“Steady!” Serenity cried. The midnight black beast sauntered forward in a gentle canter—I couldn’t pass up the thought of how anti-climactic it was.
With my satchel sandwiched between Serenity’s back and my chest, I tentatively held my arms around the red-haired girl’s waist, and we rode out of town.
The beast’s boots plodded across the dirt with a low drumming sound. The rhythmic ‘dun-dun’ of the creature’s hooves bid me to sleep whilst the swaying of riding saddle-back rocked me gently like a cradled baby. Through falling eyes, I watched as the wide road narrowed outside of town and dwindled into a worn grass trail. We climbed a short ridge and the plain opened before us.
Tall, yellowing grass swayed in the chilly autumn breeze and a black water lake rested beside us. The dark Veil clouds rumbled angrily above the distant ocean waters as though warning all those who heard to not come close.
I wondered tiredly if there was anything darker and more vicious than the Veil. Could drowning in a peaceful lake be scarier than being dropped into the ocean by a flash of pure energy?
“You might want to hold on,” Serenity’s voice snapped me from my thoughts. “Oh, and keep your legs together.”
Dragged from the dredges of sleep, I raised an orange brow despite knowing she wouldn’t see my expression and I half-heartedly followed her command. Serenity clicked her tongue a few times and the midnight beast dug its hooves in the dirt and surged forward like a cannonball.
I immediately latched onto Serenity within an inch of my life and stifled a yelp. She chortled like a ray of sunshine. The large black lake beside us had rocketed away like an afterthought and it felt like the next time I opened my eyes we were already within the depths of the wooded mountainside. The ride was so smooth it felt like we had teleported.
The forest was thick, rocky, and steep, but the beast navigated the terrain like it was an aves soaring in the sky. The creature jumped deftly from rock to rock, and it placed its hooves precisely in the right places to weave easily between narrow spaces.
No matter how rough the terrain, I was hardly jostled in the saddle. The ride was comfortable and easy on the bones. Either this beast had great balance, or I was better at riding animals than I thought.
“So, what brings you to the University?” Serenity broke the silence.
I considered her question before answering, my eyes absently following the path of a black water river that was snaking beside us. In the first place, did I want to answer her? The Nightshades’ standard protocol was to not communicate with potential targets—getting close to someone made killing them harder, and I needed to remind myself that I still had yet to read my hit list at length.
Why should I have to listen to everything the Nightshades say anyway? I thought in a moment of rebellion; but as soon as I had the thought, I remembered my failed mission. I hadn’t listened to the Nightshades back then either and the result hadn’t been very pretty . . .
I took a deep breath and sighed. My mind was made. It’s safer to listen to the Nightshades. Who knows when or how they’ll punish me anyway . . .
Instead of answering Serenity’s question, I asked my own. We had been following this river for quite some time and something was beginning to gnaw at the back of my mind.
“Water really black?” I asked, hoping that she would understand what I meant.
She looked to the side and seemed to measure her reply before answering. “Yes. The source comes from deep within Mount Kuro.”
Source? Mount Kuro? My curiosity burned. Serenity went tense, and I stayed my tongue. I wanted to ask further, but her sudden reluctance made me feel safer staying quiet. I went back to studying the river and idly began counting the seconds before—
“Will you be enrolling under the sword? I’ve just never seen those weapons before, so I’m curious,” Serenity popped yet another question.
My face flattened. Of course she would have never seen swords like mine before. My brother had forged them just for me—and then he got sent off to elestrels-knows where and I haven’t seen him since.
But . . . since I didn’t see the harm in answering that question—and because it felt like she would find something else to ask otherwise—I fumbled a reply.
“They hook-blades. Custom made.”
“Oh . . ?” she sounded viciously intrigued, and I instantly regretted my decision.
Great. Good job, Farran. You let her hook you. Super smart. Well done. Top tier.
She peppered me with questions along our trip, but after her last question I stubbornly kept my lips sealed. I would not allow her to gather information on me—the girl amidst a buffoon brawl—so easily.
Suddenly, the treeline fell behind us, the river of liquid night curved away, and nothing but sheer cold rock stretched before us. Hard breath billowed from the beast like clouds and stones clattered down the cliffside like rain.
Again, I noted that I was never jostled around in the saddle. Maybe I was better at riding animals than I thought. I sat up a little taller and a little straighter with a big smile in my heart.
Frost started to crust the stoney ground beneath us, and I noticed the beast slow its pace. At first, I wondered if it finally felt the danger of balancing on narrow precipices, but then I realized Serenity probably just told it—
Okay, that’s it. I hate calling “it” an “it.” I need a name.
“Serenity?”
She perked up but kept her eyes forward. “Yes?”
“What name?” I raised my hand and pointed in the fanged beast’s direction.
“Ah, that’s right. His name is Arion. He’s a— well . . . He’s kind of like a horse, but not a horse . . . He’s . . . It’s kind of complicated,” she ended lamely.
If gazes could burn, I’d have stared a hole into the back of Serenity’s head. No one on this planet could convince me that what she just said wasn’t suspicious.
But I didn’t push the matter. If I could avoid making an enemy for any reason, I would. No reason to make my life purposefully difficult.
Arion crested the rocky mountaintop and I found myself staring into the heart of a caldera. The gaping hole had black stone crawling around its mouth and the sharp stones glittered with frost like saliva-bathed fangs. At the throat of the caldera, there lay a shimmering blanket of fog like dragon’s breath before the flame.
“Here we go again. Hang on tight,” Serenity said.
Before I could fully prepare myself, Serenity clicked her tongue and Arion plunged over the edge. The sudden movement lurched me forward and I smashed my nose against the back of Serenity’s head.
“Ow . . .” Serenity mumbled under her breath and raised a hand to her head as Arion continued speeding down. She added louder, “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” I said with a thought, Not like I felt it anyway . . .
I felt the cold, though. Arion leapt straight down into the pitch black shadows, would somehow land on solid rock, and the temperature would feel like it had dropped ten degrees with each new level.
Then at some point, it started to warm up. Or get humid. Or maybe both . . . The fog climbed closer and the black rock walls surrounding us started to warp and bend like an optical illusion.
After seeing nothing but black and the ever-nearing fog, I wondered if my mind was tricking me into thinking that I could see shapes within the stone. Jump after jump down, I was beginning to be convinced that I was seeing something.
Then I saw the unmistakable image of a doorway, a window frame, and the faint flicker of candlelight before my vision was swallowed by a wet, white cloud. What I saw on the other side of the fog made me forget everything else.
Fountains and monuments, fields and gardens—anything and everything lay before the grounds of a huge castle-like structure wearing a roof the colour of glaciers. The face of the building stood gallantly and fiercely from out of the walls of black stone. Each window seen looked like barred gaps, and the front door looked shut up by a drawbridge never to be let down.
A mote was nowhere to be seen, but I thought it would have been fitting. The castle-like structure held this imposing energy like it dared anyone to try and think themselves worthy enough to enter.
Marble-like pillars decorated the left and right wing of the building, and a large dome rose from the heart of it. A labyrinthine garden spun around the front grounds of the white building and a frozen fountain towered in the centre of the hedges. Frosted rose bushes were dotted here and there, shimmering with red light.
My jaw slacked. It was impressive. What I saw could only be described as a cross between an ice palace and a fortress—and I wasn’t even sure if that description gave it justice. Serenity took a moment to look at my face and smirked at what she saw—I didn’t even care. This place was beautifully daunting.
Suddenly, Arion hit the floor of the caldera and then rocketed across the solid ground in one fluid motion. His boots thudded against the surface like thunder and he moved like lightning. He ran so fast I began to question if his hooves were even touching the ground.
When I looked up to see where we were headed, I was surprised to see Serenity seemingly ignore the giant glacier-roof building. Rather, she seemed focused on the black stone wall that was . . . getting . . . closer . . .
O~kay? Are we...? Is there a plan here, or are we taking the scenic route?
But Arion never stopped and Serenity never commanded otherwise. We simply raced toward the black surface like running into the sunset—only colder. . . and darker. . . and still coming closer.
I almost said something before we collided into the stone like fruit under a hammer, but then Arion sidestepped at speed and safely slipped into a hidden crevice. My senses were stolen from me and all I saw was black. I felt the fur of Serenity’s coat tickle my nose and the weight of my satchel pressed between us. I heard the clattering of Arion’s hooves, muted by his boots. I saw the slightest outline of their figures as my eyes adjusted—and then bright light pierced my eyes like daggers.
I hissed under my breath and hid my face from the light. The tone of Arion’s hoofbeats changed as he slowed, and I looked up to see where we were.
Warm amber lights surrounded us, heat radiated from an unknown source, and wooden flooring splayed before us. Stables holding various horses lined the walls of a large, but cramped, hall. Straw was strewn across the floor here and there, and stablemen, riders, or just lots of random people milled about the slightly too-tight quarters.
Serenity caught the attention of a stableman and raised greeting to him. He hurriedly brought over a stool-looking thing, set it beside Arion, and then politely gestured to the object. I struggled to tear my focus away from the sudden change in scenery, feeling like a puppy stolen away from the comforts of home. It wasn’t until the stableman raised his face to give me a look that I finally snapped to reality.
Carefully, I shifted my weight to set one leg down upon the top step and then nearly fell when I swung my other leg off the saddle. My legs felt like jelly sticks falling underneath me, and it was not a sensation I was expecting to feel.
I grit my teeth, focused on each weakened muscle, and forced them into obedience. Before the stableman could offer assistance, and before Serenity could say anything, I clambered the rest of the way down with satchel in hand and stood off to the side, burning with embarrassment.
Serenity dismounted in one quick motion. Her red curls painted her bright-faced visage, and her white garments followed her like a beckoned cloud. When she landed beside the stool as if announcing she didn’t need it, her sharp green eyes captured the stableman and she smiled.
“I leave Arion in your hands. Don’t forget the cool down,” she said with a sideways glance at Arion. The beast snorted and tipped his nose as if resenting the remark. Arion’s blue eyes flared with what could only be defined as fury, and then he walked towards a large barn door, swiped it open with his nose, and entered a spacious room with soft dirt. The stableman stared at Serenity like she had just given him the death sentence.
I was beside myself with confusion. Was Arion going to cool down himself? How did he know to do that? I didn’t know you could train a horse to do that . . . Could you train a horse to do that?
Wait, but he’s not a horse, right? “He is, but isn’t?” She never did explain how that worked. . .
Before I spiralled further down into my inner thoughts, I gave myself a mental shake and looked back quick enough to see the stableman dip his head to Serenity with all the reluctance of a hydrophobic cat jumping into the ocean and watched him trail behind the midnight fanged beast like a slave chained to his master.
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