My hands still grip the reins of the horse, but the rope is rubbing my skin raw. I stay quiet, though, unsure of what lurks out in the dark. My body begins to shift left and right as the horse kicks its legs around and huffs loudly. My jaw tightens, along with my grip on the reins. I go to speak, but pause when I see the Prince’s face.
He looks back at me with an expression I have yet to see. I suck in a sharp breath as his eyes bore into mine. Some sort of emotion is painted along his face. But as the light in his eyes begins to flicker, theydarkenjust as fast.
“What is it?” I whisper as the horses' hooves beat against the ground.
“Quiet,” he snaps, his nostrils flaring.
His head whips around to the sky, looking in every direction. I do the same, as if I understand what he is looking for. But when he holds his hand up, telling me to stop moving, that’s when my stomach begins to twist and turn.
What is he looking for?
The quietness of our surroundings is driving me mad. The darkness is almost suffocating as I see nothing but the moon andFlorian. The only sound I hear is the beating of my heart echoing in my ears. It thumps loudly, making my head feel as if it might explode. His hand stays up but then hesitantly comes down as my horse still fidgets with its legs.
My body stiffens in the horse’s saddle. My hands grip tighter, and sweat begins to form in my palms.
I feel they can all sense something I cannot.
“I hope you know how to ride a horse!” He snaps his head towards me and screams, “Vobviski!”
“Vobviski?” My eyebrows cave deep. Before I can say another word, the hooves of the horse I ride on lift off the ground and it takes off at full speed.
Prince Florian kicks his leg full force against his horse’s side and they sprint into the night. His horse gallops far ahead, and I realize I am falling behind. I panic and grip the reins as tight as I can. My horse sprints after them, galloping rapidly as the freezing wind slaps my face like a million tiny daggers. The grip of my rope begins to slip between my palms. I squeeze harder as my body bounces with every gallop.
Do not… fall off… this damn horse.
Through my squinted eyes, I still can visualize Florian and his horse ahead. Tears sweep off the side of my face. I’m not crying, but the force of the wind makes it impossible to keep my eyes dry. They’re drifting off into the night, so I whip the reins to go faster. Just as I start to catch up, a shadow flying in the sky suddenly appears above us, making me flinch and bend my head down. Wings flap violently in the soaring winds above us. My breaths come in quick, shallow gasps as I desperately try to catch up to Florian. The thundering beats from the horses reverberate against the ground, sending vibrations through my body with each heavy step. The horses’ breaths are loud and ragged, matching my own strained and labored breathing.
The rushing wind whips into my ears as the winged shadow passes over me, the screeching scream of the creature piercing my ears.
“What the hell is that!” I duck down, my chest almost resting against the neck of my horse.
I catch a glance of a tunnel caved into the mountain ahead of us, wondering if this is what we are sprinting to. Desperately hoping. My body is bouncing uncontrollably off of the saddle, almost tilting me sideways, but I hold on for dear life.
I will not fall off.
The reins in my hands are burning as they rub through my palms, the rope’s stitching digging into them and blood begins to trickle down my wrists. A roar in the sky resounds through my ears with a familiarity of the sound from the structure I was kept in. The color drains from my face as the same fear from when I was in the room rushes through me.
What the hell isn’t the Prince telling me?
“Hurry!” he shouts back at me. His hair slaps his face, whipping around by the force of the wind and speed. “You will die out here if you do not make it through!”
“Come on, horse,” I plead out to it as I grip the reins even tighter, ignoring the blood gushing from my palms.
Everything hurts. Everything aches.
But I am not from here, he is. And if he says I will dieout here if I don’tride like I am from here, then I believe him. He knows what is soaring above us.
I do not.
The horse gallops faster, its hooves pounding against the ground with a ferocious intensity. As we draw closer to Florian and his horse, I can feel my heart racing and my hair being pulled back by the sheer force of our speed. Adrenaline courses through my veins, heightening my senses and giving me a surge of energy I have never felt before.
Fire burns within my veins.
Fear is replaced by rage.
I will not be dinner for whatever flies above us.
Finally, I am riding next to Florian. I steal a quick glance at him as we ride in perfect synchrony, his eyes wide in disbelief. It's as if he never thought I could keep up, let alone catch up to him.
