Kal lunged forward, the panicked wail turning into a disbelieving whoop as the Phylix kicked his back legs out to smother Er’it in a wave of frosty snow. Somehow, Aida kept her seat through the whole thing as Kal raced off, tossing his head and braying in victory as Er’it yelled after them, though she heard nothing of his words.
Wind screaming in her ears as Kal galloped through the field, Aida had a mere impression of their panting breaths and the crunch of snow. Heart racing, it pounded in her ears, a rapid drumming that obscured all else as the field and trees blurred into swaths of color. White, green, reds, and browns—the indescribable sensation left her breathless. Hair and cloak becoming a snapping pennant behind her, she held on tight to Kal’s reins and squeezed him with her thighs.
It did not slow Kal one bit. He, instead, brayed at the oncoming wall of trees, turning at what seemed to Aida the last possible moment to race parallel to the dark forest. Tucking his head low, he drew Aida down tight against his neck by her trembling grip on his reins. In the new position, Aida could better feel his sides heaving, her lungs somehow matching his breaths. Body beginning to move at one with his, she no longer held herself so stiffly on his back. The rolling muscle beneath the silken hide were beyond powerful, but it wasn’t his physical presence that made her tremble.
Beneath her hands, Kal’s fur began to glow. The faint light, a mere hint that brightened the world around them, made the snow look purer somehow. It tasted of moonlight and something Aida couldn’t describe as she breathed it in along with the icy wind. Tendrils wrapped around her hands and arms, winding its way up her legs. Surrounded by the soft incandescence, she could do little more than gasp at the simple beauty of it.
No violent lightning etched its way through the glow, no surges of chaotic power. As steady and constant as the tide, it grew in measured rises that were imperceptible until the world seemed to be alight with it.
“Oh, Kal,” Aida murmured against his neck, heedless of the tears staining his silky mane of dove and ash. “It’s beautiful.”
Charging through the field on a creature as pure as the snow they churned, Aida found a peculiar sensation growing in her chest. Similar yet not at all the same to the one she felt under Er’it’s attention, the tightening around her heart contradicted the utter elation pounding through her veins—a need fulfilled despite the fear and constant worry plaguing her days.
It was a freedom of sorts, felt upon the back of a frolicking Phylix as his hooves flashed silver in the bright light of his own making.
Jaw clenched, Aida forced her spine erect, unfurling from her terrified posture. One she’d adapted so early in life, it was ingrained and would forever be her first reaction. As if in praise of her, Kal’s rushing charge became a steady run, balancing Aida’s weight as he continued to dart through the paddock. Body a sinuous line belying his muscled strength, he countered her awkward bouncing until Aida found the rhythm of his steps. High above the ground, the entire world a blur, she sat steady as the wind whipped around them with a glittering wash of light illuminating every inch of the frozen field.
This was what she’d been missing.
On impulse, Aida threw her hands into the air, gripping Kal hard with her thighs. It built within her stomach, a churning sensation that made her wonder if she might not be sick. Rising despite her growing trepidation, it swelled beneath her breast and caused her heart to hammer a wild beat that left her gasping.
The scream was primal, glorious. Head thrown back, her ragged curls snapping, Aida cried out to the drowsing sky, imparting a mere fraction of her joy as Kal’s speed increased once more and he wheeled and banked as a bird on the wing. With another breathless shriek, on the next thundering of hoof and heart, the world exploded into a kaleidoscope of colors.
Red, gold, blue, and all of it made cleaner and more beautiful than imaginable by the steady luminescence from Kal. Er’it’s surprised shout mingled with Aida’s laughter as she caught hold of Kal’s mane, lowering herself to improve his speed without a breath of fear. The trees and meadow were not much more than a smear of rioting iridescence, Er’it