Page 18 of The Princess and the Demon

I look down at the mare, waiting for her to move.

She doesn’t move.

“Come on girl.” I say, adjusting in the saddle.

The mare cranes her neck to look at me, and it causes my stomach to swim with uncertainty.

“Walk.” I whisper, scooting forward to try to get the horse to move.

The mare whinnies, and I hear voices rounding the corner of the stable.

Fear blooms in my belly, and I squeeze my thighs against the sides of the mare. It’s at that moment she decides to take off into a full sprint.

Instinctively I lean forward, gasping as the castle passes by us in a whir.

The wind bites at my face and arms, and the cloak blows completely back, freeing my crazy silver waves.

The two stable boys yell and run after us, their arms waving in the air wildly.

I manage a look behind me to see one turn to run towards the castle. I turn back and lean into the mare, tightening my thighs further. She skips a step before letting loose into a full gallop.

The air whips at my hair and face, and the fear in me gives way to excitement.

I sit up slightly, throwing my head back and yelling out a hoot of laughter.

Feeling free for the first time in my life, I turn the mare towards the sunset, and the crossroads of Delyra.

By the time I reach the crossroads, it’s full dark. I slow the mare to a stop, dismounting gingerly. The mare huffs out heavy breaths, likely exhausted from our hard ride.

I retrieve the items from the saddle bag before smacking the mare on the rump. She bolts away, back the way we had come.

I watch the mare until she’s out of sight, turning to face the large dirt patch in front of me.

My eyes dart from right to left, but I quickly realize I am very much alone.

A blue glow begins to illuminate the mountain peaks behind me, and I know I need to get to work.

Looking around at the ground near the edge of the road, I pick up a stick before moving to the center of it.

I draw a large circle in the dirt before setting my items down within it. Reaching into my pocket I remove the folded parchment.

Trembling hands unfold it gingerly, and I study the image before adding another smaller circle inside the one I just drew.

I etch the markings for North, South, East and West in the space between the two circles, digging holes at all four markings to place the candles.

Once I am sure they are secure, I continue studying the image, etching the markings into the dirt exactly as they are in the image.

Once I’m sure the sigil is complete, I remove the matches and the salt from my skirt. I set the matches down before undoing the tie on the bag of salt. I begin to surround the sigil with salt, making sure to stay within the outer circle.

When the salt barrier is complete, I kneel down in the center of the sigil, reaching for the matches. I remove a match from the box and strike it lit, lighting the candles counterclockwise.

My hands begin to tremble, but I know what I must do, and that motivation keeps me moving.

Once all four candles are lit, I pull the parchment from my skirt again, unfolding it. The air is still, and my throat feels dry as I begin to recite the words I had written down.

“Come forth.”

My voice cracks, and I clear it, before trying again.

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