Chapter 33 Non
Non
I was freezing my tits off by the time I emerged from Hefina’s house just before dusk. Although the habit I had been given to wear for the trial was thick, I still wrapped my arms around myself to fight the chill.
I was surprised to see Hefina’s home sat on the edge of a steep mountain covered in jagged stones. Most of which had a dusting of snow covering them.
I looked up to Dylan, whose face seemed even more sallow now that we stood outside.
“How far are we from Llwyn Onn?”
“Miles,” Zenn answered as he stepped to my other side. “We’re currently on a mountain known as Glyder Fawr in the North.”
“Hefina has a summoning circle that will take us back to the Western encampment. That’s how we got you here the night of the attack. From there, you can make your way back to Llwyn Onn.”
As if her ears were burning, Hefina stepped from her rickety home with her palm outstretched.
“Here, take these with you.” She dropped what looked like three sticks of cinnamon into my hand. “They’re solidified versions of the brew I gave you earlier. If you feel pain again, chew on one of these.”
The brew Hefina had made for me earlier had been nothing short of a miracle, even though it had tasted like a spicy swamp.
Seconds after downing the murky brown liquid, all my pain had subsided.
But Hefina had insisted I listen to her warning.
This was just pain relief; it didn’t magically heal me with one drink, and I needed to be careful that I didn’t make anything worse while under its influence.
As Zenn and Dylan stood deep in conversation on the cottage doorstep, Hefina gestured for me to follow her down the steep steps that led down the mountain.
“I had word from my sister that your friend is healed and fighting fit.”
Gods, I’d forgotten all about Jazz. I’d been so focused on stuffing my face that I hadn’t asked if they were okay.
“Thank you, Hefina. Jazz is a dear friend of mine; I appreciate you taking the time to find out how they are doing.” Hefina waved me off like it was nothing.
We carried on in silence for a few steps, my focus wholly on not slipping on the frosted stone.
When Hefina spoke again, I almost lost my footing on a cracked step.
“You need to be careful, my girl. Sometimes the line between friend and foe becomes difficult to see.”
I waited for Hefina to continue, but it seemed she just intended to speak in cryptic sentences. Very on brand for an old lady who lived in a cottage on a mountain.
“I appreciate your concern, Hefina, but Dylan—”
“Who said anything about Dylan?”
A voice called from above us, “Let’s get out of here. I’ll be cutting diamonds with my nipples if I stay in this cold any longer.” Dylan hugged himself as he leapt down the slick steps with ease.
We bid our farewells to Hefina, who hadn’t expanded on her odd warning.
She’d placed a single kiss on my cheek as she wished me luck.
She’d also asked Zenn to pass on a message to her sister, which consisted of her sticking two fingers up.
Zenn had mentioned that maybe it was best if that message got lost along the way somehow.
After scaling the rocky surface of Glyder Fawr, we located the circle at the base of the mountain tucked behind a large boulder.
Zenn stepped through first, then Dylan made his way towards the circle, gesturing for me to follow.
“I’ll be right behind you. I don’t want Hefina’s pain relief brew to come back up while travelling through.”
Dylan stepped out of the ring and took my hand. “These things are much more pleasant if you do them together.”
As we stepped over the circle drawn in blood together, Dylan pulled me to his chest, tucking my head under his chin. I buried my face in his shirt as the world fell away.
“Can’t I just travel to the trial with you?” I asked Dylan as we started walking towards the circle that would take me back to Llwyn Onn.
He considered what I said for a moment. “I suppose, but I can’t imagine Bron will like the idea of you showing up with your competitors.”
“She can add it to the long list of reasons to disown me.”
As we passed through the heart of the Western encampment, Dylan explained how the next few hours would play out.
A one-time use summoning circle would appear to take the competitors to an undisclosed location. This is where all competitors from each Coven would congregate before the trail. From there we would have one circle each that would drop us straight into the trial itself.
“The trials aren’t held at Llwyn Onn itself?”
“Can you really imagine Ledr Bronwen letting a beast ruin her perfectly trimmed lawns?”
Once we arrived at the fairway, we met up with Zenn, Lleucu, and a couple of other Western Witches. We all stood around a smaller Aelwyd, making small talk as if we weren’t about to go fight some horrendous beast that was the stuff of nightmares.
They all seemed relaxed, or as relaxed as people could be in this situation. But nerves had got the better of me, and I just about managed to smile and nod along with the conversations.
After what felt like eternity, an older woman came sprinting over, waving her arms. “Dyl! The competitors’ circle has appeared; it's time to make a move.”
Dylan nodded in thanks to the woman and bid his goodbyes to his friends. Zenn embraced him in a fierce hug. Then a dark-haired woman with thick eyebrows who I recognised as one of the Witches I’d hidden from gripped Dylan’s face and kissed both his cheeks.
“See you on the other side, Mercy.” The wink he gave her had me looking in the other direction.
“You better come back in one piece, the last thing we need is electing a new Ail with all this going on. What if people vote in that miserable fucker?” She jabbed a thumb towards Zenn, who grunted at the insult.
Lleucu mumbled a few goodbyes as she strode away from the group, but Mercy caught her hand and wrapped her arms around her neck and her legs around Lleucu’s middle.
“You’re not getting off that easily. Don’t get yourself killed, Lleucs. We need you.”
Lleucu shoved Mercy off, but her friend didn’t seem offended by the cold act. I started to follow Lleucu’s lead towards the circle, but Dylan caught my arm.
“Before we go, I have something for you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out what seemed to be a leather harness.
I arched a suspicious brow. “You’re feeling very generous lately. What’s with all these gifts?”
“This isn’t as exciting as the new dagger, but seeing as you now have two weapons to wield, I thought having one strapped to each thigh might slow you down.
I put this together while you were unconscious at Hefina’s.
It’s a new design, so I’m not sure how it will fare.
Hopefully, it makes carrying two daggers easier for you. ”
He held out the harness and hooked it over my arms like I was putting a jacket on. Two leather straps crossed over my chest, and a buckle held them all together at my sternum.
Hanging on each side of the harness were sheaths where my weapons would go.
Dylan pulled Carnwennan free from the strap on my thigh and secured it in its new holster, hanging below my first rib.
Then he pulled Cynddaredd out of my pocket, where I had stuffed it earlier, securing it the same way he had Carnwennan.
When he was done, he rested his hands on my waist. His fingers almost touched behind my back, his hands were so huge.
Wanton need buzzed in my veins as his thumb swept back and forth against my habit.
It was the simplest movement, but I found myself pressing my thighs together with the need to feel more friction.
Dylan didn’t seem to breathe as his ocean eyes studied me. His eyes dropped to my lips and lingered there for far too long.
Zenn cleared his throat, and it felt like a bucket of cold water had been dropped on us.
We both jumped away from each other, making whatever we’d been doing look so much worse.
“If you two are done looking at each other like you're either going to fuck or rip each other’s throats out, then I think it’s time you made your way to the Anoethau. ”
Dylan didn’t say a word as he followed Lleucu through the cluster of tents. As she turned to say something to Dylan, her eyes landed on me.
“She should be travelling through her own damn circle.”
“Lleucu,” Dylan warned.
“Is your giant fucking castle with maids and chocolates on your pillows not good enough for you?”
I hesitated to move any closer, but Dylan gently gripped my upper arm and pulled me towards the circle.
“Now’s not the time for this,” he snapped at her.
The three of us stood side by side in front of the blood painted on the ground. Unlike the other summoning circles I’d used, this one had an animal's paw painted in the middle with three sharp claws.
Dylan gave a short, reassuring squeeze to my hand. “Ready?”
I gave him a watery grin. I feared that if I opened my mouth to respond, I would bring up the contents of my stomach and then some.
Lleucu and Dylan both took a confident step into the centre of the circle, and I followed with a timid shuffle.
We’d landed in a barren clearing where the ground was covered in frost.
Lleucu had stormed off as soon as we arrived, and Dylan had advised me to just ignore her.
We seemed to be the last competitors to show up. An array of coloured habits stood in a huddle at the centre of the clearing. A flash of red broke away from the group and darted towards me.
Alaw was like a bottle of pop as she bounced on the spot in front of me, her curved sickle strapped to her back. “It’s so good to see you, Non! I heard you got hurt pretty bad the other night when you ran off to help the Western Coven?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I’ve been better. Honestly, I could have done with more time to recover, but the Cyngor Blaen refused my request to delay the trial.”
Alaw bit her lip and changed the topic quickly. “Any guesses what we’ll be up against today?”
“Apart from this trial involving a beast, no idea.”
She looped her arm through my own and led me towards the rest of the group.
We didn’t have to force pleasantries for long as Pen Arwr Aeron arrived through a circle flanked by two sentries dressed in green.
The rest of the competitors dispersed and formed a semicircle around Aeron. I gingerly followed their lead, standing next to Alaw.
“You should be standing over there,” she whispered as she nodded to a gap between the twins and Seren.
Reluctantly, I made my way to the gap and kept my eyes to the ground as Guto began whispering something to his brother.
“Thank you for gathering so swiftly,” Aeron said, his voice sharp with authority. “I’ll be brief, for I know you’re eager to begin the first trial and witness what fate has in store for you.” He flashed a grin, revealing a row of crooked yellow teeth.
“Today marks the beginning of your opportunity to prove your worth before the gods themselves. The goal is to be chosen by one of the divine to serve as their vassal. The path before you is simple. Slay the beast, and you will be hailed as the victor of this trial. Victory in these trials is no small feat; it will earn you favour in the eyes of the gods when you offer yourself to them. But take heed, young ones. There is only one beast; therefore, there is only one winner.” He paused as he swept his gaze over the gathered competitors as if he were weighing each of us.
“Myself and the rest of the Cyngor Blaen will be watching closely, not only to determine the victor but also those who, though they may not win, prove themselves worthy. A word of advice—the number of competitors is larger than in previous years. Remember, the fewer rivals you face, the greater your chances of being chosen. Use this knowledge as you see fit.”
He pinned us all with a venomous glare. His gaze lingered on me a moment too long before he turned sharply on his heel, his cloak sweeping behind him. He made his way back to the circle he’d arrived through.
“Should you fall today,” he called over his shoulder, “I pray your soul finds peace as it descends into the Defwy.” And with that, he vanished into the circle with his sentries, leaving nothing but silence behind.
In my peripheral, I saw everyone move at once. Seren stepped into her ring and vanished. So did the twins, Alaw, and most of the others I was competing against.
Lifting my gaze straight ahead, I saw Dylan hesitate for a moment as he watched me. He gave me a salute and then disappeared.
As my boot connected with the blood on the floor, I prayed with all my might that when I opened my eyes, I wouldn’t come face to face with another Cyhyraeth.