6. Chapter Six Lennox
Chapter Six: Lennox
Rhowyn's words rang out in my ears even though they were spoken softly. Her face fell at the thought of facing another beast, dread and weariness expressed clearly until she hid them away. We knew the trials would be hard, but we hadn't expected them to ramp up so quickly. We should have known better than to try and predict the tests. Avalonia always made her wishes known in one way or another.
I took the hand that Arryn offered me, standing and brushing the sand off my pants. Despite being unconscious for the entire ordeal, I was exhausted, as if the Loathly Worm had drained me in some way. I could see the same tension through Rhowyn's body, only able to persevere through sheer force of will.
I couldn't keep the awe from sweeping through me. She had jumped in after me without thought. Without hesitation. For me . She hadn't done it to garner favor in the court. She hadn't done it for any other reason except that she had wanted to. That thought shook me to my core. No one had ever done something like that for me before, and I didn't know how to cope with that information.
I knew I had said I was all in before the bonding ceremony, but I still hoped that, eventually, I might find some way to escape all the responsibilities and guilt that weighed on me. That someday I might actually be free.
Now, I knew that I was only fooling myself. The more I learned about Rhowyn, the deeper into this well I tumbled. She was so much more than I had originally thought, constantly showing me another facet about her that made me realize how perfect she was to be the next queen.
She was so different from anything here in Avalon, a breath of fresh air, a new start for our lands after the tyranny of my mother. She had the strength of will to do something that I hadn't allowed myself to hope for. Before, if I had tried and failed at enacting change, I would have been devastated in ways my mother could only dream of delivering to me. Because she certainly wouldn’t allow me the escape of death, intent on allowing me to suffer in my despondency, knowing that I had failed. So, I had never attempted anything more than survival.
But with Rhowyn, I was beginning to think that maybe we might stand a chance, and I still wasn't sure if that was something I could allow myself to feel. I was torn between wanting to chase her to the ends of Avalon and wanting to hold myself back out of habit. It was what I knew. It had kept me safe this long. Eventually, though, I’d have to make a decision, and there would be no going back. If I allowed myself to fall, I’d never be able to go back to the way things were.
Arryn led us away from the water, back into the maze now that the walls had finished shifting. Our group was silent as we walked, each of us lost in our own thoughts. I could feel Rhowyn's fatigue, the aches in her muscles with each step.
She might have said she was okay, but I could tell she was reaching the end of what her human body could handle. Sometimes, it didn't matter how much the mind wanted to fight, the body still had its limits.
My eyes kept darting over to her while we were walking as if she was a magnet drawing me into her field. Entranced, I couldn't stop watching her gait, waiting for her to stumble or give way, but as time continued, she kept going.
As we reached an intersection, a feminine scream cut across our silence, coming from the right of us. “Help!”
We all tensed at the sound, us consorts meeting each other's gazes over Rhowyn's head, holding a silent conversation. Whatever caused the other Chosen to need help, we needed to avoid it. Rhowyn couldn't take much more.
Callum turned to the left. “This way. Hurry,” he urged Rhowyn, reaching out to grab her arm in an attempt to get her to follow.
She jerked away from him, stepping backward into the path on the right, in the direction of the cries. “What are you doing? We need to help her!?”
“No. We don't,” Callum growled out, his teeth clenched in frustration. “We need to avoid any more trouble.”
Rhowyn stared him down, her expression somewhere between anger, betrayal, and disappointment. “You're more than welcome to go that way, but I won't.”
“You're barely standing. You're no good to anyone if you're dead,” he argued, trying in vain to convince her to leave.
“It's not the right thing to do,” she murmured, softly. Her words made me proud to call her my Chosen, but my survival instinct was screaming out against the idea.
Callum snarled, glancing away from her, his jaw grinding. “Fine,” he spat out. “But if we go, you stay behind me and try to keep out of trouble.”
She nodded, agreeing without much of a fight. She might have intended to stay behind him and safe, but I knew without a doubt that she 'd throw herself into a fight again if she needed to.
Callum stomped off to the right, following the cries for help through the maze as best we could. Rhowyn stood straight, more alert than before, the rush of adrenaline and anticipation reinvigorating her to a degree.
We rounded a corner to find Charity, the fae girl that Rhowyn had spoken to before we started the trials, sitting on the ground, tears streaming down her face with her consort’s head in her lap.
Callum and Arryn both had their hands on their swords, ready to draw them at the first sign of trouble. Rhowyn tried to run to the girl, but Callum's big arm dropped into her path, effectively stopping her from passing him. His eyes cut to her, reminding her of their agreement.
Taking that moment, Baer approached the girl. “What happened?”
She sniffled, her body sagging in relief at our arrival. “After so long in the maze, I was so tired. I sprained my ankle after an encounter with a hag, and I couldn't walk very fast anymore. None of my consorts were able to heal me. Just when I thought I couldn't go any further, a Puca showed up in horse form and offered to give me a ride. Not wanting me to ride alone, Connor got on with me. We were going good for a while; the break was nice. But then Eoghan started arguing with Connor, and the Puca just took off with us, leaving my other consorts behind. We turned that corner too sharply and were both thrown from the Puca's back. I've hurt my wrist, and Connor has hit his head. I have no idea where my other consorts are.” Her story rushed from her in sobs, barely gasping for air as she rambled all this information off.
Arryn relaxed and approached the girl. “May I heal you both?” he asked her, waiting for her nod of approval. Once he had gotten it, he knelt down and placed his hands on Connor. Callum stood watch over us, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow as if waiting for something else to jump out at us.
The man groaned on the ground, his eyes fluttering open to find Arryn above him. He moved to scramble backward until the girl stopped him. “It's okay. He healed you,” she explained.
“Where's that damn Puca?” he cursed out as he sat up.
“He ran off, not stopping once we fell,” she said softly to him.
He glanced over her before turning to Arryn. “Can you heal her, too?” he asked. Arryn just nodded in agreement before moving over to Charity.
I couldn't help but notice the startling difference between Rhowyn and Charity. While Rhowyn was strong, honed from a life of survival, the girl before us was weak after a life of luxury. Being a member of the Court, although a lower level than myself and Genevieve, she still had lived a soft life.
If she’d had to face half of what Rhowyn had, she would have broken long ago, unable to handle the harsh realities of life outside of Avalon's Court. Her tears were still running down her face as Arryn healed her, totally dependent on her consorts and others to carry her through the trials.
Arryn stood, finally through with healing the girl and her consort. Connor stood as well, helping Charity to her feet and hugging her into himself as they clung to each other for a moment.
Rhowyn spoke up, “Do you have any idea of where your other consorts are?”
I could see where this was going, and I knew Callum wasn't going to like this either. Connor turned to Rhowyn, pointing behind him. “We came from that direction.”
“Do you think you could lead us back there? I don't feel comfortable leaving you guys here all alone,” Rhowyn told them as Callum bristled at the idea, just as I had expected .
“Rhowyn,” Callum said to her quietly, glaring down at her, but she ignored him and his warning as she watched Connor and Charity.
“I'm fairly certain I could. I would appreciate any help in ensuring that Charity makes it through this maze,” Connor said, ducking his head in deference to our group.
Callum sighed, admitting defeat. We knew Rhowyn wouldn't be happy with just leaving them to fend for themselves. Her stubborn streak was maddening as hell. “Lead the way,” he snapped at Connor, who jumped to do as instructed.
Charity fell into line next to Rhowyn, behind Callum, Arryn, and Connor. Baer and I brought up the rear, keeping the Chosen between us all as we set off to find Charity's other consorts.
After walking for a while, Rhowyn started speaking to Charity. “So, you faced off against a hag? What was that like?” she asked, her curiosity evident in the lines of her face as she waited for an answer.
“It was awful!” Charity exclaimed. “We were walking for so long and I got thirsty. So, we stopped to get a drink of water, and this hideous old woman with green, decaying skin and hair rose up. She grabbed ahold of my wrist and tried to drag me away, but Eoghan was there, pushing me away from her. I fell, twisting my ankle in the process as he fought her off.” As she spoke, her eyes widened in shock and fear of what she'd been through. Still so different from Rhowyn's reactions to what we’d faced. While Rhowyn dove right in to help me, Charity relied on her Consorts to do all her fighting.
“That's it!” Rhowyn exclaimed loudly to the entire group. “Until we're out of this maze, we are not going anywhere near water again. What is it with creatures and water in this damn place?”
Baer and I chuckled at her outburst, her summation correct. While the waters of Avalon could provide healing and magic, it also came at grave risk to the person trying to drink from it. Many of our nastiest creatures dwelled in the waters, waiting patiently for their prey to approach.
“Sorry to tell you, Princess, but they're just a drop in the bucket. Avalon has many monsters in both the water and on land. There's too many to list, but each one is nasty in their own right,” I told her. She turned and glared at me as if this was all my fault, causing me to smirk at her.
She held my gaze for a moment, her eyes heating as she glanced down at my body as if she needed to make sure that I was really whole and safe, before turning back to Charity. “So, what else have y'all faced in this cursed place?”
“Other than the Puca, we determined the vines were poisonous fairly quickly,” Charity said innocently, her blonde curls bouncing as she walked next to Rhowyn.
“That's it? Just a hag?” Rhowyn blurted out, causing Charity to turn to her in shock.
“That hag was the most hideous thing I've ever seen!” Charity said, defending herself.
Rhowyn held up her hands, trying to placate her. “I didn't mean to offend you, it's just that we've faced too much already.”
“And what exactly have you faced out here? It can't be much worse than the hag. Do you know she drags you down into the water, eating your flesh while you're still alive and drinks the marrow from your bones!?” Charity stated defensively.
“I don't doubt that she was awful, and I certainly don't wish to go against her, but we've already fought a Cú Síth and a dragon,” Rhowyn said, trying to appease Charity with an explanation.
“A Cú Síth? Those are supposed to be extinct!” Connor exclaimed, glancing back at us for confirmation.
I shrugged in response. “Apparently not, because that's exactly what we faced.”
“Arryn and Callum took care of it, though, so it shouldn't be a problem anymore,” Rhowyn said proudly as she studied their backs in front of her.
Connor's mouth dropped open in shock as he turned to look at Callum and Arryn beside him. “Is she serious?”
“Aye,” Callum said with a grunt, not even bothering to look at him.
“Wait, what did you mean by a dragon? Those aren't real,” Charity asked Rhowyn.
“I can assure you that they are absolutely real. I killed it myself,” Rhowyn said, a shudder running down her body at the memory.
Both Charity and Connor stopped walking, forcing us all to pause. “What she means is that we faced a Loathly Worm,” Callum growled out with a glare at Rhowyn.
“Call it whatever you want, but it was absolutely a dragon. Maybe a small one, but a dragon all the same,” Rhowyn defended.
“What happened?” Charity asked in shock.
“Like y'all, we stopped to get a drink of water, and then this woman came up out of the water. All of the guys were staring at her in some sort of stupor until she reached for Lennox. I tried to stop her, and she transformed into a dragon, dragging Lennox with her. The others were still in shock, so I dove in after him, saving him like the damsel he is.” She winked at me with that last statement.
“My hero,” I proclaimed playfully, really selling it, and causing everyone but Callum to laugh at my antics.
“You killed it?” Charity exclaimed in disbelief.
“Yup,” she said, popping the p.
“Can we keep moving now?” Callum ground out through clenched teeth, his frustration evident. Without speaking, we all began walking again, continuing our search for Charity’s consorts.
“Eoghan and the others should be just up here,” Connor stated, pointing ahead and to the right.
“I can't believe you did that,” Charity said, more quietly to Rhowyn, continuing their conversation.
“Someone had to do something, and with Callum's training with the dagger, I was somewhat prepared,” she said calmly.
“You still shouldn't have taken the risk,” Callum snapped at her, clearly listening to the entire conversation.
“I would have done the same for any of you. Even you, whether you appreciated it or not,” she snapped back.
“Trouble. Always trouble,” Callum muttered under his breath barely loud enough for me to catch it. I couldn't argue with him there. Rhowyn was definitely more than we had bargained for, both good and bad.