Page 6 of Their Trials

“I thought there might be a latch on the other side. It didn't make sense that only one stone would be loose in this wall, which meant it had to have been loose on purpose,” he explained.

“Let's clear the way,” Arryn said, moving forward to start clearing the vines using their previous system, so that we could all walk through the new door.

We passed through it, hoping we'd have a new direction to go from here. Sure enough, on the other side of the wall, we could see where the path came to a “T”. Without consulting each other, we walked forward until we were standing in the intersection.

“Which way?” Baer asked.

“I haven't the slightest idea,” Lennox said.

A rumble shook through the ground, the vibration enough to make its way through my boots and up into my legs. “What was that?” I asked, startled by the sensation.

“I didn't feel anything,” Lennox said.

“I felt something rumble on the ground. Y'all didn't feel that?” I asked in shock, glancing at them.

They all looked at each other and back to me, but I could feel their denial through the bond. The ground shook harder this time, and I glanced at my feet and then back up to them as soon as it passed. “It happened again!”

Arryn stepped toward me, looking me over. “Are you sure you didn't touch any thorns?” he asked me, taking one of my arms and turning it over to inspect the skin. As he grabbed the other arm to inspect it, the shaking began again. This time it was more intense, causing me to grasp onto him for balance and out of fear. A loud rumble accompanied the feeling, only making me more certain that something large was coming closer.

“Okay. I definitely felt that,” Baer admitted, his own fear coursing down the bond.

“It's got to be something large moving toward us,” I said, hoping one of them knew what was causing the mini earthquake.

“I don't know,” Callum said, only causing my concern to grow.

“Wait,” Lennox muttered, gesturing down the left side of the intersection. “Are the walls moving?” His shock barreled down the bond, and we all turned quickly to look at where he was pointing.

Chapter Three: Rhowyn

Sure enough, when we looked, we could see a new branch opening up before us. We turned around to see if any others were moving, and the path that used to be there was shrinking as it closed off, leaving us only two choices. We could either go forward or back the way we came.

“I guess that makes up our minds for us,” I snarked

“How are we supposed to get out of here if the walls keep moving?” Baer asked.

“That, my friend, is a good question,” Lennox said, patting Baer on the back.

We all waited as the walls moved into their new places, remaining in the intersection, before heading in the only direction we could. We all kept quiet, eyeing the walls, waiting for the telltale sign that they were changing again. The walls remained in place, and we walked for another long while before questioning again if we were going in the right direction.

I felt the vibrations through my feet again, eyeing the others for an indication that they also felt the shifting earth, but no one halted. “Guys, I felt the vibrations again. Are the walls moving?”

“I don't see anything yet,” Baer said, pausing alongside me.

We all scanned our surroundings, but after a few minutes, nothing changed, the long tunnel remaining unending before us.

Arryn's eyes scanned the area constantly as he led the way. Baer and Lennox flanked my sides, forming a barrier between me, the walls, and any other threats that might arise in this maze. Callum walked a distance behind us. He was with us physically but continued to interact as little as possible and remained distant.

A rumble rippled through me again, more noticeable than the faint vibrations I had felt earlier. Before I could say anything, Arryn halted in his tracks, the others pushing me into the middle of them as they closed ranks around me.

The walls shifted again, opening up on the left and right about twenty feet ahead of us. After they settled into their new positions, Arryn slowly led us to the new intersection, his steps hesitant as his eyes darted all around us.

“Which way?” Lennox asked as we stood in another intersection, vines growing on both sides to our left and right, no indication of which way was the correct one to take.

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Baer shrugged.

“I haven't a clue,” I responded, knowing I was completely dependent on these new bonds of mine to get me through this foreign landscape. I was so far out of my depth, having been completely self-reliant for most of my life. It was unnerving to feel like a small child again, just newly discovering the world.

I hated not knowing what to expect or even how to proceed, but I wasn't stupid. I knew enough to know that the only chance I stood right now was in trusting them to get me through this mess, despite what I had claimed upon my arrival to Avalon.

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