from beneath. She covered his hand with hers and urged him to squeeze even harder.

I wonder if Mike would squeeze my breasts like this.

The stray thought made her eyes pop open. She looked down at the thick fingers toying with her breast from beneath. Thick veins stood out beneath Asterion’s skin, but his grip was gentle. She guided him, putting her hand on top of his, and moved his fingers up toward her nipples. He pinched them, sending a jolt of arousal straight down her spine and into her hips.

She closed her eyes once more.

“Yessss,” she hissed. His stiffening cock pushed into the crease of her ass, and she rolled her hips up and down, stroking him through the fabric. She reached back to push his loincloth aside, allowing his thick member to hang free, then pushed it up against his belly so she could pin it between them.

He snorted, a hot puff of air hitting her neck. She melted into him, her hips moving to a song that only she could hear. Asterion’s other arm circled her waist, pulling them together. As she swayed, she pressed her thighs together, the fabric of her panties bunching just enough to press her labia together.

“Mmh.” She moved her hand along Asterion’s muzzle down to the thick muscles of his neck and pulled, going up on her tiptoes. Her ass rubbed up and down the minotaur’s thick shaft and a throaty moan escaped his lips as it responded to her attention.

The arm around her waist tightened. She let go of the hand at her breast and ran her fingers along the thick muscles in his forearm. Through the dense fur, she could feel slight imperfections, scars from a past full of fighting off intruders. She leaned forward, using the sudden space to lift up her skirt and hook a thumb through the band of her panties. Off they came, and she opened her eyes to toss them casually to the stones nearby.

She missed. Instead of coming to a rest on the rocks, they tumbled into the small pond and floated there for a few moments. The dark lace at the top disappeared first, and once the water soaked its way through the white cotton, they disappeared beneath the surface.

Well shit. Beth didn’t think they’d float down river, so made a mental note to retrieve them before they left.

“Keep holding me,” she told him, leaning forward again and grabbing his thick, meaty shaft. She moved it to the side, sliding the wet head of his cock along her buttcheek. Moving it inward, it was now placed between her legs, his dick sticking out a few inches and creating a bulge beneath her skirt.

He snorted, and she grabbed the head of his large cock through the thin fabric of her skirt. A small wet spot appeared almost immediately, and she teased him through the fabric, the warmth of his dick now radiating along her inner thighs. He leaned back and her toes left the ground when he flexed his shaft.

A flood of heat rushed to her labia as she was now balanced on his shaft alone. Grabbing his glans, she tugged it upward and then leaned forward, her clit now rubbing solidly along the top of his cock.

A gasp escaped her lips. Asterion moved the arm around her waist, his hand sliding over her stomach. He parted his fingers into a V and moved them so he could press on her labia while also squeezing his own cock.

Another round of liquid heat flooded her belly, and she put her hand on top of his, pushing in on his fingers so that they were now pinned between her thighs. Sliding back and forth, she could feel him getting hot and sticky from her own juices.

She slid forward far enough that the head of his cock rested directly against her swollen clit. Asterion held her there for a moment, and she could feel the strong pulse of his heartbeat through the steady throbbing of his large dick.

Could I feel Mike’s heartbeat this way?

Beth shook her head, chasing the thought away. Why was he popping up in her thoughts like this?

She wiggled her hips and Asterion’s bulky dick slowly pushed aside the folds of her pussy, spreading her open. He let go of her waist and grabbed her upper arm, giving her more room to maneuver while keeping his hand on her breast for support. His large stature had given her the ability to chase down several of her own sexual fantasies, and she had worked hard to communicate these desires to the minotaur. He knew now to hold still, to wait for her to adjust to his immense girth.

“Oh fuuuuck.”

The head of his dick pushed her open, but didn't enter. She needed several breaths of air to psyche herself up for the next step, because it would happen suddenly. Biting her lower lip, she took a deep breath and then let it out, leaning forward to create a better angle for penetration.

No longer supported by her pubic bone, her body began a slow descent, powered by gravity alone. Beth fought the urge to cry out, knowing that she would tense up and ruin the process. It was a sensation she needed to allow, that powerful fullness that wedged its way inside her and caused all of her thoughts to go astray.

Asterion flexed, and her whole body lifted slightly. When he released, she sank even deeper.

Her cries echoed off of the rock walls, bouncing back and forth until it was soaked up by the mist. With every inch that slowly sank into her, she could feel the world around her melt away, gobbled up by her desire. It wasn’t just the sheer size of the cock inside of her that drove the reaction—it was the scruffy hair on Asterion’s arms, the animal grunts that came from his lips, the sheer insanity of being fucked by a minotaur in the first place. It was so many late night solo fantasies now being fulfilled, the realization that magic was real and she had stepped fully into it’s world, oh god, he was so deep inside of her now.

She let go of his neck and tried to grab one of his horns, missing a few times before she finally got her hand around it. It wasn’t just the thrill of grabbing that sacred part of him, a part nobody else could touch, but the fact that she could now lift herself back up and experience the sensation of sinking down on his massive cock all over again.

Asterion was a beast bred and built for killing, his legend steeped in blood and violence. Yet the gentleness he exhibited in allowing her to please herself, his ability to stand perfectly still while penetrating her to the very center of her being without devolving into animal lust, spoke volumes about the depths of his soul.

He shifted his hand to her waist, helping to support her weight. She was gasping for air now, letting out her breath every time he sank into her, then pulling herself back up and breathing in once she no longer felt so full. She had wrapped her legs around his thighs, trying hard to maintain her composure, but with every passing minute, she grew closer to an orgasm.

“Let me down,” she told him in between breaths, and he knelt, his cock still buried inside of her. She no longer trusted her own movements and didn’t feel like jabbing herself in the uterus. Shaking, she turned them both toward a rock formation that allowed her to lean forward and support her weight with her hands.

Once she got herself positioned, she reached back and grabbed his cock, squeezing it as hard as she could. He let out a grunt and slowly pushed himself back inside of her.

Would he be as gentle too?

She imagined human hands on her hips, thought about what it would be like to let Mike have his way with her. Sure, his cock was large, but nowhere near the size she was accommodating right now. What sort of tricks had he picked up from the women at the house?

Stop it.

It made no sense to be fantasizing about him right now, and she cast him away once more. Asterion had picked up his pace, and she used the flesh of her palm to tease herself while his cock slid through her fingers. The throbbing in her pussy matched pace with his thrusts, and she briefly wondered if their hearts were now somehow in sync.

She came long before the minotaur did, and he kept fucking her the entire time. Her hand slapped at the rocks, pulled at her breast, and then finally settled back on his shaft. She laid flat against the stone beneath her, content to stare out toward the jungle while Asterion pushed himself into her. His grunts became snorts, like a horse racing across the prairie, and before too long, she felt a thick load of come pumping through his shaft before blasting her insides with his seed.

Asterion threw back his head and let out a loud, bestial howl, his lust finally sated. She imagined it was the same noise he would make right after beheading a foe or tossing someone into a pit trap. The thought made her shiver in delight, and she gave him plenty of time to bask in his own orgasm. Minutes passed them by, the falling water just loud enough to mute their heavy breaths.

He softened inside of her and stepped back. The inevitable flood of warmth ran down her legs and she couldn’t help but smile, watching his semen pool on the rocks below. It didn’t matter where they went, they always made some kind of mess.

Asterion let out a rumble and put his arm around her shoulders, hugging her from behind. She leaned into it, enjoying the warmth of his body once more.

“We should be getting back soon,” he told her, his voice breaking the mood. “The Labyrinth is unguarded.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” She pulled away from him and adjusted her skirt. Asterion picked up his axe and they almost left when Beth remembered that her panties were still in the pond somewhere.

The water was only a couple of feet deep, and she held up her skirt while wading out. She spotted a glimmer of white and managed to pick them up with her foot, wringing them out. She debated putting them on, but didn’t relish the idea of wet underwear drying against her butt.

A flash of movement caught her attention, and she looked up to see that the light of the sun was just right that the falling sheet of water was now like a mirror. Her own image regarded her from the middle of the pond before tossing the panties back in the water and dashing to the edge of the pool.

What in the actual fuck? Her reflection lifted her skirt and cocked her butt out to give it a wiggle, then reached up and pulled down a cord from out of nowhere. She lowered it to the ground, a window shade appearing from out of nowhere. When it released, Beth’s reflection was gone.

In her place stood Oliver. He wore a top hat and had both hands on a fancy cane made of dark wood. Any moment now, Beth expected him to launch into a musical number.

“Oh good. I finally have your attention.” He opened his mouth to speak again, but Asterion charged into the waterfall, scattering the image. It quickly reformed once the minotaur had passed through and Oliver just shook his head in disappointment. His hat had been knocked off his head.

When he bent to pick it up, Asterion came back through the waterfall, a puzzled looked on his face. Oliver’s outfit was now rumpled, but his hat was grasped firmly in his hand.

“Not exactly hanging with the smart kids these days, are we?”

Oliver sat on a rock and adjusted his hat. “While I will admit quite a bit of jealousy at watching you with the cow over there, I think I can get over it.”

“How are you doing this?”

The wall of water shimmered in response, and Oliver chuckled.

“Mirrors are all about lighting. While I would prefer a smooth, silvered surface, I can manifest in anything that reflects light in a coherent manner. Given enough time, I can appear in a window if need be.”

“What do you mean, given enough time?”

“Ah, a question that I know you want the answer to. I’m sure you have several, but I’m afraid we’re going to have to rely on a trade. Let’s keep it simple this time.” He pointed at Asterion. “Can you have him stand somewhere out of the reflection? I’m tired of looking at him.”

Asterion let out a grunt, but Beth held up a hand.

“It’s okay, you can stand just over there.” She pointed to a spot just to the side of the waterfall, blocked by several rocks. “If anything happens, you’ll be close enough to help.”

“Okay.” He trudged past her, his eyes on the reflection until he was out of view.

Oliver smiled. “At last, we are alone.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, so let’s hear it.”

“I do adore these moments with you. Back when you and I were— ahem—consolidating our relationship, I was unwisely under the impression that you were going to become a rather permanent fixture of the landscape in here. I was impressed by your enthusiasm and intelligence and decided to grant you a boon.”

“I’m guessing this has to do with you leaving a stain on my soul?”

“Oh, you know about that? Yes, well, allow me to explain. Humans are a lot like fruit. You tend to spoil easily over time. Why look forward to an eternity of watching you dry out like a bad orange when I could keep you fresh for far longer?”

“So, what, you made me immortal?”

He laughed. “Nothing quite that impressive. Yet. No, in my ignorance, I gave you a part of myself expecting to immediately receive it back. Shame on me. Rather, this piece of myself acts as a conduit and allows me to feed bits of myself into you. Over time, I was hoping to create a being that was more my equal.”

“I see. You wanted to make me a demon, like you.”

“Well, not quite like me. Perhaps a couple of steps below me. Some people believe in equality in a relationship, but that belief is for those who only make it till death do they part.”

“You still haven’t answered my question.”

“You’re right, I haven’t. I wanted you to have a sufficient background.” He stood up and approached the water’s edge. “An unexpected development resulted from the process. You see, I’ve been trapped in here for quite some time, and my mind can only escape on a technicality. If asked a question, I can see the answer. I am not free to roam amongst the mirrors and can only come when called.

“However, since you left, I have been receiving bits and pieces of information through our bond. I was still so angry over your departure that I debated making you miserable and forcing you to come back to me. But this weird loophole has given me a sort of… freedom.”

“You’re avoiding the answer.”

“Indeed. I am getting there.” He dipped his foot in the water. “My ability to appear in this manner is due to that stain I left on you, as you call it. Metaphorically, I put a single drop of ink in the pond of your soul. While it was simply a dark blotch at first, it will continue to spread, like a parasitic shadow, until the pond itself darkens. As I continue to spread my influence, I will be able to manifest in less traditional situations.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Diluting a single drop of ink doesn’t turn a pond black.”

“Souls aren’t bound by time or distance. I can continue to feed my energy into you, enabling that single, dirty drop of my essence to become larger over time.”

“You’re… you’re feeding me your soul?”

He shrugged. “That’s a close enough description of what’s happening. I can’t escape this prison, technically. But I can slowly remake you in my image, as it were.”

She felt her guts turn to ice. “I’m becoming you?”

“Yes and no. You see, using the pond analogy, I can continue putting drops of ink in the pond. However, the pond itself won’t get any bigger. Until we have properly mixed, we will have to take turns, in a way.”

“You asshole. Are you controlling my body?”

“Not right now, my little treat.” Oliver turned to face her. “Which brings me to our next bit of business. Before I met you, I only wanted one thing, and that was my freedom. Since Hell has yet to freeze over, I turned all of my attention to getting something actually achievable. You.” He leaned close to the water. “But now I find myself in a predicament. As you are now, I can live with some small manner of freedom. Eventually, I could go for coffee or drive a car. Simple things to you, but a huge thrill to me. I could spend years in your body, growing old and listening to your miserable soul rage into the darkness. Eventually, you will perish and I return to my prison. I’ll have my desserts and they will be gone forever.”

“Or?”

“Or you come here and keep me company for all of eternity.”

“Both of those are shit options.” She crossed her arms. “I would rather kill myself.”

“Ooh, I’m shaking in my boots.” He wiggled his legs back and forth as if he was freezing. “I don’t doubt that properly motivated, you would have the capacity for self-destruction. Even if you went to Hell for it, you would be beyond my reach.”

“Sounds like I have you by the horns then.”

“Now that’s a fond memory. Do you know that I still get hard when I think about how you, a mere human, used me? I love it. Anyway, I need something more, but what to choose? Do I eat my marshmallow now, or wait five minutes and get two marshmallows?” He held up his fingers for emphasis.

Beth blinked. What the fuck is he talking about?

“I’m talking about you. Do I take control of your body and live out the rest of your days, or do you come back home to daddy?”

“Neither.”

“Wrong.” He held up a finger. “You see, this is where I have you by the tits.” He took his hat off and stuck his hand in, withdrawing a sheet of paper. “You are aware that I can answer any question asked of me, yes?”

She nodded.

“You are also aware that I don’t know the answer until I’m asked.”

Again, she nodded.

“In a few days here, I will be forced to answer three more questions asked of me by the man you know as Amir, or even one of his cohorts. Now, the thing about the Society and I is that our relationship is strained. I’m afraid that I have abused the terms of my contract enough times that, once summoned, they ask my three questions and then banish me back to the mirror world. Since you insisted on covering the mirrors in the house, I was forced to wait until I could get your sleeping mind to dream of a mirror.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yep. We don’t always remember our dreams, after all. I marinated in your thoughts until I had the strength to control your sleeping form. Now, this tends to tire your body out, after all, and was why I was able to gain access to your computer earlier when you dozed off for a second. You didn’t even realize how tired you were because I have been feeding you energy to keep you awake. Once I took it away…” he snapped his fingers. “That was all I needed.”

“I’m not sure what you could have gained from my computer.”

“Ah, now that’s an interesting subject. You see, Amir and his associates will never grant me my freedom, nor will they renegotiate the terms of my employment. When he summons me up, I intend to give him information that he hasn’t asked for, easily verified information from your laptop that will assure him that I do, in fact, have the ability to wear your body like a suit and walk right out of there with whatever my heart desires. Specifically, what Amir desires. I have long known what secrets the house holds, Satan only knows that they’ve all asked me enough about them. I’ve held some good answers close to the vest, for selfish reasons.”

Beth wanted to throw up. If what she was hearing was true, then she had become a huge liability to the house.

“Ah, now you’re getting it.” He grinned, his sharp teeth gleaming in the light of day. “So let’s say you have your bovine fuck buddy over there stick your head in the water here until you perish. I tell them everything they want to hear until everybody here has been properly enslaved or destroyed. Amir and his trained monkeys get their happy ending and I get the luxury of laughing at you all for the rest of eternity. I don’t even have to be asked to know that you won’t do it.”

“But why? If you’re going to tell them everything, then why not just do it?”

“A demon’s rage knows no limits. The moment I am released from my prison, I would unleash hell on those who have trapped me. I don’t want to see them win any more than you do, and I can tell you they will need a lot more than three questions to make that happen.” He chuckled, his laughter overlaid with a much deeper, sinister sound. “The answer to your question is that I would rather get what I want and leave them out in the cold. Therefore, you have two reasonable options here. Option one, you continue to resist and I have a wonderful time slowly taking control of you. One day you walk away with one of the home’s treasures and hand it over to the Society. As a reward for good behavior, they throw you back in with me, and I will make sure you never leave again. We spend eternity together working on the holes in our relationship.” He held up a studded collar. “Once you’ve properly begged for forgiveness of course.”

“Option two?”

“You come willingly. That reflecting pool would be perfect, actually. If you come on your own, I never let them know otherwise. The war between the Radley home and the Society goes on with no additional help from me. We spend eternity together, but maybe… just maybe…” he shook the collar, causing it to transform into a wreath made of flowers. He took off his hat and placed them atop his own head. “Maybe not as much begging is required.”

“I don’t understand. Why bother giving me a choice at all? Aren’t demons supposed to be evil?”

“Evil, yes. Stupid, no. The human soul is a beautiful thing to behold, but it is beholden by certain rules. You see, either way, I end up with your soul. But the difference between a soul taken and a soul freely given…” he sniffed the air and shivered in delight. “It’s so exquisite. Why settle for plastic when you can have diamonds?”

“I fucking hate you.” She said it so forcefully that spittle sprayed from her mouth. Oliver had her trapped and he knew it. Hot tears were already rolling down her cheeks and she sank to her knees. Asterion returned from his hiding spot, kneeling by her side to comfort her. When she looked up, Oliver had vanished from the waterfall, but her reflection still wore the wreath of flowers.

-

The snow, water and ice had been scary enough, but the sudden deluge of rain and mud had been downright terrifying. The thunderous sound of a massive storm had boomed inside of the alcove, and the three of them had huddled together as the world ended around them. A torrential downpour formed a large waterfall over the opening of their enclosure, water flooding the ground and coming near them. Mike and Zel had crawled as far back against the cave wall as they could, hoping to avoid getting wet. Ratu had woken up just long enough to wrap herself around his torso for warmth, shrinking herself down even farther.

Waves of heat had come with the rain. Steam had filled the cavern at one point, causing Mike to worry if they would be boiled alive. Huddled together, the three of them waited in the dark, wondering when the madness would end. Eventually, a heavy fog rolled in to replace the storm outside. While preferable to the deadly deluge, it was thick enough that they were forced to remain where they were.

The temperature dropped, and they shivered as the fog slowly cooled and condensed into ice. Certain that staying would result in freezing to death, they exited the cave walked toward the edge of the cliff.

The landscape of the mountain had changed drastically. What had once been large drifting slopes of snow were now icy crags that extended in either direction. Trees and boulders had been uprooted, leaving the hillside a ruined mess. If it wasn’t muddy, it was frozen, and Mike quickly realized that he needed better footwear the next time he decided to pass through a magical portal.

“We need to go down,” he said, looking toward the valley. Through holes in the clouds below, he could see that the forest had been flattened near the base of the mountain. Multiple landslides had been triggered, the scene reminding him of an old National Geographic film of Mount St. Helens after it blew. “We’ll freeze up here.”

“We need to go up.” Zel’s lower lip trembled, with just a hint of blue. “We need to go up and go back home.”

An ominous cry echoed from above and a shadow passed through the clouds.

“Do you still think that’s the best plan? Even with that thing up there?”

Zel nodded.

“Shit.” He looked up the hill and then down it. Up looked ten times harder to climb. “You’re not telling me something. Now spill.”

“Mike, I…” she was interrupted by the sound of hooves on stone. Her eyes looked past his shoulder and went wide, so he turned. At first he thought he saw a group of men come around the corner on horseback, but only because his brain wasn’t ready to accept the fact that he was looking at a group of six centaurs. They were soaking wet and wearing hunting leathers, their hooves kicking up clods of dirt. Various feathers hung decoratively from their clothing and they wore bracelets with different colors on them.

“You.” The one in the lead leveled his bow at Mike. “Who are you and why are you here?”

“I’m lost.” It wasn’t the whole story, but it was absolutely true. “I came through a portal up the mountain and was attacked by a woman in white.”

If he was hoping for sympathy, he was sorely mistaken. The moment he said portal, several others raised their bows.

“Whoa now, I’m not here to cause any trouble.” He put his hands in the air.

The lead centaur spat. “That’s what the last human said.”

Mike swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He briefly considered telling them that he was the Caretaker, but the last person he had told it to had tried to blow a hole in his chest and then leveled part of the mountain around him. “Not all humans are the same.”

The centaurs laughed as if this was the funniest thing they had ever heard.

Mike smiled, briefly assuming that he had somehow broken the tension, but the bows lifted briefly as if they were going to fire.

“Wait!” Zel stepped in front of him. “We invoke parlay.”

The lead centaur frowned. “If we were to fill you with arrows, nobody would know that you invoked parlay.”

“The sky mother would.” Zel sneered at the lead centaur. “And the moon goddess sees all, even in the brightest day. Unless the herd has forsaken the gods, then divine wrath will fall on you for killing those who abide by tribal laws.”

There was intense muttering from the centaurs, and the one in the lead frowned. “You seem to know much about our kind.” He looked her up and down, his face turning to disgust when he saw her hooves. “By the moon, you’re unfinished. An abomination.”

More mutters as they looked at her. Zel’s face fell, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

“Maybe I am.” Her voice trembled. “But centaur laws still apply.”

“Ugh.” He waved a hand and the others put their bows away. “Fine. We will take you to our chief. But should you try to escape…” he drew his line across his neck.

“We understand.” Zel hugged Mike’s arm against her, and he felt Ratu’s body relax. She was sluggish, but apparently paying attention.

He looked at the centaur closest to him. “See if Ara and Hydrus are back in the hunting cave. If not, then we must hope that they found their way to safety down in the Valley.”

“It was just us in there,” Mike said, but the centaur passing him accidentally hit him in the head with an elbow.

“Oops,” he said as sarcastically as possible over his shoulder. The centaur inspected the cave for a couple of seconds and came back out. “They aren’t here, Orion.”

“Ah shit,” Zel muttered, squeezing his arm even tighter.

“Come,” Orion commanded. “If you can’t keep up, we will tie you to ropes and drag you.”

“Well, couldn’t you just give us—” Zel pinched Mike’s arm so hard he yelped and all of the centaurs were suddenly statues.

“Give. Us. What?” Orion leaned close, one hand going to a knife strapped to his human waist. Mike could see the fire behind those green eyes, a spark that was looking to grab hold of any kindling.

“...a moment to fix my shoes? I just need to tighten the laces because they got wet.” He tried to smile, his heart pounding in his chest. “I’m afraid that humans are rather reliant on our footwear.”

Several moments went by, and Orion’s hand finally moved away from his knife. “Make it fast. We must return before the sun falls.”

“You’re the boss.” Maintaining eye contact, he stepped back and knelt down to pull a large glop of mud out of his shoe with one hand, his other hand going to the pouch on his waist which was now hidden by Zel’s coat. By feel, he could tell which vial was which, and he slid one out, then quickly undid his laces and re-tied them while palming it. Wiping his fingers on his pants, he stood and grabbed Zel’s hand, pressing it into her palm. “I’m ready,” he said to her.

Zel shook her head, then adjusted the collar of her coat. Her hand was empty when it rejoined his.

The hike down the hill was brutal, to say the least. The centaurs moved just slow enough for him to keep up, and he didn’t have any breath left to speak with Zel as they walked. He could feel his shoes stretching apart beneath the soles of his feet, and the chill had seeped through his clothes. Wishing he still had the sun stone, he held tight to Zel until they managed to get a break from the wind behind the first clump of trees.

From farther down the mountain, he could tell where all the water had fallen. A large swath of rock was now exposed, and anything growing along it had been scrubbed away by the torrential downpour. The centaurs stopped for a few moments to take in the destruction, their eyes on the wreckage below. Trees and rocks had been smashed apart into a slurry of devastation.

“For what it’s worth, I hope your friends are okay,” Mike told Orion.

The centaur grunted, then ordered the group onward.

By the time they reached the Valley, Mike’s legs felt like they had been stretched too far. His muscles were already sore and cramping, and his mind was drifting to the possibility of a hot bath once he got back. Naia would find a way to soothe his aches and pains.

A sigh escaped his lips, which earned him a dirty look from the centaur nearest him. Now that the landscape had leveled out, the centaurs seemed a little more relaxed. They followed a river basin that had overflowed and washed out its own banks before emerging into a giant prairie near the bottom of the valley. From here, Mike could now tell that the horses he had seen earlier were actually centaurs, spread across the valley floor. When the hunters grew near, several more came out to join them. These carried a combination of spears and halberds, all of which were pointed directly at Mike and Zel.

“So this is the honor guard,” he muttered.

Hooves were stamped and tails angrily flicked as Orion held a conversation with one of the newcomers just out of earshot. The only word that floated across the gap was “parlay”, and it was clear that the others were just as annoyed by its invocation. They walked across the long field to a set of over-sized yurts. They were large enough for the centaurs to go inside, but they were led past the yurts and into a thick grove of trees behind them which marked the edge of the forest.

The centaurs were silent as they marched them through the woods. There were several thick trails that led through the trees, easily wide enough for their horse bodies. He wondered if they were technically horse trails because the horse part walked them, or if it was politically correct to call them centaur trails.

He also wondered if they would stab the shit out of him once they got back to their village. Zel remained quiet, her hand tightly clasping his. She stumbled more than once, and he wondered if it was due to being nervous around her own kind. Ratu moved, shifting around on occasion to avoid the end of a spear point. His escort wasn’t exactly being delicate about his transport.

Inside the trees was a large clearing with a series of yurts that had been ornately decorated with astrological symbols. The largest yurt had an image of the sun on it, and from it emerged a massive centaur with a thick, wooly beard that just barely covered his massive pecs. He stood nearly three feet taller than Mike, and wore an ornate crown woven from branches that had leaves sprouting from it. He carried a giant staff with a crescent moon on top made of some type of pale white stone.

“Why have you brought these humans to me?” the chieftain demanded.

“They invoked parlay.” Orion crossed his arms. “They know much of our laws, Grand Stallion.”

The Grand Stallion walked close to Mike and stared down at him. Unsure whether to meet his gaze or not, he settled for sticking out his hand.

“My name is Mike. Nice to meet you.”

The Grand Stallion’s nostrils flared, and Mike fought the impulse to duck away. He half expected a blow to come from the man, so intense was his gaze. Other individuals came out of the smaller yurts, male and female centaurs dressed similarly but lacking staves of their own. He watched them from the corner of his vision, his eyes on the massive centaur before him.

“Mike,” Zel whispered, tugging on his shirt. Mike didn’t look back at her, worried that it would be rude enough to cause the Grand Stallion to have them executed or something similar. Centaurs seemed to be a rather proud group, as well as high strung.

“He is still armed.” The Grand Stallion said, pointing at Mike’s dagger. “You would bring an armed man to speak with me?”

‘A human with a knife is no match for a hunter,” Orion responded, shrugging his shoulders. “And he barely looks coordinated enough to use it. If you’re worried about it, I can just take it away from him.”

“Mike,” Zel whispered again, grabbing his arm hard enough that she pulled him off balance. The centaurs around them took a sudden step back, spears and arrows all leveled in their direction. He turned around and would have jumped back himself, if not for the fear of getting stabbed.

Zel’s lower body was emitting steam, her face twisting into agony as she started to grow. Bones snapped and skin stretched as her legs split apart then separated. Her skirt split down the back when she became too large for it, her horse body spilling out into the open. Loud gasps came from the centaurs, the clearing now filled with urgent murmuring. Zel let out a loud scream, a wave of heat blasting away from her body and ruffling his hair.

The centaurs were stunned to see one of their own suddenly appear in their midst and had backed away. He could see the confusion on their faces, followed by something else.

“Zelenia?” The chieftain spoke, his voice full of awe.

She looked to Mike, then immediately cast her eyes to the ground, one hoof pawing at the dirt. Zel tensed her jaw and looked back up, defiance in her eyes.

“Hello father.”

-

Yuki was busy building a card castle in mid-air when Daisy appeared. The tiny fairy landed on top of the castle, then walked across the top, her arms outstretched for balance. Yuki continued stacking cards around her until the castle was complete.

“Well?” she asked.

Daisy signed with her hands.

“Really? They survived all that only to be captured by the centaurs?” Yuki laughed so hard that her voice transformed into a loud bark. “That is too perfect. The centaurs will treat them no better than I would.”

Daisy signed again.

“Well, no, there’s no guarantee that they will be killed right away. They hate humans though, and once they hear that he’s Emily’s successor, he’s a dead man.” Yuki leaned back, stroking her chin. “I guess the question is do I wait and see if they do it for me? Or do I go down there and do it myself?” Her gaze settled on the trees before her. “Or do I step through for just a little bit and then check up on them? I would hate to spend another week just waiting to see what happens next.”

Daisy’s hands moved through the air, leaving glittering contrails.

“That isn’t a bad idea. Hmm.” The cards shimmered before her and the castle dismantled itself, each card floating back into her hand until the deck was complete. “Yes, I suppose that would work, if you don’t mind. I will leave the Jabberwock to guard the portal and come back in a day’s time. Assuming everything goes well, then you will be coming with me.”

Daisy smiled, her entire body lighting up.

“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.” Yuki held up a long finger and the fairy landed on it. “I wouldn’t wish it on you again, but I’m glad you got stuck here with me.”

The fairy did a little flourish, then turned into a ball of light. She pulsed three times.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going.” A smile stretched across her face, revealing her sharp teeth. Walking towards the trees, she stepped through the portal. It was suddenly dark and she was surrounded by coats.

What the hell? Pushing her way forward, she stumbled through a set of double doors and fell onto the hard, wooden floor beneath. Confused, she looked back to see that she had just come through a wardrobe.

Emily, you bitch. So that’s how she had closed her side. Yuki had expected to step out into the backyard, not into a hallway. She shut the door of the wardrobe and noticed a key in the lock. A smirk crossed her face as she turned it then put it in her pocket. Even if that man escaped, now he was the one trapped over there.

Standing, she adjusted her furs and snapped her fingers. Her outfit altered itself into a white and red sundress with three thick, fluffy tails stitched into the fabric on the back of the skirt. She walked toward the top of the stairs and placed one hand on the railing.

“It’s good to be home,” she said. Taking a deep breath, she descended the stairs.