37. Chapter Thirty Seven Rhowyn
Chapter Thirty Seven: Rhowyn
A hand on the small of my back caused me to jump, dragging me from my thoughts and worries after facing the Gwyllion. “Are you okay?” Baer asked me softly.
I pasted a smile on my face, but neither of us was buying it. “Yeah. I'm good.” Forcing the foreboding riddles from my mind, I turned to face everyone in our group, all eyes on me. A flush of embarrassment ran through my body.
“So that happened,” I said with a laugh, trying to lighten the heavy mood that had descended on us.
“Let's go. We're running out of daylight and need to find a place to camp for the night,” Callum said gruffly, pulling everyone's attention from me. For once, I was thankful for his grumpy, no-nonsense attitude as everyone started preparing to set off again.
I walked over to mount Meadow, finding my seat in the saddle easily with Arryn’s assistance. Once I was in place, we set out again. The easy conversation from earlier was nowhere to be found as we all dwelled on the words of the Gwyllion, me most of all. Their words kept repeating over and over in my mind as I tried desperately to dissect the meaning, failing miserably.
“You want to talk about it?” Lennox asked quietly beside me at the back of the group.
I shrugged. “I'm not sure there's much to talk about.” Even if there were, I wouldn't even know where to begin.
“What did they say to you?” he asked. When I gave him a look of confusion, he explained, “We could feel through the bond that they were saying something to just you, although we couldn't hear anything. That and you were yelling at them about riddles. I assumed you weren't going crazy and were responding to the Gwyllion.”
I huffed out a forced laugh, no actual humor in it. “Yeah, they spoke to me.”
He waited patiently next to me to continue. I sighed, knowing that if I had any hope of deciphering their mysterious words, I'd need to share what they said. And yet, the words felt personal, and I found that the thought of sharing them out loud felt like I was baring my soul. “I could feel them searching my memories. They were looking for something, but I couldn't begin to tell you what that would be. Then they spoke into my head, their words grimy and wrong.”
I closed my eyes briefly, bringing their words back to the forefront of my mind. “They gave me a warning.” I laughed harshly. “It sounded like a cheesy fortune cookie.”
“Fortune cookie?” Lennox asked, tilting his head in confusion.
I rolled my eyes, forgetting that they didn't understand. “Yeah, there's a dessert cookie that's baked with a message of hope, a fortune left inside on a slip of paper that can only be revealed by breaking the cookie,” I explained.
He looked at me like I was crazy. “Seems like an odd custom.”
I gave a genuine smile and laughed at that. “I guess when I look at it from the outside, it kind of is, but many people enjoy the custom on Earth. It was always one of my favorite things as a kid, opening a surprise fortune after eating my meal.”
He smiled back at me, his pleasure at seeing me at ease again seeping into me. Sighing, I continued my explanation. “They said stuff like I will never be worthy until I see myself that way, that I'll face terrors but none as bad as my own thoughts, that I needed to trust in my instincts, and to watch out for someone else who would try to use my thoughts against me.”
He stiffened at the last words. “What do you think it means?”
“Humph. If I knew that, I wouldn't have gotten so angry with them. Seems like a bunch of mumbo jumbo. It probably means nothing.” I tried to brush off the prophetic feeling I got when I thought about what they'd told me.
“I wouldn't dismiss their words so easily. There's a meaning there, even if we don't know what it is currently. It'll all become clear in the end,” he told me.
“Oh yeah? And what makes you so sure that I should put trust or faith in words? How do I know that they don't tell everyone something along those lines? It could be that they just made up a bunch of foreboding sentences to set me on edge.” My irritation bled into my words.
“The Gwyllion are renowned for their abilities to know things that others don't, for seeing things that others can't. Some say they aren't fae or even from Avalon. All I know is that maybe you shouldn't dismiss their words so easily.”
“Fine, but I'm also not going to put all my faith into them either.”
“Understandable. I wouldn't expect you to. I was just trying to help you process them.”
I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. I was so tired. Since coming to this world, things had been coming at me non-stop, barely giving me a chance to catch my breath. Still, I shouldn't take my frustrations out on Lennox. “Sorry,” I told him on an exhale. “I'm being a bitch. I'm just so tired, not that that makes it okay, but it's the truth.”
He smiled at me. “That's what happens when you wake super early and play with two of your consorts.” Heat flared in my cheeks as I ducked my head, causing Lennox to laugh out loud. “Relax. It's not like I haven't pictured sharing you with them already. Besides, as fae, it's something that we don't feel the need to get embarrassed about.”
“Yeah, well, it's a little difficult to kick those human values, although I'm having fun trying to,” I told him, giving up on my shame. I had simply been finding the pleasure I’d been craving. There shouldn't be any guilt in something that we all partook in, that we all thought about and craved. It was a natural response for every creature alive.
I laughed at myself. Yeah, that's easier said than done . As much as I had enjoyed myself, knowing that everyone else knew what we’d done set my cheeks aflame.
The heavy moment between us forgotten, we continued our journey. Stopping to camp overnight in a small clearing that barely fit us all, the guys all took turns keeping watch over us Chosen. I tried again to offer to help, but the guys weren't having it. As much as I wanted a repeat of Arryn and Baer, or even get a taste of Lennox or Callum, I was too tired. Crashing as soon as my head hit the makeshift pillow, made entirely of extra clothes from our packs, I didn't wake until the next morning.
We packed up the camp and set off again without much having to be said, although the easy atmosphere of the day before had vanished. A heavy cloud beared down on all of us as we drew closer to our destination, unsure of what to expect.
Around the middle of the day, we exited the forest, the open sky greeting us. I smiled, closing my eyes and raising my face in the direction it felt like the sun would be, basking in the glory of the cloudless sky before us. After so many days in the forest, I had started to wonder if we would ever find the end of it.
Our horses’ hooves met the sand, the steady plop of the hard soil changing to a soundless step as the sand absorbed the noise, shifting under the placement of their hooves. Riding along the beach, the forest on the left and the fathomless lake on the right, we searched for The Burren.
Of course, I had no idea what we were looking for, but Arryn and Brannoc seemed to know exactly where they were going. I was surprised that the Raven was still with us, having completed his task of delivering us to the Gwyllion. His company was appreciated even if I wasn't sure exactly how to take him.
I guessed it was close to mid-afternoon when an enormous rock rose up out of the sand, jutting out over the waves which crashed against it. We could easily scale the side of it until we stood at the point that hung above the deep waves as if pointing out to the horizon.
Arryn and Brannoc slowed down as we approached the rock, the rest of the group following their lead. “Is this The Burren?” I asked them, needing confirmation. Sure, it was probably a stupid question, but I couldn't stop myself from asking it.
“It is. We'll rest here for a little bit before we go further,” Arryn said, taking Meadow's reins from me after I dismounted. He led our horses to the edge of the forest and tied them up to the trees.
Turning my attention to the water, I walked to the edge of the waves, which slapped at my boots as droplets of water sprayed up to meet me, the water ebbing and flowing without ceasing. It was amazing.
“What do you think about Lough Leane?” Baer asked me.
I dragged my attention away from staring at the magnitude of it. “It's gorgeous,” I admitted, suddenly craving a dip in the water .
“Join me?” he asked. I watched as he started removing his boots and socks, leaving his bare feet to sink into the sand. Next, he pulled off his shirt, leaving me there to drool over his Adonis belt and leanly, sculpted muscles. Despite having been with him, I still found myself craving a taste of those delectable abs.
He chuckled as he walked out to the water's edge, swooping down to splash water at me and drawing me from my daydream. I laughed at his antics, kicking off my own boots and socks to join him in the water.
The sand between my toes was almost silky, soothing on my bare feet. I inhaled a sharp breath at the feel of the cold water as it met my skin. Baer laughed at me, so I reached down to splash him with water, only sending him into more laughter.
I continued to splash him as he tried to run away, chasing him among the waves, getting myself just as wet as I was making him. Our laughter sounded out through the air.
A wicked idea flitted through my mind, and I didn't hesitate to follow it. I summoned the magic that he had given me with our bonding, what little there was left, pulling on it and asking it to rise up into a wave behind him. The whole time he stood there watching me, feeling the rise of magic but confused as to why. I gave him a mischievous grin as I crashed the wave on top of his head, soaking him to the bone.
“You think that's funny?” he asked me when he was finally able to speak again, water dripping into his eyes as I hugged my belly, doubled over in laughter.
“That was pretty great,” I admitted, not feeling an ounce of guilt.
“If that's how you want to play,” he said, drawing on his magic, sending a splash of cold water at me. I scampered away from him with a squeal of laughter as he chased me.
He caught up to me, wrapping me up in his arms, both of us gasping with laughter. The minute my body was next to his, the heat consumed me, and then he kissed me. Waves weaved between our legs as he took my breath away, tasting and teasing me before finally ending the kiss.
His forehead rested on mine with his eyes closed. “The things you do to me, Killer,” he breathed out, rolling his head gently as if trying to convince himself to let me go.
“If I remember correctly, you kissed me. So, technically, the things you do to me,” I teased him with a sultry smile.
“If you two are finished, food's ready,” Callum groused out.
Taking my hand in his, Baer led me to the campfire they had managed to set up. I sat down on one of the logs that had been arranged around the fire and stretched my feet out in front of me to let the heat warm and dry me. Arryn handed me some food as I sat, smiling at me, his contentment evident through the bond.
“So, what's the plan from here?” I asked between bites.
“We summon the Lady of the Lake,” Lennox said sarcastically.
I rolled my eyes at him. “Obviously. But how do we do that?”
“See that rock?” Callum asked, and I nodded. “We call out to her from the top and then jump.”