At the Labyrinth’s entrance, a throng gathered, milling like ants from a broken nest. Each carried an axe, a machete, a knife, a sword, or whatever might serve to hack at the thorn forest.

  They poured their fury into every blow, into curses and shouted cries. Many were struck by the venomous thorns; their limbs and faces swelled grotesquely, and they had to be dragged from the crush. Yet those who fell were nothing beside the steady surge of newcomers.

  “If it’s truly nothing but healing, why does she hide from us?” someone cried. “There’s foul work at hand. I’m sure of it. Only witches would surround their homes with venomous thorns!”

  “Call more folk!” a woman shouted as she hacked at the writhing thorns. “We must uncover the truth! My husband died before his time. I know it was her doing!”

  Some did not join the chopping. They stood nearby and pointed and murmured among themselves.

  “It is all for naught,” said one of them. “Even if you clear the thorns, she will be gone before you ever reach her lair. I warned of her wicked designs long ago. Yet no one would listen.”

  While the mob cut down the thorn forest and shouted for Tlyna to show herself, the sick were saved each day. One by one, the lynxes led them out. Those who had cursed only moments before now wept with joy as they were reunited with their kin.

  For days, Hudyn and Katuo wandered outside the Labyrinth in search of any sign of Ramii. That night, they saw Tlyna clutch the legs of that uncanny creature and speak to him in desperate haste. Not long after, Tlyna entrusted the two boys to the lynxes, who led them safely out. Two weeks passed, and Ramii remained missing. Each day, Katuo went to the monastery, kneeling before the sacred statues to pray for him.

  ~~~

  Ramii opened his eyes to an unfamiliar, low wooden ceiling. He lay beneath a blanket, on a bed that was not his own. Slowly sitting up, he found himself facing a large oil lamp, its flame already half-spent.

  Somewhere above, water dripped with a faint, steady echo. He looked around in confusion, and only then realized he was in a hidden cellar beneath the study.

  It had been an age since he last stood in this place. This small chamber had been built in secret by his father during the war, a refuge known only to them. In his tender years, Tlyna would sometimes bring him here to look upon his father’s keepsakes. All remained as it had been: the silver armor, punctured through the back; the sword with its finely wrought silver sheath; the silver shield; the great chest; and the cedarwood cradle.

  Ramii let his fingers trace each heirloom in turn. In days past, whenever he asked about his father, his mother would tell him that he had been a knight who protected the innocent. He had fulfilled his quest and gone on to the heavens. Outside, a somber sky lay heavy with grey clouds. The first rain broke at last, ending the long spell of sweltering days. Ramii searched far and wide, yet his mother was nowhere to be found.

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  Where the Snaketongue Tree had once stood, there now lay a vast hollow full of black, viscous liquid. Dark bubbles drifted across its surface, bursting as the raindrops struck them.

  “Mama!”

  “Mama!”

  “Where are you—”

  “MAMA!”

  Ramii rushed through the thorn forest, his voice hoarse from calling, but no answer came. Tlyna had not left the Labyrinth in a long while. Whenever she needed anything, she would send either Ramii or the lynxes to fetch it for her.

  As Ramii neared the edge of the Labyrinth, the distant clamor of axes and the roar of voices drifted to his ears. He kept low in the shadow of the thorns and edged closer until the mob, still in chaos, came into view, though nearly half had already scattered to seek shelter from the rain.

  “RAMII!”

  Katuo came charging toward him and leapt straight onto him, clinging with both arms and legs. Ramii staggered, slipped on the slick earth, and the two of them tumbled together into a puddle.

  “See, Katuo!” Hudyn called out as he ran over. “What did I tell you? Nothing can bring this one down. He’s like a lynx born with two lives!”

  ~~~

  The rain no longer fell with the weight of the first downpours. A soft drizzle lingered from morning until late afternoon and flooded the vegetable patch before Mr. Rono’s house. Out in the yard, the chickens pecked at earthworms that had wriggled up through the soaked soil, heedless of the rain. The narrow front awning offered little shelter, unable to keep the mist from brushing the wooden chair and table where Mr. Rono often sat and smoked his pipe.

  For the past few days, Ramii had taken over that chair. There he sat, wrapped in silence. He wanted to be alone.

  Katuo paced back and forth nearby, keeping watch over him. On the small table, the bowl of soup he had made for Ramii had long since gone cold. Beside it lay a rain-soaked letter.

  When Ramii had returned earlier, he had found the letter beneath the blanket. It had been neatly folded, with a silver ring tucked inside. The ring and the handwriting were his mother’s. He wondered what urgency had driven her to leave so swiftly, without waiting for him to wake. The letter held only a few lines, offering no reason at all:

  "My beloved Ramii,

  I must journey to a faraway place. It may be that I will not return, as I once promised. I beg your forgiveness. I want to stay with you. But there are things I cannot speak of.

  Stay with Mr. Rono. Keep well away from the thorn forest. Open the chest concealed within the cellar. Therein lies a leather pouch that holds black jade and golden coins. They were granted to your father by the Lord, in reward for his many years of valor in battle. Now they are yours.

  You are smart and brave, as he was. From the heavens, he watches over you with pride. What I do is born, in part, of his wishes.

  I am glad you have companions who stand by you. Stay close to kind friends, and seek the wisdom of books, for they will guide you to many blessings.

  Live the life you desire. I love you always."

  Ramii read the letter once more, then rose to his feet. He stood there for a moment, his fingers slowly turning the silver ring threaded on the cord around his neck.

  As Ramii stepped inside, Katuo was hurrying out and nearly collided with him. He caught his breath when Ramii pulled him into a tight embrace.

  “Are you… all right?” Katuo asked quietly. He could feel Ramii’s chest trembling.

  And the sobs broke free.

  “Mama… Why did you leave me?... Why did you go without me?!”