The rest of the Riders returned from their search party later that evening and Gwinn went to feed the horses. Kellin was in the barn when she got there but the others had gone inside. She resigned herself and dealt with his presence. She only grimaced a little. Of all the Riders he was the nicest one she had ever met.

Kellin turned when he heard her footsteps shuffle through the straw. “I was wondering when I’d see you.”

“This is part of my job. I have to be here. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.” She said giving him an opening to leave. It would be easier to avoid the Riders if he went away. She didn’t want to face anymore questions about the egg or think about anyone taking it away from her.

“I don’t mind. Besides, it’s sort of my job too. At least until I’m a full-fledged Rider.” He scratched Markab behind the ear and smiled at his horse.

She grabbed a brush as disappointment settled on her face and started brushing the first horse on her left. It ruffled its wings at her as she ran the brush over its back. “So, did you find what you were looking for?”

He shook his head. “No. We didn’t but there is still a lot more territory to cover.”

Gwinn frowned. Would the Riders stick around until they found what they were looking for? How long could she keep the egg hidden from them? “The forest is a big place.”

“Yeah it is.” He frowned too.

“I see new things every time I go there.”

He whipped around to face her. “You go into the Wildwood?”

Gwinn’s hand stopped in mid brush stroke. She didn’t want him to start asking about strange things in the forest and she didn’t want to lie to him. “Uh, yeah.” She said biting her lip. “It’s a nice change from this place.”

“But the forest is a dangerous place.” He was staring at her with a serious look on his face.

She breathed a sigh of relief. He was only worried about her going into the forest by herself. “I’ve never had any trouble.” The horse turned its head and nudged her arm with its soft nose. “All right, I’ll keep brushing.”

“Do you know what kind of animals live in there?” He continued.

She dismissed his anxiety and continued brushing. “The usual kind; birds, squirrels, deer.”

He crossed his arms. “You’re leaving out a few.”

“Like what; mountain lions, bears, wolves?” She added in a mocking tone.

“Yes, to name a few but, those are only the usual kind.” He walked across the aisle to her and she drew back. She didn’t like people being too close to her. “There are things out there that are unusual and they are worse than any wolf. You don’t want to run into one of them.”

“You went in there.” She said defensively. What was he talking about anyways? I've never run into anything unusual.

“But I didn’t go in there alone and I have a flying horse if things get really hairy. Remember? Plus, we’re trained Riders.”

“Ooooo…. A trained Rider.” She mocked.

He was still close to her and it made her nervous. He didn’t seem to notice. “Yes. A trained Rider, which is something you’re not.”

“So what? I’ve never come across anything I couldn’t deal with on my own. I don’t need to be a trained Rider to go into a forest.”

“You shouldn’t go in there. It’s not safe.” He put his hand on her wrist to stop her from brushing and to get her full attention. She jerked her arm away and stumbled backward. Her reaction surprised him and he pulled his arm back.

“What are you doing?” She said while her heart still pounded.

“Nothing, I just want you to take this seriously. It is dangerous. I know that from personal experience. Trust me.”

She gave him the strangest look and then laughed. Trust him? She had never trusted anyone in her entire life. Not a human, anyways. She shook her head at him. “Maybe there are bad creatures roaming the forest but I’ve honestly never seen anything that bad.”

“Then you’ve been lucky so far. You should be careful because one day your luck could run out and you’ll find out what’s really hidden in the Wildwood.”

He backed away from her and she began to breathe a little easier. “I never thought of myself as lucky before.” She shrugged.

“You are if you’ve never run into anything in that forest.” He went back to his own horse and resumed brushing but Kellin still seemed angry with her. There was nothing she could do about it. It wasn’t her fault she hadn't found anything unusual in the forest. The egg was unusual but, it wasn’t bad. She didn’t understand what he was so worried about.

Later that evening Gwinn was sweeping the porch. The common room was full again and, she was thankful to be outside this time. Light from the glass paned windows fell on the porch as she swept. She could see people carousing inside and she felt no desire to be inside with them. Gwinn took in the fresh pine scent that blew down from the forest and smiled to herself. This is where she belonged. Where there was no one to bother her.

“Gwinn, get over here.” She knew that voice. It was the Innkeeper’s wife Rochelle. The voice froze her in her tracks. She dreaded hearing it, even on a good day. The woman was standing on the side of the building and Gwinn reluctantly hauled her feet toward Rochelle. She dragged the broom along behind her.

“What is it?” She didn’t really want to know what Rochelle had to say to her.

“Where is my pie?” Rochelle demanded while placing her hands on her ample hips. She was a big woman with the same orange tawny hair that her daughter had. Her eyebrows were too bushy and, they moved when she talked.

Gwinn scratched her head and shrugged. “What pie?”

“The pie you took from the kitchen.” Rochelle glared at Gwinn and tapped her foot impatiently.

“I didn’t take a pie.”

“Then where did it go? The cook didn’t eat it.”

“I don’t know but I didn’t do it.” Gwinn stretched her arms straight down her sides and balled her fists.

Rochelle’s hand flew out and slapped Gwinn across the face. “Don’t lie to me, girl. You took that pie. Now what am I supposed to serve to my guests.”

Gwinn felt her face gingerly. It still stung. “I didn’t. I swear.”

“Then who took it?

Gwinn could feel her anger welling up and she folded her arms across her chest defiantly. “Why don’t you ask your daughter?”

That was the wrong thing to say. Rochelle reeled back and slapped her again but harder this time. Gwinn fell down from the force of the blow. “You’re a liar and a thief. I don’t know why we keep you around. We should’ve sent you back a long time ago.”

There was a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth. Gwinn wiped it away and looked into Rochelle’s face. Her eyes were like those of a tiger ready to pounce. “The feeling’s mutual. I hate you. I hate all of you.”

Rochelle huffed and left Gwinn on the ground. She went back inside and slammed the kitchen door. Gwinn was not sorry to see the back of her. She wouldn’t be sorry if she never saw that woman again. There was movement in the corner of her eye and she turned her head. Marshal, the Rider from the bar, was extinguishing something on the ground. He must have stepped out for a smoke. When she looked at him their eyes met for a brief moment. She thought for a moment there was a hint of sadness in his eyes, as if he were sorry for her, but then he looked away and ignored her. He must have seen a part of what happened but he walked back into the Inn without giving her a second glance. He didn’t care. No one cared. She got up, brushed herself off and went to the barn. “That’s fine. I don’t care about them either.”

She awoke the next morning to strange noises in the barn again. She was curled up with the egg. Its warmth kept her quite cozy. She yawned and sighed softly at the egg. When she looked over the edge she saw Kellin with the horses. “I guess it’s time to start another day, even though I would rather stay up here with you.”

She reluctantly climbed the rungs of the ladder and met Kellin. He was saddling up his horse. “Where are you going today?” She asked him. He was startled by her and he jumped. She laughed because she had finally managed to scare him instead of the other way around.

He was a little disgruntled. “We’re going to do a little more searching and then we’re going back.”

“Oh, you’re leaving.” She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She would be happy to see the Riders go but Kellin had been nice to her. The only person in a long time who had been nice to her, well…he hadn’t been mean to her anyway.

“Yeah, we have to get back to Aerion. We’ve wasted a lot of time looking for…” He cut himself off before saying anything more.

“I take it you’re not excited about this search. It must be really important if they’re wasting so much time on it.” She said raising her eyebrows.

He shrugged. “I suppose but I don’t know if we’ll ever find it. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack. At any rate, I’ll be happy to get back.”

She nodded. She would be happy to get away from this place too. “I hear it’s a beautiful place.” Aerion was the home of the Riders but she had only heard about it in stories told by travelers who passed through.

“It is.” He smiled as a picture of it appeared in his mind; the fortress standing above the forest. When he came back to himself he saw a sad look on Gwinn’s face and he stopped smiling. He looked uncomfortable. “I’m sorry you have to stay here, I…”

She shook her head. “No, it’s all right. It’s not so bad here.” She lied.

“Still….maybe?”

“Maybe what? I’ll be fine here. I always am.” She had dealt with Hal and Rochelle Cuthbert for most of her life. She had learned how to put up with them and she could keep doing it.

He didn’t know what else to say. He walked over to get a hackamore for his horse. They were all lined up against the wall on hooks. The sky horses had no need for a real bit and they barely needed a hackamore. They moved with the slightest suggestion from their Rider.

Gwinn patted Markab while Kellin was messing with the hackamores. “I think he might not be all that bad.” She whispered to the horse. “Take good care of him.”

The horse nodded and neighed. “I always do.” Gwinn stared at the horse. She could have sworn the horse just talked to her, not in words, but with the neighing sounds he made. She was confused but at the same time his neighing was perfectly clear to her.

When Kellin came back the other Riders were arriving to saddle their horses. She didn’t have time to ask him about it. Marshal glanced at her but she ignored him. She ignored all of them. “I guess I’ll see you around.” She said to Kellin.

“Uh, yeah.” He said awkwardly in front of the other Riders.

Gwinn pursed her lips together in frustration. She wanted to ask him about his horse but not in front of them. Instead, she tugged on her apron in aggravation and left the barn. The Riders preferred to saddle their own horses and there was nothing more for her to do anyways.

There was a crowd of people outside the barn. They had come from the village to see the Riders off. Gwinn wedged her way around them. She went to collect eggs from the chickens to keep busy and to stay out of everyone’s way. Shadows passed over her head and she couldn’t help it. She looked up. The winged horses flew high stretching their wings majestically across the blue sky. They really were amazing creatures. She imagined herself flying with them and flying away to freedom. She could almost feel the wind in her face. If only she could fly away from here. Then she would be rid of the Cuthberts. They didn’t want her anyways and they wouldn’t miss her. No one would.