Page 65 of Their Trials
“Huh?” I said, confused for a moment by her question, having a hard time switching my thoughts.
She laughed at me under her breath, shaking her head. “You look deep in thought. Just thought you'd like to talk about it.”
My eyes darted forward, taking in Arryn's back, Baer and Charity's men far enough away from us that we could hold a semi-private conversation. Shaking my head as if to dismiss my maudlin thoughts, I answered her. “It's nothing.” When she raised an eyebrow at me as if not buying my placating answer, I decided to give her what she deserved. An apology. “I'm sorry about last night,” I blurted out.
Her cheeks pinked slightly at the reminder of what we'd done, and I struggled to keep my thoughts on the present and not relive those moments that had me almost crossing the line. “It's no big deal.”
I shook my head again. “It is. If you hadn't been under the influence of the Autumn Ale, you wouldn't have let me do what I did in public. I took advantage of you when I shouldn't have.”
She laughed at me, startling me from the serious moment. “Do I look like a child?”
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “No. But what...”
She cut off my question. “Good. Because I'm not. I'm a grown ass woman who can make my own decisions. I wasn't beyond control. I knew exactly what I was doing, knew exactly what I wanted, and I don't regret a second of it.” Her words came out emphatically, driving her point home.
I opened my mouth to reply, but she cut me off again. “If you continue to insist on apologizing, you’re just going to piss me off. It undermines my ability to make my own decisions for myself.”
Shutting my mouth, I nodded, demonstrating I got the point. “Good. Now...” she started, a cunning smile crossing her face, “...if you want to apologize for the fact that you and Baer both left me high and dry, that's an apology I will accept,” she teased.
Stunned, I barked out a laugh, the others turning to look at us questioningly over their shoulders. This woman was more than I could have ever dreamed of. She was positively perfect for me. She smiled at me, satisfaction and pleasure from making me laugh gleaming in her eyes. “I apologize, Princess. How dare I leave you in such a state. I promise to rectify that situation as soon as the opportunity arises.”
Her honeyed laugh sounded out around us, louder now that we were surrounded by the trees. “I can't wait.”
“Shh...” Callum hissed at us, Arryn holding up a fist and halting our progress through the forest.
I could see the confusion and worry on Rhowyn's face, but there was nothing I could do right now to alleviate those concerns. Now that we were all silent, it was easier to notice that not a single creature sounded out from around us. The only reason for the utter quiet being a predator, something more threatening than our party of fae and horses.
Callum and Arryn scanned the trees, searching for the cause of the silence. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Something was watching us, waiting for the right moment to attack.
After several minutes of nothing happening, Arryn gestured for us to continue. All brevity from before gone as we started walking our horses forward, no one daring to hold a conversation. Even Charity's eyes scanned the area back and forth as we all searched for the culprit of our unease. The only sound now was the creaking of the leather on our saddles as we moved slowly forward, the foliage thickening until only slivers of light remained, illuminating the area sporadically.
I sat up straighter in my saddle as I caught Callum's free hand going to the pommel of his sword, ready to pull it at a moment's notice to defend Rhowyn from the creature that was stalking us now.
Whatever predator it was, it wasn't good.
Chapter Twenty Eight: Rhowyn
I didn't dare make a sound. The silence pressing down on me, caused my survival instincts to fire off as I searched the trees for the source of the threat. I held my breath, my fear causing my heart to race in my chest, sounding impossibly loud in my ears until I could swear that everything and everyone could hear it pounding against my ribs. I wouldn't be surprised if the spectators watching us, safe from the comfort of their homes, could hear it. I glanced over my shoulder, catching the glowing orb still following us silently.
The orb was so discreet that I found I had to keep reminding myself that it was still present, that every move we made was being broadcast to all of Avalon. I had always wondered how people on reality shows could forget that they were being filmed constantly, but now I knew how easy it was to forget that your life was now fodder for the masses to dissect and consume as they saw fit.
A soft chittering noise sounded around us, causing the hairs on my arms to stand on end. The sound was so quiet that it was more of a vibration than an audible tone. I glanced around at the guys, unsure if they heard it too, still not daring to make a peep. I wouldn't be the one to be responsible for revealing our location.
Again, I found myself woefully unprepared for this world and all the threats that it presented. While Earth was dangerous in many ways, it was easy to go about my life without those concerns at the forefront of my mind. Each threat was predictable in a way that I could prevent with the proper precautions. Making my way through this world I found myself in now, I was constantly on edge, never sure of where the next threat would come from. It was wholly impossible to prepare for the things I couldn't even imagine in my wildest dreams, the creatures and magic so far from everything I had ever known.
The vibrations slowly grew stronger, causing Meadow to champ at her bit and stamp her feet in anxiety. She could sense the threat like we could, and she danced as she pulled on the reins.
I held them tight, keeping her firmly in line as Callum dropped back slowly to ride on the other side of me until I was surrounded by my guys. While I would love to say that I was a strong and independent woman who didn't need a man to protect me, in this moment, I was thankful for the security their positioning gave me.
I had no qualms facing down a threat I knew, but I wasn't foolish enough to try to face a nameless foe, especially when I still didn't know the limits of my magic. In moments like this, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the insurmountable odds of surviving these trials fully intact.
Already, they were changing me in ways I could have never predicted, turning me into someone I actually liked, the kind of person I could be proud of.
A snap sounded out, echoing through the trees and deafening in the silence around us, causing all of us to jump and swivel in our saddles. The buzzing sound grew until the low tones started to hurt my ears, the vibrations increasing in intensity until I wanted to slam my hands over them.
“That's not good.” I heard whispered from next to me. At least I thought Lennox was whispering; the words were barely discernible above the buzzing tone.
As my fear grew, I wanted to laugh, the noise somehow reminding me of what playing cards sounded like as a bicycle's tires spun, flicking the card to mimic a motorcycle. The only difference between the two was the speed at which the sounds presented. The card in the spokes of the bicycle wheel were slow as a snail in comparison to what I heard now.