Free Have No Mercy by Shannon Dermott

gaze
landed heavy on mine. I couldn't decipher his thoughts but when his head bent
towards mine, I froze. Only, he used his lips to utter one word, not to kiss
me. "Trammel."
    As close as he'd come, he
straightened back to his full height. I was left to puzzle out why the place
was called Trammel. I’d heard the word before yet its meaning was just out of
reach. He moved forward and I followed him deeper into the labyrinth as I
pondered his word.
    It hit me. Thank goodness for the
SAT. It meant something that impeded progress... activity... or freedom.
Warning bells blared the word run in my head. And I could do it. The way back
was easy because so far, our turns had only been one way.
    Had his utterance been a
cautionary tale? I glanced the three steps ahead and made my decision. I moved
a step towards him and danger because a deeper part of me that knew that he was
key to me getting back to Luke. And for that, I would do whatever necessary to
secure his cooperation.
    By any means necessary, I
thought. No one would stand in my way of my task. I wouldn't whore myself, but
there were lines I was willing to cross to get what I wanted.
    It felt odd realizing that was me
and not my demon other half. But that was the price of love. Luke deserved
everything I had including my own life if needed to rescue his.
    The further we went, I readied
myself for battle. I didn't know this guy and lust might not be in his head. I
mean he hadn't kissed me. And I wasn't vain enough to believe I was desirable
to every guy I came across. But he could be Madeline's soldier and the means to
my death. It didn’t matter though. He would soon see I would fight and kill him
if I had to protect myself, the Elven queen be damned. I would find another way
into the veil of the between. Hopefully, I would make it on time, and they
would once again set Luke and me free. Otherwise, I would bargain for Luke's
life with my own. I exhaled a breath feeling relieved that I'd come to a
conclusion without hesitation. Luke would live again.
    We rounded a corner into a lane
of ice sculptures. I didn’t have to wait for what would happen next. Larrison
matched in from the opposite end.
    "Brother," Larrison
greeted joyfully.
    I turned to see Tristrom bow. Had
this been a setup? The answer to that was easy.
    Larrison wasn't alone. The girl
with silver hair and a glowing face to pretty for words bounced over to me with
energy so far, no one I'd seen, possessed.
    "Hi," she said
extending a hand. "We haven’t met. I'm Morgana, Larrison and Tristrom
sister."
    Reluctantly, I shook her icy hand
only to snatch it away when a jolt of cold pain like a burn shot up my arm.
    "Oh, sorry about that. I
forgot you were mortal." She giggled again, but it didn’t hide her frosty
gaze. She'd meant to hurt me, whether to test or to warn, I wasn't sure.
"And where is that handsome young man you were with."
    Possessiveness at epic levels
filled my gut. "My husband," I gritted. Even I heard the undercurrent
of a growl in my voice as she eyed me now like a worthy opponent instead of a
stupid child.
    "Ah yes, he said that didn't
he."
    I didn't remember seeing her at
the gathering we'd been led to upon arrival. Had he told her about me after he
left with her? And why wasn’t she there earlier? Did Madeline not think her
worthy since she hadn't been at the head table like either brother?
    "I don't remember seeing you
at the table with your family." My backhand remark hit its target across
the face.
    She flinched at my words.
"Mother had me handling important matters. But I was there when it
counted."
    So much for a future friendship
between us. Clearly, she was just another one of Flynn’s groupies. She’d
learned though much like the rest. He wasn’t for sale nor was he buying. If
anything, he’d use and discard her when it was time for us to go.
    "Morgana, it's obvious the
boy isn't here. Why don't you go find him and take our brother with you?"
Larrison’s autocratic tone would have