3. Chapter Three Rhowyn
Chapter Three: Rhowyn
Sure enough, when we looked, we could see a new branch opening up before us. We turned around to see if any others were moving, and the path that used to be there was shrinking as it closed off, leaving us only two choices. We could either go forward or back the way we came.
“I guess that makes up our minds for us,” I snarked
“How are we supposed to get out of here if the walls keep moving?” Baer asked.
“That, my friend, is a good question,” Lennox said, patting Baer on the back.
We all waited as the walls moved into their new places, remaining in the intersection, before heading in the only direction we could. We all kept quiet, eyeing the walls, waiting for the telltale sign that they were changing again. The walls remained in place, and we walked for another long while before questioning again if we were going in the right direction.
I felt the vibrations through my feet again, eyeing the others for an indication that they also felt the shifting earth, but no one halted. “Guys, I felt the vibrations again. Are the walls moving? ”
“I don't see anything yet,” Baer said, pausing alongside me.
We all scanned our surroundings, but after a few minutes, nothing changed, the long tunnel remaining unending before us.
Arryn's eyes scanned the area constantly as he led the way. Baer and Lennox flanked my sides, forming a barrier between me, the walls, and any other threats that might arise in this maze. Callum walked a distance behind us. He was with us physically but continued to interact as little as possible and remained distant.
A rumble rippled through me again, more noticeable than the faint vibrations I had felt earlier. Before I could say anything, Arryn halted in his tracks, the others pushing me into the middle of them as they closed ranks around me.
The walls shifted again, opening up on the left and right about twenty feet ahead of us. After they settled into their new positions, Arryn slowly led us to the new intersection, his steps hesitant as his eyes darted all around us.
“Which way?” Lennox asked as we stood in another intersection, vines growing on both sides to our left and right, no indication of which way was the correct one to take.
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Baer shrugged.
“I haven't a clue,” I responded, knowing I was completely dependent on these new bonds of mine to get me through this foreign landscape. I was so far out of my depth, having been completely self-reliant for most of my life. It was unnerving to feel like a small child again, just newly discovering the world.
I hated not knowing what to expect or even how to proceed, but I wasn't stupid. I knew enough to know that the only chance I stood right now was in trusting them to get me through this mess, despite what I had claimed upon my arrival to Avalon.
“It doesn't really matter, does it?” Callum huffed, growing impatient with our stand-still .
“You may be right,” Arryn replied, his brow furrowing as he considered information that I didn't have access to. “The maze may not have an end.”
“What do you mean?” I questioned, eager for any knowledge I could gain from him. Clearly, he was the scholarly one. The one with all the answers, or that’s how it felt. It felt nice having someone who could lead us, someone who was calm and rational. I knew I tried to be, but I also fell victim to my emotions, which was what usually led to my many mistakes throughout my life.
“Simply that the trial wants us to face certain things, and the maze may shift us through it until we accomplish whatever task it deems necessary,” Arryn replied, glancing at me quickly before studying our surroundings again.
“That does sound like something Avalonia would do,” Lennox said, huffing out a breath.
“Avalonia?” I questioned further.
“The land,” Baer answered me quietly as the others remained introspective.
“If that's the case, then it doesn't matter which way we go,” Callum said, stomping off to the right, not waiting for us to agree or follow.
“Looks like we're going right,” Baer joked. We followed behind Callum as Arryn's eyes glared at his back.
More openings appeared before us, but Callum didn't stop. The path he followed turned to the right again, and as we rounded the corner, I halted just behind him as a roar sounded out around us.
“What the hell was that?” I questioned them, the sound so much louder than anything I had ever heard before from any kind of animal.
“I don't know,” Arryn replied softly, his hand going to the sword he had selected from the available weapons.
Before anyone could respond, a group of Consorts and Chosen burst onto the path before us, running full speed and forcing their way through our group, pushing me into Callum.
Callum steadied me on my feet as I turned to glare at them as they passed us, terror written all over their faces.
The roar sounded again, much closer this time. I turned toward the sound instinctively, just in time to catch sight of the beast that landed in front of us all. A large, black dog that stood as tall as an enormous bull. It had shaggy, dark green fur that stood up on end. However, what terrified me the most was the burning, fiery eyes that were now focused wholly on me. A hell hound from the nightmares of every human.
My heart pounded in my chest as the beast stopped in front of us, staring us all down. I used to think I was brave, but facing this monstrosity, I had to admit that the only thing I could think of doing was running in absolute terror.
“What the fuck is that?” I asked again softly, unable to do anything except repeat myself, trying desperately not to startle the creature into attacking us.
“A Cú Síth,” Arryn breathed out.
“A Fairy Dog? I thought those were extinct!” Baer exclaimed under his breath.
“So did I,” Arryn said.
“So, what do we do? Do we run?” I asked the guys, unable to tear my gaze from the animal.
Callum drew his sword, looking around us briefly. “We have to for right now. There's no room to fight here, not without risking exposure to the vines.”
“Okay,” I said, sounding surer than I was. Being the shortest person in the trials, I had less of a chance of outrunning the beast, but I saw no other options.
“On three, we will run until we can find a place to challenge the Cú Síth,” Arryn said calmly, taking charge of the situation. “It won't stop chasing us otherwise.”
I nodded in confirmation, my eyes still glued on the threat before us as I slowly shifted my weight to my toes, preparing to run like my life depended on it. Because it absolutely did.
Arryn counted off slowly, giving us each the opportunity to get ready to run. “One. Two. Three.”
As soon as he uttered the final count, the dog barked once, and we all sprang into action, fleeing for our lives. Arryn let me pass him, Lennox and Baer leading the way now with Callum still behind me.
Running back the way we came from, I pushed myself to my absolute limit. Cardio had never been my strong suit. I hated running. I used to say I'd rather die than run. But now, I was quickly rethinking that stance.
I knew the guys could easily leave me behind, but they didn't. Instead, they held their formation around me, ensuring I was safe. “Pick up the pace, Rhowyn!” Callum growled out, causing me to glance at him. I could see the beast gaining ground on us, only about thirty feet behind Callum.
“I'm going as fast as I can!” I yelled back, already running as fast as I was capable, my breaths rushing in and out, screaming at the demands I was placing on them.
“Fuck!” he growled, the ground rumbling, the walls shifting again ahead of us, opening into a small square. As we entered the newly formed courtyard type area, Lennox cursed under his breath, all of us realizing there was no other way forward. A dead end.
Not pausing, Callum turned to face the Cu Sith with his sword drawn, Arryn drawing up next to him seconds before the beast enclosed us completely. It halted as it faced us, gauging which of us was the greater threat .
Lennox and Baer drew on their gifts, the magic humming in the air around me as they prepared to fight, just as the dog released a second bark. I had never felt so useless in my life, but I knew that in this moment I would be more of a hindrance than a help.
Lennox spoke on an exhale, terror in his eyes as he continued to pull on his magic. I could feel it raising the hairs on my arm, vibrating deep within me. “Shit! That’s two. Let’s hope he doesn’t sound out a third bark.”
“Why?” I asked him, not daring to remove my eyes from the threat in front of us.
“Because a third bark means we’re dead,” Baer explained, rolling his shoulders in preparation for the fight.
“How do you want to do this?” Arryn whispered to Callum as they stood with swords drawn, shoulder to shoulder.
In answer, flames shot down Callum's sword, wreathing the blade in fire, and I couldn't keep the look of shock off my face, my mouth dropping open at the sight.
The beast drew closer to them slowly, its gaze darting around to take us all in. Callum didn't wait for it to pounce, instead, charging toward it and drawing its focus completely.
Baer and Lennox drew in closer to me as Callum attacked, lunging at the monster before us. It swiped out at him in retaliation, but for a big man, he moved quickly, barely darting out of the way in time.
I noticed from my peripheral vision that Arryn was now moving slowly around to flank the beast. Fighting the urge to look at him directly, I kept my gaze focused on the Fairy Dog not wanting to give away his progress. His steps were steady as he crept in closer to the animal.
The Cú Síth swiped again, and my focus was drawn back to Callum as he was caught by a claw that opened a line of red on his arm. Callum gritted his teeth but didn't give any other indication that the injury hurt. He lunged with his sword again, not landing the hit.
It was then that I realized Callum was distracting the hound by keeping its full focus on him. He could have dodged the swipe, but by keeping the beast so close, it ensured that Callum was the only thing on its mind.
The ground swelled suddenly under Arryn's feet and launched him onto the back of the Cú Síth, his sword thrusting downward to strike between the dog’s shoulders, barely piercing the thick skin with his blade. However, it managed to sink deep enough to give him a grip, allowing him to stay on the beast’s back.
The Cú Síth howled and thrashed around, like a bull trying to dislodge a rider, bucking as Arryn struggled to maintain his grip on the pommel of his sword. Its focus was now on Arryn, who managed to stay on its back instead of falling under its deadly, sharp claws. It spun, trying to bite at Arryn, desperate to get him off as Callum took the opportunity to lunge in again.
This time, his sword sliced through the chest of the animal, and it cried out in pain, turning to lash back out at Callum, forgetting Arryn for the moment. Callum timed his attack just right and ducked under the resulting swipe of claws, now underneath the beast. Not hesitating, he slashed the tender belly of the Cú Síth.
The animal howled out again and spun, trying to get away from Callum and his flaming sword. The smell of burning flesh and fur clouded the air around us until it was cloying. Each strike from Callum’s blade immediately cauterizing the Cú Síth’s wounds.
The beast was facing Callum again after he had moved out of its reach. It held still as it gauged its next attack, having forgotten about the threat that Arryn presented on his back .
As if the entire fight had been choreographed, Arryn pulled his sword from the shoulders of the now still dog and struck downward with all of his might, his muscles flexing under the strain and driving the sword even deeper into the animal. Arryn had now effectively distracted the Cú Síth, who lunged and spun on instinct before Arryn could find his balance after the attack. Arryn was thrown from the beast's back and landed in a heap under the deadly claws.
Out of instinct, I tried to rush to Arryn, to make sure he was okay. He just laid there prone and at the mercy of the beast’s claws. As I tried to lunge forward, Baer’s arms wrapped around me to keep me in place. Stuck, I had no choice but to pray that Arryn would be okay.
While the beast prepared to skewer Arryn in retaliation, raising a paw and preparing to crash it down on Arryn’s unconscious form, Callum lunged forward. He thrust his sword into the neck of the Cú Síth, holding the grip as his magic funneled through the blade, his flames rushing through the animal.
The dying howls sounded out around us as he continued to shove his magic through the sword like a divining rod until finally the animal collapsed at his feet, effectively burning the beast from the inside out. Only then did he call the flames back into himself, his brow soaked in sweat, his copper hair shining in the sun as his lungs heaved from the exertion.
Baer released me as the Cú Síth fell, and I rushed to Arryn, who hadn't moved since he’d fallen from the beast, deathly still.