Page 80 of Their Trials

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.

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