CHAPTER#115

"Fuck your laws. Do you think I care about them? Do you think the people up there on the lawn cared about them? If I worried about human laws, I would never get anything done."

"Wait, what people?"

"You don't have to worry about it. I killed one of them and I suspect the others are in a rush to die as well. Speaking of which, I think it's about time we leave. I don't sense anymore portals down here, the last one just closed." She threw the ball back to Beth. "Unless you think anymore would be opened?"

"If they do, it's not something I have control over." Beth shook her head. "However, you've got it all wrong about the people upstairs. Those people on the lawn are a group of powerful warlocks and witches. They've been dogging Mike since shortly after he moved in. He's been attacked by demons, elementals, and a witch who could control the weather."

"And he hasn't gotten rid of them yet? Pathetic."

"For the record, he's only been living here about a month. I've only been here a week and I've already seen him deal with so much, I have no idea how he does it. But I do know that he's been trying so hard to keep this place safe. I fail to see a parallel between you two."

Yuki's face scrunched up for a second, her eyes on the ball, then snapped back to normal. "My methods are necessary. As long as that man lives, he is the biggest danger to this house."

"How?" Beth took another step forward, tossing the ball back to Yuki. "You don't even know him."

That odd look crossed Yuki's face again, her features briefly going feral. "Let's just say that I've seen the best that humanity had to offer and was woefully disappointed."

"Are you talking about Emily?"

At Emily's name, the ice around Yuki suddenly formed into upward spikes, radiating out around her several feet. A growl came from the kitsune's throat and Asterion placed himself between the women.

Beth pushed around the minotaur. "What did she do to you? I can see it in your face, something happened."

"You wouldn't understand." The ball flickered in Yuki's hands, and she squeezed it until it popped with a bang. "And I don't feel like talking about it anymore. Come. I'd prefer to go back upstairs in case those people show up. Maybe your friend here can help me deal with them."

"By all means. Lead the way." Beth threw a look at Asterion. The minotaur curled his lip, his intense eyes on the kitsune. His fingers were tight on his axe, but she put a gentle hand on his arm. He relaxed, giving her a knowing look. "C'mon, Asterion, let's go."

They allowed Yuki to lead the way, figuring that it was easier than trying to convince her that Asterion wasn't leading her into a trap. Yuki summoned a pair of ethereal beings made of ice that followed them all from behind, and Beth wondered if the kitsune was somehow watching them through their eyes.

The walls of the Labyrinth blended together as they walked, and Beth stifled a yawn, her eyes itching. Yuki shook off any further attempts at conversation, simply muttering that they would talk more once they were upstairs.

Her mind wandered, her thoughts on next steps. The Society had already made their play and another one was coming. Tink was with Mike and needed to bring him back to turn the dial and then deal with Yuki.

However, Yuki wasn't what she had expected either. Instead of attacking them, she had been willing to talk and had seemed mostly reasonable. Maybe she could be reasoned with, convinced to go get Mike and bring him back until they could help Yuki work through her demons.

"You know, I could give you a demon to work through."

Beth jumped, twisting to the side. Asterion was gone, and in his place was Oliver with a cane and a top hat.

"Hello, darling." Oliver grinned, then stuck out his tongue. "It's a lovely day in the Labyrinth, though it looks like it might rain." He swung the cane up and it became an umbrella.

"Where... what..."

"Oh, this is a dream. You've drifted off, like a ship on the sea." The walls of the Labyrinth fell over, revealing a large beach made of sand and a deep blue ocean. A giant toy boat sailed back and forth in the distance, vanishing over the horizon. "Technically, this is a place called the Dreamscape. I used to know someone who could manipulate it like clay, but she seems to have gone rogue. Time flows differently here, you know. Hours could have passed already, or even days. Or maybe it's the opposite? Not even a second has passed in the waking world, your foot is mid-step, and the moment you lose your balance, you will jerk yourself awake."

"What do you want?"

"Me? Oh, I'm piloting your body around. It seems nice out here in the Labyrinth, I really appreciate the all-nighter. Not a fan of your friend, however. He smells like an undercooked steak, though I suppose I could have that remedied with a little fire."

"You stay away from him."

"On the contrary. You should stay away from him. Right now, I'm you!" He took off his hat and dropped it across his face. Her face appeared on his body, and he tossed the hat aside where it was carried off by a technicolor crab. He danced around in her body, kicking up the sand with her heels. "What should I do first?"

"Wake up, wake up." She pinched her arm, then slapped herself in the face.

"Oh, I'm afraid you're gonna need quite the jolt to get out of here. To be honest, I'm surprised that you're even conscious of this place, unless you commonly have lucid dreams. Then again, you drifted off so suddenly this time, I wonder if your awareness came with you." He spoke with his own gravelly voice despite wearing her body.