“How do you mean?” Lori asked and pulled her hood down. She glanced around, seeing nothing but more dense, snowy forest.
Faye's majick made her more sensitive to her surroundings and when she had ‘a feeling’ about something she was rarely wrong. Lori's chest tightened with worry and she turned to shout for Lephas. The two demons were already jogging towards them. The princess swallowed, her throat suddenly dry.
“Hey, hold up a moment,” Lephas shouted breathlessly.
“Whoa girl.” Faye pulled Gaia up but the horse continued to stride forwards against her sister's will. Her chestnut ears were pricked sharply ahead.
“Hey, I said slow,” Faye chastised and pulled harder against the horse’s mouth. The mare eventually came to a halt but shifted from foot to foot, swishing her tail impatiently. “Lori, something is wrong. Gaia can sense it too.”
Oddly, the horse didn't seem worried. Far from it. She paced and attempted to walk on before Faye tugged back on her reins, holding her in place.
“Faye, can you feel that?” Raxx marched forwards, scanning through the forest. His dark eyes were serious and focussed.
“You can too?” The princess frowned. “What is it?”
“I don't know, but–”
As the wind died, Gaia's head shot up and her ears pricked. Faintly, over the howling winds, music warbled. The hauntingly beautiful tune was nothing that nature could produce.
Without warning, Gaia's muscles bunched beneath her and the horse shot forwards.
Lori screamed and Faye struggled to get control of the mare but the strong animal fought against her hold. One of her leather reins snapped under the force, sending Faye sprawling and nearly dislodging her from the saddle.
Completely unhindered, Gaia stretched forwards into a flat-out gallop.
If the demons had shouted after them, Lori hadn't heard them. Gaia thundered on at break neck speed through the wilderness with little thought to her riders.
The pines whipped and slashed at them as the horse careened out of control towards the eerily beautiful music. Snow and ice sprayed all around them and Faye gave up attempting to control her horse.
Instead, both princesses lay forward, as flat as they could manage in an attempt to remain on the horse's back. Faye grabbed a fistful of mane and reached back to hold Lori in place.
Even in the face of danger, Lori admired how expertly her sister rode. Whilst she slid around, bumpingand jostling against Gaia's back gracelessly, Faye moved smoothly. Her body was in sync, not fighting against the mare any longer.
As Gaia began to tire, her hooves slowed to a less deafening roar and the music grew clearer. No... Not music, Lori realised with a start.
Singing.
She didn't recognise the song and couldn't make out the words, but there was no doubt about it. The mare's ears flickered curiously, listening to the mysterious warbling.
“Faye!” Lori screeched, attempting to grab her sister's attention. “Faye! Someone is–”
“A house!” her sister shouted and pointed off through the woods. A small stone cottage stood in the distance, mostly hidden by dense forest. The air smelt smoky, like a fireplace.
They continued to thunder forwards, the mare charging on with renewed vigour as they grew closer still to the mysterious singer.
Lori barely believed her eyes as they quickly approached a small stone wall, marking the borderline of someone's property.
“Hold on, we're going to jump it!” Faye screamed, grabbing a tighter hold on Lori's jacket.
Before Lori had the chance to be frightened, Gaia had leapt into the air and gracefully flew over the obstacle. She landed with a thud and her hooves slipped on the snow briefly before she righted herself and continued cantering forwards.
Lori slid dangerously to one side and Faye, still professionally seated in her saddle, tugged her roughly back into place.
“Stop right there!” a voice, smooth as silk, called out to them.
Instantly, Gaia skidded to a halt and her hooves clattered clumsily beneath her. Somehow the mare managed to stay upright.
She was breathing hard, her large body rocking back and forth with her frantic breaths. Steam billowed up from the mare's sweaty body into the cold air.
