Eva stumbled through the hedge maze, the whispering leaves still echoing doubts in her mind. Her boots caught on twisted roots, and she dropped to her knees, burying her face in her hands.

"Hopeless. That's what you are," came a sharp, almost squeaky voice.

Eva's head snapped up. Atop a crooked stone sat a creature no larger than a housecat-scaled, winged, and smoking faint puffs of ash from its nostrils. Its scales shimmered with green-gold sheen, and its tiny claws dug into the stone like hooks.

"A... a dragon?" Eva whispered.

The creature gave a disdainful snort, wings rustling irritably. "If you must label me, yes. Thorn, at your service-but don't get any ideas. I don't bother with humans. Too loud, too clumsy, too... sentimental."

Eva blinked, caught between awe and frustration. "You talk."

"Of course I talk. The question is whether you listen. Most don't." Thorn's tail lashed as he leapt down, pacing in a little circle before her. His golden eyes gleamed. "You're in over your head, girl. The Shadow King's Labyrinth isn't for play. Most of your kind last an hour at best before they're either lost, broken, or swallowed up."

Eva's jaw tightened. "Then maybe I'll be different."

Thorn chuckled, a sharp crackle like sparks on stone. "They all say that." He flapped his wings and began to lift into the air. "Best thing for you would be to curl up, cry, and hope the King takes pity-which he won't."

"Wait!" Eva stood quickly, her fists clenched. "Don't just leave. You've been here before, haven't you? You know the way out."

Thorn hovered, studying her with a long, piercing look. His little head tilted, and for a moment the disdain slipped into something closer to curiosity. Then he huffed out a plume of smoke.

"I know many ways out. I also know many ways in. But why should I care whether you find either?"

Eva's heart thudded. She had to swallow her fear and anger if she wanted even the slimmest chance. "Because," she said firmly, "I'm not giving up. And if you're going to sit there and mock me while I fight my way through, the least you can do is prove you're as clever as you sound."

Thorn blinked. Then-unexpectedly-he let out a laugh, high-pitched but genuine.

"Bold little thing, aren't you? Very well, I'll watch for a while. But don't mistake me for a pet. I'll leave the moment you bore me."

He landed lightly on her shoulder, claws surprisingly gentle.

Eva let out a slow breath. "I'll try not to bore you then."

Thorn smirked, teeth glinting. "Good. Because I do love a bit of spectacle."