Ink of Copper

43. In Which an Evening Under the Stars Takes Flight

Chapter 43

In Which an Evening Under the Stars Takes Flight

The Hills of Asteria

A fter a weary day of learning to harness the power of her magic, Ellie had fallen, exhausted, into the small bed in the cabin. Camulos suggested she take it since it was the only truly comfortable place to sleep in his cottage and had climbed the ladder to the loft above them. She didn’t protest. The physical toll of using her magic was apparent, but she no longer felt the side effects. Camulos had been patient with her at times and pushed her at others. Evander stayed silent as instructed by her teacher but couldn’t help but show his admiration with occasional whistling or encouraging remarks. The sheer number of compliments unnerved her after living so long with a man who saw her as an inconvenience. She found herself wanting to impress him, waiting to hear how he thought she was exceptional and magnificent after performing minor tasks. His being there calmed her in a way she didn’t understand. Even with all she accomplished, her nerve endings felt raw and exposed, and she welcomed the soft mattress and warm covers.

She had been asleep for a while when she felt something nuzzle her cheek.

“Ellie,” he whispered low in her ear.

She swatted at whoever intruded on her much-needed rest and groaned.

“Ellie,” came the whisper again. This time, something rubbed against her nose.

She sniffed and covered it with the edge of the quilt. “She’s sleeping,” she murmured with her eyes closed.

Evander chuckled beside her and shook her shoulder. “Wake up; I want to show you something.”

She pulled the quilt over her head and groaned again, burrowing into the warm covers. He shook a lump that was her hip.

“What do you people have against sleep?” she bemoaned from somewhere deep under the blankets.

He shook her again. “I promise it’s worth it.”

Taking the quilt off her head, only her eyes peeked over the edge and glared at him. “I promise you, it isn’t.”

“I want to show you the best part of Olympus, but you can only see it at night.”

“Don’t you want to sleep? It’s wonderful. People love it. You should try. Go on.” She waved her fingers at him. “Go close your eyes for five minutes and try to sleep.”

“Ellie.” He pulled the cover down off her face as she whined and gave her a bemused look. “Please.”

She closed her eyes and sighed in defeat. Pulling the covers down, Evander took her hand and helped her out of bed. He was like a little kid on Christmas morning. His eyes shone excitedly as he flashed her a toe-curling grin, the dimple in his cheek deepening.

“If you take me out of these warm covers to show me a cow or a flower—”

“Why would I show you a cow?” he interrupted her mid-sentence.

“Why would you wake me up?”

Grumbling, she flopped her arms inside the tunic Camulos had given her to wear. Since she had come to the cabin woefully unprepared when Camulos made her trek out here, she insisted on something for bed. The only thing he had were old tunics. Standing, the huge garment came down past her knees, and the sleeves well past her fingertips. She flopped the extra fabric again and moaned, pulling her hair back to braid it to the side. Evander moved around the cabin so quietly for someone so big, his wings making soft rustling noises. Slipping into her shoes, she met him at the door.

“I’m cold,” she stated flatly.

He chuckled and handed her a cloak that hung on the hooks just inside the door, and she wrapped it around herself; it fell to her ankles, but she didn’t care. It was warm and soft on the inside, a poor substitute for her bed, but it would have to do. Ellie rubbed her sleepy eyes and, yawning, pulled the hood over her head. Pulling the cloak closed, she followed Evander. Once out in the meadow, he reached for her hand and headed to the right side of the clearing. She tried to keep up with his long steps, but she had only gone a short distance before she complained.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I am shorter than you.”

He glanced down at her as if suddenly remembering she was only so tall. His gaze swept over her before he tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and slowed his pace.

The night air was freezing, and she struggled to keep the cloak closed, although Evander didn’t seem to mind. Tonight, he had on a tunic and the fibula that kept the skirting in place but no cloak. He replaced the swords, usually strapped to his sides, with a small dagger at his waist, and, of course, his arm was firmly in place.

They came to a rise on a hill some yards away from the cabin. Looking back, Ellie whimpered as a puff of smoke rose from the stone chimney. She wanted to be back in bed, not out in the middle of the night. The moon crested full, casting upon the world streams of silver that glittered to where they stood like stardust.

Evander’s wings glowed a brilliant white in the moonlight, and the horns that ran above his head gleamed. She tilted her head to the side to better look at them. In all her time with him here on Olympus, he had remained in his human form. She appreciated his consideration but seeing him now in his true state made her aware of just how big he was. Not only was Evander tall, but his impressive wings had an equally impressive wingspan. They towered high above his head and, given his height, meant the wings were likely to be ten or twelve feet from tip to horn. Stretched out, however, was a different story. Impressive wings seemed a tiny phrase for such a large appendage. Evander slowed considerably as they reached the next rise, then stopped altogether.

“Look,” he commanded, lifting his head up to the heavens.

She turned her face upwards and took in a scant breath, letting it out in a slow puff of misty, hot air. She blinked once, then twice, trying to get her mind to wrap around the magnificent display. Above her, in all its wonder, were millions upon millions of stars. Tiny points of light filled the sky, twinkling and shining. It was a sky full of wonders; the expansiveness of space, with shades of deep blue and purple, inky blackness, and rich navy, held in its possession cosmic forms she had never seen before. She looked up at the richness of an entire world that burst to life with planets and stars in their brilliance.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed, staring upwards. “The stars look close enough to touch.”

They twinkled overhead as stars do, winking and blinking down at their admirers.

“This is my favorite spot in Asteria,” he murmured, running his hand through his hair. “I used to come here and lay on the grass and just look up for hours. I wanted to share it with you.” A shy smile crossed his lips.

“It’s breathtaking, Evander. Almost makes it worth getting out of bed.” She bumped into his arm with her shoulder as she smiled at him.

“The vastness makes me feel small.” Reaching over, he grabbed her hand and squeezed.

They stood, hand in hand, wondering up at the cosmos for several long minutes. Her gaze traveled across the skies, trying to take in the spectacle before her. As she scanned the heavens, her eyes locked with his, and she beamed. He was watching her marvel at the stars rotating around them overhead. His features softened in the moonlight, the hard planes of his face taking on an ethereal glow. He gathered her cheeks into the palms of his hands. One fleshy, warm, and calloused; one metal, smooth, and cool. His thumb caressed the apple of her cheek as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead softly. Ellie wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his chest as she craned her neck up at him. His stare flicked to a spot behind her and then back as his mouth broke into a wide smile, causing his dimple to make its second appearance of the evening.

“Look behind you.”

She whirled around and gasped, covering her mouth, a brief squeal of delight escaping between her fingers. Behind her was a herd of about forty wild pegasus. Several were grazing, their wings tucked into their bodies as they ripped grass from the hillside with their prehensile lips. Several mares kept watch over their foals, who pranced and played. Two colts were snorting and trotting around each other when one opened its little wings, stretched them as far as they would go, then beat them several times, rearing up on his hind legs. One mare lay in the dew- covered grass. Her foal tucked into her side as she lifted her wing, covering it in a blanket of brown feathers.

Some of the pegasi were bay colored, with dark wings and manes. Some chestnut with dark-brown wings. One large stallion stood at the perimeter of the herd, keeping watch over all of them. He blew out a breath from his nose that misted in the cool night air. He was magnificent. So black he glistened in the moonlight. His large onyx wings were tucked into his body. One lone pegasus stood sentinel on the outskirts of the herd, not joining the circle of mares but still close enough to help keep watch. He was white with golden-brown splashes of color in large patches across his chest and hindquarters as if someone had spilled a bucket of brown paint on him. He stretched his wings, and the splashes of color continued their pattern onto the feathers. When she initially saw him, he was grazing, but he had picked up his head and was curiously staring at them, ears forward, listening intently.

Evander clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, and the pegasus snorted in response. The horse stayed where he was for a few moments and then sauntered over, not in a hurry but curious about the two of them. As he walked, Evander clicked several more times, and the pegasus picked up his pace. When he reached them, he stayed back a few feet, cautious but interested.

“Hey there,” Evander spoke to him softly. Reaching into a pouch that hung at his side, he pulled out several apple slices. The winged horse lowered his head and sniffed as Evander offered the apples, holding out his hand, palm up. The treat nestled in his palm was gone in a second as the horse’s lips snatched it up. The animal took several steps closer, and Evander rubbed his hand over the white stripe that ran down the center of his nose.

Ellie couldn’t stop the grin that had appeared the moment the pegasus came into view. She took an apple slice from Evander and, palm up, held the treat under the animal’s nose. Its lips tickled her palm as he took the slice, and she rubbed his nose and then his cheeks.

“My, aren’t you a handsome boy?” she cooed as she pet his muscular neck. The pegasus stuck his nose into her cloak, sniffing around. She snorted a laugh and pet up into his forelock. “I have no more treats, buddy.”

Evander reached into his pouch once more and brought out a carrot. He snapped it in half and handed it to her. The horse watched with wide-eyed fascination and sniffed her arm, looking for his carrot. She giggled.

“Here you go, handsome.”

She offered the first piece, which he happily took, but she hid the second half in her cloak. He seemed to know. Sniffing her, he nuzzled her cloak as his large face disappeared inside the folds. Coming around, he breathed into her hair, and she laughed at his antics. She held out a hand full of carrot, the horse grabbed it and ate it.

“He’s beautiful.”

Coming around to his chest, she scratched her fingers through his coat. He raised his head high into the air, his nose pointed upwards as she scraped, enjoying the rub down.

“You like that, huh, boy?”

“I’m sure he enjoys any touch from you.” He gave her a wry smile unabashedly, which caused a sudden blush to bloom over her cheeks. “I’ve named him Coty, although I think he prefers you to me.”

“He’s magnificent. How long have you been sneaking him treats?”

Evander shrugged and touched his forehead to Coty’s forehead, then patted his cheek softly. “Years, maybe. I’m not quite sure. Sometimes, it will be months before I see him, but I’m always grateful when I do.”

Scratching his long fingers in the horse’s mane caused Coty to shake his head. Tilting his head, he looked as though he were listening to the animal.

“Can you ride?”

Ellie had been rubbing Coty’s back when he asked. Her head shot up.

“Ride?” she squeaked out. “Yes, but no. No. He’s wild, Evander. I can’t ride a wild horse.”

Closing his eyes, he tilted his head ever so slightly, then grinned. “He doesn’t mind.”

“Wait, you can speak to him?”

He nodded, and the horse swung his head to look at her. His deep-brown eyes watched her as if he understood their conversation.

“He’s wild,” she repeated.

“He is, but he also likes you. Ask him.”

“Ask him? Like, ask him ?” Her eyes widened.

The pegasus took a deep breath and snorted it out in one big huff as he watched her with soulful eyes. Timidly she stepped forward, shifting her gaze from Evander to the winged horse and back. Reaching out a hand, she caressed his powerful neck.

“Coty,” her voice wobbled, unsure, “may I go for a ride?”

A chuckle caused her to wrinkle her nose as she looked up.

“How formal, Miss Ellie,” Evander teased.

She pouted her lips and narrowed her eyes playfully. And once again, her heart melted at the sight of that dimple in his cheek appearing with his smile.

Three times .

The horse seemed to grow bored with the waiting, and he swung his head back to look at Evander, who shrugged. Ellie grabbed a fistful of mane, and when he didn’t flinch, she stepped back.

“Need a hand?”

She leapt, one leg swung over the back, coming to rest on the opposite side. Adjusting herself on the horse’s back was slightly awkward, given his anatomy. The feathers of his wings brushed her knees and bare legs, tickling them with their softness. When she found her center, she straightened her back and clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

“Walk on,” she instinctively said before she could catch herself, not knowing what commands a pegasus might know, and certainly not a wild one.

Coty walked easily beside Evander at a slow, steady pace. They traveled several yards like this until Ellie felt balanced. All her hours in the saddle, when her father was alive, had been preparing her to be astride such a magnificent creature. Apparently. She patted his whither and clicked to him, squeezing her thighs just enough. Coty understood the queue and picked up his pace into an easy trot. Evander also picked up his, giving her a side look as he did.

“Ahh, so the competitive side isn’t just reserved for dominoes.”

She twisted her lips into a mischievous smirk. “Wanna race? I dare you.”

She made a kissing noise and squeezed her thighs, pushing her calves into the pegasus’ side. Coty hopped forward and took off at a canter. It was easy and controlled, and she moved gracefully with the animal, a dance between rider and horse. Evander stood in the grass, breathing harder than before as she gracefully made a smooth circle around him. Coty tossed his head in his direction, taunting him. He shot the both of them a look, and if Ellie didn’t know better, she was sure the horse had made a smart remark.

Evander took off then, running as fast as he could towards a hill. A laugh bubbled up at the sight of him racing along the dew-covered grass, and she squeezed her legs, encouraging Coty to speed up. Coty reached forward, lengthening his stride while picking up the pace and, in a few moments, had caught up to Evander. They raced, one winged man running with all his might next to a winged horse, galloping at a manageable speed. The wind pushed the hood of her cloak off her head, whipping tendrils out of the loose braid. Evander came up alongside her, his feet pounding into the grass, keeping stride for stride with her mount. He shot Ellie a mischievous look and arched an eyebrow at her. A wordless challenge.

Leaning forward, she softly whispered. “Let’s show him.”

Sitting deeper onto the animal’s back, she grabbed a chunk of mane and clicked. Coty switched into a faster stride, breaking into a smooth gallop across the open field. The world rushed by the three of them as they raced. The hill before them dipped sharply down, a trail of trees following the slope. Spurred forward, the horse soon lost Evander, heading to the hill. All she could hear were the pounding of hooves against the earth and her own breathing. She looked back to see if he had stopped somewhere when a shadow fell on her. Looking up, she gasped. Evander, his white wings looking as though they covered most of the hillside, soared just overhead, blocking part of the moon from view. He flapped twice, glanced down at her, and winked.

“Evening, my darling.” A coy smile curled one-half of his lips.

Wrinkling her nose again, she growled and leaned forward. “He can’t beat us.”

The pegasus tossed his head in determination, and she felt his strong muscles tense under her. His wings rustled, and in a few quick strides, they neared the edge of the hill. Coty leapt. His wings immediately opened and flapped, pushing the two of them off the ground and into the air. Powerful muscles along his sides and back flexed and moved under her. The strength of his wings propelled them into the sky. In a few more flaps, he had caught up with Evander, who was laughing. Eyeing the horse and his rider, Evander jolted forward, soaring higher and turning quickly into an air stream that gusted from below. Ellie and Coty followed, catching the same airstream, pushing them higher. A gust of air caught the edges of the cloak, giving the illusion that Ellie might also have wings herself. She was laughing as the pegasus flapped beside Evander, gliding through the air effortlessly. Evander sped off for a few yards and then closed his wings, letting himself fall back to earth. Ellie giggled at his antics until she felt Coty spring forward.

“Oh no,” she squeaked, but the pegasus didn’t pay her any attention.

He glided upwards and, turning sharply, folded his wings into his body and allowed himself to fall as well. She let out a startled squeal as she felt herself fall with the horse. Gripping his mane and hugging his body with her knees, she prayed she wouldn’t fall off. For a few seconds, she was weightless, falling, frozen. When Coty opened his wings, the sudden change rocked her forward as his wings snapped open. She reached around his neck, clinging to him, and he flapped several times, gaining altitude again.

She let out a breath that had gotten trapped in her throat as they fell, clinging to his back with all her might. For a few minutes more, the three of them soared together. The quiet sounds of wings flapping in the breeze, the beat of her heart in her ears, the feel of the pegasus under her, and the expansion of the cosmos overhead were all a balm to her weary soul. Ellie closed her eyes and let the moment wash over her. Letting go of the mane, she relaxed her body into the horse. He responded to her by steadying their flight. Turning her face towards the moon and the magnificent heavens, she put her arms out on either side. The wind caught in her cloak, making it billow around her. The borrowed tunic fluttered up around her thighs as she finally let go. Up here, in the chilled air, flying far above the world, above Olympus, she let herself breathe. She inhaled the fresh, crisp air, filling her lungs with as much as she could. Everything she had been holding onto fell to the earth as she exhaled. The shame of her magic, the tense hold of control she thought she needed, her confusion at being different, her hurt at how Penn treated her, all of it dropped to the earth like sandbags that had been weighing her down.

Anxiety.

Hurt.

Pain.

Every emotion that gripped and suffocated her down below fell away the higher she flew. When she opened her eyes, she felt lighter. Whole. Renewed. As if a part of her soul had fallen back into place.

They landed near where the herd had moved to graze, and she slipped off Coty.

Giving him several pats, she threw her arms around his neck and squeezed. Burying her nose into his mane, she breathed in that sweet smell of horse.

“Thank you,” she whispered into the strands of hair.

When she let go, he blinked at her and jerked his head, puffing out hot breath in wispy tendrils into the night air. He sniffed her cloak again, looking for a treat, and when he didn’t find any, he trotted off to his herd, his long tail swishing side to side as he did.

Ellie turned to Evander, who took her hand and pulled it up to his lips, kissing her knuckles.

“Thank you too,” she said.

They walked back to the cottage wordlessly.