“How long will the journey take?” Daniel asked.
“We have to travel up past The Collar so just under a fortnight there and the same back,” Ethan answered quickly before turning back to me. “What do you mean ‘we’?”
“I mean ‘we’, all present in the room.” I walked from the room and Ethan followed close behind.
“No, no, you’re staying here.”
“Uh-oh,” Ric muttered as I turned on my heel to face them.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you correctly,” I said, my temper flaring.
“I said you’re staying here – in the house – where it’s safe.”
“Where it’s safe…in the house…by myself…for almost a month.” I repeated the sentence over and over, thinking out loud. “You’re right, I’m sure nothing can go wrong in that scenario.”
“Willow and Lav will be home in under a fortnight – and nothing can go wrong if you behave and think for once. You’re safest here,” he snapped.
“No, you’re right. That’s a great plan. It’ll be like the first week I got here. A bit of a shame you killed that Vampyr the night I ran away though. We could’ve thrown a ‘we love Gnathians’ party,” I said, my words dripping with sarcasm.
“Funny,” he spat.
“Do you really think it’s a good idea to leave her alone?” Daniel asked. “I can’t see it ending well.”
“Does she look like she’s in an appropriate condition to travel?” He waved his hand toward me. “No travelling clothes, no bag, no experience, no way.” I hissed at him.
“Whatever danger lies on the road, she’d be with us at least,” Ric said, eying the flimsy front door. “These lands must be crawling with spies for them. If they heard she’d been left alone-”
“They won’t,” Ethan yelled.
“You can’t promise that,” Ric said.
“She is not coming with us,” Ethan bared his teeth and snarled. “End of story.”
He looked at me angrily and I held his gaze. His eyes were swimming with mercury and fire as he left to pack his things. Ric touched my shoulder as he followed his lead and Daniel offered nothing, not that I expected him to.
A short while later I sulked heavily outside the small stables, not looking at any of them as Ethan and Daniel walked their horses out. Ric didn’t suit horses and as per usual had opted to run beside them in his other form.
“Don’t be mad, Ava,” Ric said stroking my hair. “Ethan might realise how foolish he’s been on the way.” I raised my eyebrows, giving Ric a look that said I wouldn’t bet on it. “Yeah, maybe not.” Ric hugged me goodbye and started ahead.
Daniel dipped his head to me and followed Ric’s lead while Ethan hesitated, not quite knowing what to say. I stroked his horse’s muzzle as he whinnied.
“Just let me ask you one question,” I said, trying to keep my temper on a leash. He stared at me, listening. “During your hour-long temper tantrum, did you consider what might happen if Alistair comes back?” Fear bubbled briefly inside me.
He was silent. If he cared he didn’t show it and I sneered. I didn’t wish him well or to have a safe journey. Instead, I turned from him and headed toward the house without looking back. I didn’t hear the sound of hooves until I’d shut the front door, the feel of his eyes still alive and burning on my skin.
I HAD A good hour of calm reflection before my temper slipped and I loosed the beast. That bastard. He dared to just dump me off like a cartful of stolen goods. The lounge was quiet around me, its silence deafening and cold. I didn’t want to be alone for a fortnight. What’s more, I didn’t want to be alone while everyone else went off and had their adventures.
I wouldn’t be left behind again.
I got to my feet and ran until I reached the closest bedroom. I hardly paused before getting to work, poking around the various drawers and cupboards until I found a spare travel bag. Continuing up the wooden steps and over the bridge, I threw my barely-repaired door open, startling the nearby nesting birds as it thwacked against the wall.
It took me less than five minutes to shove my essentials into the bag, strap my dagger to me, and shoulder the cloak I’d unofficially borrowed from Ethan. The only time I slowed down was when I walked the house twice over, checking to make sure the windows and doors were secure. It was stupid of me; so very, very stupid of me to go off into an unknown world with only a small knife at my disposal but it was enough. The pack shifted on my shoulder as I adjusted it and I ran to the stables, locking the front door behind me.
One horse remained, though I didn’t know who it belonged to. He had a speckled grey coat and brownish-grey tail that flicked at the sight of me. He didn’t know me, I didn’t know him, but I knew a thing or two about making friends with horses quickly. The horse eyed the carrots I held like they were his last meal, and bit-by-bit I fed him delicious little morsels, readying him for travel. Ethan and the others had an hour’s head start on me but horses were easy to track, especially when twinned with Ric’s beastly footprints.
With one grand, steadying breath I stepped into the stirrups and positioned myself in the saddle. We started slow, following the same path the others had travelled. I had only ever ridden my goliath Shire and he was never a runner; more of an ambler, but this one had long, powerful legs built for travelling long distances and he wanted to run. I could feel it in the beating of his heart, the shuddering of his breath and the pounding of his hooves. So we picked up the pace, both of us feeding energy to each other like it was what we’d been missing, and followed the boys’ trail.
THE SUN HAD faded into a warm glow in the west and I cursed loudly. I had lost myself, enjoying riding at full speed so much that I’d hadn’t noticed the absence of their footprints. Stupid girl. We stopped next to a stream to drink and I went over my options.
“I always knew I was too stubborn for my own good,” I said to the horse. He grunted in response. “You’re not supposed to agree with me.”
All of a sudden I heard rustling above me and ducked, readying myself for whatever beast was waiting to pounce. Instead, two sets of eyes stared down as the birds from earlier sat on the sturdy branch above a thick canopy of trees. It had to be a coincidence.
The first bird nodded and sang out a tune – my tune – before the second joined in. Their feathers shone silver and gold against the growing moonlight and I could have danced. One of them locked eyes with me and its throat vibrated contently as it had before. All of the fear rising up inside me had melted away and I did something I never thought I would.