Chapter Twenty-Two #2
“No, though I did manage to get a horse as a gift. One of the only things my father gave me. I had to take care of her, see to all of her needs. But the stable hand we had was kind enough to teach me the basics of riding. After that, I taught myself by escaping early in the morning to practice.” I stare intently at the point where the faintly glowing motes begin to obscure the trees in the distance.
“I would ride and ride until I was at the very edge of my small world…and at that point, I fantasized about keeping on. About riding to a place far out of reach from them.”
“I suppose you succeeded.” Giles laughs. He’s a lighthearted one and seems oblivious to the pain lingering underneath my words that Shaye clearly picks up on. “After all, you’re riding pretty far from them now, in a place where they will never get you.”
I laugh softly. If only I could stay here. The thought crosses my mind so naturally that it takes me a full three seconds to be surprised by it. It’s not the first time I’ve had this sort of musing, so it’s not the thought itself that’s alarming me. It’s how natural the want has become.
“Was that the horse you wanted to keep?” Davien asks. I don’t recall when he got so close. He’s now on the other side of me, and I’m sandwiched between him and Shaye. “Oren told me that there was a point of contention about a horse the day you left.”
“Her name is Misty,” I say. “My father only ever gave me two things—my mother’s lute, which was more of an inheritance from her than a gift from him, and Misty. My sisters don’t even ride.” Though Laura did say she’d do her best. “She’ll be wasted there.”
“Maybe when you go back you can retrieve her.”
I laugh. “Funnily enough, I was thinking the same thing earlier. I thought that if I can have magic within me, if I can cross the Fade and dine with fae, then what do I have to fear from my family?” Yet even as I say those words, there’s still a scared little girl within me, fearful of whatever punishment Joyce might concoct next.
“Very little, I would think.” Giles chuckles.
Davien continues to regard me thoughtfully. With him on one side and Shaye on the other, I’ve nowhere to hide my thoughts or emotions.
“Perhaps, once this is all over and the dust has settled, I can make a trip back to the Natural World and help you reclaim Misty. Having the magic of the Fae King would prove valuable in any sort of caper.” He grins slightly.
I can’t stop my face from splitting into a smile.
The thought of the two of us sneaking through the night, breaking into my family’s home, and taking something from them after they took so much from me is a sweeter fantasy than I could’ve imagined previously.
“Or His Majesty might want to send his loyal vassals to assist her,” Shaye says formally, giving Davien a pointed look. “After all, you will be busy enough settling into the throne and making sure no one wants to take it from you. It wouldn’t be wise to leave.”
“The fae aren’t accustomed to keeping their leader long, after all.” Giles sighs. “It’s been ages since our land has known stability.”
“All that will change with me,” Davien vows. “And I believe I will have enough time, power, and energy to help both my people and Katria.”
The image of a scale appears in my mind.
All of the fae—his entire kingdom—are on one side, and I’m on the other.
Yet somehow, those scales are not so far out of balance that I am tipped into oblivion.
Davien is still considering me and my well-being.
Perhaps he spoke true when he said that he would make an effort to come and visit me.
Maybe that wasn’t a careful dance of fae words.
“I suppose time will tell.” Shaye’s words are as uncomfortable as she suddenly looks in her saddle. She keeps casting sidelong glances in Davien’s direction. There’s something on her mind and I have no intention of being here when she gets it off her chest.
“What’s our plan?” I ask, trying to change the topic.
“There’s a safe house right at the northern edge of our borders, due north of here.
We’ll ride there today and rest. It’s still within the barriers of the Acolytes of the Wild Wood, so we can spend the night in relative safety.
Then tomorrow we’ll wake with the dawn and ride hard into the northern forests, through the fogs, until we reach the Lake of Anointing at the northernmost point of the fae wilds. ”
“Understood.” I lean forward, looking at Giles around Shaye. “Then I think it sounds like we have time for a race. What do you think?”
Giles bites. “I think my horse is larger than yours and of better breeding.”
“Too bad that’s not going to make up for me being the superior rider,” I taunt. “I’ll race you to the safe house. Last one to get there is in charge of dinner.”
Giles roars with laughter. “Either way, you’re going to lose because I’m a wretched cook. But you have a deal. Shaye, will you count us off?”
Shaye sighs, as though she is indulging two children. But she counts anyway. “Three. Two. One!”
Giles and I are off. I leave Shaye and Davien behind me, along with all of the uncomfortable thoughts that they inadvertently dredged up.
I let my mind go blank as the wind pulls at my hair and clothes, pricking tears in the corners of my eyes.
Giles was wrong. No matter what, I win. Because I get to ride as fast as I want through the magic woods of the fae.
Even when those thoughts are trying to weigh me down, when I ride like this, I feel like I am the one with wings. I feel as if I am soaring.
As Davien explained when we first set out, the trip is going to take two days. So our race ends up being more of an endurance challenge. Our initial pace slows to a good trot and we end up side by side.
“This isn’t much of a race.” Giles chuckles.
“Most races are won at the start or very end. The middle is just keeping pace.” I wink.
“I’m not sure that’s how racing works.”