He exhaled deeply, and his steps became surer.
Relieved, I twisted around in my saddle to look at the others.
Nebula stopped. She planted her front feet, and her whole body shook as she was unable to take another step.
Behind her Twilight rolled his pale yellow eyes and shrieked; his breathing was twice as fast as it should have been as something white dripped from his nostrils.
The others weren’t faring any better.
I have to reassure them.
My heart twisted at the sight of my scared horses. “Eclipse, Solstice, Comet, Twilight, Nebula, we’re going to be okay, I promise.”
The night mares perked their ears as they listened to my voice.
“I willneverlet anyone harm you. I will never send you off without me,” I vowed. “I’m here with you, and I promise we’re going to get through to the other side. Don’t look at the water, watchme.”
Nebula exhaled hard, then rocked forward into a shaky walk.
Up and down the line, the night mares tucked their chins, their eyes fixed on me as they followed.
It was then that I really understood the depth of their intelligence—and the intelligence of fae creatures.
They were trusting me. They’d listened to my words and were choosing to override instinct because I asked them to.
I don’t deserve them.
They clopped across the boardwalk, and I talked to them the whole way, my voice getting stronger and surer the closer we got to land.
Blue Moon shuddered with relief once he stepped off the wooden boardwalk and onto the dirt walking trail.
Eclipse tucked her butt under her and scurried after us, Solstice just a few steps behind her.
The horses breathed easier once they stepped on to land, and they inspected the bike trail. Wide enough for one car, the trail traveled both north and curved to the south and east—the portion we wanted to travel.
It was walled in with shrubs and a little wooden fence, but it was a much wider and more secure path. And—most importantly—it was a long, abandoned stretch of good footing.
“This is it, my beauties!” I called to them as the last night mare reached land with a relieved huff. I glanced up at the drone hovering above us, which emitted a high-pitched whirl as it buzzed around us. “Let’s show everyone what you have!”
I cued Blue Moon into a canter, and heripped loose.
I swear I felt a dark and wild magic ripple around us as he lengthened his stride, his hooves thundering against the dirt path.
I leaned low over his neck, every muscle in my body tightened. I squeezed Blue Moon with all the muscles in my legs and pushed down in the saddle stirrups as wind ripped at my clothes.
Eclipse galloped at our side, her body long and lean as she ran wilder than the wind.
As we galloped, there was somethingsilveryabout the moment.
It was like the night mares were glowing from within. The bony, malnourished look blurred and faded, and between the tears from the wind and the weirdness of the moment, it was like a silvery shadow enveloped them, and I felt a beauty beyond words.
I blinked, and the feeling was gone, but the night mares pounded along, their hooves tossing clods of dirt and turf as we raced between the blue lakes, closing in on the end of the path.
Soon, we’d rejoin the other racers.
I only hoped we could scoot to safety before they started fighting.
Chapter Thirty
