Gwinn stepped over the ledge of her loft and onto the creaky old ladder but then she paused. She looked back at her loft with a lingering gaze. This had been her home for so long. It was her refuge and the only place she felt really safe. It wasn’t much to look at but it was a special place to her. This loft was the only thing she would miss about the Inn. The rest of this place held no fond memories for her and it could all burn for all she cared but the loft was hers. She took one last look and descended the ladder with a heavy sigh. She had no idea what she was getting herself into, at least she knew what to expect here.

When she reached the bottom of the ladder there were two Riders in the barn. They were messing with some gear as she approached them. Alcor swooped down and landed beside her. “What are you doing?” She asked them.

The one standing closest to her was startled. He dropped his gear with a loud thunk and his jaw fell open. The other Rider just stared at Alcor. The first one recovered himself, picked up his gear and cleared his throat. “We’re making you a makeshift saddle.”

“Saddle?” She exchanged glances with Alcor.

“Yes, it’s a long flight and you’ll need something to hang on to.” The Rider was skinny with dark hair and he didn’t look much older than her. He was studying Alcor closely.

“Why do you all keep staring at Alcor?” She asked.

He broke his gaze away and returned to the conversation. “We’ve never seen an Airwolf before.”

“You haven’t? I thought you guys were used to this sort of thing.”

“There hasn’t been an Airwolf in many years. In fact, it has been so long most people regard them as myths or legends. Many people even doubt they actually existed.”

She looked back at Alcor with a look of astonishment. “A legend, huh?” He sat up a little taller and a smile spread across his broad snout. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

The Rider nodded. “Yeah, they’re legendary and they're said to be the bravest of all the animals.”

“Hmm…Is that so? That’s very interesting, if it’s true. What’s your name again?”

“What? Oh, I’m Cameron.”

The other Rider finally found his voice. He was shorter and stockier than Cameron. “I’m Matt. Don’t mind him. He’s always going on about Airwolves and old legends.”

“I don’t mind if he talks about Airwolves.” Alcor said to her. She laughed and, the Riders looked at her.

“I’m not sure your legends are right about the bravery thing. This Airwolf seems mostly vain.” She said. Alcor snorted and, they all laughed.

“Maybe we should try to figure something out for your saddle, since we have him here.” Matt said. “He’s shaped differently than a horse.”

She nodded and stayed with them as they worked on Alcor’s saddle. After awhile Marshal walked in with the others. He was his usual self, stiff and rigid.

“Are you ready with that saddle?” He asked them.

“I think as ready as we’ll ever be.” Cameron said looking at their concoction. They had made a harness that could be strapped over Alcor’s shoulders and under his belly. Then they attached a riding blanket to it. There was also a leather knot she could use to hang on with.

“All right, let’s get going. There’s no reason to stay here any longer. Our assignment has come to us and we don’t want to waste any more time getting him home.” He said to the Riders while giving Gwinn a disapproving frown.

She ignored him as the other Riders went to saddle their own horses. She stared at her own make-shift saddle strapped to Alcor’s back and frowned herself. “I'm supposed to ride all the way to Aerion on this?”

“Don’t worry flying is easy.” Matt said.

“That’s easy for you to say. You do this all the time.” She said.

“You’ll love flying.” He smiled but, she didn’t share his confidence.

Kellin walked up to her already mounted. “It seems scary at first but I’m sure you’ll love it.”

Gwinn rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Everyone else seems to be sure about that but I’m not. I wasn’t exactly planning on flying anywhere when I woke up this morning.”

“Come on.” Kellin smiled down at her. “There’s only one way to get to Aerion.”

Gwinn sighed. Well, there was nothing for it. She couldn’t stay here. Alcor laid down for her and she struggled into the saddle. She adjusted herself into a comfortable position and patted him on the shoulder. He stood up slowly and she held onto the saddle knot. The saddle blanket shifted but, she kept her balance. This was a strange sensation for Gwinn. She had never even ridden a horse before. She had led them around a million times and pulled the mule on a lead rope all over the place but this was different.

Gwinn steadied herself as they stood inside the barn. Alcor took a few steps toward the door and followed the other horses out. She could feel his muscles moving beneath her and tried to adjust to his movement. Gwinn didn’t want to suffer the embarrassment of the Riders seeing her fall off. She wasn’t about to give them the satisfaction. She held on so tight the whites of her knuckles showed.

When they reached the yard, there were a few people gathered around. Gwinn was thankful there weren’t more. When Riders left people would often come to see the Riders off but this was an unexpected departure and most people hadn’t heard about the change in schedule. The first of the Riders galloped down the lane and lifted into the air. Gwinn watched him with awe. They made it look so easy but she was having trouble staying on Alcor and he was only walking. Another rider took off and her mouth went dry at the thought of being that high. She remembered climbing up Eagle’s Ridge before and looking over the edge. It wasn’t the most pleasant experience. It’s not that she was afraid of heights but the feeling was still a bit unnerving.

Soon Marshal and Kellin were the only two Riders left on the ground. “All right, your turn,” Kellin said to her with encouragement.

She bit her lip and tightened her grip on the make-shift saddle. “You’d better not drop me.” She whispered to Alcor.

“I won’t. I promise.” He said in a low rumbling voice.

His strong legs worked up to a jog and, she leaned forward. She leaned as close as she could against his back and held on. He sped up until he was in a full out run. She could feel the wind sweeping across her cheeks. It was an odd sensation as he leapt up. She felt his feet leave the ground. Her heart sunk into her stomach like a rock and she squeezed her eyes shut.

Alcor soared upward into the blue sky. It was a clear day early in the summer with a few puffy clouds in the distance. “It’s beautiful up here.” Alcor told her.

“I’ll take your word for it.” She said keeping her eyes tightly shut.

He chuckled and swooped to the left as he caught a wind current. She hung on as wind whipped over her body and through her hair. “There is no view like this in the whole world. You really shouldn’t miss it.”

He had a point. How many people got a chance to look down on the world? She pried open one eye and took in a quick glance. She saw the forest rushing by beneath her. At first the height made her dizzy but then she gripped onto Alcor tightly and felt more secure. She opened her other eye and took in the full view. It was simply amazing. She saw majestic mountains stretching across the horizon. A pristine lake that reflected the bright sun and the lush green forest spread out below them. She had never seen a view like this before not even from Eagle’s Ridge. She stared in wonder.

Alcor looked at her over his shoulder and smiled. “Not so bad is it?”

“No, not bad at all,” she smiled back. As she became more comfortable being in the air, she sat up a little more. The view was even better. She couldn’t keep herself from smiling. Gradually she was able to anticipate Alcor’s movement and moved with him. She realized it was easier that way. They flew higher and higher and the world faded away far below them. The Inn and everyone there faded away. Her old life disappeared as they soared higher. The air washed over her and she felt unencumbered by anyone or anything. The ground couldn’t even hold her down. She was free.

It was a long flight and, they had to make several stops along the way to let the animals rest. By the time they reached Aerion it was evening and Gwinn was getting tired. It had been a long day. Her eyes were heavy and, she rubbed them with the back of her hand but when the towers of Aerion come into view, they were wide open.

There was a narrow cliff that rose above the forest and the fortified city sat on the farthest edge of it. There were cascading waterfalls rushing over the cliff. They erupted from cavernous holes carved out of the cliff. The stronghold was carved out of the cliff and waterfalls gushed out from the very foundations of Aerion. Water jumped across from waterfall to waterfall and played back and forth as it made its way down to the forest. Gwinn’s eyes widened as she took in the sight and her breath caught. It was more beautiful than she had ever imagined it. White towers rose above the main city and they shimmered like pearls as the last rays of daylight bounced off them. Delicate bridges arched between buildings with nothing but the sky to hold them up. The storybooks didn’t do it justice. How could those despicable Riders come from such a beautiful place?

The sky horses landed on a platform above one of the waterfalls. Alcor circled in the air several times before following them down. There were people outside walking between buildings and they all stopped to watch the Riders land. They stared openly at Alcor as he circled down.

“You did that on purpose.” She said as they landed. The return of the solid ground surprised her and, she was nearly unseated. She held on long enough for Alcor to lean down and let her off.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said.

Kellin jogged over to them and brushed his wind swept hair from his eyes. “I told you that you would love it.”

“It was pretty fun.” She admitted.

Marshal approached them holding Matar by the reins. “I have to explain the situation to the board. Why don’t you show her around while we get things settled?”

Kellin nodded. “Right, I think I can handle that.”

Marshal turned on his heel and walked off but then he stopped and yelled over his shoulder. “Don’t forget the horses.”

“I won’t.” Kellin yelled back. Then he whispered to Gwinn. “He’s more likely to forget the horses than I am.” They both snickered at Marshal’s retreating back. “Come on. I’ll show you around.” He motioned for her to follow but Gwinn hesitated.

She looked around and took in her new surroundings. The platform was cobbled with a light-colored stone and not one of them was out of place. She really was in a different place. The Inn didn’t have cobbled walkways. They were all mud and dirt that caked onto her boots every time she walked on them. She had to go into town to find cobbled roads and even then they were not as fine as this platform. She shook her head and thought to herself. Am I really in Aerion, the legendary home of the Stormriders? I never thought I would ever be here nor did I ever want to be.

“What have I gotten myself into? A whole town full of Riders.” She said out loud.

Kellin frowned at her. “They’re not that bad.”

“You’ve never had to serve one.”

Alcor nudged her forward with his nose. “All right, I’m going.” Gwinn followed Kellin but, she was still nervous. This place was so new and foreign to her. She might have disliked living at the Inn but it was familiar to her. She knew the customers and the locals who came there. She was used to their rude behavior but, she didn’t know any of these people. This was a whole new set of people that would mistreat her.

Kellin led the way to the stables which were nearby. “This is where the horses stay while we’re at home.” He said leading Markab to a stall.

Gwinn looked around. The stables were bigger than any she had ever seen. They were at least three times the size of her tiny barn and she nearly choked as her breath caught in the back of her throat. They could house a whole herd of horses here and Kellin said there was another stable on the other side of the platform just like this one. The walls were painted white and there were windows along the upper walls. It was bright and open. Not dark and dingy like that old barn and her measly little loft. “Wow, I’ve never seen stables like this before.”

Kellin was giving Markab a quick brush down and he looked up to see the wonder on her face. He laughed. “These are only the stables wait till I show you the rest of the place.”

She shrugged. “If you must.”

“The barn is not an acceptable place for you to stay and the Board won’t allow it. Just because some idiot of an Innkeeper thought it was all right doesn’t make it right.”

She didn’t know what to say. It was comforting that Kellin thought Hal was an idiot. He had treated her terribly for years and it was nice to know someone sympathized with her but she still felt more comfortable in the stables away from people. “I like it here.”

He gave Markab a treat and then he took her by the arm. “There is more to this world than stables or barns.” She let him pull her along though she dreaded leaving the safety of the stables. Alcor followed at her heals. “You don’t have to come with us.” Kellin told him.

Alcor looked at her pitifully. “I don’t have to stay do I? I’m tired of barns and he’s right. There is more to this world than barns.”

She rolled her eyes. “He agrees with you and he wants to come.” She told Kellin. “Is it all right if he comes?”

“Yeah, it's fine but he might draw a few stares.” Kellin said giving Alcor a thorough look up and down.

“That’s ok.” She smiled. “He likes the attention.”

“Do not.” He snorted.