[b]Eupheria![/b]

Caddy buzzes faintly beneath your fingers. Even with the cloak between the two of you, even with Adila holding you close, even with your great-granddaughter holding your best friend... it’s all you can do not to desperately unwrap him and hold him close and tell him it’s not his fault. It’s like telling a freshly-glazed porcelain pug you don’t love it. He’s so confused and distressed and [i]all he wanted to do was give you what you wanted.[/i]

You bite your lip so hard you see stars for a moment. It would be so easy. You’ve been the Wicked Queen for so long. Can you be anything else?

You look up and meet Alina’s pretty green eyes. They’re just like yours. The changes she made faded away after she let Caddy go, washed away in the rain. (For the most part. Her conjured lights punched through a window and whistled away.) Around her, her lights glow, especially her Gold. It darted to her the second she let go of Caddy. Your own neons glow back, nuzzling your neck and shoulders. (What were their original colors? You still don’t remember. Little steps.)

“Alright,” Alina says. “I need you to... no, I mean I'd like you... please. It's time to put all this away, ok? The Labyrinth and the Bazaar can't be the same thing anymore. So please, help me fix this. Let's pull the two apart, and let the people have their lives back."

Things shift. There’s a sound like grinding, and a feeling like all of you are falling. The light in the windows goes out. You’re all underneath, now, like those silly Devils, and the Bazaar’s probably above.

You lick your lips.

“Caddy,” you say, your voice hoarse, “we want you to play hide and seek. Hide as deep in this Labyrinth as you can, and don’t let anybody find you. That’s how you win.” Your voice threatens to crack. You’re sorry, Caddy. Of course he just wanted to help. You know that. You think about laughter and running and [i]ready-or-not[/i] as hard as you can, and feel Caddy trying to understand.

“And when people come to try and find you,” you add, blurting the words out so that you can’t choke them back, “I know you’ll want to give them what they want, but you have to do it sneakily, okay? Otherwise you’ll lose the game! You can, you can change the Labyrinth around them until you understand what they want, and then you should give them a chance to get it! Just please, please don’t give up! I believe in you!”

Before you can succumb to temptation, you jerk your hands away. Caddy’s whispers fall silent for the first time in forever, and you bury yourself in Adila. She holds you. For once... she holds you.

When you finally let yourself look back, Caddy is gone.

***

[b]Diana![/b]

You can tell when Oberon is coming. Frost makes its way along your protective charms and a shiver runs down your spine, as it always does when he is near.

You’ve bought as much time for Alina as you can. Lying to Oberon is like running a marathon down a tightwire. It’s never been a question of if you’d eventually fall, but when. Still, he’s seemed to believe your excuses, how your spells will be ready once he has the Caduceus, how you are close to being able to safely lower the wards that protect Argossa.

When the door to your sanctum swings silently open, you curtsey and lower your gaze. “Your majesty.”

“It is time, Diana.” A chill grips you. He did get the Caduceus. It’s time for you to unleash your plan. “Come with—“

You activate the runes sewn into your shirt sleeves and barrage him with meaningless illusion, a disorienting party trick. By the time he recovers, you should be away. You grab your broom and dart past him, abandoning everything in that nasty magical laboratory Azora Howl helped you set up.

And to your credit?

You almost make it out.




[center][h3]End of EPISODE 6: [i]Return of Eupheria![/i]
Tune in next week for the FINALE!
And don't miss the bonus web-exclusive short connecting the two: [i]Calm Before The Storm![/i][/h3][/center]