23. Chapter Twenty Three Rhowyn
Chapter Twenty Three: Rhowyn
We exited the aged, wooden door to find all the other Chosen and Consorts gathered around. Horses were standing everywhere, each saddled with their reins being held by stable hands. A quick search led me to Meadow, and I knew that this next trial would involve some traveling. At least this time, I was prepared in my soft leather pants.
Ignoring the horses for now, I continued until we were standing at the back of the group that surrounded a makeshift podium where the Queen and my grandfather were waiting for us.
Jude addressed us all. “Welcome, everyone.” The loud murmurs and speculations of the crowd quieted in response. Once he had everyone's attention, he continued, “I've received notification of the new trial. In this one, you must find the Lady of the Lake and...”
The murmurs and whispers resumed with this assignment, shock and eager tones rising through the air around us and cutting off Jude's explanation. I glanced to the guys to see the puzzled looks on their faces, though they remained silent.
Jude raised his hands to quiet the crowd again. “Please, everyone, just listen. I will explain further.”
“The Lady of the Lake is dead,” a voice called out from the crowd though I was unable to determine who spoke.
“Not according to Avalonia. The land has assigned this as the task to be completed for the second trial,” Jude said. “The Lady has apparently gone silent, though she still remains here in Avalon. Your task is to find her and receive a boon from her.”
Stepping forward, the Queen spoke, “As with the first trial, those of you that are left will be rewarded if you are the first to return with the boon. Good luck, and remember, we are all watching and cheering you on to success.”
Nodding her head at Jude to continue, he regained control of the situation. “You may keep the weapon that you used upon entering the first trial. If you lost your weapon, then you may select another now. There is no time limit on this quest, but obviously, expediency is encouraged. Any questions?”
When silence greeted him, he said, “Travel safely, Chosen and Consorts, and may Avalonia go with you.”
At that obvious dismissal, we stood still, letting the others rush off to their mounts. Following the guys' lead, I maintained the peaceful and unworried fa?ade that they had adopted. I could sense their tension through the bond and through their subtle yet stiff movements. This Lady of the Lake must have been a big deal.
I watched as several groups rode off at a gallop, others at a more sedate pace. Once enough people had left, we started to approach our horses and the stable hands keeping them from running off .
I approached Meadow, glad to see her again. I patted her neck, taking the reins from the boy responsible for her. “Thanks,” I told him, his eyes going wide at my words.
A warm body approached behind me as I watched confused as the boy ran away without a word. “Most High Fae that belong to the Court don't bother speaking to the help. I'm sure he just didn't know how to respond, and it has nothing to do with you at all,” Lennox teased me with a whisper in my ear, sending tingles down my body.
I resisted the urge to lean back into him, instead turning to look at him. “Have the fae no common decencies? It doesn't hurt anyone to be polite.” At least that was how I saw it. In my experience, most people responded positively when they were shown respect.
Lennox leaned down to whisper into my ear. “Some do, but that's something I've never claimed. I'm purely indecent. You'd agree if you knew all the things I wanted to do to you.” He hummed as he inhaled my scent, which told him just what his words were doing to me.
“Are we going to stand here all day, or are we going to set out?” Callum grumped from atop his horse, a solid black beast, at least two hands taller than Meadow. A single white star on his forehead softened the stallion's appearance, but his impatient steps and dancing feet discredited the gentle look as Callum tried to keep the horse still.
Smiling mischievously, knowing that I was about to aggravate Callum, I leaned up on my tiptoes, my hands going to Lennox's chest as I kissed him slowly, taking my time in my exploration of his mouth. Lennox let me lead, but the grip of his hands on my hips belied his eagerness.
I hummed in satisfaction into his mouth, deepening my kiss and tangling my tongue with his, a promise of things to come. We might not have had a chance to explore each other further while recovering from the first trial, but he was not far from my mind. I had every expectation of seeing what we could do together. I knew he was good with his fingers, but I wanted to see if his promises of seduction would be everything I hoped for. His kiss was all consuming and led me to believe that he was just as skilled with his tongue.
“I hope we're not interrupting?” a soft voice sounded out, catching my attention.
I ended my kiss with Lennox, but held his gaze, whispering softly, “Soon.” I didn't need to say more. His responding smirk and sparkle in his eyes told me he knew exactly what I meant.
Turning to face Charity, I looked up to find her also on her horse. “You're not interrupting anything. I was just about to mount up.” I held the reins in one hand, but before I could grab the saddle to try to hoist myself up, Lennox lifted me, hands on my hips. Swinging my leg over and finding my seat, I looked down at Lennox with a smile of thanks.
He walked off to get on his own horse as I turned back to Charity, a question in my eyes, wondering why they hadn't set off already.
“I was hoping we could travel together for a little while?” she asked hesitantly. Reading between the lines, I could tell they had no clue where to start and didn't want to admit that in front of everyone still watching us.
I glanced to Arryn, who shrugged one shoulder. I answered her, “Sure. I don't see why you can't.”
She sagged slightly in relief, a broad smile gracing her beautiful face. She really was stunning, her golden, curly hair shining in the light as if surrounded by a halo. If I didn't know she was fae, I'd suspect her of being an angel.
Arryn spurred his horse forward, our large group following behind. One of Charity's men, I forgot which one he was, sped up to ride beside Arryn, engaging him in conversation .
Charity and I rode side by side with one of our men on each side of us. Callum, Lennox, and Charity's other men rode behind us, the huge field before us allowing us plenty of room to spread out. The rolling hills with flowers dotting the ground in patches made this seem like a fantasy world. Everything here was glowing and vibrant as if brimming with life to the point that it couldn't quite be contained, seeping out into the air around it.
We traveled in silence, aware of the watchers, two small glowing orbs trailing us that were barely noticeable except for the slight glimmer. They looked like heat coming up off the asphalt in summer, shimmering in a hazy swirl as they floated behind us. They hadn’t been present during the first trial because that had taken place within a self-contained maze and was easier to watch and record from fixed locations. However, now that we were venturing out on our own, it seemed the devices would follow each group to chronicle our activities through the second trial. A fact that grated on my nerves and added to my tension despite the idyllic scenery.
We kept our pace sedate as we made small talk, neither group in any hurry. I knew why I didn't want to win, but I couldn't help but wonder what was holding Charity back? In my opinion, she was what I pictured a fae queen to be. Kind, benevolent, gorgeous, and mild speaking. So why wasn't she pushing harder to be the first to arrive?
“So, just a reminder that I'm completely new here, but who is this Lady of the Lake? Earth has tales of a lady that helps King Arthur by giving him a magical sword. Is there any connection?” I asked Charity and Baer, hoping they could fill me in on what exactly we were hoping to accomplish in this trial.
They both laughed, Baer's deep and warm like honey, and Charity's tinkling softly like the sweetest music you could ever hear. Damn, even her laugh is perfect. I couldn't help but feel like a troll next to her, and yet, I didn't hate her.
“That's the Lady of the Lake. She's always enjoyed traveling to Earth and meddling in their affairs, although that was so long ago,” Charity answered me.
“That's the same lady? So King Arthur is real?” I asked in shock.
Smiling at my reaction, she continued, “Yes. She even brought him back here for a time since they were lovers after all, but eventually, he had to return to rule his kingdom. Angry, she ran off with Arthur's friend Merlin. He also liked to meddle, but not near as much as she did.”
I sat there on my horse, dumbfounded by this information. Earth believed Merlin and Arthur to be myths, but the Lady of the Lake and Merlin were fae who were simply bored and sought adventure.
Considering this information, I couldn't help but wonder if Loathly Worms crossed over at some time, lending to the legends about dragons on Earth. It made sense, but it still rocked me when I realized that the myths were real. Now my mind was running wild with questions about whether all the other legends were real or not.
Not allowing my brain a chance to catch up, Charity continued explaining, “The Lady used to be one of the most powerful and affluent fae, but she disappeared almost two thousand years ago without a trace. No one knows why or where she went, most assuming she had faded and returned to the land. But now, we know she actually lives. The question is, where exactly she could be.”
“That's crazy,” I said, my mind still spinning with this new information. “Why would Avalonia want us to find her?” I asked, whispering, not wanting our observers to be aware of the conversation.
“That's the big question. The Lady, or Viviane as she was known by when she spent time in court, was always known for her enchantments, able to imbue articles with the strongest of magics. That's how she created Excalibur after all, her most powerful enchanted object. It disappeared about the same time she did.”
I sat there for a few minutes, taking in the information that she had just told me. “So, we're after an enchanted object of some sort,” I said, thinking out loud, “Or at least something that she's willing to give us.”
“Seems like,” Baer answered, even though it hadn't been a question.
“What was she like?” I asked, hoping to get a feel for her personality so I could figure out the best way to approach her should we find her.
“Honestly? I didn't think she was even alive. Most of what we know is hearsay since everyone that was born around the same time has already faded. All we have are stories, but she seems to be rather mischievous and the cause of many of your human legends.”
“Okay. So how do we plan on finding her?” I asked Baer, knowing Charity hadn't the first clue either, both of us looking to him for answers.
“I'm just following Arryn's lead on this. He's the one that knows our history the best, so I'm hoping he has an inkling of where to start,” Baer admitted.
Not satisfied with that answer, I spurred my horse forward without warning, catching up to Arryn easily. He turned on his horse to face me, a question on his face as I pulled up even with him. “What's the plan?” I answered his unspoken question with my own, needing to know what we were going to face. Preparation and knowledge were often underestimated but could change the course of a match, or in this case, a trial.
“To start, we'll be heading to Summer's territory to a friend’s place. He can put us up for the night, and we can make preparations and plans from there.” His vague answer irritated me, but I also knew he didn't want to give anything away at this point, so I kept my mouth shut.
I took the reins in hand, preparing to turn Meadow back around and ride back to Charity and Baer. I was stopped as a wave of nausea washed over me, dizziness making my head spin as I clung to the pommel and struggled to keep myself seated.
Arryn stopped beside me, noticing the change in me. “You okay?”
I put a hand on my head, hoping to stop the spinning. “I don't know. I just got dizzy,” I told him as the sensation eased up slowly. “I must be a little dehydrated.”
Nodding, he tossed me a bag from his saddle, which I knew contained water from my first trip on horseback when I saw Avalon for the first time. I took a long drink, the nausea passing as quickly as it had come on.
Shaking my head, I tried to brush off the sense of unease, handing the bag back to Arryn. “You sure you're okay?” he asked again, placing a hand on my thigh. I could feel his magic shoot through my body, searching fruitlessly for the cause of my bout of illness. His brow furrowed in confusion, and I knew he could feel my unease, the bond sharing that information with him freely.
I pasted a smile on my face that didn't fully reach my eyes. “Yeah.” I knew he wasn’t convinced, but he took me at my word, and I appreciated that. “Let's just get to your friend's house so we can figure out how to move forward.”
Before he could respond or question me further, I spurred my horse back to Baer and Charity, who were watching me with concern, all of us having stopped during my episode. Irritated at being the weak link, along with the knowledge that we had a constant audience, my mood took a downturn, and no amount of cajoling from Baer could pull me from it.