Even though I could no longer see her, I knew she was still there. Part of my soul, part of my shadows, part of my Source. Part of me.
“Ready now?” Gaia asked, her curious emerald eyes ablaze.
I nodded, my gaze roving over her brilliant white feathers—those were going to draw a lot of attention.
As she crossed the threshold, her wings shimmered into nothing but a shadow, a play of the dwindling light. There. The word pulsed through my mind.
So, it wasn’t just her stomach that shifted into something more human, it was all of her.
“You coming, Angel of Water?” she tossed over her shoulder, fiery irises deepening to a solid hunter green.
“Are we walking?” I asked, following her out into the open wilderness.
A star studded the sky, then another, and another as the sun dipped below the mountains, twilight taking its indigo hold. I shivered against the cold that Gaia seemed to embrace.
Her lips tilted into a mischievous grin.
Placing the tips of her thumb and pointer finger in her mouth, Gaia blew, letting out a shrill whistle that echoed off the canyon and rang through the natural hollow.
Hooves patted the soil. A moonlit horse galloped into view, silver-white mane flapping in the wind. Something glimmered on its forehead: a fractal of crystal, of pearl—a horn.
The unicorn came to a halt in front of us, the breeze kissing its silky hair.
My hand shot to my mouth. At the sudden movement, the creature took a cautious prance back, its nostrils flaring.
“She’s a tad skittish,” Gaia warned. “Let her take the lead.”
Slowly, I extended my palm. “What’s her name?”
“Rune. Pretty, huh?”
Whinnying, Rune pawed the earth.
Gaia’s voice was soft and sweet. “Sæll gamli vinur.”
“What did you say?”
“Hello, old friend.”
Horn glistening, Rune kicked up her head, nosing my empty palm.
“Hi, girl.” I gently pressed my free hand against her muzzle, running it over the velvet fur. “I wish I had a treat for you.”
“The elves will have plenty at the stables,” Gaia said, drifting to Rune’s side. Dropping her face close, she whispered, “Leyfi til að hjóla?”
Tips of her ears twitching, the unicorn’s front legs dipped low.
“Permission to mount has been granted.” Gaia patted Rune’s dappled white shoulder blades. “Come on. You first.”
Grabbing a handful of Rune’s lustrous mane, I hoisted myself up, scooching to the base of her neck. The Angel of Earth hopped on after me, sitting flush with my back. Taking two full strands of the unicorn’s hair in her fists, Gaia lightly tapped her boots against Rune’s sides.
With the speed of a falling star, we shot through the headlands, the caves and glaciers and meadows blending into one, as we rode alongside the icy wind.
Chapter 40
The fire danced, hot and wild, leaping towards the sky. Hildur, once a great ruler, was now nothing more than ashes, a whispered tale in the night.
I wiped my cheek, red from the wind, burning from the tears. Where did the elves go when they died?
