“My name would mean nothing to you, nor do I plan to give it.”

  Emerald smiled. “We can make up one for you if you like. How about Spike?”

  The armored man regarded her calmly. “Call me what you wish.”

  “Perfect! Spike it is, then.” Emerald subtly elbowed him. “See? I’m helping.”

  With no better options at the moment, Trent focused on “Spike” and decided to start with the straightforward approach. “I’m looking for a woman who may have passed through here about a week ago. Long black hair, pale skin, dark eyes. She’s quite beautiful.”

  Spike said nothing.

  “I don’t suppose you’ve seen her?”

  The armored man nodded slowly. “She did not wish for dissolution.”

  Which meant Ivy’s soul was still out there in the maze somewhere! Trent held back his grin at the first real confirmation he’d heard that Ivy’s soul had survived since he arrived here in the Firmament. He could still save her, if he could find her.

  “Did you happen to see which direction she went?”

  “Who is this woman to you?”

  “My future wife. I’m not leaving this place without her.”

  Emerald shivered beside him. “Ooh. That gave me chills.”

  Spike crossed his arms with a faint clank of armor. “You cannot escape this place.”

  “Let’s agree to disagree. Now, can you tell me in which direction the woman with the dark hair went? I’ll happily be on my way and leave you to your... executing.”

  Spike’s head tilted in his armor. “You mean that, don’t you?”

  “That I’m not leaving without her? Yes, I do.”

  “No. You truly believe you can escape this place. Why?”

  Trent debated lying to Spike, but didn’t want to risk angering him if his deception was exposed. He reached out to Revca again, felt her but couldn’t speak to her, and decided to be honest.

  “My bonded partner is waiting to bring me back.”

  Now Spike straightened with what looked like real interest. “The mages did not sever your bond before they tossed you in here?”

  “They actually didn’t toss me anywhere. I jumped.”

  “And they allowed this?”

  “They allowed nothing. They’re dead now. After we killed the mage who attempted to interrogate me, we were free to do as we wished.”

  “And how did you defeat a mage in the Firmament?”

  “My sword.”

  “That is not an ether blade.”

  Trent considered that odd statement as he remembered the glowing blue sword Spike had carried before vanishing it into the void. “Is yours?”

  “Yes. Are you a blade mage?”

  “I...” Trent actually didn’t know. “I am a mage, and I use a blade. So we’ll go with yes.”

  “What is your affinity?”

  Again, Trent found no reason to lie to a figure that seemed to be dealing with him in a straightforward manner, regardless of its nightmarish appearance. “Chaos ether.”

  When Spike stepped forward, Trent and Emerald abruptly took a step back. Trent resisted the urge to draw Ruby from her sheath. They were still negotiating, and Spike now looked and sounded oddly intrigued.

  “You are a chaos mage?”

  “I am. Is that... useful?”

  Spike nodded. “I have not encountered another chaos mage for longer than I can remember. I had not expected to do so ever again. You speak the truth. You killed the mage who tried to toss you down here, yet came anyway. You seek the soul of the woman with dark hair and pale skin. And you have an affinity for chaos ether.”

  “Those are all true statements, yes.”

  “I would parley with you, Trent. If you and I can come to an arrangement, an arrangement that I feel may benefit us both, I can help you find your fiancé.”

  “And in return?”

  “You must free me from this morass.”

  “You just said there’s no escape from this place.”

  “Not for a soul that is not bonded. For you, however? A mage who is still bonded to another outside this place? Escape is possible.”

  Spike believed that. He couldn’t lie. That was tremendously encouraging.

  Trent eyed Spike cautiously. “You’re a prisoner here, too?”

  “I am this place’s gaoler, prisoner, and executioner. I have been here so long that the time before feels like a fading dream. Yet I did my duty out of resignation, not obligation. I was once a mage like you, one who wielded chaos ether. I believe you and I can help each other.”

  Trent glanced at Emerald, who shrugged. She was still letting him lead their negotiation, but just having her stand beside him made him feel more confident. He liked her company.

  He looked back at Spike. “I’ll listen. What’s your offer?”

  “I will help you find your fiancé and reunite you. In exchange, you will allow me to join my soul with yours. You will take me back to your realm in your body.”

  Emerald groaned. “I knew he was a devil mage.”

  Spike pivoted to face her. “I am not a devil.”

  “Prove it.”

  “I cannot lie to you here.”

  “Right. Which is exactly what devil mages always say.”

  “The inability to lie is true of anyone who enters this realm from another. It is not limited to mages from Tarrenhall. All mages who travel here must respect the rules of the Firmament, and those rules ensure we deal honestly with those in realms beyond.”

  Trent frowned. “Tarrenhall is the realm from which you hail?”

  “It is one of many realms where mages reach into realms beyond.”

  “Is that Lord Adon’s realm, then? Lord Belgor’s?”

  Emerald elbowed him sharply. “I told you not to say those names!”

  Trent glanced at her. “This is an endless maze, isn’t it? If they show up, they’d be stuck here as well. That would be a victory for everyone.”

  “Right, but we’d be stuck here with them. And they’d be mad at us.”

  Spike shook his head. “I am not familiar with those legates, but I have been here in this maze for some time. Ever since I failed my liege lord. To serve here was my punishment.”

  “Who was your liege lord?”

  “Legate Martinus.”

  Trent’s jaw nearly dropped. “You mean King Martinus?”

  Spike tilted his helmet. “I recall now. That is the title he used when he reached into your realm. Yes. I served King Martinus until I failed him.”

  Trent was shocked. Everyone knew the stories about King Martinus, of course. The legends had been passed down through songs, books, and children’s tales for centuries.

  King Martinus had lived hundreds of years ago. He had come close to conquering the entire mortal realm through his mastery of dark magic, as well as his aggression, power, and ruthlessness. A band of heroes whom no one remembered any longer had defeated and destroyed Martinus.

  Every solstice, villages like Trent’s own Kallowhorn made an effigy of King Martinus and burned it to celebrate the longest night of the year. When he was younger, Trent had assumed that Martinus was just a story, a fable to warn against false kings, and it was only once he had grown up and met Revca, Kari, and others that he had learned Martinus was a real king.

  No. Not just a king. A devil mage, and possibly among the first.

  “You say you failed King Martinus. How?”

  “He ordered me to hold the gates of his fortress against his enemies. They overcame me. In the aftermath of their invasion, he banished me to this morass.”

  “And you’ve been here ever since?”

  “Yes.”

  Trent would have been certain that the man—or mage—was lying to him if not for the fact that every devil mage he had encountered thus far had spoken the truth. He also knew from speaking with both Belgor and Xorumon that there were multiple factions of devils.

  It seemed Adon and Belgor were not the only factions. Other devil lords and factions existed, and Martinus had been among their number... over three hundred years ago. Spike had been wandering this maze for at least that long, offering dissolution to those who asked for it.

  “Do you have any sense of how long you have been here?”

  “Centuries. At least.”

  “Based on the history I was told, it’s been three centuries since they defeated King Martinus and cast his soul back into the hells... or wherever he came from.”

  Spike nodded respectfully. “I suspected your people defeated him in battle. Martinus was spiteful, but he was never a fool. He would not have abandoned me for so long.”

  “That was strange? You said you failed him.”

  “Yes, which merited punishment. Not permanent exile. He had only two other blade mages to call upon. I would make three. He would not abandon me here for long. He would desire my power to help him defeat his enemies.”

  “I see. So you expected him to free you eventually?”

  “He would have, had he not died at the hands of your warriors.”

  Trent frowned. “If you’re looking for an apology, I’m afraid I can’t offer one. Martinus nearly destroyed our realm.”

  “I do not seek an apology, only a way out. I am now a soldier without a liege lord. I would walk my path with you, Trent. As I said, I can offer you your fiancé and much more.”

  “At the cost of my soul.”

  “No. You need not offer your soul to me, nor would I ask to permanently inhabit your body. I would ask only for your help in escaping this place. Take me with you when your bonded partner draws you back to your realm, and then I will go my own way.”

  “And where would you go? Do you have a body to return to?”

  “No. I would cease to be.”

  Trent blinked. “You seek dissolution?”

  “I do. While I have offered dissolution to many, I cannot execute myself. My ether blade is a part of me, and it cannot harm the mage who wields it. Thus I am trapped alongside all those my liege lord, and I suppose others since, have tossed in here. It is ironic.”

  Emerald sighed. “You know that’s not actually what that word means, right?”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Despite all the warnings Revca and Kari had given him about ever making a deal with a devil, Trent was tempted by this one. He had thus far had no success finding Ivy’s soul, and he didn’t have a plan for doing so other than to wander aimlessly and hope.

  Assuming he could trust that this devil mage could not lie, just like all the others, the devil also wasn’t asking to devour his soul and replace it. He simply wanted to leave the endless maze when Trent did, presumably alongside Ivy. An opportunity denied to him until now.

  Lord Belgor was a devil mage, and had never tried to seize his soul. Xorumon was another, and he had offered information freely. Even Princess Victoria had told him that when her mother, Queen Agnes, spoke to Belgor in her dreams, Belgor had never asked for or tried to seize Queen Agnes’s soul.

  Devils had many goals. Not all of them included devouring your soul and using your body as a puppet. Some deals could actually be made for a reasonable cost.

  Emerald glanced at him. “Oh, gods.”

  “What?”

  “You’re considering it!”

  Trent raised an eyebrow. “You have reservations?”

  “So many! First, he’s a devil mage!”

  “I was simply a mage,” Spike calmly corrected.

  “Second, he wants to inhabit your body! Devils who do that don’t typically leave.”

  From the way Spike shifted in his armor, he actually looked like he might be offended. “I will leave once we return to your realm. I honor my word. I also cannot lie to you here.”

  Emerald glared at him. “Define leave.”

  “Once we return to your realm, I will sever my soul from Trent’s. I will depart from his body. He will live free of my influence and touch for the rest of his days. I will cease to be.”

  “That’s...” Emerald frowned. “There has to be a catch.”

  “There is none. I have told you what I seek. You have told me what you seek. We can help each other. I see no reason we must remain at odds.”

  Emerald glanced at Trent again. “You want my opinion?”

  Trent frowned. “I think you’ve made it obvious.”

  “Good. What about the woman in your head? What does she say about this?”

  Emerald meant Revca. The problem was that Trent couldn’t talk to her. He focused on Spike again and decided he needed more information before he could decide to do this.

  “I can no longer speak to my wife. Are you the reason?”

  Spike tilted his helmet. “Your wife?”

  “Yes. She’s my way out of here. I feel her over my mage bond, but we can’t speak.”

  “You said you seek the soul of your fiancé.”

  Trent sighed as he realized he’d have to explain his unique marital situation yet again, this time to a devil mage.

  “It’s not that complicated. I’m the chief of a Windborne tribe, and we take multiple wives. I have four now. Ivy will one day be my fifth wife, after I free her from this place.”

  “I see.” Spike paused as if thinking that over. “Congratulations.”

  Trent was rapidly growing less worried about this devil mage, and more annoyed. “Are you the reason I cannot speak with my wife?”

  “I cannot say. I have never encountered any bonded mage in this place, and so cannot tell you if my presence has cut off your ability to speak to her. But you can still escape?”

  “Yes.” Trent hoped he wasn’t lying.

  “Then I again offer this deal. I will help you find your fiancée if you will help me escape this place and find dissolution in your realm.”

  “How can you find her? Do you know the layout of this maze?”

  “There is no maze. This is an endless plain on which lost souls wander. I can see fourteen of them right now. If you see a maze, that is because you intend to see a maze.”

  Given how strange and malleable the Firmament seemed to be, that actually made a weird sort of sense. This maze hadn’t even appeared until Trent had stated aloud that he’d wished to find the “endless maze.”

  Had the devil mage primed him to see a maze by telling him he would be tossed into one? That made sense in dream logic. He’d wanted to find a maze, and so he had.

  “Right. Fine. So how do I not see the maze?”

  “You may travel alongside me to your fiancé. I know where she is right now. I can see all who still wander in this maze, at least those that wander freely.”

  “And how many souls are wandering about now?”

  Spike paused as if counting. “As I said, I see fourteen, but I’m aware of twenty-two.”

  Trent shuddered at the thought of being lost forever in this nightmare realm, unable to escape or speak to your loved ones or even die. It was the worst sort of immortality. One where you wandered endlessly without reprieve.

  “Why haven’t you sent these twenty-two souls to dissolution?”

  “All have refused my offer.”

  Emerald glanced at him again. “A consensual executioner. I’ll admit that’s new.”

  Trent kept his focus on Spike. “How long ago did you ask them?”

  “It varies from soul to soul. I have not spoken to some for decades. Many told me never to speak to them again. I have since respected their wishes.”

  “And my fiancé?”

  “She refused my offer one week ago.”

  “Then we’ll start there. Take me to her.”

  “First, you must agree to free me from this place by allowing me to travel in your body.”

  Trent stared the devil down. “How’s this instead? You may think you can do what you say, but I have no proof of that. Only your word.”

  “I cannot lie, and I will not compromise my honor.”

  “But you could be mistaken or insane. Which means you think you’re capable of doing what you claim to be able to do, but when you can’t, I’ll be stuck with a devil in my head. It’s my understanding that a devil deal can only be completed when both sides fulfill their bargain.”

  Spike said nothing.

  “So were I to agree to your deal to attach yourself to my soul, on the condition that you would remove yourself once I brought you to freedom, that deal would only come to fruition were you first to lead me to my fiancé, and then once I brought you to freedom. You would remain attached to my soul until those events occurred, which would leave me at your mercy.”

  Spike considered. “I could say the same of you.”

  “That I’m insane or mistaken? You could. Both of us would be foolish to agree to such a deal with no proof the other can deliver what he intends. So here’s my counter-offer. If you bring me to my fiancé, I will allow you to attach yourself to my soul⁠—”

  “Trent!” Emerald cut in angrily.

  “—for ten minutes. You have that long to lead me to my fiancé here in the Firmament, and you will relinquish any hold on my soul when ten minutes elapses regardless of whether we find my fiancé, Princess Ivy, or not.”

  “And how then will I know you will free me in return?”

  “You have my word, which I assure you is as good as yours. You also seem a capable fellow, so I imagine you’ll try to kill me or... dissolve me... if I try to double-cross you. I’m open to freeing you if you help me, but first we find my fiancé. That’s non-negotiable.”

  Spike considered him for a moment. “Where is your wife?”

  “Not here. She isn’t in this... morass... but outside it. That means she can pull us from this place and thus to the larger portion of the Firmament. How would you feel about that as a first measure of trust?”

  Emerald’s mouth remained open, then closed. She considered that. Spike considered that. As Trent glanced at her again, he imagined her parsing his deal for problems.

  Spike nodded. “Your suggestion has merit. I must prove I can lead you to your fiancée. You must prove your bonded partner can free us. It would be foolish for either of us to agree to more until we have verified those two facts. Very well, Trent. I will accept this deal.”

  “Thank you. Now, wait a moment.” Trent focused on Emerald. “So? Thoughts?”