“I’ll be fine.” I yank them away from him and start to head towards my horse. “I’ll continue to follow you.”
“I can heal them here,” he whispers out. “If you are hurting, I can help take that pain away.”
“I am fine.” My voice heightens, rage filling my throat as I yell at him. “Just get me the hell out of this place!”
He clears his throat, his palms brushing against his knees. With each hit, dirt and dust float into the air. He glides past me to his horse in front. We both climb on our respective horses and he looks back to me, nodding once. Staying silent after my outburst.
The wind feels a bit chillier as we are now riding through a forest of green, lush trees. They stretch high in the sky as the stars flicker through the branches. Our pathway is lit up on the ground by tiny pulsating particles that lighten when near butfade to dark as we go. As if they are lightning bugs, floating above the ground while they follow us.
We continue on our journey, the long ride creating an uncomfortable throbbing pain in my inner thighs. We’ve been riding for too long. The silence between us seems to grow thicker. I can sense his eyes on me every now and then, but I refuse to meet his gaze.
My mind is still reeling from the events that took place earlier. Who were those guards? Why were there guards there? And what was that creature that flew above us?
But most importantly, I am further away from finding my sister now.
Further away from getting back to Alice. As well as my father.
The stillness of this forest is deafening, broken only by the soft patter of hooves on the ground and the birds flying above us through the leaves. The Prince's quietness only adds to my growing apprehension. I steal a glance at him finally as I ride almost beside him now, trying to gauge his thoughts, but his face remains expressionless. His sharp jaw illuminates outwards from his neck, his veins bulging along down to his chest and as I catch one more glance to his eye, I see a slight flicker of ember that sparkles. The moon casts an enthralling glow on his features, highlighting the fierce coloring in his cornea as they beam still in the night. He snaps his glare towards me, our eyes finally meeting, but I rip away my gaze.
My throat tightens as I lift my chin high.
I ride forward, feeling his tense gaze still on me as I now trot pass him. My loose strands that tickle the back of my neck from the breeze are a constant irritation, but I continue to focus on eventually escaping from this prison I am in.
I must survive what awaits me in Eekatia.
I must.
I spy a flicker of light up ahead. We draw closer, and I realize it's a small cottage nestled among the trees. The Prince passes me and whips his reins, signaling with his hand for us to slow down, and we eventually come to a halt outside.
He jumps off his horse and helps me down. Our eyes continue to catch but words never leave our mouths.
We’re both stubborn as hell, it seems.
He takes our horses by the reins and ties them up to a nearby tree. As he starts to separate from me, an elderly woman opens the door, who lights up when she sees him. She sways out of the door, dancing and cheering to an unknown tune. Her tethered dress paired with an olive apron sways in the light breeze as she claps her hands before squeezing the Prince tightly. Her smile beams with happiness as he grabs her cheeks and hunches over to put his head on hers. As they let go, her eyes glance at me and she greets me with a kind smile, waving me with her towel to come indoors.
The cottage is cozy and warm. The fire pit flickers with a metal pan over it for food, and plants hang down from the ceiling. I get a deep whiff of sizzled bacon making my stomach turn and growl. I’m starving.
She makes her way over to the kitchen, her shoes tapping against the floor. A high, circled wooden table is near her, engraved with the same symbol I saw when I was tied up in the back of the wagon through the first village. The circles… they must mean something.
She starts to pour us tea as she hums away, carrying on to what she was doing before our sudden arrival.
The Prince starts to pace around the small cottage, muttering to himself in agitation. His golden hair still sways smoothly when he paces around, like it never tangles. As if the wind can never unravel the perfect, slight curls around his jaw line. Which aggravates me, knowing mine is knotted and frizzy. He leansover the stoned fire pit, hovering over the fire with one hand gliding across his chin. I take a seat on the chair and watch him carefully, waiting for him to make the first move.
Because even though I just met him, his body language is speaking volumes. His calm, cool demeanor is out the door and this man I am seeing before me, feels like a regular human, not a Prince.
He turns towards me, catching my eyes that study him. My eyes swiftly glance to the ceiling while my lips rub together in a panic.
“Tell me, Serene.” He starts to walk away but then snaps his head up to meet mine. His eyes darken with such intensity that nerves flutter widely in my stomach. “I need to know how you ride so fast and swiftly. I've never seen anyone do it. Not here in this realm, not in any other. What hidden secrets are you keeping from me?”
I am taken back. I hesitate before answering. “I am confused. Was it not thehorsewho rode swiftly?”
His expression softens, and he clenches his lips together before turning his gaze away from me again.
“The horses fear what soars in the sky. They normally panic and pause in their tracks if the one who rides them cannot control them properly.”
“And what soars in the sky,Prince Florian?” This is the first time I’ve spoken his name.
His jaw ticks as he stares at the fire that cooks the bacon. The sizzling sounds of the grease popping is begging my stomach to devour it at last. But even if my insides are caving in, the fear of the unknown that was once chasing us, makes my hunger vanish with the thought of it.
