9. Chapter Nine Rhowyn
Chapter Nine: Rhowyn
A hesitant voice sounded out behind me. “Um...I believe that was ours,” Charity murmured, all of us turning to face her at the pronouncement.
“And why do you think that?” I asked her as gently as I could. She still looked like she'd break with the slightest breeze.
“I think that's what started the argument between Eoghan and Connor before the Puca ran off,” she said, blushing prettily. Of course she blushed in an attractive way. Everything she did was graceful and pretty in a way I could never hope to be.
“Okay...” I let that hang in the air, not sure how to proceed now.
“What are you willing to bet that the Cu Sith was also not supposed to be our challenge?” Lennox threw out to the group.
Now that I was thinking about it, the only reason we wound up fighting the Cu Sith was because the other group had run past us. We had simply been caught in the middle. “So, the only challenge meant for us was the dragon?”
“Loathly Worm,” Callum growled under his breath, trying to correct me. I ignored him, knowing it irritated him. I fought back a smile at that thought. He was so easy to annoy, and if he was going to be an asshole, then I would take pleasure in it.
However, he had held me during the fight with the Ankou, keeping me safe even if I hadn't wanted him to. He'd explained why he wouldn't let me go. Gently. His ability to remain calm during the attack was the only thing that had kept me from losing it completely. I frowned, not sure I how I felt about him being considerate and protective toward me.
I knew how to deal with the asshole, not this gentle version I had gotten a glimpse of. Which meant I would pester and needle him to provoke the response I could deal with. Maybe later, when I wasn't in the middle of the trials, I might try to get to know him better, but I had too much going on as it was without adding the stress of a temperamental fae to it.
Arryn chimed in, his brow furrowed in thought, “If I had to hazard a guess, then I would say yes, the Loathly Worm was the only challenge in the maze designed to test us specifically.”
“So, what does that mean?” I asked, trying to figure out how much more I needed to prepare for.
“Hopefully, the land won't send any more tests our way, having determined what it needs from what we've faced already, even if they weren't ours to begin with,” Arryn said.
“And if you're wrong?” I asked him, not sure if I was ready to know the answer to that question.
“Do you even have to ask?” Callum grumbled, raising an eyebrow at me and looking down his nose, clearly not impressed with my deductive skills.
I sighed, resigned to go through whatever was waiting for us. I couldn't help the slump of my shoulders; hungry, exhausted, and just over today. The trial couldn't end soon enough for me.
“Lennox, how’s your magic? We know Baer is tapped out, but how are you faring?” Arryn asked, taking stock of where we stood .
He shrugged in response. “The Ankou took a lot out of me, but I still have some left in reserve. Thankfully, you killed the bastard before I had to drain him further, otherwise I would be in the same boat as Baer.” He spoke honestly, his exhaustion clear to me. His body was slumped like mine, and his limbs seemed to hang heavily at his sides. He didn't even bother to make a snarky comment, which said enough in and of itself.
“Alright. I'm about halfway through my reserves after having to heal everyone. That said, please try to stop hurting yourselves that way there's something left in case of emergency,” he said, his face placid as he eyed us all.
I laughed at him. “Was that you trying to tease us?” I asked him, grinning.
He chuckled, the fatigue evident by the way his laugh was only halfhearted. “It was a sorry excuse for a joke, but yes. I was trying to lighten the mood.”
Baer swayed on his feet but managed a loud bark of laughter, slapping Arryn on the shoulder, both as a teasing gesture and to balance himself. “Why don't you just leave the jokes to me.”
Arryn smiled at Baer's teasing before turning to Callum. “And you? How are you faring magic wise?”
Callum crossed his arms in front of his chest as if Arryn had challenged him. “I'm fine.”
It was then that I noticed the claw marks on his forearms from holding me back. I gasped, jumping to heal him before thinking. My hand landed on his arm as heat began leaching from me as I started the healing process.
Before I could do much healing though, Callum jerked his arms away from my touch. He growled, “Don't”.
“Why not?” I demanded, hurt that he wouldn't let me heal him. “I did that to you; the least I can do is heal you.”
“I don't need to be healed. This is nothing,” he told me firmly, backing away again as I tried to step forward to heal him anyway.
“Rhowyn, you need to reserve your magic. You, out of all of us, have a more limited amount. With Baer tapped out, we may need what little you have later,” Arryn stepped in to explain, catching the offended look in my eyes. His own shone with sympathy, clearly aware that Callum had hurt me, even if it had been unintentional and logical.
“Fine,” I huffed out, stepping away from them both, unable to face the look in Arryn's eyes and not wanting Callum to see the pain he'd caused me.
“Come here, Killer,” Baer beckoned to me, slinging an arm around my shoulders as he pulled me in close to him. “I may need your help walking. The Ankou really did take a lot out of me,” he muttered softly, barely audible even with my newly enhanced hearing. As if making his point, he swayed again, and his hand tightened on my shoulder to maintain his balance.
I nodded and wrapped an arm around his waist to help hold him up. I wouldn't say anything. I knew how guys could be when it came to showing any weaknesses. I wouldn't bare his shortcomings for the world to see unless he wanted me to.
“So, what now?” I asked the guys, with no one in particular in mind. They all looked at each other, glancing over to Charity and her men, who were still standing around talking to each other.
“I think it best to go our own way from here. We made sure the Chosen found her Consorts. She's no longer our responsibility,” Callum said, glaring at me as if it were my fault we had to fight the Ankou.
Rolling my eyes at him, I glanced to study Charity. She seemed to be recovering well, her men doting on her unlike Callum and Lennox. She stared up at one of them, devotion shining in their eyes as they gazed at each other. Maybe one day I could find something like that. Love. Something I had never truly experienced .
Sure, I had loved Nikki as a little sister, especially after what we’d been through together after facing Jim, and I loved my mother, despite her many flaws, but those weren't the same thing. A part of me wondered if I was truly worthy of that kind of love.
“I agree,” I said, needing to change the subject before I threw myself a pity party, and Callum narrowed his eyes at me in suspicion. “What? I don't think we can handle fighting any more monsters unless they're specifically for us. It makes sense. Besides, she seems to be fine now,” I told him defensively.
“Good, now that we're decided, can we please get going again?” Baer asked us, leaning more heavily against me.
“Yeah. Just let me tell Charity,” I told him, shrugging out of his hold for a moment and walking over to the other group.
“Charity?” I interrupted her interlude with Eoghan.
“Rhowyn!” She turned to face me quickly, beaming at me, engulfing me in a hug that I wasn't quite sure what to do with. Up until the guys, I hadn't been much of a hugger. Other than my girls, I had very little touch among others. At least none that didn’t involve the violence of training.
“Thank you so much for helping us,” she said as she pulled back, still holding onto my arms.
“Don't thank me. It was the right thing to do.” I tried to brush off her gratitude, uncomfortable with the praise.
“Don't be silly. Here in Avalon, most fae wouldn't have stopped to help us, especially with a prize on the line. I'm your competition, and yet you thought nothing of it. That shouldn't be taken lightly,” she continued.
Eoghan spoke up. “You have our gratitude,” he said, with a slight bow of his head at me before glancing at my men behind me. “We are in your debt.”
“Oh. Well, we didn't really do much.” I tried to play off the seriousness of the situation. “But I'm glad we could help,” I told them both honestly.
“I'm sure you're ready to be on your way again,” Charity said, releasing me from her grip finally. “We're going to stay here and rest for a little while longer.”
“Of course. The guys are just eager to get moving again. The sooner we can get out of here, the better,” I told her honestly.
I started to turn back toward the guys, stopping short and facing her again as she spoke. “I'll see you back at the castle, and if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask.” She beamed at me.
“I'd like that,” I told her honestly. Her gentle nature was such a contrast to mine that I couldn't help but wonder what being friends with her would be like.
I headed back to collect Baer, who was smiling at me, wrapping my arm around his waist, his arm settling on my shoulders. “What?” I asked him, looking up at him.
“Nothing,” he said, still smiling at me.
“Ready?” Arryn asked. I just nodded at him, and he turned to lead the way, Lennox and Callum following behind us down the path again.
We all walked in silence, our pace much slower than before facing the Ankou. The argument and fighting that followed took their toll on us as it settled on our shoulders.
“Is it just me, or do the turns seem to be coming more quickly?” I asked the guys.
Arryn paused, glancing up and down our current path. “They do seem shorter distances apart.” His brow furrowed.
“That means we're getting closer to the center, right?” I prompted, hoping we were almost to the end. I was afraid to say anything for fear the walls would start shifting again, ruining any progress we had made.
“Let's hope so,” Baer said next to me.
“Think you can pick up the pace now, Baer?” Lennox asked, his demeanor lifting at the idea of being in the home stretch.
“I probably could,” he said hesitantly, pulling his arm from my shoulders. He'd kept his own balance for a while now, barely leaning on me as he regained some of his energy.
“Great. Lead the way, Captain.” Lennox saluted Arryn sarcastically, bringing a smile to my face at the eye roll Arryn gave him in response.
I kept pace with Baer, not wanting to wander far from his side as we increased speed, just in case. Still, no one spoke much, and I couldn't help but wonder if it had to do with the words we had spoken to each other during the Ankou attack.
Callum's words had cut the most, striking deeper than any blade the creature could have swung, piercing the heart of each of us. I tried to remind myself that he was under the sway of the Ankou, but I couldn't sell myself on the idea fully. Somewhere, most likely subconsciously, he had to have had those thoughts. They didn't just spring from nowhere, his feelings fueling the words that had hurt each of us. Lennox most of all.
I could still picture the grief and guilt written all over his face as Callum had lashed out at him. He'd mostly just stood there, taking whatever Callum said about him as if he had believed those things about himself already. It hadn't been until Callum had turned on me that he'd stepped in.
I gritted my teeth, my anger rising in defense of Lennox, whether he believed he deserved it or not. Somewhere along the way, he'd wormed himself inside of my heart, and I felt protective of him. The more I saw the damage that he skillfully hid, the more I was drawn to him, both of us broken in ways that could never be mended.
“What's with the frown, Killer?” Baer asked me softly, intruding my thoughts.
I smoothed the emotions from my face, this not being the time or place to address the issues I had with Callum. I glared back at the man in question quickly before turning to Baer. “It's nothing.”
I could tell he didn't buy it, the rise of one of his eyebrows as if to ask really? giving away his disbelief. “I'll tell you later. There's too many eyes and ears right now.” He nodded at me in understanding, glancing around us as if he could find whatever it was that was broadcasting our trials to all of Avalon. I wish I knew what to look for; it would make this a lot easier to navigate if we knew what to avoid, but looking around, I saw nothing.
A rumble shook the ground beneath our feet. Baer stumbled into me, and I caught him, trying to hold him up. His movements unbalanced me, and I stumbled under his considerable weight. Falling backward, Baer landed on top of me as I dragged him down with me.
“Ooof!” I groaned out at the same time as Lennox said, “Not again.”
“Are you okay, Killer?” Baer asked me, pushing himself up and off me.
“Just dandy.” I said, aching from the fall. Thankfully, I'd learned how to fall without hurting myself during my training. Takedowns were no joke in a fight.
“Are you sure?” His eyes scanned me, looking for injuries as I sat up, catching the moving walls in my peripheral vision.
“Yeah. I'm good. I know how to take a fall,” I explained, at a loss for energy to stand back up. My head turned to watch the wall slide into place in front of us, blocking our way.
“I was hoping we were done with that,” Arryn said on a sigh, walking over to help Baer to his feet.
Lennox pulled me to standing as we all turned to glare at the wall, as if we could move it by our thoughts alone. “Shit! Looks like we're backtracking,” Lennox said finally .
Callum grunted in response as I said, “Thank you, Captain Obvious.” My sarcasm cut through to save the day, distracting me from facing my utter exhaustion. What can I say, sarcasm was my coping mechanism.
Lennox just laughed at me. “Come on, Princess.”
“Fine. Surely my white knight is somewhere close, on his way to rescue me from this hell hole,” I teased him further.
“I hope you're not counting on me to be your white knight because I'm certainly not a good man.” He meant it as a joke, but I could see a flash of grief at that idea.
“I'm sure you have your uses.” I elbowed him playfully, trying to distract him from his dark thoughts.
He smiled at me lasciviously. “Oh, I definitely have my uses.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and I laughed out loud.
“Come on,” I said, looping my arm in his and tugging him along with me as we started heading back the way we’d come.
Along the side of the wall, about fifty feet from where we’d been, we found a new entrance that hadn't been there a few minutes ago and decided to head down that way. My thoughts started to drift again as we walked, though this time they were sinful in nature. Apparently, the suggestion from Lennox had woken my libido.
I wanted his hands on me again, bringing me to pleasure with more than just his fingers. I wanted to ride his dick while Baer fucked my throat. I'd never been with two men at once, but I was willing to experiment with these men. I wanted Arryn commanding me and taking control while also forcing him to lose his own composure. I wanted to bring him to his knees in the way only a lover could.
Fuck! I squeezed my thighs together, trying to ease the discomfort I now found myself in. Lennox inhaled next to me and tensed under my arm. He leaned over, whispering in my ear, causing me to shiver with desire. “Whatever you're thinking about, I promise to do that and more as soon as I get you back to the Castle.”
Fuck me! My desire to escape this circle of hell and get back so I could find heaven only increased, my pace picking up slightly with my eagerness.
Lennox laughed at me as I dragged him with me. “Shut up,” I told him, not wanting to hear his smug response. He knew exactly what he did to me.
Baer glanced over at us in question, his visage somewhat hazy. I blinked my eyes, trying to clear whatever was obstructing my view. It wasn't abnormal for my eyes to become blurry whenever I was seriously tired, so I rubbed them with my free hand, trying to wake them up.
I glanced back up at Baer and Arryn only to find that they were only more obscured, a white haze settling across my vision. “Man, I must be really tired.”
Lennox glanced at me. “Why do you say that?”
“My vision is blurry. It happens sometimes when I'm really exhausted,” I explained to him.
He halted suddenly. “So's mine.” His expression and posture went on full alert as he called out to Arryn to stop.
“What is it?” Arryn asked him, his frustration evident at being stopped again.
“Are you seeing a white haze?” Lennox asked him, not elaborating.
“Yes…” Arryn replied slowly, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Why?”
“Because Rhowyn and I are both having the same problem.”
“Me too,” Baer said as we all turned to Callum, waiting for his answer.
“I see it as well.” With Callum's words, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, a sense of foreboding settling deep into my gut.