Crown of Shadows (Court of Midnight and Deception #1) - K. M. Shea Page 0,56
Solstice screamed—their calls loud and piercing and very not-at-all-horse-like.
Chase thoughtfully studied them, slightly tilting his head in a very wolf-like manner.
Dawn rubbed her hands together, then asked in a voice loaded with tension, “Do you think they want to come with you?”
“Nah!” I laughed. “Why would the night mares want to go with me to get coffee?”
Chapter Thirteen
Leila
Turns out, they wanted to go with me to get coffee.
About half an hour later I was mounted up on Eclipse, squinting even though I wore sunglasses, as I studied Solstice—who was riderless but wearing a leather halter for our jaunt—and Chase—who was riding Fax.
The helmet I borrowed from Dawn was squeezing my head a little, and everything felt a little off. Eclipse was so skinny the saddle sat differently on her, but her movements were a lot smoother than I’d prepared myself for.
“Are we sure this is going to work?” I asked.
“Absolutely, Queen Leila.” Dusk fed Solstice a chunk of carrot. “One of the reasons why the night mares are revered is because of their ability to make their own fae gates. They can walk into the Night Realm and then create another gate to drop you straight into the human realm. You just have to think of where you want the new gate to drop you.”
“Yeah, but as much as I love my beauties, I don’t know how well they’re going to deal with all the noises and sights of downtown Magiford.” I glanced nervously down at Eclipse, who was standing placidly.
Dusk brushed a leaf that was drooping over his right eye back into his hair. “It will be fine, Queen Leila.”
“I don’t want them to make a gate to the café and then get scared because they hear a car horn,” I said.
Dawn joined her brother, and the two stood shoulder to shoulder. “In truth, Queen Leila, the time when the night mares were most likely to…express themselves is when you first mounted Eclipse.” She glanced from Solstice to Eclipse, then added, “I don’t believe Dusk or I have seen anyone ride the night mares since we were kids.”
That explains why they were nervous when I first hopped on.
“They’re long lived, have been ridden into battle, and have roamed the human realm at their leisure for the past decade,” Dusk said. “They’ll be fine.”
Eclipse swished her tail, and Solstice rested his chin on my foot.
“Okay. I guess I’ll have to believe in them.” I twisted in the saddle to offer Chase a smile. “Are you ready for this?”
Chase grinned—he’d loosened up a bit since hopping on Fax. “Yes, Queen Leila.”
Thankfully Chase already knew how to ride horses—don’t ask me how that happened, because Chase didn’t tell me in the scuffle of getting the horses ready—and Dusk and Dawn had assured me Fax could have a screaming child draped on his neck and the placid gelding wouldn’t react.
“Right.” I centered myself, then looked down at Eclipse’s bony neck. “So…Eclipse…you want to do the thing?”
“Do the thing?” Dawn repeated, sounding shocked with my impressive wording.
“I don’t know what to call it—”
I cut myself off when I felt magic—not the whispery-but-sticky sensation of fae magic, but the same magic I’d felt when I first met the night mares and they pressed their muzzles against my temple. It was faint, but strong—like the light of a distant star.
A hum—which may or may not have faintly reminded me of a lightsaber—made the air throb, before a stone archway and metal gate identical to the one in the garden assembled in front of us.
The door swung open, revealing the misty black interior.
“Ah. Yes. This doesn’t at all seem like a bad idea,” I said as Eclipse walked toward the door.
I hurriedly turned in the saddle to address Dusk and Dawn one last time. “I have my cellphone. I’ll call you if I need you to come pick us up with the trailer!”
“Think of where you want to go,” Dawn urged me.
“Gotcha!” I faced forward and thought of King’s Court Café.
Riding through the gate on Eclipse was a far more pleasant experience than when the Paragon had sent me through solo.
I didn’t experience that terrible sensation of not knowing up from down. Sitting on Eclipse’s back with my legs pressed to her sides, I could feel her warmth and the leather saddle.
The darkness held more swirls of blue and purple, and instead of light streaking by, when I looked out I swear I saw stars glittering in a beautiful ocean.