Page 16 of Their Trials

She sniffled, her body sagging in relief at our arrival. “After so long in the maze, I was so tired. I sprained my ankle after an encounter with a hag, and I couldn't walk very fast anymore. None of my consorts were able to heal me. Just when I thought I couldn't go any further, a Puca showed up in horse form and offered to give me a ride. Not wanting me to ride alone, Connor got on with me. We were going good for a while; the break was nice. But then Eoghan started arguing with Connor, and the Puca just took off with us, leaving my other consorts behind. We turned that corner too sharply and were both thrown from the Puca's back. I've hurt my wrist, and Connor has hit his head. I have no idea where my other consorts are.” Her story rushed from her in sobs, barely gasping for air as she rambled all this information off.

Arryn relaxed and approached the girl. “May I heal you both?” he asked her, waiting for her nod of approval. Once he had gotten it, he knelt down and placed his hands on Connor. Callum stood watch over us, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow as if waiting for something else to jump out at us.

The man groaned on the ground, his eyes fluttering open to find Arryn above him. He moved to scramble backward until the girl stopped him. “It's okay. He healed you,” she explained.

“Where's that damn Puca?” he cursed out as he sat up.

“He ran off, not stopping once we fell,” she said softly to him.

He glanced over her before turning to Arryn. “Can you heal her, too?” he asked. Arryn just nodded in agreement before moving over to Charity.

I couldn't help but notice the startling difference between Rhowyn and Charity. While Rhowyn was strong, honed from a life of survival, the girl before us was weak after a life of luxury. Being a member of the Court, although a lower level than myself and Genevieve, she still had lived a soft life.

If she’d had to face half of what Rhowyn had, she would have broken long ago, unable to handle the harsh realities of life outside of Avalon's Court. Her tears were still running down her face as Arryn healed her, totally dependent on her consorts and others to carry her through the trials.

Arryn stood, finally through with healing the girl and her consort. Connor stood as well, helping Charity to her feet and hugging her into himself as they clung to each other for a moment.

Rhowyn spoke up, “Do you have any idea of where your other consorts are?”

I could see where this was going, and I knew Callum wasn't going to like this either. Connor turned to Rhowyn, pointing behind him. “We came from that direction.”

“Do you think you could lead us back there? I don't feel comfortable leaving you guys here all alone,” Rhowyn told them as Callum bristled at the idea, just as I had expected.

“Rhowyn,” Callum said to her quietly, glaring down at her, but she ignored him and his warning as she watched Connor and Charity.

“I'm fairly certain I could. I would appreciate any help in ensuring that Charity makes it through this maze,” Connor said, ducking his head in deference to our group.

Callum sighed, admitting defeat. We knew Rhowyn wouldn't be happy with just leaving them to fend for themselves. Her stubborn streak was maddening as hell. “Lead the way,” he snapped at Connor, who jumped to do as instructed.

Charity fell into line next to Rhowyn, behind Callum, Arryn, and Connor. Baer and I brought up the rear, keeping the Chosen between us all as we set off to find Charity's other consorts.

After walking for a while, Rhowyn started speaking to Charity. “So, you faced off against a hag? What was that like?” she asked, her curiosity evident in the lines of her face as she waited for an answer.

“It was awful!” Charity exclaimed. “We were walking for so long and I got thirsty. So, we stopped to get a drink of water, and this hideous old woman with green, decaying skin and hair rose up. She grabbed ahold of my wrist and tried to drag me away, but Eoghan was there, pushing me away from her. I fell, twisting my ankle in the process as he fought her off.” As she spoke, her eyes widened in shock and fear of what she'd been through. Still so different from Rhowyn's reactions to what we’d faced. While Rhowyn dove right in to help me, Charity relied on her Consorts to do all her fighting.

“That's it!” Rhowyn exclaimed loudly to the entire group. “Until we're out of this maze, we are not going anywhere near water again. What is it with creatures and water in this damn place?”

Baer and I chuckled at her outburst, her summation correct. While the waters of Avalon could provide healing and magic, it also came at grave risk to the person trying to drink from it. Many of our nastiest creatures dwelled in the waters, waiting patiently for their prey to approach.

“Sorry to tell you, Princess, but they're just a drop in the bucket. Avalon has many monsters in both the water and on land. There's too many to list, but each one is nasty in their own right,” I told her. She turned and glared at me as if this was all my fault, causing me to smirk at her.

She held my gaze for a moment, her eyes heating as she glanced down at my body as if she needed to make sure that I was really whole and safe, before turning back to Charity. “So, what else have y'all faced in this cursed place?”

“Other than the Puca, we determined the vines were poisonous fairly quickly,” Charity said innocently, her blonde curls bouncing as she walked next to Rhowyn.

“That's it? Just a hag?” Rhowyn blurted out, causing Charity to turn to her in shock.

“That hag was the most hideous thing I've ever seen!” Charity said, defending herself.

Rhowyn held up her hands, trying to placate her. “I didn't mean to offend you, it's just that we've faced too much already.”

“And what exactly have you faced out here? It can't be much worse than the hag. Do you know she drags you down into the water, eating your flesh while you're still alive and drinks the marrow from your bones!?” Charity stated defensively.

“I don't doubt that she was awful, and I certainly don't wish to go against her, but we've already fought a Cú Síth and a dragon,” Rhowyn said, trying to appease Charity with an explanation.

“A Cú Síth? Those are supposed to be extinct!” Connor exclaimed, glancing back at us for confirmation.

I shrugged in response. “Apparently not, because that's exactly what we faced.”

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