Page 18 of Their Trials

“It wasn't right. I couldn't just leave them there to fend for themselves, even after they were healed,” Rhowyn explained, as if the question was ridiculous, her brow furrowing slightly.

“In that case, we owe you our thanks, Rhowyn,” Eoghan said stiffly, while the other two Consorts remained quiet during this entire exchange.

“Rhowyn fought off a Loathly Worm,” Charity announced to Eoghan and the others, who all stiffened and snapped their gazes to look at her in the same disbelief as Charity had.

“You'd risk your Chosen like that?” snapped one of the others.

“Luke!” Charity chastised the man, but Callum was already bristling at the slight.

“We didn't have much choice in the matter,” he growled, his hand squeezing the hilt of his sword and shoulders stiffening in affront. The challenge Luke had thrown down was one of the greatest insults, a challenge to our honor. As Rhowyn's Consorts, it was our job to keep her safe, not letting her throw herself into danger in such a way.

Luke huffed, rolling his eyes in response. “Says the traitor.”

“Luke!” Charity snapped at him, pulling his arm as he postured in response to Callum. “Enough! They helped us when they didn't have to.” She tried reasoning with him.

Connor stepped between Callum and Luke and pushed his fellow Consort back as his group circled themselves, trying to defuse the situation.

I glanced at Rhowyn, who had stiffened beside me at the insult from Luke, anger clearly written on her face in Callum's defense. I hugged her more tightly into me, kissing the top of her head, trying to ease her ire.

“That bastard,” she hissed under her breath.

Luke's head snapped up at the insult from Rhowyn, his eyes glowing in response. I sighed, knowing she hadn't intended for him to hear her, but she kept forgetting that our hearing was better than any human's.

“Says the human.” His lip curled in disgust at the term.

“I would watch what you call my Chosen if I were you,” Callum said calmly, danger evident in every line of his body despite not raising his voice. He was close to snapping.

“I'd keep my Chosen in check if I were you,” Jordan snapped back.

“Jordan! Stop!” Charity cried out.

“Stay out of this, Charity,” he snarled down at her, and she gasped, backing away from him and into Connor's arms.

“My Chosen is not some thing to order about,” Lennox said, his anger dropping the temperature as he stepped forward in Rhowyn's defense.

Arryn tried to step in between Callum, Lennox, and Charity's Consorts. “Just drop it. We don't need to listen to them. We can just leave now that we've delivered Charity safely. We still need to get to the center of the maze.” His logic didn’t make a dent in the emotions that were coursing through us.

“You would say that,” Callum growled at him.

“What does that mean?” Arryn snapped at him. Arryn’s calm and even demeanor slipped, his outright anger rare for him to express. Callum and Lennox could be hot heads, but not Arryn. At this thought, my uneasiness with the situation grew as Rhowyn and I watched the scene play out in front of us.

“Just that you always toe the line. Always doing what you're told like a good little soldier,” Callum retort, his muscles tense.

“Enough, Callum! This isn't the time or place.” Lennox stepped in, trying to defuse the argument between them that threatened to go downhill and fast.

Callum just laughed in disgust at Lennox's words. “You’d know all about timing, right, Lennox?” Disdain dripped from his every word, causing Lennox to pale in response, his body stiffening as he tried to keep himself from breaking. Callum’s words had struck him deeply.

“You know that's not true,” he whispered out.

“Do I?” Callum poked at Lennox further.

Rhowyn jerked out of my arms and rushed to Lennox's defense, the grief and defeat all over Lennox's face at Callum's words. She grabbed Callum's arm, trying to pull him to face her.

He jerked away from her, causing her to stumble slightly. All of them were acting so out of character. This wasn't like them, at least not the people I had come to know. Say what you wanted, but there were certain things about a person’s character that couldn’t be faked, that couldn’t be denied. I studied them, trying to find out just why they were acting in such a way, while listening to Charity and her Consorts arguing behind me.

“Callum, stop. Please,” Rhowyn said, trying to plead with him.

“Oh, now you want me to stop? Why should I listen to you when you never listen to me?” he snapped at her. “You've been nothing but trouble since you got here, always doing whatever you please without thought or consideration for anyone else!”

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