She walked back toward the Inn but as she got closer, she had second thoughts about her decision. If the Cuthberts saw her with the egg, they would try to take it away. This was no chicken’s egg and they would be suspicious of it. They might try to destroy it and she couldn’t let that happen, not to such a marvelous egg. It didn’t matter what kind of creature was inside. It was innocent and, the Cuthberts were just foolish.

She cradled the egg into her apron and then put a few twigs on top to cover it up. With any luck it would disguise the egg from any prying eyes. She entered the grounds and tiptoed quietly toward the barn.

“Hey! There you are.”

Gwinn froze. She knew that voice. “Rats and snakes!”

“Where have you been?” A girl with two red braids asked her. She was younger and shorter than Gwinn but Chaney thought she was ten feet tall.

“I went for a walk.”

“You shouldn’t go wandering around by yourself.” Chaney said. She was the Innkeeper’s daughter and, she was even more obnoxious than he was.

“I’ll do what I want.” She said raising her chin to the little girl. Chaney had no right to tell her where to go. Most people were scared of the strange creatures in the forest but they had never bothered Gwinn.

“Not if I tell on you.” Chaney put her hands on her hips.

Gwinn rolled her eyes. This was the last thing she needed. All she had to do was get the egg to her loft and no one would ever know she had it. The girl could ruin everything. “I only went to collect some kindling. If you don’t leave me alone, I won’t be able to get my chores done.”

Chaney eyed the twigs suspiciously and then eyed Gwinn with equal suspicion.

“Go ahead, tell your parents. They won’t care.”

Chaney crossed her arms and jutted out her chin. “Fine, go wander around by yourself, but if something snatches you up don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“I’m touched. You almost sound worried.” Gwinn smirked.

“I don’t care and you’re right. My parents won’t care either. If you don’t show up one day, the only one whose going to miss you are the horses.”

Gwinn’s cheeks grew red and her bright blue eyes sparked with fury. She wanted to slap the smugness out of the snotty little girl but her hands were full. She gritted her teeth trying to figure out a way to smack Chaney while holding onto the egg but then her thoughts were interrupted as a shadow passed above them. They both looked up.

“Riders!” Chaney Shrieked with excitement.

Gwinn groaned and her shoulders dropped. “Great.” The girl ran off in a hurry and Gwinn was grateful Chaney had gone but the Riders annoyed her with equal frustration. She couldn’t stand them. She had a dislike of most people and they were the worst kind of people. They were always arrogant and rude. A long sigh escaped her mouth. “Well, maybe for once I can be happy about their arrival. They've provided me with a perfect distraction.” She hurried across the yard while everyone else was making a fuss and got to the barn without anymore interruptions.

She climbed the ladder to her loft carefully and settled the egg into the corner. Then gathered a bunch of straw around it to make sure it had a soft place to rest. “You’ll be safe here.” She said to it. “I’ll be back later but I have to take care of our new guests first.” She patted the egg with a gentle touch and left it securely tucked away in her loft.

________________________________________________

The hallways were dark and deserted. A cold wind blew through the hallways of the dark castle and whistled past two large cathedral doors. The wind tickled the nose hairs of the creatures that lined the great hall. They were grotesque creatures whose heads hung like trophies. There was a giant boar with elongated tusks, a one horned beast, a saber cat and a thing with twisted antlers. Every few feet there was another mounted head and, each one had a long tongue with a lamp handing from it. The wind blew past them and caused the lamps to swing but it was not strong enough to rip the lamps from their tongues. The wind whistled through the hall and swirled around the chair at the end of the hall.

“What do you mean you lost it!?” The woman yelled at the creature standing before her. She propelled herself out of the chair and stood up. She was obviously angry but, she held herself with poise. The commanding woman pulled her shoulders back and held herself perfectly straight. The chair behind her was black velvet; an eerie thing with legs like a dragon’s claw and arms like a lion’s paw. She whipped her long black cloak around and descended the steps. Her raven hair was so sleek it shined off the lamplight, all except for the silver streak that ran through her hair. She draped her silky hair behind her back and glared at the darkwing.

“We stole it from those stupid Riders. We took it right from under their noses but then we dropped it and lost it in the river.” The creature explained in a sheepish tone.

She screamed. “How could you let this happen? Why can’t you complete a simple job? I never should've sent a darkwing for something so important.”

The darkwing hunched away from her. “At least the Riders don’t have it anymore.”

“I want that egg! Get out of my sight and go find it.” She shouted. “That egg belongs to me.” Her jaw clenched and her dark eyes simmered.

“Uh, mistress…” The darkwing was almost afraid to ask. “What if someone else finds the egg?”

“Keep your eyes and ears open. If it has already been found then find out who has it and steal it from them. You know how to do that at least.”

“Of course, mistress.” It bowed to her.

“Now get out of here and find my egg!”

The darkwing loped across the room to the balcony and hopped onto the railing. “We’ll get it back.” She said before jumping off. The Lady followed the creature to the balcony and watched as it flapped away beyond the roiling clouds.

She pounded the railing with her fist. The long grey drapes whipped past her through the open doors. Their tattered edges snapped against the wind. “You’d better bring it back. I’ve been waiting too long for that egg.” 

_________________________________________

By the time Gwinn walked out of the barn winged horses were already landing in the yard. They stirred up all sorts of dust and she clamped down on the sides of her head to keep her hair from flying out of its braid.

The horses were imposing with their outstretched wings and shiny black coats. Their fetlocks shined like silver with long tasseled hair which waved every time they took a step. Each one of them had a regal bearing that no normal horse could attain. Their manes were even perfect, with every strand in its place and just the right amount of wave. Gwinn could only wish for hair that beautiful.

Even their gear was impressive. Their gilded saddles were inlaid with silver and royal blue. They had matching bridles etched with intricate designs which gleamed in the sunlight. One of the horses reared up and looked at her as it landed. She watched the animal with admiration and stepped back. She had to admit they were magnificent animals.

One Rider slid off his horse with unnecessary finesse and landed securely on his feet. She rolled her eyes. They couldn’t even get off a horse without arrogance. The beauty of the horse was only mired by the Rider on its back.

Gwinn tried to stay out of their way as they settled into the Inn. She snuck in through the back door and stayed in the kitchen. She would rather help the cook than be forced to socialize with the Riders. Hal Cuthbert, the Innkeeper, banged the door open and spotted her. “There you are. I need you to take care of the horses.”

“Yeah,” she said dusting the flour off her hands. That was fine with her as long as she didn’t have to help in the common room.

When she got to the barn, the horses were already in the stalls. They nickered at her when she walked in. “Hello.” She said to them. She grabbed a brush from the table then turned to face the horses. There were stalls on the left and the right. “Who wants to go first?” The closest one on her right threw its head up and nickered at her. “Alright, I’ll start with you.”

The horse had a white diamond on its forehead. It was the only horse with a marking. She smiled at him. “Looks like you’re a little different, but that’s ok so am I.” She rubbed his spot. She slid the brush along his sleek back and brushed out his coat. “You’re just as pretty as the other horses.” She could have sworn he stood up a little straighter. She started to hum a little tune; content to be in the barn with the horses.

“Ahem.”

She jumped at the unfamiliar voice and dropped the brush. There was a guy in the doorway. He had wavy dark blonde hair and, he brushed it out of his face as he strode toward her. He wore the blue uniform of the Riders and she knew he was one of them. “What are you doing in here?” She asked.

“I came to check on the horses.” He said as he looked at her curiously. He had deep brown eyes and, she felt uncomfortable with his eyes on her.

“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of a few horses. You can go back to your friends.” She told him.

“I’m sure you can but, my Commander told me to check on them anyway.” He said to her.

“Well, they’re fine.” She crossed her arms.

“Yeah but I think my Commander would be suspicious if I came back so quickly, maybe I could help you.”

She shrugged. “There’s another brush on the table.” She tried her best to ignore him and went back to brushing the horse. He came back with the other brush and stared at her. “What?” She turned on him still irritated by his presence.

“That’s my horse.” He said.

She stopped brushing. “Oh fine. You can brush him, but honestly I think he likes me better.”

The horse nodded and, the Rider shook his finger at the horse. “No one asked you.” He patted the horse. “I already know what you think.”

“Are you talking to the horse?” She raised her eyebrows at him.

“Sure but weren’t you singing to them?”

“That’s different.” She said.

“Is it?” He grinned at her and she turned away. His charming grin wouldn’t get to her. She didn’t care who he was or how handsome he was. She wasn’t fooled by that smile. He was still a Rider and, he was still pestering her. “Do you always take care of the animals?” He asked trying to make conversation.

“Yes.” She answered shortly.

“What’s wrong with your hair?”

“Nothing.” She said defensively. “What’s wrong with your face?”

“Why? Is there something on it?” His hands flew up to check his face for any blemishes.

She laughed. His horse snorted.

“You know most people would treat a Rider with more respect.” He quit his attempts to wipe his face off and glared at her.

“I’m not most people.”

“Alright, then what is your name?” He asked.

“You ask a lot of questions.” She said. She didn’t like the idea of a Rider knowing her name.

He crossed his arms and waited.

“If you must know, my name is Gwinn.” She said with resignation.

“Was that so hard? My name is Kellin.”

“Why are you out here anyways? Wouldn’t you be happier with your buddies inside?” She asked him.

“Not really. I’m only a trainee. They don’t treat me too kindly.” He admitted.

“That’s a surprise. I thought Riders were only rude to other people.”

He stopped brushing and frowned at her. “They aren’t all rude.”

She shrugged but it was obvious she didn’t believe him. “I’m going to get the grain.” She took her time filling up a bucket full of grain and hauled it back to the horses but when she returned Kellin was still there. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“I told you. I came to check on the horses.” He was brushing one of the other horses now.

“No, I mean, why are the Riders here?”

“Oh, that’s sort of official. I’m not supposed to say.”

“Ohhhh…you’re on a secret mission for the King.” She teased.

“No, we’re not.” He clenched his teeth and bristled at her mocking tone. “We’re just looking for something.”

“All right, fine. You don’t have to get so touchy about it. I was only curious.”

They finished with the horses and Kellin shrugged awkwardly. “Well, I guess that’s it then. I should go back inside. It was uh…nice meeting you.”

She shrugged and grimaced. He shook his head at her and walked out of the barn. “Finally, I thought he’d never leave.” The horse neighed at her and threw his head. “What? You can’t tell me you like being around him all the time.” He neighed again and then she shook her head. “I don’t believe you. I’m sure he’s just like the other riders.” The horse shook his head and, she frowned.

Gwinn started to pick up. She put the grain bucket away and placed the pitchfork against the wall. Hal the Innkeeper walked into the barn wearing his apron and wiping his hands on it. “I need your help inside.” He said to her.

“But I’m not very good at it.” She wined.

“You’ll be fine. Just try not to drop anything.” He turned and headed back inside without saying another word.

She let her shoulders droop and glared at the Innkeeper’s back. She pulled her feet after him like she was being dragged. The horse snorted at her and, she gave him a disgruntled look. “Don’t laugh. It’s not funny.”

When she got inside the common room was bustling. There were only six Riders but many of the locals had come in especially to see them. It always happened when Riders came to the Inn. It was like a holiday to the locals but it made Gwinn cringe. This many people made her nervous.

She squeezed between the people sitting at the tables and made her way to the bar. The furling perched on her post and she chirped at Gwinn. The animal was supposed to bring good luck and, she was going to need it to deal with all these fools.