Page 26 of Their Trials

“Did you see that?” she called out to me. I paused and looked back over my shoulder at her.

“What did you see?” I asked her, my eyes narrowing in focus.

“I'm not sure. It was too fast for me to get a good look, but it wasn't very big,” she answered.

I nodded at her, letting my eyes scan the fog around us, searching for the responsible creature. I could really use Arryn right about now. He was like a walking book, familiar with all the creatures of Avalon. He'd know exactly what we were facing.

I knew the creatures that were native to Autumn's lands, but I had never traveled much before finding myself a prisoner of the Queen's, so I wasn't familiar with the beasts that belonged to the other seasons.

The chittering noise sounded out again as if it was coming to my left. Rhowyn's gasp sounded out as we turned toward the source, catching a glimpse of the animal before it was gone again.

The noise sounded out again behind us, and I spun as quickly as I could while Rhowyn maintained her grip on my tunic, drawing my sword. Rhowyn's chosen tool was not useful to us in this situation. A stupid, fucking rope. That's what she had chosen.

I shook my head, focusing back on the threat before us, a flash of movement headed to my right. I lashed out, my sword swinging through empty air. Whatever it was, it moved fast.

I called out for the guys, not taking my eyes away from their continual scanning of the area around us. I needed to be careful since I had no desire to hit them while swinging at the creature. As if she didn't hate me enough, she'd never forgive me if I struck one of them with my blade.

Ideally, I'd have a shorter sword or a dagger for close combat, but we had only been allowed one weapon, and I had to make do with what I had.

A flash of movement to my left had me spinning, the chittering sounding out to my right. I really hoped that didn't mean there was more than one of these creatures.

“What is it?” Rhowyn called to me.

Keeping my focus in front of me, I yelled back to her, “I don't know.”

“How do we stop it?” she asked, her fear barely reaching me, but her arm was tense against my back.

“I don't know!” I snapped at her. “Now, let me focus.”

I could feel her ire in the back of my mind, not happy with my attitude. Too bad. She didn't have to like me. My only job was to ensure her safety, and I'd do that the best way I knew how, by keeping her at a distance from me.

The beast kept flickering in and out of my sight, keeping us spinning in a circle, tiring us out. Growing frustrated, I remembered that Rhowyn had access to all of our magics. “Do you think you can freeze whatever it is?”

“I don't know. I haven't used Nox's magic before,” she said, her voice pensive as she considered my request. I couldn't risk throwing my flames around or shifting yet.

“At least try,” I growled, frustrated with the situation, and taking it out on her. “All we're doing is going in circles and expending what little energy we have left.”

I knew I had my faults. I knew I wasn't an easy man to get along with. My temper was always getting the best of me. Like most Autumn fae, I was passionate about everything I did, even if it didn't always help the situation. I wouldn't change who I was, even for my Chosen.

I felt the tingle of magic along my back, indicating Rhowyn was reaching for hers. Glancing back, I found her eyes closed in focus with her free hand outstretched, the temperature dropping as she pulled Lennox's magic into her.

She opened her eyes to find me watching her, and I immediately went back to searching for the creature. “There,” I called out to her, pointing with my sword toward the beast as it flickered into sight closer to us than before. She grunted as she released a burst of winter magic, ice coating the area behind the creature before it flickered away again with a chitter.

We repeated the process, managing to coat the ground around us in ice, all forward movement having been halted as soon as the beast had started to circle us. Still, she missed, burning through what little magic she had left.

“Fuck!” she cried out when she missed again.

“Try to aim for where it's going to be, not where it is,” I offered to her, trying to help her.

“That's easier said than done!” she snapped in irritation. I didn't take it personally. Her anger was more at the situation and her failures, not necessarily directed at me.

She fired off a blast of ice, missing again. “Damn it! I'm not sure how much longer I can do this,” she admitted, as I realized that the hand twisted into my tunic was shaking.

I needed to help her somehow, or we'd be vulnerable to the creature. I racked my brain, trying to come up with a solution as she continued to fire off shots of magic. They were coming fewer and farther between, her magic dwindling as my mind raced for a solution.

My anger at my helplessness threatened to overwhelm me, causing me to start a partial shift, growling in frustration. Barely keeping my own beast held back, I repressed it, forcing it down deep and demanding that I remain in control. I hadn't lost control of my shift like this since my parents had been murdered, and I wouldn’t do so now.

My nails and teeth elongated, my vision and hearing sharpening even further. I still couldn't see through the mist that surrounded us, but as I inhaled, I caught a brief scent of something unfamiliar. It must be the beast.

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