Chapter 7

Brendan saw Cassie step off of the path and he dropped everything he was holding, leaping forward across the several feet between himself and the entrance to the labyrinth. He knew that he had set the labyrinth off, his presence made the normally quiescent paving stones rear up with all their innate magic, and when Cassie stepped off the path, she was in terrible danger.

The veil between the magical realm and the mortal realm was usually quite strong, but in places where small magic was performed on a regular basis, like the labyrinth, the veil became worn, magic from both sides thinned the barrier. With the recent activation of this site, he knew the stones would be hungry; he could feel its hunger licking toward him.

In two strides, he crossed the space between where he stood and the opening. One quick breath later, he dove into the labyrinth, his nerves lit on fire by the ravenous stones. Sharp stinging sensations ran up and down his spine, thousands of tiny pinpricks over and over again. Holding his breath he crossed the few feet to Cassie, swung her up in his arms, pivoted on his heel, and tried to step forward. He looked down at his feet and saw he stood right next to one of the stones in the path.

Clutching Cassie tightly, he pushed himself sideways until he was standing on the open path. He looked down again and realized that instead of landing on the exit path, he had landed on the path nearest the center. They would have to walk the path completely to get back out.

By now the onlookers were watching their little adventure play by play. Brendan couldn’t see most of them much more than the faint heat signature they gave off through the pulsing orange light. Surrounding them was the bright reddish pink of Cassie’s aura mixed with a subtle lemon yellow from him, giving off the combined orange light. He set Cassie down and held onto her hand.

“Listen to me carefully, we have to go back to the center, then back out along the path.”

“Why? I’ve walked the path and strode straight out when I didn’t have time to complete the return walk. You’re acting a bit strange.” She dutifully followed him back to the center, through a quick acknowledgement of the four directions, and back along the twists and turns of the labyrinth, not seeing the orange glow surrounding them.

“I will explain, but we have to get out of here first. Just know, I love you.” Brendan felt the energy change, like a change in the wind. He pulled Cassie along and stepped up his pace. “Sorry we can’t make any stops, we just need to get out.”

Cassie clasped his hand tighter as they began moving faster. Once or twice she skidded as he made a turn too sharply. She began to feel a tingle in the soles of her feet. “Brendan, what’s that tingling?”

“Energy, magic, whatever you want to call it. I set it off, turned it back on or whatever by my presence.”

“Magic? Are you serious? You set it off?”

“Yes. Look, I know I sound crazy, but you’ve got to trust me. You trust me, don’t you?”

Cassie squeezed his hand again. “Of course I do. I may be crazy for doing it, but I trust you.”

“Good.” He turned around and kissed her impulsively. “Let’s get out of here.”

After a few more tense moments, during which Brendan felt another change in the energy, from a ruffling breeze to a sharp cold wind, they stepped out of the labyrinth. He hurried off of the stones onto the normal concrete of the courtyard, pulling Cassie behind him. A handful of bystanders stopped watching them after they exited the labyrinth.

Cassie gathered up their packages and reached for his hand. “So are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

Brendan looked back at the labyrinth. The pearlescent rays of light arching upward toward the sky still pulsed in his sight. However, all color had drained from the swirling light. As he watched, a flicker of deep purple shot through the light and swirled into it, turning everything a lavender blue and then eventually dissipating.

“Sure, but let’s get out of here first.” Brendan shot one last glance at the energy filled stones and strode across the rest of the courtyard, with Cassie trailing behind him, linked by their hands. Brendan didn’t stop until they were nearly a block away outside a little French café connected to the La Fonda hotel. “Lunch?” he asked.

“Try early dinner, we had lunch hours ago.” Cassie laughed.

“Well, they have wonderful pastries here; we could just have a mid afternoon snack. Preferably something with chocolate.” Together they entered the little shop and found themselves a small table by the large fireplace which was cold this time of day. Before too long, the fire would be roaring and giving off its friendly heat nearly every day at this time, but in the early Autumn days, its warmth was unneeded and unwelcome as yet. They ordered two desserts, one with berries and custard for Cassie and a seven layer chocolate cake with whipped cream for Brendan.

“So, do I get an explanation, or do I just chalk it up to your boyish good looks and need to play pranks?”

“I don’t do pranks, that’s Ainsel’s business. I am the hero in this story, madam, and I’d appreciate if you showed the proper respect.” He took a huge bite of the chocolate cake and began chewing exaggeratedly, making Cassie laugh again.

“Oh, great hero, thank you so much for rescuing me from the evil concrete. What service can I perform that will be sufficient to show my undying gratitude?” She laid it on thick, enjoying her custard dessert as well as the word play.

“Ok, ok, I give. Truly though, today was not a day to choose to step off the path. Here’s a brief explanation, I’ll tell you more later. First, I posit the existence of another plane of existence, another world so to speak. A world where magic works, and indeed is infused in everything, living or inanimate, a rock, a tree, certainly a person. Will you accept this proposition?”

“Of course, everyone knows that. It’s just a matter of what you believe magic is and does. Some people believe that energy work is magic, and I think I could definitely suspend any grain of disbelief for this discussion.” Cassie laid down her fork across her empty plate and crossed her hands on the table in front of her, ready to listen.

“Great. Ok, then, the magical realm or plane or world exists in concert with the non-magical world, the real world so to speak or the mortal realm. Sort of overlapping it. Between the worlds, there is a veil, protecting each from the other. Originally, it protected the mortal realm from the magical realm, when magic was strong and mortals needed the protection. Now it serves the other way as well, protecting the magical realm from encroachment and exploitation from this realm.” Brendan leaned back and took a deep breath. His eyes seemed far away and scenes from his home realm flashed across his mind’s eye.

“In some places,” he continued, “one realm or the other has taken over. Primeval forests are generally the pale of the magical realm whereas massive industrial complexes belong to the mortal one.”

Cassie nodded, seeming to be very interested, in a scholarly way. Brendan hoped to convince her he was telling the truth without telling too much of it. Ainsel’s secret would have to be revealed, at least some of it, before his was ever touched.

“Ok, so there are certain places where magic is performed in this realm, which makes the veil in those places thinner, and easier to breach. The labyrinth is one such place. The thoughts and concentration of those walking the path are a form of magic, as is the final acknowledgement of the directions or archangels or whatever people think when they reach the center. The magic from this side rubs against the veil just like the magic from the other side, and it wears thin over years and decades and centuries. When this happens, strong spirits from either side can cross the veil at that point.”

“Was that what I felt toward the end? It suddenly got very cold and windy, but the trees and grasses outside the labyrinth weren’t moving in any wind I could see. It felt like I might be pushed over from that wind.”

“You felt it, too? I thought you were just unsteady because I was pulling so hard.” Brendan looked intently into Cassie’s eyes and saw a spark of something he must have missed before. No wonder he felt drawn to her so strongly, she was a descendant of one of his people and had the gift. “Cassie, you have to believe me,” he took her hand in his, “you have an ancestor that came from the magical realm, which is why you could feel the labyrinth flare up.”

Cassie laughed, then noticed that Brendan was dead serious. “Sorry,” she murmured. She thought for a moment, then said, “There was my grandfather’s father. He would tell me stories, my grandfather that is, about how his father could do these amazing things, dowse for water, catch a fish with his bare hands, blow out all the candles in a room by just entering it, strange things that I took to be tall tales.”

Brendan listened and nodded. “He had some of the Blood, at the very least, and passed it down to you.” He bit his lip and looked into Cassie’s eyes. “I’m so sorry to have mixed you up in this. I never meant to fall in love.”

Cassie’s eyes became wet and she took his hands in hers. “You can’t help who you love. I love you, too.” She pressed softly on his hands.

Brendan shook his head. “It’s not that. I believe it was my mother trying to find me at the labyrinth.”

“Your mother?” Cassie blinked. “Who is your mother? Is she very powerful? Is she angry?”

Brendan let out a held in breath. Time to tell his secret. “My mother is Titania, Queen of the Faeries. And yes, she is angry.”