Page 8 of Their Trials

“Fuck!” he growled, the ground rumbling, the walls shifting again ahead of us, opening into a small square. As we entered the newly formed courtyard type area, Lennox cursed under his breath, all of us realizing there was no other way forward. A dead end.

Not pausing, Callum turned to face the Cu Sith with his sword drawn, Arryn drawing up next to him seconds before the beast enclosed us completely. It halted as it faced us, gauging which of us was the greater threat.

Lennox and Baer drew on their gifts, the magic humming in the air around me as they prepared to fight, just as the dog released a second bark. I had never felt so useless in my life, but I knew that in this moment I would be more of a hindrance than a help.

Lennox spoke on an exhale, terror in his eyes as he continued to pull on his magic. I could feel it raising the hairs on my arm, vibrating deep within me. “Shit! That’s two. Let’s hope he doesn’t sound out a third bark.”

“Why?” I asked him, not daring to remove my eyes from the threat in front of us.

“Because a third bark means we’re dead,” Baer explained, rolling his shoulders in preparation for the fight.

“How do you want to do this?” Arryn whispered to Callum as they stood with swords drawn, shoulder to shoulder.

In answer, flames shot down Callum's sword, wreathing the blade in fire, and I couldn't keep the look of shock off my face, my mouth dropping open at the sight.

The beast drew closer to them slowly, its gaze darting around to take us all in. Callum didn't wait for it to pounce, instead, charging toward it and drawing its focus completely.

Baer and Lennox drew in closer to me as Callum attacked, lunging at the monster before us. It swiped out at him in retaliation, but for a big man, he moved quickly, barely darting out of the way in time.

I noticed from my peripheral vision that Arryn was now moving slowly around to flank the beast. Fighting the urge to look at him directly, I kept my gaze focused on the Fairy Dog not wanting to give away his progress. His steps were steady as he crept in closer to the animal.

The Cú Síth swiped again, and my focus was drawn back to Callum as he was caught by a claw that opened a line of red on his arm. Callum gritted his teeth but didn't give any other indication that the injury hurt. He lunged with his sword again, not landing the hit.

It was then that I realized Callum was distracting the hound by keeping its full focus on him. He could have dodged the swipe, but by keeping the beast so close, it ensured that Callum was the only thing on its mind.

The ground swelled suddenly under Arryn's feet and launched him onto the back of the Cú Síth, his sword thrusting downward to strike between the dog’s shoulders, barely piercing the thick skin with his blade. However, it managed to sink deep enough to give him a grip, allowing him to stay on the beast’s back.

The Cú Síth howled and thrashed around, like a bull trying to dislodge a rider, bucking as Arryn struggled to maintain his grip on the pommel of his sword. Its focus was now on Arryn, who managed to stay on its back instead of falling under its deadly, sharp claws. It spun, trying to bite at Arryn, desperate to get him off as Callum took the opportunity to lunge in again.

This time, his sword sliced through the chest of the animal, and it cried out in pain, turning to lash back out at Callum, forgetting Arryn for the moment. Callum timed his attack just right and ducked under the resulting swipe of claws, now underneath the beast. Not hesitating, he slashed the tender belly of the Cú Síth.

The animal howled out again and spun, trying to get away from Callum and his flaming sword. The smell of burning flesh and fur clouded the air around us until it was cloying. Each strike from Callum’s blade immediately cauterizing the Cú Síth’s wounds.

The beast was facing Callum again after he had moved out of its reach. It held still as it gauged its next attack, having forgotten about the threat that Arryn presented on his back.

As if the entire fight had been choreographed, Arryn pulled his sword from the shoulders of the now still dog and struck downward with all of his might, his muscles flexing under the strain and driving the sword even deeper into the animal. Arryn had now effectively distracted the Cú Síth, who lunged and spun on instinct before Arryn could find his balance after the attack. Arryn was thrown from the beast's back and landed in a heap under the deadly claws.

Out of instinct, I tried to rush to Arryn, to make sure he was okay. He just laid there prone and at the mercy of the beast’s claws. As I tried to lunge forward, Baer’s arms wrapped around me to keep me in place. Stuck, I had no choice but to pray that Arryn would be okay.

While the beast prepared to skewer Arryn in retaliation, raising a paw and preparing to crash it down on Arryn’s unconscious form, Callum lunged forward. He thrust his sword into the neck of the Cú Síth, holding the grip as his magic funneled through the blade, his flames rushing through the animal.

The dying howls sounded out around us as he continued to shove his magic through the sword like a divining rod until finally the animal collapsed at his feet, effectively burning the beast from the inside out. Only then did he call the flames back into himself, his brow soaked in sweat, his copper hair shining in the sun as his lungs heaved from the exertion.

Baer released me as the Cú Síth fell, and I rushed to Arryn, who hadn't moved since he’d fallen from the beast, deathly still.

Chapter Four: Rhowyn

My heart thudded in my chest as I slammed to my knees at Arryn's side, Lennox and Baer following behind me. I could feel them at my back as I checked Arryn over from head to toe, unable to find any wounds on him.

“He must have hit his head,” I said to myself, watching as his chest rose and fell. My hand went to his cheek, brushing his golden hair from his brow, trying to get him to stir. My initial panic had subsided some after I realized that he was still breathing, but fear still clung to me. Head injuries were notoriously tricky. I knew that much from my time fighting.

“We need to get moving again,” Callum said, coming to stand in front of me.

“Sure. We'll just leave Arryn here after he's injured himself while saving us,” I snarked angrily at him.

“We don't have to leave him,” he replied flatly, showing no emotion as he gazed at me, his amber-green eyes still dancing with the flames he had just used.

“Then how do you suggest we get moving again?” I demanded, sitting back on my heels to glare at him. His nonchalant attitude really starting to piss me off. Did he really care so little?