6. Chapter Six Rhowyn
Chapter Six: Rhowyn
We travelled in silence for a few more hours, the sun beginning to sink below the horizon. Feeling my powers starting to diminish, I started to look for a place to set us down. We needed to camp somewhere that wouldn’t be found, that was out of the way, and would allow us to remain inconspicuous.
Until now, I hadn’t paid much attention to my surroundings. The changes had been slow and subtle, but there was no denying the fact that, at some point, we had entered Autumn territory. The golden and red leaves on the trees were prominently on display, fields of crops dotting the countryside around small villages we passed. Up ahead, I could see a village just on the other side of the forest beneath us. I was hesitant to stop in the heart of the forest itself, especially after my run in with the pixies, but stopping in the village wasn’t an option. The last thing I wanted to do was to bring undue attention down on them.
“Here,” I said, finding a running creek in the forest floor and dropping us down slowly as we approached. On one side was an outcropping of stones that looked like it might go deeper into the bank, creating a small cave that would hide us for the night.
Once my feet hit the ground, I called a small flame to float above my palm, dusk making it difficult to see the details of the cave interior. Slowly, I approached it, searching for any signs that anyone or anything was currently living in there. I shuddered at the memory of the Kobolds Callum and I had faced. Another danger I had to consider. The only thing I found was a few scattered bones from some kind of small, rodent-type creature. If Arryn were here, he’d probably be able to tell me what kind it was. Smiling at the thought, I turned to Cyerra. “This looks like it’ll work. We won’t be able to start a fire or anything, but it’ll keep us mostly hidden.”
She smiled in return, striding inside, ducking her head as she entered. “Looks good to me.”
Neither of us spoke as we settled down on the dirt floor. I removed my pack, pulling out food and water for us. Despite having not eaten anything since this morning, I found I couldn’t eat much, my stomach in too many knots to let me. Handing Cyerra some of the dried meat and nuts, I passed her a bottle of water. We ate in silence, my thoughts churning as I forced myself to eat the jerky, chewing the meat slowly as I let my thoughts drift to what was ahead.
“So, what’s next?” Cyerra spoke up, shattering the silence and making me jump.
She laughed at me, and I smiled wearily in return. “I don’t know. I can’t explain it, but I feel we’re close to where I need to be. My instincts are telling me that something big is coming soon. Something that I need to be a part of.”
“That’s not vague at all,” she teased, and I stuck my tongue out at her. “Seriously, though, it’s not much to go on.”
I sighed. “Yeah. I know. That’s part of what’s bothering me.” When she tilted her head at me, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Brannoc, their mannerisms so alike despite not having grown up together. Deciding to open up and elaborate, I continued, “You know, I’m the type of person who prefers to have information, to know what to expect. The more I know, the better prepared I can be, but since coming here to Avalon, I feel like all I’ve been doing is reacting.”
“Can’t say I know what that’s like. My whole life was planned out for me and all I’ve ever wanted was adventure. So, this is my chance, and I’m taking it. I can’t help but be excited. It’s the whole not knowing what’s coming next, the chance to challenge myself and my abilities.”
“Yeah, well, be careful what you wish for. Not all adventure ends happily,” I warned her.
“You say that like you’re speaking from experience,” she fished, raising a brow.
“It’s not like I went looking for it, but yeah, I’ve had enough excitement to last a lifetime,” I told her vaguely. At her questioning look, I decided to trust her. “Life wasn’t easy for me on Earth. All I’ve ever known was survival. My mother wasn’t…she wasn’t ready to care for me in a foreign world. I ended up being raised by the human government, and let’s just say that the adults I should have been able to trust weren’t honorable in the slightest.
“So, I learned to fight?for survival, for my life, for everything I had. When the guys found me, I had finally achieved a semblance of peace and safety, something I had never known before. And now, I don’t know if I’ll ever have that again,” I admitted to her.
My words hung thickly in the air between us, and I tore off another chunk of jerky for something to do. “Sorry,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to dredge up unhappy memories for you.”
“Nah. It’s okay. It is what it is, you know?” I told her, trying to let go of those dark memories.
“No one should have to grow up like that.”
“I agree. It’s why I’d created a program to teach other young girls to fight, to defend themselves, to give them back their power. Unfortunately, I can’t get rid of all the assholes in this world, but I can teach them how to not be victims, to hold their heads high despite where they grew up.”
“Sounds like something I would have very much loved to be a part of,” Cyerra offered.
I smiled at the memory of the girls I had left behind. “Yeah, they were pretty great.” My smile faded as I thought about how long I’d been gone. Much longer than I had ever planned. I wondered how they were doing now. Were they thinking that I abandoned them, just another in a long line of disappointments? “You know, when I first came here, I tried to get out of all of this. I just wanted to get back to them, to go about my life as it was. I didn’t want any of this.” I gestured to the world outside of our little cave.
“So, what changed your mind?” she asked, genuinely interested as she chewed on the jerky.
“For one, I didn’t have much of a choice. I had to compete in the trials, but somewhere along the way, I found that this world needed me a little more. That if I didn’t fight here, there may not be an Earth after Titania was done with it. In a way, I’m still fighting for them and their futures. It doesn’t mean I don’t miss them, though. For some of them, I was all they had.”
“Maybe after this is all over, you can offer them a better future.”
“Maybe,” I admitted. “Though I don’t know what that will be exactly. How can I be a queen and spend my time on Earth?”
She laughed. “You know, I may have been sheltered, but I did learn that where there’s a will, there’s a way. And if I know anything, it’s that you’ll find a way to make it happen for them. You’ll figure it out eventually.”
“Thanks,” I told her, taking a drink from my water and cleaning up my mess. “I’ll take the first watch. You get some rest.” I didn’t wait for her response, instead, moving to the mouth of our tiny cave and sitting cross-legged at the entrance. I heard her rustling around as my eyes roved the area, having adjusted to the darkness some time ago. Watching the shadows, I heard her breathing even out and slow, indicating she had fallen asleep.
Taking the opportunity, knowing it was a risk, I closed my eyes and lowered the wall. The guys needed to know that I was okay, and I needed the assurance that they were well. Immediately, their emotions bombarded me. Fear, anger, anxiety, depression, betrayal. I fought back tears of guilt and reached out. “ Brannoc? ” I sent the question down our connection, waiting with bated breath.
“ Rhowyn! ” A brief pause. “ Where are you? ”
“ Honestly? I don’t know. And even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. It would defeat the purpose of leaving y’all behind ,” I tried to explain, hoping they could find a way to understand and forgive me. Eventually.
“ Why? ” His question sounded out softly, defeated.
I sighed. “ You know why. I love you all too much to let something else happen to any of you. And before you try to reassure me that nothing would happen, let me remind you that Baer thought the same thing, and now, he’s missing a hand. ” A sob choked out of me at that thought. It was all my fault.
“ Damnit, Rhowyn! ” he swore at me. “ We knew what we were signing up for. We all know the risks .”
“ I know, but I can’t let you take them for me. I need to do this on my own. I just wanted to let you guys know that I was okay ,” I told him, needing to close the connection again. I felt their frustration and anger down the lines, and as much as I wished I could have them to lean on, I wouldn’t drag them any further into this mess.
“ Rhowyn, just let us know where you are. We just need to know you’re safe .” He tried to reason with me.
I laughed sadly. “ I wasn’t born yesterday, Brannoc. If I tell you that, then you’ll all be here within hours. Give me a little more credit than that ,” I told him. Before he could try again, I cut him off, “ I gotta go now. I love you, Brannoc. All of… ” My words and connection cut off to the sound of snapping branch.
Instantly alert, I slammed the connection shut and searched the woods around me, studying the shadows for any signs of movement. Nothing else sounded out, no movement from the darkness, nothing to indicate anyone else was out there, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched. After what felt like thirty minutes without any other indication, I shrugged off the sensation. I was just on high alert being out here all by myself instead of safely with my men. It was probably just some forest creature, and I was being paranoid.
Suddenly, a figure lunged from the darkness to my left. “Well, what do we have here, boys?” the male’s voice sounded out, and I stiffened, reaching for the dagger at my waist.
“Uh, uh, uh….” The man waved a finger in my face. He jerked his head to the side and more figures melted out of the shadows, revealing the swords and bows that were all aimed at me. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”