Page 78 of Their Trials

Arryn rode up next to me, and I graced him with a smile, thoughts going back to what we'd gotten up to that morning. I knew that if I could see myself now, I'd think I was some kind of sap, but I couldn't seem to help the butterflies and joy that swelled in my chest as he drew nearer. He smiled back at me in greeting, his eyes heating until I clenched my thighs around Meadow, wishing we weren't surrounded by everyone else and I had the time to really explore his delicious body.

As if reading my thoughts, he said, “There'll be time for that later.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.” I said, playing coy and earning a chuckle from him.

“I actually came over here for a reason.”

“Oh? And what reason could that be?” I teased him further.

With a smile still on his face, he ignored my banter. “We're approaching the Gwyllion, according to Brannoc. I thought you'd like a crash course on what to expect.”

I straightened at that, eager to hear more about the creatures we had spent two days searching for. “Anything you can tell me, I'd appreciate.”

“The Gwyllion are creatures that gather information. They always come in pairs and trade information with passersby. It's for this reason that we are seeking them out. They will have the information we need on how to find the Lady of the Lake. They're friendly as long as you speak with manners and aren't aggressive toward them. We'll have to exchange secrets to get what we need, otherwise they'll simply answer us in riddles.”

“They do love their riddles,” Baer said as he approached my other side.

Not paying Baer any mind, Arryn continued. “It's best if one of us is selected to speak for the group while everyone else hangs back so as not to appear threatening.”

“Sounds reasonable,” I agreed.

“After talking with some of the others, we've decided that it will be me that approaches them for the location of the Lady.” I nodded, not finding fault in that logic. Arryn was the most levelheaded among us and seemed to have the best knowledge of the creatures that inhabited this world.

“Sounds like a plan.” I smiled at him.

Now that we had that settled, we fell into conversation about nothing, just speaking to pass the time as we made our way toward the Gwyllion. The light grew darker, dusk on the horizon. We'd probably have to make camp soon, hopefully after we found out the details we needed.

Finally, Arryn signaled for us to stop. I stood up in my stirrups, hoping for a glimpse of what was before us. The mountains rose on either side of the narrow path we had been riding along, reaching so far up into the sky that I got slightly dizzy trying to find the top.

Pulling my sight from the peaks and trying not to fall from my saddle, I noticed the Gwyllion. Their positioning reminded me of the statues in The Never-Ending Story, the ones that shot lasers from their eyes. I sure hoped they didn't do the same.

They were clothed in businesswear, so out of place here in the wilderness. One was wearing a green suit with an orange shirt and red bow tie. The other was in an orange suit with a green shirt and the same red bow tie. Nearly complete opposites in their clothing but identical in their appearance. I couldn't get the image of Smeagol from my mind. They didn't look near as crazy or grimy, but their hairless bodies and demeanor clearly put them in the same category. I wondered if Smeagol had been inspired by these beings that were now before us.

Arryn dismounted and approached the Gwyllion on foot, the rest of us staying back as requested. “Greetings!” he called out, his voice carrying to us in this silent space.

They turned to eye him simultaneously, their heads tilting as they took him in. “Man of secrets, what is it that you seek?” Their voices were in perfect harmony as they spoke at the same time, haunting and mysterious. A shiver wracked my body at the tone of their voices.

“We have come to ask the location of the Lady of the Lake,” Arryn said without preamble.

They eyed him for a long time before looking back to our group. “We shall not give that answer to you. We wish to speak with the Chosen.”

Arryn's body stiffened at their request, confusion tainting his words as he asked, “Which Chosen?”

Their gazes snapped from where I was sitting atop Meadow to him. “The only Chosen that matters, of course.”

“We have two Chosen among us. Do you wish to speak with them both?” Arryn tried to clarify.

“We wish to speak to the one who is scarred and full of anger. The Chosen who will change everything we know, bringing about our death and destruction or delivering us from the shadows that creep up on us.”

Tension tightened my shoulders at their words. It was evident now that they could only mean me. Their words haunted me. I watched as Arryn approached me on foot. “You don't have to speak with them,” he whispered to me. “We'll figure out another way to find the Lady.”

I eyed them for a moment before shaking my head. “No. I can do this.”

“Are you sure?”

“No,” I said with a laugh as I dismounted, Arryn's hands guiding me down safely, for once not pulling a shiver of desire from me.

I approached them both, coming to a halt between them as if we formed a triangle, my eyes darting between them. “Hi,” I said, my nerves rushing through me with a tingle in my limbs.

---