Page 19 of Their Queen

We rode the horses hard instead, working them until their coats were lathered in sweat, cooling them down anytime we stopped to eat or came upon a stream to let them drink. Even now, they were beginning to slow, unable to keep up with the punishing pace we demanded from them. I glanced up at the position of the sun, having started us out before it had risen this morning. If we kept this pace, we’d make it to the abbey around dusk.

None of us spoke except to bark out necessary orders, our anxiety ratcheting up the closer we got. No one dared voice what we were all thinking. That if we got to the abbey and were wrong, we would have wasted days, needing to spend twice that amount of time trying to reach the only other option in the far south of Autumn. All I knew was that she had to be there. I refused to think anything else. There was no way we’d survive without her much longer, already snapping at each other in our frustration.

We knew she’d said she wanted to do this alone. Had to, according to her, but I refused to accept that. After days of waiting in Brannoc’s home, going out of my mind with worry and fear, I was thankful when Callum had given us a direction to go. At this point, I was certain that we were all willing to face the wrath of Avalonia and Rhowyn if it meant that we could be with her again. I needed to touch her, to feel her arms around me, and assure myself that she was okay.

Sure, she’d reached out to Brannoc twice now during our journey, but it had only been brief check-ins to tell us she was alive and okay. He’d had to focus intently to ensure she didn’t realize we were on her trail, almost falling from the saddle once as we rode deep into the night.

Goddess, I needed to hear her voice. She was everything to me, and if anything happened to her, I’d never be able to live with myself. I knew the others felt the same way, all of us single-minded in our goal.

Rhowyn’s father and grandfather were pushing themselves harder than we’d thought they’d be capable of, keeping up with our ruthless pace, but I could see that it was beginning to wear on Jude, who was looking haggard. If all went well, we’d find Rhowyn and be able to rest for a day or two. I didn’t dare think of any other option.

Finally, the homes became closer and closer until I could see the outline of the large abbey on the horizon. Looking back at the others to check in, I said, “It’s just up ahead. One final push, and we’ll be there.”

“Fuck, yeah!” Lennox whooped out, spurring his horse forward and pulling every last ounce of energy it could offer him. I waited until the others had passed me, my brow furrowing in concern as Baer hesitated briefly before picking up his pace as well. I knew he hadn’t been dealing with his loss well, that he was blaming himself for Rhowyn’s disappearance despite how idiotic that sounded, but no one could convince him otherwise. No one, that is, except for Rhowyn herself.

Pulling the cloth from my neck up until it covered my mouth and nose, I followed the trail of dust that had been kicked up from the horses. Reaching the abbey, I dismounted in one smooth movement before my horse had even come to a full stop. Not waiting, Callum burst through the doors. “Rhowyn! Rhowyn! Get your ass out here!” he called out, storming down a hallway and startling the occupants of the building.

“Sorry about that; he’s looking for our bonded,” Lennox apologized to the gaping priests, chagrined at his behavior before chasing after him.

Jude found a pew and sat down, mopping his brow of the sweat that had accumulated there while his son tended to his needs, leaving Baer, Brannoc, and I to search for the person in charge.

“Where is she?” I heard Callum growl out from somewhere deeper into the building. Sighing, I followed the sound, knowing I’d need to smooth over his gruff nature. Lennox tried, but he was nowhere near as dominant as Callum was. Baer and Brannoc trailed after me as we searched the hallways.

I turned a corner to find Callum with his hand around a priest’s throat, pinning him to the rough stone wall as he shook with fear. “You will tell me where she is. Now,” he growled out, his eyes flashing yellow as he fought to contain his beast.

Lennox was pulling fruitlessly at his arm, trying to reason with him. Sighing, I barked out, “Callum. Let him go.”

“He knows where my bonded is, Arryn,” he argued with me, still growling in the poor man’s face and not looking in my direction.

“Wh…w…who’s…y..your… b..b…bonded?” the priest managed to stutter out, the smell of piss now stinking up the hallway.

As I approached, I tried again. “Let him go, Callum. What would Rhowyn think of you treating him this way?”

He paused, looking at me as I stared him down. He knew I was right. “Fuck!” He pushed back from the man, spinning to punch the opposite wall instead of the man’s face.

Ignoring him for now, reminding myself that I’d have to heal his hand, again, I focused on the priest who had crumpled to the floor, his robes pooling around him and reeking of urine. Squatting until I was at eye level, I spoke softly, not wanting to scare him any further. “I apologize for Callum’s behavior, but you must understand that we’ve been riding hard for several days now, searching for our bonded.”

He sniffled, seeming to regain his courage somewhat, meeting my eyes as he spoke. His voice came out soft and raspy, rubbing his throat absentmindedly as he asked, “What’s her name?”

“Rhowyn Hunt,” I told him, all of us now holding our breath as we waited for his answer.

His eyes lit up in recognition of the name. “Oh, Her Majesty.”

“Yes. Have you seen her?” I questioned further, barely keeping myself from shaking the man until he gave me a definitive answer.

“She was brought to us about four days ago. Our healer was able to stop the bleeding but wasn’t able to fully heal her,” he started to explain.

“What?” Callum growled out, causing the man to flinch. Pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration, I counted to ten in my head.

“How badly was she hurt?” Lennox asked, his fear spiking.

“Oh, her friend Cyerra got her here just in time. A few more hours and she’d have bled out for sure. Thankfully, Arlen was able to stop the bleeding, but Her Majesty was put on bedrest with daily healings.”

“So, she’s okay?” Lennox asked.

The priest grinned. “Oh, she’s more than okay.”

“What do you mean?” I asked the man, seriously considering turning Callum loose on him if it meant we’d get an answer faster.

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