Bird in the Golden Cage

Chapter seven

Aislinn waited and waited, but no one came. She was worried that something had happened to them. Both Malachy and Nate promised her that they would find her, but they seem to have forgotten about her. She waited maybe hours and maybe minutes, time was endless. She waited and waited, but she remained alone.

Aislinn plucked up her courage and stepped back into the faun's labyrinth. Now that she had passed through it once and knew what was waiting for her there, it was easier for her to walk. She kept repeating Prince Nathaniel's words to herself. Always be alert. Don't be tempted by the water nymphs. Fortunately, they are already behind her. Don't listen to the faun's music. And if you hear it, run.

Her journey had no end. She was totally lost. She seemed to be walking in circles, yet everything felt different. The fog distorted everything. Aislinn was getting paranoid. She heard voices. She heard laughter. She was deceived by her own senses.

A sweet melody echoed through the air. Faun. Primal instinct made Aislinn obey Prince Nathaniel and run. She drew her dagger and started running. Nate told her to run as far away from the sound as possible, but it's hard to run when the music seems to be coming from everywhere.

Aislinn had come a long way, but the music didn't stop. No distance was far enough. And then the creature appeared in front of her. A faun materialized from the mist. From the waist down he had the form of a goat and from the waist up he was a man. Horns stuck out from among unruly locks of hair. He looked at her with wild eyes.

"You escaped me once, but you won't succeed a second time, mortal," he said in an ominous voice.

Aislinn froze in place. Her heart was beating nervously. She called Nathaniel's name softly in her mind. She begged him to appear there and save her. Or his brother. Anyone. And her wish came true. There stood her prince. He brought the dagger to the malevolent faun's neck.

"You won't even touch her," said Prince Nathaniel.

"She belongs to me now," the faun objected. "Not even you can save her, false king."

Prince Nathaniel carefully walked around the faun, still aiming his sharp blade. He took small steps back towards Aislinn. "In that case, we have a problem because she's mine and I'm not going to give her up," said the prince.

The faun put his flute to his mouth and coaxed out the magical melody. He summoned his spiritless prisoners. They obeyed the call of their master and came to stop the fae prince Nathaniel and Aislinn. Here they were in his territory.

Prince Nathaniel grabbed Aislinn and ran away with her. Aislinn didn't need to be told twice, she followed him wherever he led her – out of the faun's labyrinth. As before, the walls tried to slow them down, but Prince Nathaniel's power kept them at bay. The soulless bodies of people who met their end there hunted them.

Aislinn caught sight of the blue sky and happiness filled her. They are almost outside. They found a way out. However, she realized where they were going. They are far from out of the maze. They are trapped. She began to doubt that they would ever get out of there.

They got outside, beyond the faun's labyrinth. They were standing on the edge of a cliff. Aislinn looked back. Those poor souls were behind the line of the maze, they couldn't get out. Now she could get a better look at them. Their eyes were white, cloudy. Veins showed through their pale skin. They had sharp claws. They looked scary. They grunted, howled. They extended their predatory fangs, wanting to pull them back. However, they could not cross that imaginary border. They were imprisoned there.

Nathaniel pulled Aislinn back, who was coming dangerously close to them. "We have to get out," he told her.

"I agree," Aislinn replied. "But I don't think you noticed that we're kind of at a dead end." She pointed to both sides which meant clear death.