Brynne panicked and raised her wind mace, but Rudy laid a hand on her arm.
“She’s got this,” he said fiercely.
Brynne backed off. The night mare spread her wings, and Aru felt a fresh gust of fear….Only this time, it wasn’therfear, but the animal’s. Loose Teeth gave Aru a vision of what the mare’s life was like. Though she was massive to Aru, she was tiny compared to her sisters, and she also walked with a limp. When she tried to nuzzle the other horses, she would often get a wing to the face.
In her mind’s eye, Aru saw how the night mares grazed in the long, dark grass of the Halls of Nidra. When the clouds changed to grass, not every dreamer made it out. Some were trapped in the meadow.
The night mares would search for stragglers, and when they found them, fear would roll off the horses’ dark bodies like smoke until the sleepers breathed it in. Within seconds, the victims’ eyelids would scrunch tight and their mouths would flatten into a panicked line as they started to toss and turn. Bad dreams would make the sleepers glow in the dark, and the night mares would drink in that flush of despair until the blue infernos of their eyes blazed brighter. Eventually, the sleeper would wake up and disappear, and the horses would wander off, their meals concluded.
The night mares fed off fear.
It struck Aru as monstrous, but Mini didn’t seem to think so.
“It’s okay,” she said, holding her hands palms-up to Loose Teeth to show that she meant no harm.
Loose Teeth trembled. Her withers quivered and she swung her great head toward Mini’s chest as if angling for…a hug? Mini smiled. The horse moved closer and sighed. Her tail whipped lazily behind her.
“She’s sweet,” said Mini, stroking her nose.
“Mini, that isliterallya monster,” said Brynne. “You can’t keep it!”
“I wasn’t going to!” said Mini defensively.
Brynne and Aru exchanged a look that said,She absolutely was. But before they could confront their sister, the door slid open and a new voice entered the stall.
“How did you do that?”
Aru turned to see a woman standing at the entrance. She was light-skinned with shoulder-length black hair that fell in tight curls. Her features were small, pretty, and doll-like, and she wore a men’s riding outfit.
“Who are you?” asked Aiden.
The woman ignored him and stepped inside. Loose Teeth recognized her and whinnied happily. The woman smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes. Silently she looked around the stall, her gaze darting from Mini’s supplies to Loose Teeth’s foreleg firmly planted on the ground. Mini stepped back as the woman approached the horse and stroked his nose.
“Curious,” said the woman, turning to look at Mini. The woman’s voice was sweet and high-pitched. “Few can bear to be so close to these creatures.”
Aru felt a flash of nerves. Was this Mini’s test to win Dee Dee back? Did that mean Aru’s was next…or had it already passed?
“Yeah, well, Mini’s really brave,” said Rudy, crossing his arms.
Mini glanced at him gratefully.
“Either that or she’s all too familiar with fear,” said the stranger, lifting an indifferent shoulder. “Are you often scared, child?”
Mini opened her mouth, then quickly shut it, hurt flashing across her eyes. The confident girl who had been standing tall and proud a moment ago had disappeared.
The stranger didn’t seem to notice Mini’s silence as she scratched Loose Teeth’s velvety muzzle. Loose Teeth snorted with pleasure.
“Night mares are terribly misunderstood creatures,” she said. “People think they’re evil, but they serve a beautiful purpose. They force you to behold yourself more clearly. They make you honest.”
“Can they, uh, make a path for us to get out of here?” asked Aru.
Mini’s weapon hadn’t returned, so maybe that meant this wasn’t the test. Aru’s relief was short-lived and followed by a wave of guilt. Was she really that selfish?
Not selfish, said a kind part of herself.Just scared. That’s okay.
“Oh, you’ll leave soon enough,” said the woman. “He’s bound to wake up soon, and then the Halls of Nidra will vanish and re-form elsewhere.”
Rudy raised his hand. “Um, who’s going to wake up?”
