4. Chapter Four Rhowyn
Chapter Four: Rhowyn
My heart thudded in my chest as I slammed to my knees at Arryn's side, Lennox and Baer following behind me. I could feel them at my back as I checked Arryn over from head to toe, unable to find any wounds on him.
“He must have hit his head,” I said to myself, watching as his chest rose and fell. My hand went to his cheek, brushing his golden hair from his brow, trying to get him to stir. My initial panic had subsided some after I realized that he was still breathing, but fear still clung to me. Head injuries were notoriously tricky. I knew that much from my time fighting.
“We need to get moving again,” Callum said, coming to stand in front of me.
“Sure. We'll just leave Arryn here after he's injured himself while saving us,” I snarked angrily at him.
“We don't have to leave him,” he replied flatly, showing no emotion as he gazed at me, his amber-green eyes still dancing with the flames he had just used .
“Then how do you suggest we get moving again?” I demanded, sitting back on my heels to glare at him. His nonchalant attitude really starting to piss me off. Did he really care so little?
“Heal him,” he said matter-of-factly, his mouth lifting on one side in a smirk, knowing he had me there and smug about it.
I hesitated, all the steam leaving me at the realization that he was right. I looked back down at Arryn, unsure of how to even start. The only magic I’d ever used was when I had slowly healed myself from the Queen's lashes and a brief test of Baer’s. This was a completely different scenario from then, not to mention how dangerous working healing magic without him would be.
Baer crouched down next to me. “You can do this,” he said as I met his eyes, my uncertainty written all over my face. “It's just like healing yourself.”
“Okay.” I nodded, trying to convince myself that I could do this, anything to bolster my confidence.
I placed my hand on his chest and closed my eyes, but before I could access my magic, Lennox interrupted me. “You have to touch his skin.”
“Of course,” I said, not looking at any of them as they all watched me closely, embarrassment heating my cheeks. I should have known that. It was why I had to remove my pants when Arryn had first healed me.
Pushing those thoughts aside, I moved my hand to his cheek and then closed my eyes again, diving into myself as I searched for Arryn's magic within my core. It wasn’t actually mine since mine was still locked up tightly and out of reach. I found myself grateful that the guys had completed the bonding ceremony so I could at least have this.
I found each of their magics easily. Arryn's green magic jumped into my mind's eye, and I coaxed it into me, asking it to assess Arryn for injuries. It rushed out of my palm and navigated his body. It was as if I could see the path it took as it checked Arryn over. The clarity of it was astonishing.
When it came back to me, I knew exactly where his muscles were sore, which scratches were where, and that he did indeed have a concussion. I trickled the magic, not wanting to rush it and cause more damage, as I asked it to focus on his concussion. I was too inexperienced with magic to even consider throwing it around willy-nilly. Focusing on his serious injuries first since my magic was still easily exhausted, I continued to unspool the magic from me slowly.
I felt the magic as it healed the head injury before pulling it back into myself and opening my eyes. Arryn's eyes met mine as soon as they were open. For a moment, we just sat there and looked at each other in understanding of what I had just done.
“Good. Let's go,” Callum barked, startling me back to the situation.
Still not moving, I glanced back at Arryn. “You good?” I asked him softly.
“Much better now,” he murmured with a smile, moving to sit up and forcing me to lean back on my heels so he could.
Baer reached down to help pull me to my feet. “How are you feeling, Killer?” he asked me quietly.
“I'm okay. Though I'm worried about what else is in this damn maze now,” I said more loudly as I turned to face the others, Arryn now standing and getting his bearings.
Baer laughed. “Aren't we all.”
“What would be better is us not standing around waiting for the next threat.” Callum prompted us to get moving again, his thick arms crossing over his chest. It was then that I remembered the wound he received while fighting the Cu Sith.
The blood was still trickling from the laceration and mixing with the dirt and sweat on his arms. I nodded at his arm and asked, “Do you need to heal that?”
“I'm good,” he said simply.
Arryn walked over to him. “Let me heal it. If we face anything further, we need you at your best.”
Callum didn't reply verbally, simply holding out his arm to Arryn to do his thing. Arryn placed his palm on Callum's bicep, and I could feel the magic we now shared doing an assessment before healing the wound before my eyes.
Once Arryn had finished and withdrawn his hand, Callum spoke, “Can we go now?”
“Lead the way, Mr. Grumpy Pants,” I replied with a sardonic smile that didn't reach my eyes, gesturing out with my palm for him to lead on.
He ground his jaw but ignored me, turning to stomp out of the courtyard and down another path. I had no idea where we were. All the walls looked exactly the same, covered in the poisonous ivy, no distinguishing markers to be found. Of course, that didn't matter really since the fucking walls moved.
After a few minutes of trudging along in silence, I asked, “So what else can I expect to jump out at us?”
“Honestly?” Lennox replied after I nodded at him, “We have no idea.”
“Perfect,” I grumbled to myself. “Any idea what it is that we’re supposed to accomplish here?”
“It could be any number of things, but I suspect that this trial is both physical and mental, testing our responses to the threats we face. I believe they'll continue until we have met whatever it is that the land is looking for,” Arryn explained as I drew nearer to him, still shaken after seeing him unconscious.
I had seen men knocked out before, but I'd never felt that level of fear before in response. It startled me. The thought of him being seriously injured had almost paralyzed me and led me to believe that I wasn’t staying as detached as I had wanted .
Despite my better judgment, I had started to care for these men, even Callum. The bond was pulling us closer together now that I could feel the echoes of their emotions. I worried about how I was going to leave here after the trials, to return to Earth and the girls who counted on me. The ones who had suffered like I had. They needed me to be the constant in their lives, and I couldn't abandon them like everyone else had.
This was all getting so much more complicated than I had ever wanted it to be. What was supposed to be a simple trip to express my desire to be released from the trials and deny my desire for the throne of Avalon had now turned into a life-and-death situation. Any one of us could have been killed, either by the ivy or the Cú Síth, and I was certain we had only seen the tip of the iceberg. There would be so much more to face and with deadly consequences. The gravity of the situation was starting to weigh on me.
Whereas before, I knew the trials would be dangerous; now, I knew for certain just what all that could entail and just how poorly equipped I was to get out of this without significant help. These men, who didn't know me until a week ago, were now all that stood between me and certain death.
I couldn't help the wave of guilt that accompanied that thought, that these men had to be tied to someone utterly useless during these trials, risking their own lives and well-being to help me survive while never asking for anything from me in return.
My throat tightened at the depths of their selflessness, and I ducked my head, watching my feet as we walked, trying to hide the emotions from them. An arm wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me into a hug and halting my progress forward.
I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting the emotions, not wanting to hinder us anymore than I already had, but the arms around me tightened. They wrapped themselves around me, encompassing me completely in their safety and security, something so completely foreign to me.
I knew others had felt safe and secure, but I had never known the feeling. At least, not that I could recall. My entire life had been spent looking over my shoulder and waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’d had to build a fortress around my heart and mind to keep myself going. Surviving.
I might have found a place on Earth that I could eventually see myself belonging to, but I had never really let the walls down. No real relationships tying me to that place. I kept myself friendly but distant from everyone for fear of betrayal or having them used against me.
So, finding the solace I so desperately craved without ever knowing what I was missing, in a place of such danger and intrigue, rocked me to the very center of my being. I slowly wrapped my arms around Baer, his honeysuckle and ozone scent giving him away even though my eyes were closed, clinging to him like my sanity depended on it.
After several minutes of just breathing him in and shoving my emotions back into the box that I couldn't afford to touch right now, I slowly opened my eyes and met his smoky blue gaze. “Thank you,” I whispered, pushing my gratitude to him through our bond.
“Anytime, Killer,” he whispered back, still not releasing me until I pulled away from him. I couldn't allow myself to linger for fear that I would never be able to put myself back together again.
I found all the guys watching me with varying looks on their faces. Baer and Arryn looked at me with such devotion and tenderness that I quickly glanced away, not wanting to fall prey to my feelings again. Lennox had a haunted look on his face that he quickly shifted to his signature smirk. I couldn't help my resulting grin until I met Callum 's gaze.
He studied me, his face blank except for the muscle that jumped in his jaw. I braced myself in preparation for some scathing look or retort to my mini breakdown, but he simply nodded, so minutely that I could barely see his head move, before turning to walk away again.
I huffed in response, glad to see that they were all returning to their previous demeanors. It put me back on solid ground, knowing where they all stood and how to proceed with them.
“I take it you all can feel my emotions, too?” I asked Baer as we walked beside each other. He was still hovering, but instead of being annoying, I felt a burst of happiness at the idea.
He rubbed the back of his neck, nervously. “Yeah,” he admitted with a blush.
“We can even feel your pain now,” Arryn chimed in matter-of-factly. “It helps us to do our jobs as Consorts better. We will always know when you're hurting so we can protect you, both emotionally and physically.”
“That can't always be pleasant. What if I'm training and I get hit? Technically I'm not in danger, so will you still feel every time I get punched?” I asked them.
“Yes,” Lennox said simply.
“Is there a way to block it? I don't want y'all to feel that every time I'm training if I can help it. And I definitely don't want to stop training,” I inquired, trying to understand this new bond we had.
“It's possible,” Arryn admitted hesitantly. “Although I'd rather you not block yourself from us, I can't deny you that right.”
“I'd like to know. Just in case. It never hurts to have more knowledge,” I told him.
Unable to argue with me, he nodded. “You should be able to feel our emotions in your own mind, usually in the background unless it's a strong feeling.”
Listening to him, I searched my mind and found them there, surprised that I hadn't noticed them before like I had after waking from my injuries before the trials. As if aware of my thoughts, Arryn continued, “You can block both our emotions from you and yours from us by simply building a wall or box in your mind around them.”
Picturing the idea, I went about building a brick wall in my mind around my own emotions and thoughts, blocking their bonds from mine. In the corner of my eye, I saw Baer rub his chest.
“That feels so weird,” he said, indicating that my wall was successful in blocking them. I smiled up at him in triumph, his own smile a mix of discomfort and pleasure.
Not liking his unease, I took the wall down in my mind, allowing them access to my bond again. Baer threw his arm over my shoulders, our steps syncing up as we trudged along.
“You're a fast learner,” Arryn commented, drawing my attention back to him.
Not thinking, I replied, “I've always had to be.” I didn't elaborate, knowing they'd understand what I wasn’t saying. That if I wasn't a quick thinker, then I wouldn't have survived this long.
“I hate that,” Baer said, grimacing at my insinuations.
“It is what it is,” I told him, not wanting him to feel bad about it. “It's made me stronger. In ways I never could have imagined.”
“Still,” he said. “No one should have to go through anything like that.” I knew he was referring to my abuse, and I couldn't help my shoulders from tensing under his arm. What he didn't realize was that he didn't even know the half of it, and I had no plans of enlightening him anytime soon.
“The real world sucks. There's nothing anyone can do to get rid of the evil that's out there. Not completely,” I told him succinctly.
“That's not a very good outlook to have on life,” he said pityingly.
“I refuse to have rose colored glasses, pretending that everything is good when it's not. It's just the way of the world, and all we can do is overcome our own demons and help others do the same,” I said simply. While others may like to pretend otherwise, I never could do the same. That's why Baer's positivity drew me in, in a way that others hadn't. I was envious of his disposition, but also realized that it was something I would never have.
He didn't pretend that evil didn't exist. He simply chose to stay positive in light of that information. Lennox and I, on the other hand, were both clearly jaded and had the same approach on life. Arryn coped with reality by having a plan and being prepared. And Callum...well, I didn't know how Callum dealt with it.
I couldn't say that he ignored reality because despite his lack of response, I could see the truth in his eyes. And he definitely didn't choose positive thoughts, rarely smiling at anything. I wondered again what exactly he had gone through, the history that the others had alluded to, that made him into what he was today.
A rumble sounded again, drawing me from my thoughts. “Here we go again.” I exhaled, ready to be out of this place. We all stopped as the walls shifted around us, waiting to see what fresh horror the maze would offer up.
Once the walls had again settled, Arryn took the lead, turning down the new pathway to the left of us. Baer and Lennox followed behind him without hesitation. I stood there for a second, sighing out loud and blowing the hair that had escaped my ponytail away from my face as I mentally prepared myself.
Callum surprisingly waited for me as I groaned, ready to follow the guys. Before I could turn the corner to catch up, the ground rumbled again, hard enough to shake me and send me stumbling into Callum. His arms wrapped around me to steady me. He towered over me, his body easily twice my size in width, muscles rippling under my hands which were braced against his chest.
Shit! He's so hot like this . I met his eyes, the green so deep and burnished with copper that matched his dark auburn hair. I couldn't help myself from falling into their depths, completely forgetting that we were in the middle of a murder maze trying to survive.
His nostrils flared, and I watched as the flames in his eyes strengthened as he gazed down on me. I could see a hunger in them that he'd been holding back from me, and I wanted to climb his body and sink my hands into his hair as he kissed me. Somehow, I knew his kiss would consume me like the flames he'd mastered.
“You coming, guys?” Baer called out, startling me and causing Callum to pull away from me as if I'd burned him. He didn't look at me again as he stomped away.
As I walked toward where Baer was waiting for me, I saw the mischief in his eyes, knowing full well what kind of a cock block he was being. I ignored him as I walked past him, a groan falling from his lips softly. I tried to reign in the desire that was now coursing through me and the result it produced.
These guys would be the death of me. Okay, maybe not literally, but figuratively, they wouldn't rest until the girl I once knew was no longer. They were changing me in ways I didn't want to think about right now and definitely not in this place.
“We found some water up ahead,” Baer murmured, keeping pace with me.
I glanced around, not seeing anything of the sort. Raising an eyebrow at him in question, he responded, “My magic can sense it. It shouldn't be too much further. ”
Sure enough, not more than five minutes of walking, the path opened up to the right, revealing a small lake still enclosed by the walls of the maze. The water met the edges on both sides, lapping at the ground a few feet in front of us.
The guys had all stopped and were eyeing the water, hesitant to approach. Taking my cue from them, I waited as patiently as I could, but after being in this place for what felt like hours, I was dying of thirst.
After a few minutes of no one moving or saying anything, I broke the silence. “Are we going to get a drink or what?” I tried to hide my impatience, but it eked out anyway.
“It should be safe enough. I'm not finding anything in there,” Baer said, his magic tickling against my exposed arms.
“Okay. But be quick. We don't want to take any chances,” Arryn replied, still hesitant to let us approach.
“Is there something I should be worried about in there?” I asked.
“No. I think we should be fine,” Arryn said.
“Oh, good. Since you sound so confident.” My sarcasm was clearly evident. It’s not that I wanted to be a bitch, it was just the fact that I was tired and ready to back in our suite. My emotions were going haywire, and I hated being so out of control.
Arryn just rolled his eyes and walked closer to the water, not taking my snark to heart, cupping his hands to get a drink of the water. After he finished, I decided to approach the water myself, drinking deeply. The water was better than what we had on Earth, and I had to keep myself from drinking too much too quickly.
Lennox squatted next to me and drank as well, Arryn and Baer talking softly to each other while they waited for us to finish. Callum stood separate from us all, remaining vigilant.
I stood, stretching my muscles out, my hands brushing the rope I had chosen at the start of the maze. “Think we'll get out of here before the end of the day?” I asked Lennox as he finished up.
He stood up considering my question. “Who knows?” he said, glancing away and eyeing our surroundings. “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” I asked him, my body tensing in preparation for the walls to shift again. I strained my ears, their new sensitivity able to pick up more than I ever had before, but I was still unable to hear anything.
“That,” he said, turning to face the water. “It's beautiful.” His words were barely more than a whisper.
His eyes started to glaze over as if in deep thought. “You okay there, Nox?” I asked him, coming to stand closer to him, but he didn't respond. I pushed him to get his attention, doing nothing more than moving him slightly, but he continued to ignore me.
Starting to get a little worried, I turned to get the attention of the others only to find them also in a daze. What the fuck is going on here?
“Arryn?” I called out without a response. A movement from the corner of my eye drew my attention back to the water.
A beautiful woman walked out of the water, like Ariel in The Little Mermaid . The guys all took a step toward her as she reached the shore as if she was drawing them in.
Granted, I knew the bitch was gorgeous, more so than I could ever hope to be, but their reaction sparked heat in my gut, anger and jealousy mixing and unsettling all the water I just drank.
Lennox took another step closer to the woman, her skin glowing, pale blonde hair shining brightly in the sun, and curves accentuated by the fact that she was completely naked. The only thing covering her naughty bits was her hair.
He continued to approach her slowly, the dazed look on his face changing until he had a sappy grin on his face, as if he was deeply in love with her and hadn't seen her in years .
My immediate reaction was to get angry, but that look cemented for me the fact that something really wrong was happening right now. Hell if I knew what it was, but I didn't like the fact that this bitch thought she could mess with what was mine.
I started to stomp in her direction to punch the bitch in the face, but her eyes flicked to me, vacant and haunting in their appearance, and I hesitated at that look. I got the impression that she was starving, and that she was more dangerous than just a human woman.
Like how an animal knew when it was facing a predator and was now considered its prey, I instinctively knew that this was not a woman. She was something else entirely, and she now had her hooks into each of the guys.
Still standing next to Lennox, I grabbed the dagger from the sheath at his waist, his chosen weapon at the start of this whole nightmare. Thanking Callum for his lessons, I strode toward the woman, planning to stand between her and Lennox to keep her away from him.
One second, I was five feet away, and the next, she was passing me, clamping a hand onto Lennox's wrist as he smiled down at her. I spun and slashed the dagger at her, opening a small line on her arm.
Her eyes flashed to mine and despite my best intentions, I froze, my heart stopping in my chest at the hiss she gave me. As I stood there, not sure what to do now that I had her full attention and ire, her image started to morph.
Her smooth skin turned to scales as she grew much larger, her shape changing into that of a small dragon without wings. My knees wanted to buckle at the sight as I now stood before a predator beyond my wildest dreams, even considering we fought a Cú Síth earlier. Holy shit! What have I done?!
It roared in my face, my hair fluttering around me at the dragon's exhalation, before it spun to face Lennox, who climbed onto the back of the creature with the same lovesick look on his face.
Not thinking, I ran to Lennox to stop him, but the dragon rushed through the water and dove beneath the surface with Lennox still on its back.
“Nox!” I yelled, chasing into the water after him.
“Fuck!” Callum cursed behind me, causing me to spin and find him closing the distance between us.
“What the fuck was that? What has Lennox?” I demanded from him. Arryn and Baer also rushed toward me as my heart pounded in fear, up to my shins in the water, watching one of my consorts being taken away from me.
“A Loathly Worm,” Baer said.