12. Chapter Twelve Rhowyn
Chapter Twelve: Rhowyn
My face heated for an entirely different reason as Callum and I sprang apart. I stood as quickly as my tired body would allow and saw Lennox standing there, grinning from ear to ear, knowing full well he had interrupted our moment.
“How long have you been standing there?” I questioned him, embarrassed that I had forgotten everything else outside of what Callum had done to me. It was amazing and life changing, but I would rather have had it happen in the privacy of our own rooms.
Lennox just shrugged, not answering me. Baer came around the corner, having come from where Callum and I were originally trying to go before I had gotten sucked into the ground.
Baer stopped and eyed me, a barely restrained smile on his face. “He hasn't been there long.” He playfully shoved Lennox as he passed by, coming to stand in front of me. “Why are you covered in mud?”
“It's a long story,” I told him, not wanting to admit that I had walked right into the pit. I was already dealing with enough embarrassment as it was .
“It's really not that long of a story,” Callum said, throwing me under the bus completely. “She walked into a quicksand pit hidden behind a glamor.”
Baer's lips compressed, trying to hold back a laugh at the state of me. Lennox however, guffawed loudly at my discomfort. My eyes narrowed on him. “How was I supposed to know that glamors could also disguise more than people,” I huffed, my hands going to my hips. I quickly removed them as the bruises protested.
“It's okay, Killer. It could have just as easily been one of us to walk into that quicksand.”
Arryn walked up to us, and I took the opportunity to change the subject. “Where have y'all been?”
Arryn sighed, his fatigue evident as he ran a hand over his face. “After we got separated in the fog, we all stumbled along until it suddenly cleared. We still aren't sure what caused that, but decided we needed to find you two as quickly as possible.”
“Ah, yeah. The fog was caused by this house cat looking thing. It was white, mostly hairless except for a mane and tuft on its tail. Although it had hands instead of paws, which was kind of creepy. Callum and I killed it, and the fog immediately dissipated.” I filled Arryn in as I tried to dust some of the drying mud from myself.
Arryn's brow furrowed, “That sounds like a Chitterlax. How'd you go about killing it? They're notoriously difficult to catch.”
“Trouble here froze the damn thing. Once it was frozen, I killed it, sword through the heart,” Callum said, finally joining the conversation. Eyeing him from the side, I could see a slight change in his demeanor. He was a little more relaxed, his muscles not so tense or ready for an attack. I liked seeing him like this.
“Smart,” Arryn said, finally noticing the mud on me. “Why are you covered in mud? ”
I threw my hands up in frustration as the other three guys laughed, stomping off a few steps before halting. I didn't want to find any more quicksand pits by walking blindly into them. Instead, I turned back around to see the guys following me as Baer filled in Arryn on what was so funny. He smiled at me softly, the humor barely reaching his eyes. He was truly exhausted. We all were.
“We need to get out of here,” I said.
“Well, we came from that direction,” Baer said, pointing ahead and to the left.
“Okay. We came from back that direction. Looks like the only option is to go forward and to the right,” I said definitively.
“Looks like,” Arryn said in response, taking the lead again. Dragging our feet, we followed, all of us worn down from the day.
Trying to keep our spirits up and our thoughts off of everything that we'd been through, I decided to ask a question that had been weighing on me. “So, I know we don't really know anything about the trials beforehand, but how does Master Jude know how to set everything up? This seems like it would take a long time to get everything ready.” I felt the need to call him Master, wanting to give him the respect he was due while others were watching and listening in.
Baer chimed in, “In times before, the Head Priest, which would be Master Jude in our case, would go to the pure waters of Avonmora. These waters are found under the protection of the priests in the main temple here in Tir Na Siorai. It's said that drinking from the waters allows visions from the land and Avalonia herself.”
I interrupted him. “Who's this Avalonia person? I've heard y'all mention the name before but didn't think anything of it. Are they like a God?”
He smiled at me. “She is our goddess and the land that imbues us with our magics, foods, and lives.”
“So why call her by both names? Why not just say Avalonia?”
“I don't really know. I guess that's just how it's always been done. Growing up, it's how I heard my parents and grandparents refer to her, as the land. I've never really thought much about it.”
“Okay. So, Avalonia sends visions to those who drink from her pure waters?”
“Yup. It's also said that if you drink enough of the waters, you can speak to Avalonia herself. Although, everyone who has tried so far has died, unable to withstand the visions and power that courses through them.”
“Damn. Remind me not to drink the water,” I joked, nudging my shoulder into his. He took my hand in his in response, threading our fingers together.
“Okay. So, Master Jude drinks the waters and receives a vision of the trials or whatever it is that he needs to do to prepare for them? I would think he'd need more time than what he had this time around. Is it possible to get the visions sooner?” I asked Baer, wanting to learn more about this land and their history. It was a safe topic and not one I feared having to hide from the Bitch Queen or the others that were watching our every move.
The guys were listening in. Arryn, Lennox, and Callum ahead of us, but their heads were turned slightly toward us as they walked. They kept the pace slow and adjusted to ensure Baer and I were able to keep up while scanning our surroundings for further threats or clues to where we needed to go.
“Yes. Other priests have tried to drink the waters ahead of the trials, hoping to have more time to prepare, but they never received an answer. Avalonia only gives an answer when she's ready. Which means, the priests only have a short amount of time to set up. It's done this way in order to prevent favoritism or cheating. All it takes is one priest to betray his order with loose lips, hoping to gain favor with a future queen, to slant the trials into their favor,” Baer finished his explanation, pulling me closer into his side.
I wrapped my arm around his side, loving his constant need for my touch. “That makes sense. We definitely don't need to be at a greater disadvantage, so I'm glad there are safeguards in place.”
“You can say that again,” Lennox said, turning to smile at me. Something had been off with him since the Ankou. He was still saying all the normal things, but he seemed a little more subdued.
It was then that I noticed that his smile didn't quite reach his eyes, the sparkle missing. Instead, his eyes revealed his sadness, no hint of the usual glint of mirth. I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed Bear's cheek, squeezing his hand briefly before pulling away.
As if he knew my intentions, he gave a gentle nod of his head, indicating I should comfort Lennox. I hadn't thought they'd all be so comfortable with sharing me. Human men were always jealous and possessive of women, a stark contrast to the way these men knew how to support each other in their pursuit of the same woman.
By demonstrating their openness, it allowed me to adjust smoothly into the idea of being with them all. The thought of having and keeping them all was too much for me right now, not while I needed to focus on the current threats against me. My uncertainty about whether or not I could handle them was still present, weighing on me in the back of my mind. I knew I would have to be vulnerable with them if I had any hope of keeping them all happy, and that scared me more than I cared to admit.
I approached Lennox and took his hand in mine, squeezing it in a show of support and comfort. He looked down at me, smiling sadly and giving only me a glimpse of his pain. In that moment, my heart broke for him.
I wanted to do whatever was necessary to heal him, wanted to see only happiness when he looked at me. I knew he'd have to do some of that work himself. No one person could be the sole reason for another's happiness. That was too much for one person to bear. But I could help him find that happiness for himself.
I smiled up at him encouragingly, leaning my head on his shoulder briefly, letting him know I was here for him. Before I could pull away, his free hand found the back of my head, holding it there as he brushed it down my hair.
Letting me go, we continued walking. There wasn't a turn or change in direction in sight, and the walls hadn't moved in quite some time. I couldn't help but hope that they were finally done shifting around and leading us astray.
A growl, similar to that of a mountain lion or panther, the screeching howl that they were known for, sounded out behind us. We all stopped in our tracks, looking behind us for the source. I squeezed Lennox's hand, curling my body into his and holding his bicep with my free hand so I could see behind me.
“Do you guys see anything?” I asked. At the denials I saw on their faces, I asked, “Could it be a glamor? Like the quicksand?” My tone rose in fear of what else we were about to face.
“Baer is still drained and so am I. Anyone else have any magic left?” Arryn whispered to us.
Lennox turned to Arryn. “I've still got access to mine, but I'm not sure how useful it would be here.”
“I've still got a little left, but not much. Trouble?” Callum turned to me, his eyebrows raised in question.
I reached down to my core, trying to focus while my heart raced, my descent easier than ever before. Seemed I was finally getting the hang of all this. I answered him, my eyes still closed as I tried to make my best guess. “I think I have some still left. I don't really know how to judge my limits since I've never had to use this much magic.”
Arryn nodded as another growl sounded out closer to us than before. Fuck! Whatever it was, it was stalking us while we stood here. “Do we have any idea what it might be?” I asked them, holding myself still. I'd read once that if you ever came across a large predator, running or fast movements would only cause it to attack.
Not one of them had an answer for me. Great. Okay, think Rhowyn . “Should we make a run for it? At least until it shows itself?” I asked them.
The guys glanced at each other; their ability to communicate without words, with a single look, was totally on point. Arryn nodded, “I think we don't have much of a choice. We can't just stand here waiting for it to attack.”
“Agreed,” I told him, glad we'd made a decision.
“On the count of three, we’ll all start running away from the beast,” Arryn instructed, his role of Captain in the military finding its way into his tone of voice.
“One. Two. Three!”
We all took off, sprinting as fast as we could. Hissing and growls followed us. Instead of a single pursuer, we now could hear multiple creatures on our heels.
My breaths rushed in and out, my chest heaving as I pumped my hands and arms, trying to keep up with Arryn's long legs. It was moments like this that I hated being so short.
Callum slowed until him and Baer were both behind me, keeping me safe in the middle of the group. Not wanting them to get hurt because I couldn't keep up, I pushed myself to my limit as we approached a ninety-degree corner leading us to the right .
Hoping the area would open up, I kept going, my legs burning with exertion, sweat dripping into my eyes. Mud from the quicksand pit joined the sweat, getting into my eyes and blurring my vision, but I didn't dare wipe them for fear that my pace would slow. If I didn't keep pumping my arms in time with my legs, we’d be caught by those monsters.
We turned the corner into another long corridor. Arryn slowed suddenly, grabbing a doorknob in the left wall, and swung it open wide for us to follow. Arryn, Lennox, and I crashed through the doorway to find an enclosed room, pulling our momentum up short. There was nowhere to go from here.
Callum came through the doorway next and grabbed the door, waiting for Baer to race inside. Baer was unable to keep up the pace after the attack of the Ankou and had fallen behind.
Just as he neared the door, he cried out and crumpled under the weight of an invisible force, large slashes appearing on his back and side. Blood rushed from the wounds faster than I wished as Baer just laid there, not moving to get up.
My heart in my throat, I watched as Callum grabbed his sword and thrust it into the air just above Baer's back. A yelp sounded out loudly before a black substance started to drip from the air. It was invisible and now bleeding.
Baer tried to push up as soon as the weight was removed from his back, but his arms crumpled. Arryn and Lennox rushed forward to grab him as Callum moved back into the hallway, slashing blindly with his blade, holding the creatures away from us all.
As soon as Baer was inside, Arryn yelled, “Close the door, Callum!”
Callum backed into the room with us and slammed the door, his back turning to hold the door shut. Arryn ran his hands over Baer, trying to stem the bleeding, but it continued to leak through his fingers as he held pressure on the wounds .
I stood there in shock and fear. This couldn't be happening again. I couldn't lose Baer. I was sick and tired of him being the one to get hurt.
With that thought, I broke free from my trance and rushed to his side, my knees crashing hard into the ground beside him. Without thinking, I slammed my hands down over the wounds, releasing all the magic I had left.
My magic told me that his wounds were mortal if I didn't move quickly. The beast had nicked an artery, and he was bleeding out. I pushed everything I had, willing the magic to heal him. Now.
I kept pushing and pushing, feeling Arryn tug on my arm. “Rhowyn, that's enough. You're drained. You'll kill yourself.” He pleaded with me to stop.
“I don't care!” I yelled at him, refusing to let him die, not when I knew I had more to give him.
I felt a crack shoot through my chest, causing me to crumple over Baer's back in pain. My hands didn't move at all as I kept pushing, a trickle of new magic running through me and into Baer as I felt the wound close.
I kept my hands in place, sitting back up completely exhausted, my vision darkening at the edges with the exertion. Baer's eyes flickered open to meet mine as I finally succumbed to the darkness, embracing it with open arms.