10. Chapter Ten Callum
Chapter Ten: Callum
Instantly, I was on high alert, my eyes scanning the area as the white mist started to thicken around us. I closed the distance between Rhowyn and I immediately, my instincts telling me to protect her.
Her constant need to throw herself into danger aggravated me, even if I knew she could hold her own. She had shown me over and over during this first trial that she wasn't some wilting flower, fainting at the first sign of danger. If anything, she had proven her bravery when she’d dived in after Lennox without thinking. It still didn't make her recklessness bearable.
I had wanted to wring her neck after that stunt while holding her close at the same time to make sure she was okay. We were lucky that Arryn had healing magic and could repair the damage the Loathly Worm had done to her. He'd proven useful over and over during the traversing of this maze.
As I moved closer to Rhowyn, the fog thickened, and I found it difficult to see and hear. I called out her name without an answer. I held out my hand in front of me, my other hand on my sword, always ready to draw it should I have to. Moving my hand back and forth in front of me to keep from running into anything, I realized I could no longer see past my outstretched arm.
I called out Rhowyn's name again, the same silence greeting me. Starting to worry now, I called Lennox's name since he was the closest to Rhowyn when the haze had started. He didn't answer me either.
I heard a chittering noise that seemed to come from all around me, and I spun, trying to find the source. Every so often, I caught a glimpse of movement and shadows, but it was never long enough to determine what the cause was.
I continued to move forward slowly, my hand swiping from side to side until, finally, my fingers brushed fabric. Latching onto the first tangible thing I'd found, I closed the distance, sighing in relief when I was able to see Rhowyn's face through the haze.
“Where's Lennox?” I asked her, my voice faint even to my own ears.
“What!” she yelled in return, the words barely registering.
I leaned in close to her and yelled, “Where's Lennox? He was right beside you just a few minutes ago.”
Her panicked eyes met mine before she turned her face to yell in my ear, her warm breath caressing my cheek. I closed my eyes at the sensation, trying to maintain my focus. “I don't know. One minute, he was next to me, and the next, he was gone. He saw something in the fog and stepped away for just a moment to find out what it was. I haven't seen him since, and it's only getting worse.”
I leaned back, scanning the thickening haze as if I could find him myself, but the only thing I could see was Rhowyn and white. Everywhere I looked was white. This was no normal fog. Something was causing this.
“Put your hand on my back and don't lose contact. We're going to try to move through this, but I need both hands,” I instructed her.
She nodded in response, moving behind me, her hand latching into my tunic in a firm grip. Satisfied, I began to move forward again slowly. I would look for the others, but she was my priority. I'd protect her at all costs as was my duty.
“Did you see that?” she called out to me. I paused and looked back over my shoulder at her.
“What did you see?” I asked her, my eyes narrowing in focus.
“I'm not sure. It was too fast for me to get a good look, but it wasn't very big,” she answered.
I nodded at her, letting my eyes scan the fog around us, searching for the responsible creature. I could really use Arryn right about now. He was like a walking book, familiar with all the creatures of Avalon. He'd know exactly what we were facing.
I knew the creatures that were native to Autumn's lands, but I had never traveled much before finding myself a prisoner of the Queen's, so I wasn't familiar with the beasts that belonged to the other seasons.
The chittering noise sounded out again as if it was coming to my left. Rhowyn's gasp sounded out as we turned toward the source, catching a glimpse of the animal before it was gone again.
The noise sounded out again behind us, and I spun as quickly as I could while Rhowyn maintained her grip on my tunic, drawing my sword. Rhowyn's chosen tool was not useful to us in this situation. A stupid, fucking rope. That's what she had chosen.
I shook my head, focusing back on the threat before us, a flash of movement headed to my right. I lashed out, my sword swinging through empty air. Whatever it was, it moved fast.
I called out for the guys, not taking my eyes away from their continual scanning of the area around us. I needed to be careful since I had no desire to hit them while swinging at the creature. As if she didn't hate me enough, she'd never forgive me if I struck one of them with my blade.
Ideally, I'd have a shorter sword or a dagger for close combat, but we had only been allowed one weapon, and I had to make do with what I had.
A flash of movement to my left had me spinning, the chittering sounding out to my right. I really hoped that didn't mean there was more than one of these creatures.
“What is it?” Rhowyn called to me.
Keeping my focus in front of me, I yelled back to her, “I don't know.”
“How do we stop it?” she asked, her fear barely reaching me, but her arm was tense against my back.
“I don't know!” I snapped at her. “Now, let me focus.”
I could feel her ire in the back of my mind, not happy with my attitude. Too bad. She didn't have to like me. My only job was to ensure her safety, and I'd do that the best way I knew how, by keeping her at a distance from me.
The beast kept flickering in and out of my sight, keeping us spinning in a circle, tiring us out. Growing frustrated, I remembered that Rhowyn had access to all of our magics. “Do you think you can freeze whatever it is?”
“I don't know. I haven't used Nox's magic before,” she said, her voice pensive as she considered my request. I couldn't risk throwing my flames around or shifting yet.
“At least try,” I growled, frustrated with the situation, and taking it out on her. “All we're doing is going in circles and expending what little energy we have left.”
I knew I had my faults. I knew I wasn't an easy man to get along with. My temper was always getting the best of me. Like most Autumn fae, I was passionate about everything I did, even if it didn't always help the situation. I wouldn't change who I was, even for my Chosen.
I felt the tingle of magic along my back, indicating Rhowyn was reaching for hers. Glancing back, I found her eyes closed in focus with her free hand outstretched, the temperature dropping as she pulled Lennox's magic into her.
She opened her eyes to find me watching her, and I immediately went back to searching for the creature. “There,” I called out to her, pointing with my sword toward the beast as it flickered into sight closer to us than before. She grunted as she released a burst of winter magic, ice coating the area behind the creature before it flickered away again with a chitter.
We repeated the process, managing to coat the ground around us in ice, all forward movement having been halted as soon as the beast had started to circle us. Still, she missed, burning through what little magic she had left.
“Fuck!” she cried out when she missed again.
“Try to aim for where it's going to be, not where it is,” I offered to her, trying to help her.
“That's easier said than done!” she snapped in irritation. I didn't take it personally. Her anger was more at the situation and her failures, not necessarily directed at me.
She fired off a blast of ice, missing again. “Damn it! I'm not sure how much longer I can do this,” she admitted, as I realized that the hand twisted into my tunic was shaking.
I needed to help her somehow, or we'd be vulnerable to the creature. I racked my brain, trying to come up with a solution as she continued to fire off shots of magic. They were coming fewer and farther between, her magic dwindling as my mind raced for a solution.
My anger at my helplessness threatened to overwhelm me, causing me to start a partial shift, growling in frustration. Barely keeping my own beast held back, I repressed it, forcing it down deep and demanding that I remain in control. I hadn't lost control of my shift like this since my parents had been murdered, and I wouldn’t do so now.
My nails and teeth elongated, my vision and hearing sharpening even further. I still couldn't see through the mist that surrounded us, but as I inhaled, I caught a brief scent of something unfamiliar. It must be the beast.
I closed my eyes and focused on the smell, pushing through the intoxicating scent of Rhowyn that surrounded me now. It smelled slightly of blood and decay, magic clinging to it as I tracked it. In this form, I could tell where it was going to be.
The smell of magic intensified to my left. I snapped my eyes open and pointed. “There.”
Not hesitating, Rhowyn fired off her magic, the creature freezing before our eyes as the ice struck it. “Fucking finally!”
I moved forward toward the creature, getting my first real look at it. The beast resembled a small house cat, hairless everywhere except for a mane around its head and a tuft of fur at the base of its tail. The creature’s feet looked like hands instead of a normal cat's paws. Wide eyes stared up at us, solid black with menace leaking from its gaze even though it couldn't move.
Rhowyn shivered behind me. “What the fuck is that?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” I told her, still having to yell because the mist was thicker than ever.
I raised my sword, preparing to strike the beast to get rid of the fog, unsure what other magic it had. Thrusting my sword downward, I struck it in the heart, the only resistance against my blade coming from the coat of ice surrounding the animal. The kill was immediate as the ice shattered, and the fog dissipated.
Rhowyn gasped, finally able to see clearly. When I turned my head, I was greeted with wide eyes and an open mouth, my actions having completely shocked her .
Slowly, her face softened into something resembling resignation before she spoke, “I get why you had to kill the thing, but you did it so suddenly, and it looked like a house cat and...” Her rambling faded as she took a deep inhale, gathering her composure. Her eyes met mine as I stood there, my mask in place. Her condemnation of my actions irritated me, but I wouldn't show it.
“Thank you. I couldn't have done that, so I'm glad you could. We couldn't be sure what else it could do, and you did what you had to do to keep us safe. So, Thanks.” She smiled sadly at me, her words of gratitude taking me off balance.
I could do anger. That was easy to understand. I didn't know what to do with what she was making me feel, like I was being tossed about in a storm, never knowing which way was up.
Falling back into habits which had gotten me through life so far, I remained quiet and stoic, at least on the outside. She shifted uncomfortably, studying me through my silence.
Sighing, she said, “So what now?” She glanced around her, trying to figure out exactly where we had wound up. “Do you think the others are close?”
“I'm not sure, but don't call out for them. They'll find us eventually.” I didn't need her alerting whatever was out there that we were near. We'd faced enough as it was. We were both tired, as evidenced by Rhowyn’s curved shoulders and her arms, which hung limply at her sides. It was like she didn’t even have the energy to hug herself in comfort, only able to stand there in shock.
Her eyes were still wary, scanning our surroundings as her mind worked out the next course of action. She chewed on her lip as she did so, and I fought back the urge to reach over and pull her lip from the abuse of her teeth.
Startled at the thought, I huffed out a breath and stomped past her and the dead creature still at our feet. “Let's not stand around here all day.”
She scrambled to keep up with me as I marched away. “Shouldn't we wait for them? You know, since that'd be the easiest way for them to find us?”
I glared at her as she struggled to keep up with my pace. “What makes you think they're looking for us? Maybe they're waiting for us to find them ?”
“Good point.”
We continued until we reached another “T” in the maze. I glanced in both directions trying to decide which way to go, looking for any hint of which was the safest route.
Apparently not happy with my indecisiveness, Rhowyn turned left and stormed past me. Now, it was my turn to catch up. “This is as good a direction as any since we have no idea where we are or how close we are to the center of the maze,” she explained.
We walked in silence for a while, continuing straight down the mystery path until Rhowyn decided to destroy the peace. “So, I know the Ankou was mostly to blame for the things we said to each other. It's just, on my end at least, what I said was truthful. Was it the same for you?” she asked softly, her muscles tense while she waited for my response, not daring to look at me.
“It was the truth,” I admitted after debating whether I should or not. I had said things I regretted to my Chosen and to her other Consorts, mostly because if we were to have any chance of beating the Queen, we'd need to be a united front. My private thoughts would only create dissension.
“Okay.” She chewed her lip again as I watched her from the corner of my eye, neither of us looking at each other. “I think you really hurt Lennox,” she whispered, aware that we were being watched and not giving away our conversation .
I sighed. I had hurt him, which had been my intention at the time. As his one-time best friend, I knew exactly where to strike and how to twist the knife to ensure optimal damage. I had never spoken to him like that, though the thoughts had been lingering in my mind.
“I know I did,” I admitted on a low growl, not happy with myself. My parents would be ashamed of my actions back there with the Ankou. I watched my feet as I walked, trying to find the right words. “Look, my past is common knowledge that I'd just rather forget about. I'm not going to talk about all of that out here but know that I still harbor a lot of anger with Lennox. He was responsible for the pain in my life, whether intentional or not. I've never had the chance to resolve the issues I have with him, and he deserves to feel just an ounce of the pain I've gone through because of him.
“I'm not proud of how things went down, but it was all the truth. Maybe, one day, I can move on, but that day is not today,” I told her softly and honestly, more vulnerable with her than I'd been with anyone in a very long time. My body was tense with anxiety after revealing so much to someone, my breaths shallow at the thought of how it could be used against me.
Rhowyn finally looked at me, studying my face as we walked side by side before she nodded. “Okay. I get that.”
I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding, relief making me feel ten pounds lighter. I glanced at her, our eyes holding as our steps paused. “Just know that if you need to talk to someone about it, someone who might know what betrayal feels like, I'm here,” she told me earnestly.
She let that sink in, not waiting for a response, before she turned and continued onward. I stood there, digesting her words, a weird feeling in my gut that I didn't like, churning at the idea that I might have finally found an ally that I could trust. And that scared me. I didn't know how not to be alone .
Watching her back as she walked away, I noted the sway of her hips, which was enticing without even trying. I wanted her physically, but I wasn't sure I could bear the intimacy. I hadn't been with anyone other than the Queen and couldn't know for sure how I would react to that sort of contact with another. As much as she was vexing, I didn't want her to be harmed, especially not by me.
As I studied her, she barked out a short scream, her feet sinking into the ground she had just crossed. Within seconds, she was up to her calves in the bog, which continued to suck her under. I sprinted to her as she struggled against its pull, knowing that if I didn't get her out soon, she'd be swallowed alive.