5. Chapter Five Rhowyn
Chapter Five: Rhowyn
“There's no way that was a worm. That was a fucking dragon!” I exclaimed as Baer stared at the water, his magic surrounding me as he tried to manipulate the water.
“They're beings that transform into beautiful women, luring men to their deaths beneath the waters,” Arryn explained, watching helplessly as Baer did his best to get Lennox back.
“I'm trying to slow them down in the water, but it's not doing much,” Baer said, his entire focus was on his magic.
A warmth at my hip caught my attention, reminding me of the rope that sat there waiting for me. It was the same sensation that had prompted me to choose the rope to begin with. Deciding to trust my instincts, I unhooked the rope and began tying it around my waist.
Once I had circled it around me twice, I thrust the end at Callum, the strongest of my men. “Hold this.”
Not waiting for his response, I started running after Lennox as soon as Callum’s hands closed around the end of the rope. I'd be damned if I let that bitch take Lennox from me. He'd already saved me once, now it was my turn to return the favor.
I dove under the water as soon as I'd made it far enough, swimming as fast as I could. I had never been the strongest swimmer, but after growing up in the Texas heat, I was proficient.
Under the water, I opened my eyes, easily able to see the dragon with Lennox still on its back. He was slumped over, glazed expression on his face, not fighting against his captivity at all.
My lungs were already starting to burn, and I knew that he'd already been under for too long. He needed air, too, or nothing I did would make a difference. My bond with Baer flared in my mind, coming to the surface at my desperation. I couldn't see it, but I knew that somehow, I had formed an air bubble around Lennox, buying me some more time.
If I can do that, maybe Baer's bond could help me again? I reached for the bond again and met its eager caress in my mind. Sending my thoughts to the magic, I felt it burst from me, parting the waters before me and allowing me to swim twice as fast as before.
I pushed myself harder as I cut through the water and closed the distance between me and the dragon as we continued to dive deeper under the surface. I urged the magic to form an air bubble around myself as well, gasping for breath as soon as it had complied.
Still, Lennox didn't fight, didn't acknowledge my pursuit, or even make a move as I gained on the dragon. Now, only a few feet away, the rope was still tied to my waist and not slowing me down.
Somehow, the rope still allowed me to keep going, not running out of slack despite the distance I had covered. The rope hadn't been this long when I had picked it up, but I wouldn't complain about it now, even if I wasn’t sure exactly how it worked .
I tightened my grip on the dagger as I came within striking distance, pulling up on its flank. I slashed down its left side, right in front of the hind leg, nailing the soft tissue of the joint. Dragging my blade down quickly, I then snatched it back and struck it again.
The dragon spun in the water, looking like a hellish loch ness monster before me with more teeth than I was expecting. It darted toward me in the water, and I danced away, the water not slowing me down. I felt light as air with Baer’s magic flowing through me as the monster attacked.
I waited for the dragon to strike, holding my spot until the very last second, before I spun to the side and stabbed my blade into its eye. The dragon jerked back, pulling my blade from the socket. Blood was quickly filling the water around us and starting to impede my vision.
I taunted it when it turned its good eye to glare at me, urging it to attack me again. I didn't have to wait long before it lunged, this time spinning to the side of its good eye at the last second. I stabbed the blade downward again, effectively blinding the beast.
This beast wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, pulling back, just like before, and dislodging my blade. It thrashed around in anger, and I waited for my moment to strike once more, needing to get closer to land a killing blow.
Seeing my chance as it started to slow down, turning to its right side to try to find me in the blurring water, I closed the distance quickly with an extra burst of magic coming up alongside its long neck.
I slashed Lennox’s knife down the side as hard as I could, the blade sinking between the hard scales along its skin. Grabbing the handle with both hands, I pulled down with all my strength, my muscles screaming at me as I opened up its neck .
The beast clawed at me with its front leg as I continued to pull downward on the blade, slicing through my clothes and skin with its talons, our blood now mixing together like a macabre watercolor painting.
I hoped the beast died soon because I could feel my limited grasp on the magic slipping, tired beyond anything I had ever felt before. But that was the difference between me and other fighters. I knew how to dig deep inside me to find reserves to keep going even when I felt like I couldn't go any longer.
The dragon clawed me again, this time dislodging and knocking me away, but with only half the strength it had before. I had cut it deep enough that now, I just needed to wait it out. I just needed to keep a hold of my magic long enough to keep the air bubbles around Lennox and myself until we could reach the surface again.
I watched as the dragon tried to fight the inevitable death it was now facing, its movements slowing down, fewer and farther between. It wouldn't be much longer before it met its end. I didn't remove my eyes from the creature as I waited, ready to dart in as soon as I could to remove Lennox and get us both back to shore.
Finally, its lungs gave one last heave, no longer rising and falling as it started to sink, Lennox floating up from its back. I swam toward him and wrapped an arm around his waist, letting his air bubble go as he entered mine.
I tucked his dagger into my boot before pulling on the rope, praying Callum could understand my need for him to pull us from the water. There was no way I had enough left in me to swim us both back to the shore, not if I wanted to maintain the air bubble. We were deeper than I had thought, barely any light penetrating the surface to reach us, blood drifting on the current around us and limiting visibility .
The rope tightened around my waist, cutting into the wounds the dragon had inflicted, which were still bleeding, leaving a dark trail behind us. The pain was finally starting to reach me now that the adrenaline was wearing off. But we were slowly being pulled through the water back the way we had come.
I sure hoped we would be done after this, that the land had seen exactly what it needed from me. I could happily sleep for a week. As we drifted closer to the surface, my mind started to wander, and the edges of my vision were darkening, despite the light that was now piercing through from above.
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts, to stay awake long enough to hold the air bubble. To keep my awareness and focus, I started chanting to myself to hold the bubble over and over until my mind began drifting before I could even finish the thought.
The water became clearer, the light blinding as it refracted against the waves, distracting me further. The air bubble started to flicker in and out as I reached the bottom of my magic. We were so close. Just a little further. I just needed to hold on a few more minutes.
Those few minutes felt like hours as I fought off unconsciousness, gritting my teeth to hold on, the rope biting into me painfully and making it hard for me to breathe while Callum slowly pulled us both back in.
Finally, my head cleared the surface, and I dropped the air bubble with a gasp. Squeezing Lennox tighter to me, I struggled to get his head above water as well, his limp form threatening to bring us both under the surface again.
Arms wrapped around me, and then Lennox was pulled from my grip as the guys dragged us back above water. Their longer legs were able to touch before my human body could. The rope loosened, the relief from the pain it had caused instantaneous. With the rope no longer constricting me, my lungs were now able to fully expand as I gasped for breath.
Baer carried me to shore while Callum and Arryn hoisted Lennox between them. He laid me out on the sand next to Lennox, who was still passed out. I felt Arryn's magic brush against my skin as he checked Lennox for any injuries.
He moved over, his eyes raking my body, taking in the slashes along my side and abdomen from the dragon's talons. “Fuck, Killer,” Baer breathed, holding my hand as Arryn's hands went to my abdomen.
I hissed as he pressed his hands down around my wounds, not touching the flayed edges but close enough for his magic to heal me. My skin warmed as I felt it knitting itself back together. His eyes met mine while he worked.
I could see the concern on his face, but no one spoke until he finally pulled back from me. His eyes darted down my body again as if in confirmation that I was indeed healed. Nodding at me, he moved back over to Lennox.
“What the fuck was that?” Callum barked at me as I started to sit up, my muscles still tender and sore despite not having any more visible wounds.
I glanced up at him. “That was me saving Lennox,” I told him, too tired to give him the full weight of my anger and irritation at his questioning of my actions.
“That was you running off blindly to face something you had no idea about. That was you being a complete and utter idiot, not consulting with us before rushing off to your possible death,” he growled, his eyes full of anger as he challenged me to refute him.
I shrugged, not able to argue with him. What I had done was stupid, but what other choice did I have? I couldn't just stand there while they came up with a plan. “It all worked out, didn't it?” I snapped.
I was a grown ass woman. If I wanted to risk my life doing something completely stupid, then I would. Fuck him. I went to stand, taking the hand that Baer offered me, needing a drink of water.
I laughed at that thought, my exhaustion making me more easily amused. I was completely soaked and had just spent more time under water than I ever wanted, and yet, I was thirsty.
Callum jumped in front of me. “This isn't funny.”
Finally, having had enough, I pushed past him. “Of course it isn't. I know exactly what risks I was taking, and I made the decision to take that chance anyway, like the big girl I am.”
I scooped up the water and began drinking from my cupped hands. Another thought occurred to me, causing me to laugh again, doubling over in mirth.
“What the fuck is so funny?” Callum growled out at me.
As soon as I could, between exhausted giggles, I met his eyes, “Name one thing your gonna need a fuckin' rope for.” I spat the words at him in an Irish accent, a quote from my favorite movie Boondock Saints coming to mind.
Apparently not getting my joke, Callum crossed his arms over his barrel chest and simply glared at me. “Have you lost your fucking mind?” He turned to Arryn. “Are you sure she's fully healed? She doesn't have a head injury of some sort?”
Losing my temper, the water having reinvigorated me slightly, I snapped at him. “What am I supposed to do? Were you expecting me to cry, crumbling into a ball in the corner? Was I supposed to wait for the big, strong men to come save me?”
I glared at him, now on my feet, our chests close enough to touch if I inhaled deeply enough. Have you ever tried to glare someone down that was well over a foot taller than you? Yeah, it's not easy, but I'd be damned if I didn't give it my best shot .
“If that's what you were thinking, then I'm sad to say that I'll always be a disappointment. I'll never be that type of person. I'll always do what I think is best, and there' s nothing you can do to change that. I've made it this far by trusting my instincts, and I'll be damned if I start mistrusting them now.” I let that hang in the air for a moment before continuing.
“Something told me to go after him. I don't know what, but it didn't steer me wrong. I'm here. I'm alive and breathing and whole. It all worked out. Which is better than losing Lennox before we've barely even started the trials. So, forgive me for doing the right thing, but I wouldn't change a damn thing.”
“Awe, Princess, I didn't know you cared so much for me,” Lennox teased me. I spun to see him sitting up in the sand.
“Yeah, well, I couldn't let your dick get you into trouble that easily. I have plans to kick your ass in training a few more times before I let that happen,” I told him, giving him a smile to take the sting from my words.
I approached him, my eyes checking him over to make sure he was whole and safe. “Speaking of which,” I asked the guys in general. “Why didn't it affect me? All of you went into some kind of daze until that dragon took Nox.”
“Loathly Worm,” Callum growled out.
I turned to glare at him over my shoulder, arms crossed over my chest. “That was a dragon. Nothing you say can convince me otherwise.”
“The worm was a female, and it feeds on men. She seduced us with her song, and as soon as Lennox was on her back, he was effectively glued there, unable to react,” Arryn explained.
“I didn't hear anything, though,” I told him, my brow furrowing in question.
“You wouldn't. You're not the worm's type,” Callum spat at me.
“Oh. Seems you and the dragon have something in common then.” I snarked back, giving him a smile that didn't meet my eyes, batting my eyelashes at him for further effect. I knew it would aggravate him, and yet, I couldn't help myself.
“Okay. Easy now, Killer,” Baer teased with a laugh, pulling me into a side hug and easily defusing my temper. I smiled up at him; his boyish charm always made me weak in the knees.
“How are you two feeling?” Arryn asked Lennox and me. “Are you both ready to continue on, or do you need a few more minutes to rest?” His gaze bounced between the both of us.
“I'm good,” I told him honestly. “Though I think my magic is almost tapped out.”
“How?” Baer asked me.
“Well, holding an air bubble around both Lennox and I while using the water to push me through faster kinda took it out of me,” I explained.
“How did you manage to do that?” Baer asked, but he was looking at Arryn now, his brow furrowed.
“Not sure. It just kind of happened. I thought about it, and then I did it,” I explained. “Why?”
“That kind of control is usually more advanced. Most younger fae can only manage one magic at a time. I didn't think you'd be able to do that already.”
I couldn't say anything, this information rocking me.
“Maybe because she's older, she's able to have more control,” Arryn offered up as an explanation.
Before any of us could dig into this new development further, the ground rumbled again.
“Fuck my life,” I groaned as the now familiar sign of the walls moving made itself known. What fresh hell was waiting for us now?