Page 32 of Their Trials

The guys glanced at each other; their ability to communicate without words, with a single look, was totally on point. Arryn nodded, “I think we don't have much of a choice. We can't just stand here waiting for it to attack.”

“Agreed,” I told him, glad we'd made a decision.

“On the count of three, we’ll all start running away from the beast,” Arryn instructed, his role of Captain in the military finding its way into his tone of voice.

“One. Two. Three!”

We all took off, sprinting as fast as we could. Hissing and growls followed us. Instead of a single pursuer, we now could hear multiple creatures on our heels.

My breaths rushed in and out, my chest heaving as I pumped my hands and arms, trying to keep up with Arryn's long legs. It was moments like this that I hated being so short.

Callum slowed until him and Baer were both behind me, keeping me safe in the middle of the group. Not wanting them to get hurt because I couldn't keep up, I pushed myself to my limit as we approached a ninety-degree corner leading us to the right.

Hoping the area would open up, I kept going, my legs burning with exertion, sweat dripping into my eyes. Mud from the quicksand pit joined the sweat, getting into my eyes and blurring my vision, but I didn't dare wipe them for fear that my pace would slow. If I didn't keep pumping my arms in time with my legs, we’d be caught by those monsters.

We turned the corner into another long corridor. Arryn slowed suddenly, grabbing a doorknob in the left wall, and swung it open wide for us to follow. Arryn, Lennox, and I crashed through the doorway to find an enclosed room, pulling our momentum up short. There was nowhere to go from here.

Callum came through the doorway next and grabbed the door, waiting for Baer to race inside. Baer was unable to keep up the pace after the attack of the Ankou and had fallen behind.

Just as he neared the door, he cried out and crumpled under the weight of an invisible force, large slashes appearing on his back and side. Blood rushed from the wounds faster than I wished as Baer just laid there, not moving to get up.

My heart in my throat, I watched as Callum grabbed his sword and thrust it into the air just above Baer's back. A yelp sounded out loudly before a black substance started to drip from the air. It was invisible and now bleeding.

Baer tried to push up as soon as the weight was removed from his back, but his arms crumpled. Arryn and Lennox rushed forward to grab him as Callum moved back into the hallway, slashing blindly with his blade, holding the creatures away from us all.

As soon as Baer was inside, Arryn yelled, “Close the door, Callum!”

Callum backed into the room with us and slammed the door, his back turning to hold the door shut. Arryn ran his hands over Baer, trying to stem the bleeding, but it continued to leak through his fingers as he held pressure on the wounds.

I stood there in shock and fear. This couldn't be happening again. I couldn't lose Baer. I was sick and tired of him being the one to get hurt.

With that thought, I broke free from my trance and rushed to his side, my knees crashing hard into the ground beside him. Without thinking, I slammed my hands down over the wounds, releasing all the magic I had left.

My magic told me that his wounds were mortal if I didn't move quickly. The beast had nicked an artery, and he was bleeding out. I pushed everything I had, willing the magic to heal him. Now.

I kept pushing and pushing, feeling Arryn tug on my arm. “Rhowyn, that's enough. You're drained. You'll kill yourself.” He pleaded with me to stop.

“I don't care!” I yelled at him, refusing to let him die, not when I knew I had more to give him.

I felt a crack shoot through my chest, causing me to crumple over Baer's back in pain. My hands didn't move at all as I kept pushing, a trickle of new magic running through me and into Baer as I felt the wound close.

I kept my hands in place, sitting back up completely exhausted, my vision darkening at the edges with the exertion. Baer's eyes flickered open to meet mine as I finally succumbed to the darkness, embracing it with open arms.

Chapter Thirteen: Arryn

I watched as Rhowyn collapsed just as Baer woke. With the last vestiges of my magic, I scanned both Rhowyn and Baer for any lingering injuries. My magic coursed through them each in turn with no interruptions before trickling back to me.

With a sigh, my body relaxed with the knowledge that they would both be fine. That was too close of a call. I leaned back on my heels, trying to figure out where we should go from here.

“Are they okay?” Lennox asked, coming to crouch next to their prone bodies. Callum hovered but remained standing, his eyes darting around as if the invisible creatures would attack at any moment.

A groan sounded out. “I feel like I just died, but yeah, I'm good.”

I pushed up to standing, needing to figure out where to go from here. The room was completely enclosed around us. The large block stones were too tall to climb over, and there was only one door in and out. We couldn't go back out with those things; all of us were completely spent. Out that single door would be certain death.

Callum moved, drawing my attention as he bent down to gather Rhowyn into his arms, cradling her limp form to his chest as Lennox reached to help Baer sit up. All of us were at a loss as to how to proceed, our eyes darting around as if the answer would be revealed if we just searched hard enough.

A ripple of magic cascaded over me just as the glamor dropped, revealing the arena full of fae. The stands were filled with all types of both High and Low Fae, each cheering or booing, fully invested in the outcome of our trials. The stands curved upward to the point that I couldn’t even make out any of the figures in the upper seats, small specks in the distance. The noise roared around us, drowning out our ability to think.

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