Volume 3 Chapter 51 : Minotaur S*x III

Izzy returns, shocked the Minotaur bathroom had floral-scented soap and a heated towel bar. The spartan appearance of the rest of the heart of the labyrinth would make it seem like the bathroom would be little more than a hole in the ground to kneel over. Instead, she had found a large toilet and a smaller one beside it. The walk-in shower didn't look as impressive as her own in her room, but the size of it was at least 4 times bigger.

She feels civilized again, if only for the moment. 'FOCUS, IZZY,' she yells at herself in her head and moves to grab the child again, but the Minotaur claps his hands together and points to an ornate box sitting at the foot of his bed. He snaps his fingers, and the apprentice jumps up from doing push-ups and rushes over to the box. The green-skinned alien touches the box with reverence and fear.

He makes an "awwww" sound as he lifts the lid, a dim light radiating from the box.

The Minotaur stamps his foot, and the apprentice jumps. He opens the lid fully and pulls out two electronic devices that look like headbands. He steps over to the Minotaur, who kneels down on one knee and brings his head low. The apprentice hooks the electrodes to his head, the little device beeping as the Minotaur stands up.

The apprentice moves to Izzy and looks expectantly. Izzy looks around and then kneels, imitating the Minotaur. Izzy feels cold metal pressing firmly against various parts of her head.

The apprentice presses some button on the device, and the machine squawks loudly. "Oh god, what is this thing? Is it going to hurt me? What is it doing? Why is it so cold? Is there a blanket I can steal? But the only blanket down here is massive. I wonder what Jacob is doing. Will I ever see Jacob again?'

The apprentice waves his hand in front of Izzy and makes a calming motion.

Izzy's thoughts slow; as they slow, so does the sound of the electronic devices beeping. Izzy feels she is understanding it's some sort of EEG. 'But why?' she thinks, setting the machine off.

The Minotaur has been moving the chess pieces out of the way, leaving them in heaps around the chessboard. He sets a large hurricane lantern in the middle of the empty space and lights the wick with a jet of his fiery breath. He adjusts the wick with calmness, his meter hardly going off. The fire illuminates the heart of the room, filling it with a thoughtful and empty ambiance.

The Minotaur sits cross-legged and looks at the lantern, watching the fire calmly dance back and forth. He looks at Izzy and gestures to the other side of the fire.

Izzy sits on the hard ground cross-legged like the Minotaur. The cold of the ground seeping into her in unpleasant places. She listens to the device on her head chatter loudly. She looks at the fire and the way it flickers back and forth.

"So what are the rules?" Izzy asks, and the Minotaur holds up a finger to his mouth and makes a noise of "shh." He gestures to the headset, and it goes quiet.

"So, meditation? Competitive meditation? You have got to be joking," Izzy says, starting to stand up.

But the Minotaur nods and motions for her to sit down. She slowly lowers herself back down to the ground. She shivers, and the Minotaur gestures to the apprentice and points at the shivering women. He grunts loudly and motions.

The Minotaur watches Izzy as his apprentice grabs a dirty gym towel and goes to wrap it around her, but the Minotaur slaps his hand on the ground. The apprentice pulls away. and cowers. The Minotaur stands up and grabs a clean towel and throws it at Izzy; he snorts in impatience.

Izzy wraps the towel around herself, the fluffy fabric smelling of sandalwood; she moans softly from the comfort. Her head monitor went crazy for a moment.

Izzy sits down slowly, warming up. The Minotaur follows suit. Izzy speaks up. "So why don't I just take the child and go? We played chess; you beat me, humiliated me, and got to feel good about it. Do you really need me to lose to you again?" Izzy reaches out to the unsuspecting apprentice and grabs his arm again.

The Minotaur scrunches his eyebrows together in annoyance, and the EEG beeps rapidly.

Izzy looks at the spot on the floor and sits down. "I have to beat you to leave here, don't I?" Izzy asks the Minotaur.

The Minotaur nods, and the apprentice makes the "Yooooooooo" noise that has come to represent Japan and all things vaguely western and spiritual.

The Minotaur breathes a few fast breaths of humor, and then his face goes serious.

Izzy sighs and wraps the towel tighter around her body and tries to calm her thoughts. On the other side of the fire, the Minotaur's headset is beeping very quietly, and then it just stops.

Izzy looks at him alarmed, but the Minotaur appears to be fine, breathing slowly and watching the flame. Izzy tries her best to imitate him, but her thoughts keep running without her control.

Izzy pictures herself in a mental library with books open, words flowing out of them. She rushes around shutting books.

My concern over my relationship with Jacob by Izzy Adora is shoved into the bookcase.

Did I leave the curling iron plugged in? Volume 6 by Izzy Adora is shut and rubber-banded before being set under a heavy closed volume of Am I a Lesbian? my teenage years; she thankfully hasn't had to worry about that particular book in years. She eyes the open volume of "Am I a lesbian? My middle years" by Izzy Adora.

She runs around cleaning the house, closing books, and putting them away. The beeping sound of her thoughts slows dramatically, but the Minotaur is still winning, his mind nearing complete silence.

Izzy knows why it's always the same reason her thoughts are never quiet. She turns and faces it.

In the center of her mind space is a giant book labeled "The Other Doubts I Have Never Resolved" by Izzy Adora, cowritten by everyone she has ever met. She approaches it, but the book leaps across the room at her, a thick chain keeping it from attacking her mental form.

Izzy sighs and looks at the behemoth of text looking at her, and then to her horror, it speaks. "You're actually ugly... No one likes how you dress... Everyone can smell when you're on your period... You said she was fat in 5th grade, but you really meant she was cool, and you know she took it the wrong way... He knows you pluck the mole on your arm, and he judges you..."

Izzy falls back mentally and tries not to scream. She looks at the behemoth of internal dissonance; she swallows hard and puts as much determination as she can on her imaginary face. She steps forward and tries to grab the leather cover of the book, but there is no way; every time she gets close, it bites at her fingers.

Izzy does what she always does when she faces her insecurities. She screams at it. The book pulls back away from her. Izzy moves forward. But the book is smarter than her; it waits until she is in range and leaps forward, biting her and eating her whole.

Izzy falls over, and the meter squeals loudly as her thoughts are overwhelmed with doubt and overlapping voices. Izzy looks up to the minotaur.

However, the minotaur sits looking at the fire, unmoving and unflinching.

Izzy determinedly sits back up, the flap of her gym towel falling down, revealing her cleavage. Izzy hears the minotaur's meter chirp as his eyes are drawn to her exposed skin.

'Oh, you cheeky bastard, I didn't know we could play dirty,' Izzy thinks without trying to think. She looks around and sees the apprentice is missing. She smirks and looks at the minotaur seductively, letting the towel fall open more. His meter chatters louder.

Izzy smiles wider, and the minotaur's meter beeps even louder.

The minotaur feels himself growing aroused. Primal urges are loud in his mind. The cage he keeps his sexual frustration in has bent bars and a haggard-looking guard. He mentally posts another pair of guards on the door to dirty thoughts and turns away; his mind settles down as he regains control.

Izzy listens to the minotaur's meter going quiet and reveals a little more skin, and the meter is still getting quieter. She pouts, her lip protruding, and the meter gets louder. Izzy smiles wide, and the meter goes quieter. She lets the EEG of the minotaur help direct her motions, trying not to think. She tugs on the pleather bra strap and encourages it to slide down her arm, the warm flesh of her breast slowly being revealed. Izzy bites her lip, trying to contain her own fantasies.

The minotaur feels his body physically reacting.

Izzy gets the bra strap low enough that just the faintest edge of her areola is exposed. The minotaur snorts loudly, taking one deep inhale and a slow exhale.

The apprentice meathead barges into the room, and the Minotaur roars and stands up, pulling the crown from his head and throwing it at the bed. He turns around and away from the apprentice before the apprentice can notice he has an erection. He walks into the tunnel.

Izzy slides her strap back in place and stands up, clutching the gym towel tight to herself. "It's time to go, kid, for real this time." Izzy grabs the lizard person and pulls all pretenses of it being a civil request gone.

Fat chance that's going to work; the lizard person might as well be made of steel.

"Look, we have to go right now," Izzy begs, but the lizard person brushes her hand off and stands stalwart and resolute.

The Minotaur returns in a rage and huffs at the apprentice and Izzy. He points at her. He points at the chess pieces and holds up one finger, then he thumbs down.

He points at the EEG sitting on the bed and holds up two fingers, and with his other hand, he gives a thumbs-up.

He points at the apprentice and holds up a single finger, then switches between an up and down thumb.

The Minotaur wipes his face of his frustration. He gives a thumbs up with one hand and points at the child and then at the door to the labyrinth.

He thumbs down. and looks at Izzy and points at the bed. He snorts and holds out a hand down to Izzy's height, ready for a handshake.

Izzy swallows hard. This is what she wanted; on one hand, she takes the child and goes back to the surface. The other she has sex with the Minotaur, finally completing the prophecy after so long.

Izzy takes the Minotaur's hand; it's so warm in the cold space of the dungeon, but to her surprise, she feels no telepathic link forming. She sighs in relief. The last thing she wanted right now was a Minotaur roaming around inside her mind.

She shakes his hand, the deal is struck, and fate will have its way with the universe as always.