Dylan grabbed Aspen and wrapped an arm around her waist. With a jerk, the earth moved away from her feet and she rose up in the air with him. Automatically she grabbed his neck and hooked her calves around his hips to hold on for dear life.
After a few seconds, she dared to look down. Dylan had aimed an electrical current at the ground and the force was lifting the two of them up in the air. Power flowed from his hand in a direct line to the soil. The stream was as thick as a telephone pole, and it snaked toward the earth in neon-blue sparks.
Horses continued to catapult from the flames, but now she looked down at them instead of being trapped next to them. She saw Ray as he waved his arms at them frantically from below. He’d managed to move out of the horses’ path completely.
After releasing her death grip on his neck, she turned wondrous eyes toward Dylan.
“Wow. I’m sorry for attacking you like that, but I didn’t know what was happening or that you could do something like this.”
Dylan’s mouth curled upward. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he murmured, and his gaze dropped to her lips.
The shock was beginning to wear off, and Aspen could feel her entire body humming with electricity. She glanced down again. “I think we can go back now. The stampede seems to be over.”
Dylan laughed softly. “Whatever you want, Princess.”
When Dylan decreased the current in his hands, they descended slowly. A stiff breeze whipped strands of her hair against his face as they made their way back to earth.
“You can let go now,” Dylan said and smiled at her.
“Huh?” She blushed when she realized they’d landed, but her legs were still wrapped around his waist. Instantly, she dropped to her feet and stepped away.
“Aspen, are you all right?” Ray asked from behind her.
“No thanks to you,” Dylan snarled at him.
Ignoring Dylan, Ray grabbed her hands. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think the horses were so close. I would never hurt you intentionally.”
Aspen shook her head. “It’s fine, don’t worry. Wow, look at these horses. I know I’ve seen them before, but they’re just so magnificent.” Hopefully the subject change would defuse the tension between the two Dream Walkers.
Ray stepped back. “Yeah, they’re beauties, all right. Demothi conjures them up when the Power Walkers need them, and sends them back once the job is done. We have our own horses, but there’s nothing like a white Arcadian. They’re magical.”
“Come on, let’s get our horses and get going,” Dylan said, his voice icy. “Leeman is waiting for everyone already.”
Still reeling from the quick flight, Aspen was shocked to feel Dylan’s hold on her hand as he pulled her toward Leeman’s house. What was his problem now? She wasn’t someone’s favorite toy that could be dragged back and forth like this. She sighed and followed behind him, watching as warriors saddled the horses and stowed supplies in bags.
Dylan found a smaller horse and strapped a saddle onto its back while Aspen stood behind him. Once he was done, he reached into a container on the ground and pulled out a small hunting knife. He handed it, safe inside its sheath, to Aspen.
“Keep this with you in case something happens.”
Nodding, she took the knife from him solemnly. This wasn’t a game, and the odds of their getting hurt were high. She swallowed a lump in her throat as Dylan saddled his larger horse. The animal stood patiently until he’d finished.
After Dylan was done, he turned and whisked her up into the air as if she were as light as a feather. Before she could protest, she sat on the smaller horse. Lifting her leg over its broad neck, she tucked her foot into the stirrup on the other side.
Dylan tightened the stirrup on both sides before handing her the reins. It felt good knowing he was looking after her. With little effort, he jumped up on his own horse and turned its head so the two animals faced the same way.
“Listen up, folks.” Leeman’s voice boomed above the loud noise in the village. “The Power Walkers will be headed for the castle, and the rest of you will create a diversion for us. Aspen, Dylan, Sandy, and Ginny, you’ll be in charge of the horses once we get there. I don’t want to see you anywhere near the castle. We’ll get back to you once we’re done. Understood?”
Sandy had joined Ginny earlier, and the two girls angled their horses next to Dylan and Aspen. The four bobbed their heads in unison.
“Right then, let’s get on our way.” Leeman’s command was followed by whoops and catcalls of excitement.
The massive train of horses filtered out of the village and made its way past the river.
“It’s about an hour’s hard ride to the castle, so we’ll go through at least one Lavendula before we get there,” Ginny said, and patted the twitching neck of her beautiful white horse. “Leeman is taking us away from any known waypoints so we don’t come across any Chancellors by mistake.”
“It’s a shame. A lot of kids will have nightmares tonight and they won’t know why.” Sandy grimaced.