The room was so dark, shapes and shadows seemed to undulate. Nevertheless, Luke's footsteps were confident, and Maura and Evelyn remained close to his side as he guided the way.

He tried not to recall the time when Evelyn had stirred his feelings, but her proximity now made it difficult. It was so long ago that he was sure it had all been a dream. Taken from his parents as an infant, he had grown up in The Otherworld and known no other life. And yet, as he grew, he had come to realize he was different. On his darkest days, Evelyn had been the only one to offer him solace. With her, he felt as though he belonged.

"A few more steps," he whispered.

Luke's heart beat for Maura now, and yet he couldn't help but wonder if, in time, his feelings for her would change. Like when you reach the crest of a hill only to find yourself tumbling down the other side, love could be wild and unpredictable. Brendan and his mother had once been in love. It was difficult for Luke to imagine his mother as a young mortal with a hopeful gleam in her eye. While not strictly friends, he and Brendan had always been cordial to one another. As part of Siobhan's royal court, they had been equals. Luke on one side and Brendan on the other.

But then Brendan had left The Otherworld. Though Luke had seen him on two separate occasions when Maura was small and unrecognizable as she is now, Luke had thought nothing of him until he saw the photo in Maura's home. Until he realized who Maura was. What did it mean that Maura was half-fay, descended from faery royalty? The blood of this world ran through her veins, which made her more of a faery than he or Evelyn, or even Siobhan. The queen could have whichever human she wanted. Luke had petitioned that she choose another. Siobhan had been insistent, though. She had to have Maura. And that made Luke wonder, what wasn't she telling him?

"Ouch!" Maura said, following a loud thud. They had reached the opposite side of the room at last.

"Shh!" Evelyn said.

"Shh yourself." Maura shot back. "I wasn't even being loud."

Luke ignored their quarreling. "The door is here somewhere," he said as he ran his hand along the wall. His fingers closed around cold metal. "Found it!"

He pulled the door slowly inward, admitting a small shaft of light that illuminated half of Maura's face, her eyes wide and mouth slightly parted. Evelyn was on his right, still in the dark. She placed a hand, cool and slightly damp, around his arm. Her breathing came quick.

"Where are we?" Maura whispered as Luke pulled the door all the way. The room they were in opened onto a narrow hall, the stone floors stretching on either side for as far as the eye could see.

"I've never been here before," Evelyn said, confusion in her voice. Being the queen's handmaiden, she wouldn't know this part of the castle. Luke shouldn't know it, either, but he'd had a sense of unshakable wanderlust as a newly made immortal that seemed to intensify with each passing year. The more his mother tried to bind him to her side, the more desperate he became to leave.

"Are we in a dungeon?" Maura wondered.

"There are no criminals in The Otherworld," Evelyn said. "We are a peaceful people."

"For the most part," Luke corrected. "This is a labyrinth. Whenever someone displeases my mother, she sends them here. All they can do is wander. Lost."

"We're in a maze?" Maura said. "Luke, we don't have time for this. Can't one of you just open a portal to my dad's room and beam us there?"

"Not in the castle," Luke answered. "My mother will sense the disturbance. We can't take that chance."

The sound of approaching footsteps drew near, echoing off the stone walls. They retreated into the room and Luke quickly closed the door, submerging them into darkness once more. He felt for Maura's hand and she let him have it, twining her fingers with his. She pressed her shoulder against his, whether intentionally or by accident, and he wished they could stay in that room forever.

When the footsteps had passed, Luke opened the door again. "I know the way," he said. "We have to be quick."

Navigating the labyrinth was no trouble for Luke. He had figured out its secrets long ago and now led the way with ease, Maura's hand still in his. When they made it to the courtyard, however, it would be impossible to go unnoticed. News traveled fast in the castle, and no doubt word would get back to his mother about her son with the human girl. They would have to make their way carefully to Brendan's room.

"Do all of us have to go?" Maura said, as though reading Luke's thoughts.

"Yes," Luke said, though without elaborating. The truth of the matter was, despite the history between him and Evelyn, he didn't entirely trust the faery to stay behind with Maura or accomplish the errand on her own. She had a vindictive streak, but she was also fiercely loyal. The two could be a risky combination. All he could do was hope that Evelyn was truly on their side.

As it was just past dawn, they didn't encounter many others. They were able to duck around corners and doors whenever someone approached. At last, after climbing the seemingly endless spiral staircase, they reached Brendan's room. The door was open, and they found him sitting on his bed, head in his hands.

"Dad," Maura said, going at once to his side.

Brendan looked up, confusion etched on his face. He rose immediately and wrapped his daughter in an embrace. "What are you doing here?"

"We have a plan. We're going to get you out, but there's something you have to do first."

"You can't get me out. There is a spell upon this place. I am a prisoner."

Evelyn entered the room and, from the satchel slung across her shoulder, withdrew the glass vial. Brendan's brows drew together. He took a step closer and reached for it, examining the receptacle in his hand. "Is this . . ."

"Yours," Evelyn said.

He shook his head. "I assumed this had been destroyed. How did you . . ?"

"The queen kept it as a token," Evelyn said. "She doesn't know the things I know."

Brendan stared at her as though trying to make sense of her words. "What am I supposed to do with it?"

"You know what you are supposed to do," Evelyn replied.

Brendan shook his head again and tried to push the vial into the faery's hands, but she wouldn't take it. He glanced at the door, fearing the queen would appear. His mouth hardened. "Have you considered the consequences of this plan, what it would mean for everyone in The Otherworld? What will become of us without a queen?"

"With Siobhan out of the way," Maura said, "that will give us time to figure out what to do next."

"You're asking me to take Siobhan's essence."

"Yes," Luke said.

"I can't do that."

"Why not?" Maura demanded. "Don't tell me you still love her."

Brendan looked at her with a pained expression on his face. "Do you ever truly stop loving someone?"

Maura's eyes hardened. "What are you saying, Dad?"

"I love your mother," Brendan said, placing a hand on Maura's cheek. "You two are my life, the reason for my existence. But you are asking me to harm another being."

"As she has done harm to others," Evelyn said.

"As harm was done to her," Brendan replied.

Maura took a step back, out of her father's reach. "We're doing this to save you. So you can come back home to mom and me. I thought that's what you wanted!"

"That is what I want."

"Then don't be a coward!"

The room was silent for several moments, but then Brendan squared his shoulders. "Do you know the words?" he said to Evelyn.

She nodded once. "I do."

Wordlessly, Brendan turned his back to her, and she strung the vial around his neck, quietly speaking the spell to bind the knot. It would take magic to later undo it. "Hide the vial under your shirt so she doesn't see," Evelyn said.

"We need to go," Luke said.

"Maura, wait," Brendan said, urgency in his voice as they turned to leave. "When will I see you again?"

"When it's safe."

"Go," Evelyn urged, pushing them toward the door. "The queen will be waking soon. I must tend to her."

"Yes. Go," Brendan agreed.

Together, Luke and Maura fled, returning the way they had come until they were back in the darkened room. Luke hoisted Maura up and out the window and pulled himself free after her. When they were clear of the castle, he opened a portal to take them back to the mortal realm.

"What if this doesn't work?" Maura said as they stood on the curb in the shadow of the high school. The place was still quiet. Students had yet to arrive. "My mom's going to freak out when she wakes up and sees I'm not there," she said to herself without waiting for him to answer, which was just as well since he had no answer to give.

Maura pulled out her cell, her fingers flying over the keys. "We're ditching today," she said, shoving her phone back in her pocket.

"What?"

"We're ditching."

He looked at her, but her eyes were straight ahead, her expression resolute. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

She took his hand and ran her thumb over the back of his, sending shockwaves up his spine. "I think it's a brilliant idea."

With her hand in his and the way she was looking at him, however, Luke wasn't so sure.

*****

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