39. Chapter Thirty Nine Rhowyn
Chapter Thirty Nine: Rhowyn
Figuring one way was just as good as another, I took off, walking down the dirt tunnel. The light coming from an undetermined source followed me and illuminated the area. I walked and walked. And walked some more, never changing directions or finding the end. Growing frustrated, my feet fell heavier and heavier until I started stirring up enough dirt to choke me, a cough falling from my lips. Where was the fucking end of this tunnel?!
As I continued walking, I considered turning around, partially convinced I had gone the wrong way. However, I had already gone so far that I was loathe to turn around. Hopefully, if I kept going, I'd eventually find the end of this fucking tunnel.
After several hours of walking, I sat down in the dirt, resting my back against the wall. I gazed up at the water above me, watching the fish dart back and forth as I wished for some of that water. I drew my knees to my chest and rested my head in my hands, my fingers digging into my hair as I fought to find the energy to get back up again. Yes, I had been walking for hours, but there was no reason I should be feeling this tired. I wished I knew the source of the drain; I'd remove it faster than you could blink. Instead, I continued to suffer the effects while trying to complete this damned trial.
An encouraging pulse was sent down the bond, pushing me to get to my feet and continue on, even when I couldn't see a way out of here. Surely, I would reach the end soon.
There was no end. Hours later, I still hadn't made progress. Frustrated, I dug my hands into my hair. “Lady of the Lake! Where the fuck are you?” I yelled out, getting pissed at this futile exercise.
Something that felt like fingers trailed along my mind in response to my yelling, which only served to anger me more. “Quit playing fucking games. Just ask me what you want to know, and I'll tell you!” I demanded, somehow knowing that the presence I felt was the Lady, testing me, searching my mind for something.
My only response was a gentle and fleeting caress, those tendrils still swirling through my mind. “Ugh!” I growled as I forced myself to keep taking steps in the way I had been heading for hours now. It didn't take long to grow bored with the same scenery. The same dirt walls, the same ocean above. Even if different fish swam above me, the only indication that I was really walking somewhere, they all bled together in the end.
I plopped down in the dirt again, my feet aching with all the walking I had been doing. I closed my eyes and fought back tears of frustration, digging deep within myself for the will to continue and coming up empty. I liked to think that I had a strong mind and that not much could faze me anymore. Having lived through what I had, along with being a fighter, I felt I could take just about everything in stride .
One of the first things you learned as a fighter was that you needed to have the mental fortitude to step into the cage and the drive to overcome any obstacle that presented itself. But here, now, in this moment? I could tell I was on that line, the one that would have me throwing in the towel. And all it took was an endless tunnel to nowhere. Alone.
The guys were nothing but a faint sense at the edges of my mind as if they were miles away from me. I guessed technically they were, the hours of walking having weakened my sense of them until they were fleeting hints of emotion. The most prevalent one that I kept getting was of concern. It came through the strongest and left me to assume that the longer I was away from them, the more their concern grew.
Despite the short amount of time with them, they had made themselves an integral part of my life. They had dug deep into my psyche, making me rely on them more than I had relied on anyone else before. As unlikely and improbable as that idea had been to me just a month ago, I was finding that I liked having them there. I liked having someone to help hold me up, to push me through when I was doubting.
Just the thought of them waiting for me to return to them pulled me back from that line of desperation. With them, I could make it through this. Just because I couldn’t feel them clearly right now didn’t mean that they weren’t there, worrying about me as much as I was for them.
When I lifted my head and opened my eyes again, it was to find that I was no longer in the tunnel. Now, I was in an open cave, with rock walls on every side. Even the floor was a cold, damp stone. Green moss clung to the walls, absorbing the moisture and flourishing in the damp environment. Looking up, the lake was no longer visible, having been replaced with stalactites that dripped water onto my head in random intervals.
A sob of despondence slipped from my lips as I realized that my surroundings had now become more monotonous. Instead of being able to distract myself with the fish above me, I was now faced with nearly identical rock walls on three sides. The only difference from the dirt tunnel was that there was only one way for me to go now. If I wanted to make it out of here, I would have to plunge into the dark depths of this cave and face God only knew what.
With an exasperated sigh, I pushed myself back up, preparing to start walking again. For shits and giggles, I called out into the darkness, a prickle of awareness making me feel like I was being watched. The hairs on my arms and neck standing on end. “Hello?” I turned in a slow circle, squinting my eyes to sharpen my vision. “Is anyone there?” Deep down, I knew it was the Lady watching me, judging me.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, inhaling deeply and forcing my anger down with a concentrated effort. Yelling at her like I had earlier obviously wasn’t the best approach.
A soft giggle sounded from the shadows, a child’s laugh that echoed from the exposed stone barely reaching my ears. I set off after the noise, a sharp burst of excitement flashing through me at the thought that I wasn’t alone.
Forcing back the urge to run toward the sound, I walked into the cold, grasping fingers of the darkness. The light that had illuminated my path in the dirt tunnel was still present, but now felt like someone had placed a cloth over it, dulling the glow until shadows crept out from every angle.
I was leery of those shadows, especially after everything I had faced in Avalon up until now. Anything could be hidden in the dark corners, and I had no idea how to face it. I was truly at the mercy of whatever creature was luring me into their lair.
The giggle sounded again, louder this time, and I adjusted my trajectory to head in the correct direction, keeping my pace steady enough that I could continue scanning for any monsters that might jump out at me.
A flash of bright light had me bringing up an arm to block out the source, residual flares burning into my vision that remained even after my eyes were closed. Blinking, I tried to force my eyesight to adjust to the abrupt change to no avail.
Slowly, my vision cleared as the child’s laughter sounded out so clearly that I knew I was near the source. Removing my arm from in front of my face, I saw a ghostly baby girl lying in a field, the sight before me leaving me dumbfounded.
The stone wall remained, yet I couldn’t see it through the scene that played out before me. The images danced along as if being projected on the wall from behind me, though there was nothing when I glanced over my shoulder.
As I watched the specter before me of a smiling baby girl, a fae couple walked into the scene speaking in hushed tones, fear and worry etched into every line on their faces. The male was darker skinned with hair that was nearly white, but his eyes seemed so familiar. The woman was lean and willowy, almost as tall as the man. Her skin was pale with a pink tinge to it, a feminine blush coating her cheeks that complemented her strawberry-blonde hair.
Her movements struck a chord of familiarity, something that I had seen before, and yet I couldn’t place why I had such a sense of déjà vu. A lingering knowledge that I should know these people even though my brain couldn’t quite work out where I had seen them before. I just knew that I should and that what I was witnessing in this moment was important.
The couple whispered harshly to each other as the baby giggled again, swatting at a fae creature that resembled a butterfly with a meaty fist. The picturesque scene was marred by the utter fear that crossed the couple as they drew nearer the child, both pausing to glance at the baby’s antics .
“Jonathan, what are we going to do? She knows. She knows everything,” the woman whispered to the man beside her. Her voice shouldn’t have been audible, and yet, every word was clear, as if she had been speaking from right beside me.
The man sighed, running a hand through his silver-white hair. “I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but I made preparations anyway. I knew this might happen, Lenora.”
As soon as he said her name, I knew. Like a ton of bricks had fallen on my shoulders, I knew this was my mother and the man had to be my father. That even though she looked nothing like the woman I had known on Earth, it was still her. Still the mother, who had been broken by the events that took place in this scene before me. And now, I would bear witness to the conversation, privy to the discussion that would set into motion a wave of pain and heartache for everyone.