Page 4 of Their Trials

As Callum opened his mouth to snap at me further, which I had every intention of ignoring, a loud bell rang out, and the door in front of us swung open.

Chapter Two: Rhowyn

On the other side of the door were walls of stone covered in ivy and vines. The walkway in front of us stretched beyond the horizon that I could see. We glanced at each other briefly before I stepped forward into the maze.

When we had all made it inside, the door closed behind us with a resounding thud and disappeared. We were effectively trapped inside the largest maze I had ever seen.

“How was this entire thing hidden behind such a small area?” I asked in awe.

“Magic,” Baer said playfully.

“Not just any magic, but the magic of the land, which we all get our magic from,” Arryn elaborated.

“So, I guess we just keep walking? I'm not seeing any turns yet. Do y'all?” I asked.

“I don't see any more than you,” Lennox said, and the others made noises of agreement.

“Alright. Forward it is,” I said joked, trying to dispel the nervous energy coursing through me.

We walked at a quick pace, their longer legs eating up the ground before us, making me almost have to jog to keep up. I couldn't help the niggling sense that this seemed too easy. After all, this was supposed to be a trial.

“Guys,” I called out to them, causing them to slow and turn around. “Does this seem wrong to y'all?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t the one going crazy right now.

“I was about to say that something seems off,” Lennox grumbled as we slowed down even more.

“Now that you mention it, I can feel it too,” Baer said.

We stopped completely as we evaluated our surroundings further. My best guess was that we had made it halfway down the straight path, the way we had come from no longer in sight. “It feels like we haven't made any progress even though I can't see the entrance anymore.” I voiced my thoughts out loud, hoping they had more insight than I did. All I could go off of was my gut instinct, which was currently screaming at me that I was missing something.

“I still can't see a turn from here, as if the path goes on forever. Hell, for all I know, it could,” Arryn agreed, the tallest of my guys. Then he spoke as if to himself, deep in thought, “Is that the trial? To test our dedication to keep moving forward?”

“What if there's something behind these walls? Maybe a door we missed because the vines are so thick?” I asked, something behind the walls tugging at me, urging me in that direction.

“I mean, that's possible,” Baer said, stepping forward, about to brush the vines aside in an effort to get a better view of the wall, which stretched well above our heads, only the open, cloudless sky above us.

“Wait!” Arryn called out just before Baer touched the green foliage, a mere centimeter separating his skin from the plants.

He snatched his hand back, fear and shock on his face, especially after seeing the panic on Arryn’s. “What?”

Arryn stepped closer to the vines to inspect them, all of us watching him. His signature calm nature returning now that Baer wasn’t in danger. “These are Sol Shadow vines, the thorns poisonous. They typically only grow in Summer Court and are known by the low fae as Devil’s Ivy.”

“How poisonous?” Baer asked nervously. In my opinion, anything with the name of Devil should be avoided at all costs. I gazed at the vines with a new respect, determined not to touch them.

“Not deadly, but they give horrific hallucinations that can last days,” Arryn explained.

“That was too close,” Baer muttered to himself, sighing before taking a step backward away from the vines, relief written in his body. Looking at Callum and Lennox, it was clear that we were all realizing that this maze would not just be a pleasant stroll in the park.

“Maybe we should treat the maze itself as hostile from here on out,” I suggested. “I sure won't be doing anything quickly.”

Baer laughed. “That sounds like a brilliant idea.” He slung an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into him to kiss my forehead, shaking off the shock and returning to his playful demeanor.

“So, how do we continue?” Lennox asked.

“I think if we’re careful, we can pull the vines back to at least look at the wall to see if we've missed something,” Arryn said, still deep in thought and studying the vines in front of him.

“That's easy for you to say,” Baer teased, but he released me and stepped forward again.

Arryn placed the stem of one of the vines between his thumb and forefinger, careful not to grab a thorn and bent the plant back. After watching him, the guys all stepped forward to help him until they had cleared a small area.

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