Page 69 of Mermaid on Heels
She loosened her hand from his and moved forward to the stairs, hoping he would drop it, but he held on tight.
“And what has made my little mermaid all grumpy towards me, unlike this morning?” He fell into step with her, climbing down the stairs together.
“Maybe it is from something that she ate.”
“Ormaybe, it is because I had been assigned to spend my entire day with another lady and didn’t have time for her.”
“Are you serious?” Liriya turned around to face him when she reached the platform, in spite of her flush. “I am not silly.”
“I didn’t say you’re silly, Liriya. I’m suggesting maybe you’re jealous.”
Liriya’s eyes widened. “Nowyouare silly.”
Luke flashed her a teasing grin. “We’ll figure that out. Come on.” He tugged her hand and led her down the flight of stairs to the first floor, patiently matching her slow pace.
“Where are we going?” Liriya asked him in an undertone, occasionally looking over her shoulder and expecting someone to catch them. “What if someone sees us? Rule-breaking is not going to look good on me.”
“Oh, no one is going to see us other than the guards, Liriya, I assure you. If anyonedoessee us, no one would question it because the rule you are talking about doesn’t exist—You have been asked out by the king, with whom you’resupposedto go whenever he calls you. Besides, you are a rule-breaker already and it looksbrillianton you.”
Liriya threw a sideways baffled look at his amused face.
“You broke the biggest rule ever applied to the merfolk and came to me.”
Her face softened at his words, but she looked away before he could see it. “So, where are you taking me?”
“It’s a surprise.”
Luke led Liriya out to the courtyard, past the guards patrolling the entrances. Under the enchanting moonlight, they walked through the winding garden pathways. The night air was alive with the symphony of chirping crickets and the soft rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze.
They strolled deep into the garden, passed under a stone archway, and came to four narrow pathways with tall, thick walls of green grass—at least, that was what it looked like to Liriya.
She wondered what kind of plants they were. They also had lanterns hung from above the branches that cast a glow about the place.
“What is this?”
“It’s a maze,” Luke said as he led her towards the second pathway. “And these greenery walls are called hedges—a plant, to be exact. People who aren’t familiar with it would get lost in this labyrinth; they would come across dead ends and backtrack repeatedly, trying to find their way out. However, people familiar with the maze—like me—know the key to navigate it, so you are in safe hands, little mermaid.”
“I am not intimidated, if that is what you meant,” Liriya murmured as they entered the pathway, the emerald walls immediately towering over them on either side.
“Right, I forgot. You’re from the deep depths of the oceans and won’t be intimidated by anything we have up here.”
Liriya shrugged a shoulder as she followed behind, even though he couldn’t see it. “But up here is full of surprises—mysteries.”
“Our people say the opposite.” Luke chuckled.
“Does each of these pathways lead to each different place?” she asked him suddenly, out of curiosity.
“No, they all are designed in different ways—you know, different confusing paths and dead ends—but they take you to the same place—ifyou know the pattern. Trying to figure the way out without knowing the pattern will have you trapped inside for days.”
“Days?” Liriya was shocked. “Has anything ever happened like that before?”
“Not that I’m aware of, but they happen a lot in Cedric’s books.”
Liriya stifled a laugh and ran a hand through the hedges as they walked. “Very funny. So, what is the key to getting in and out of here?”
Luke paused and turned to her, his eyes gentle. “I want you to promise not to tell anyone. Because on the other end of this maze lies a place personally significant to me.”
Liriya dropped her hand from the wall and realization dawned on her. “Your mother’s garden.”