The feel of tension is apparent in his spine and I run my palm slowly down it, attempting to brush away its uneasiness. A few seconds pass and I offer Ryder my hand.
His weight nearly pulls me off of Nefarious. Shifting, I settle back in and Ryder’s palms push down my stomach more sensually than safely. I suppose it’d be logical for Ryder to guide the dragon horse. I assume he has before at some point in his life. But he doesn’t hold his superiority over me. It seems it isn’t even a thought in his mind.
“You excited?” he asks from over my shoulder. His body presses nicely against mine, surrounding me with his strength.
A comforting, but awful, thought slips through my mind; if I fall, he’ll shudder us before we hit the ground.
Won’t he?
Would my wings make an appearance once again? Or would the fear of falling terrify them from coming out?
“Yeah.” I’m a little more breathless than I should be. I am excited. Excited and nervous and terrified all at once.
“Then let’s go.” With a swift motion of his heels the longma bolts into action.
Lunging strides pound against the grass, kicking up dirt as it races toward the horizon. Wild wind pulls at my hair, sending a cold chill across my bare arms. As if our destination is the sunset, Nefarious strides fast toward the setting sun, racing to catch the last little glimpse of it.
Until he kicks off from the earth entirely.
My fists tighten on its wildly waving mane. Long strands of white hair tangle through my fingers. The darkening sky welcomes us, pulling us higher and higher until the air thins out.
It’s beautiful.
I’ve felt small my entire life. Lost in the sea of existence. But here, up above, looking down on that very sea, I feel humbled. It isn’t about what you have or who you are.
It’s about the moments you steal away for yourself to look back on.
This is one of those moments. I can see it as the tiny metallic houses dot the land. I can see it in the lights that shine out. I can feel it coursing all through me.
This is just one more experience to make me whole.
It’s serene.
Until it’s not.
A small little bird whips past Nefarious and his silver eyes track the tiny animal’s movement. With a puff of its breath, white, smoky flames shoot out of the longma’s snout, reminding us that he is very much a dragon with only the facade features of a horse. Flames dart out several yards, coating the small bird in an instant. A crying squawk can be heard for only a second before Nefarious swoops down and swallows his charred dinner whole before going about his day once again.
Stiffly I peek back at Ryder. He shakes his head slightly and I can tell he’s holding back a small smile from my shocked expression.
“That one’s hers.” Ryder points to a secluded, shining house. It looks like a speck against the waving field of land. There’s hundreds of small objects behind the house that I can’t make out from here.
The soft hair of the longma is still held tightly in my hands and I pull back gently on its mane. Its speed slows until it begins to descend. The creature is tamer than it looks. It follows my guidance without question.
My teeth jar as the animal slams hard into the earth, its talons running at a rapid pace. I do my best to guide the dragon horse toward the house.
“Not too close. Their sisters will lose their shit if they see this thing.” Ryder points to a tree several yards from the house.
It’s the only tree for miles. It stands alone. Completely defenseless to the world around us.
“What about the nix?” I ask as he helps me down.
I pet Nefarious’ mane, pushing it back into place before I even assess my own tangled hair.
“The nix enter from the opposing realm near the mortal realm. They rarely ever make it out this far. They can’t survive without water, their body dries out. Without it they’re weak and there aren’t many water sources out here. That’s why that village was so populated.”
I still don’t leave the longma.
“He can most definitely take care of himself, beautiful.”
