Page 20 of Hollowed

Thereit was again.Aflash of sympathy in his dull blue-gray eyes, gone as quickly as it came. “Iapologize, but there was no bag near you.Perhapsit will wash up in the morning.”

Nodding,Ismoothed my hands over my sopping dress; the movement was born of pure habit, but this time only smeared mud and clumps of dirt and grass down my front. “Noneed to apologize,Horseman.”

“Bestbe off.”Heturned away from with a sharp step and began deeper into the forest.Heglanced over his shoulder. “Weneed to get you into dry clothes.”

Andso,Ifollowed the not-so-HeadlessHorsemanaway from the river and into the dark of the woods, toward his home and whatever fate he’d decide for me.

Ten

Ifollowed theHorsemanalong the riverbank for several tense moments, apprehension building in my chest, telling me to run as far as possible.Theevening light filtered through the tree canopy, cutting swaths of silver across the grass asIstumbled after him.Stilluncertain of what would await me at the home of a being so closely tied to death, my heart thundered in my chest, clawing up to stick in my throat.

Iballed my hands to keep my powers under control, but my emotions were seeping through and caused smoke to trail from my blackening fingertips.Istumbled, trying to keep up with theDullahan’slong, smooth strides.Thelast timeI’dbeen in this forest, the fog and the whispers had sent me running.Myeyes scanned over whatIcould see, which wasn’t much.Theevening was quickly giving way to the darkness, and the fading light was allIcould rely on.

Aswe rounded another bend in the river, a loud rustling sounded in the trees.Whateverhad been following me had found us.Iimmediately stopped, my eyes darting around, trying to find the source of the noise.TheHorsemanlooked back at me over his shoulder, his eyes tracking down to my hands, still smoldering though no flame had erupted. “Youare fine.Itis justLiath, my horse.Shewill not hurt you either.”

Thepanic subsided slightly asItook a few more cautious steps forward and looked to my right to see a jet-black horse standing behind the trees, its dark eyes reflecting otherworldly flames as it watched me.Ablack leather saddle sat atop her back, and her muzzle strapped around with the same dark material.Theonly color visible was the bands of white above her hooves, glowing in the evening light.

Asigh of relief escaped as my shoulders slumped. “Ahorse.”

“Yes,” theDullahansaid, his voice sounding amused at my reaction. “Youhaveseen a horse before, right?”

Iscowled at him, my cheeks heating. “Yes, of courseIhave seen a horse before.Isimply was not expecting one to be here.Ithought it was the fog again.”

TheDullahanwhirled so fastI’dbarely seen him move, and his gloved hands grabbed my shoulders. “Fog?Whatdo you know of the fog?Tellme everything.”

Theutter command in his voice made me shrink away, my body falling into the patterns my mother had created as my mind shut down, protecting myself from the anger and pain that would surely follow.

“I—There… was a-a fog.”Icursed myself asItried to move my tongue, paralyzed by the fear that leaden my mouth.

Hisbrow furrowed and his gaze tracked down to where his hands rested on my shoulders.Ina smooth motion, he stepped away and tucked his hands behind his back, bowing his head. “Iapologize for grabbing you,Katrina.”

Myhead was spinning, though not from the change in spatial orientation this time.TheDullahanwas apologizing tome?Lickingmy lips,Ipushed out the words that had grown jumbled in my throat.Hehad no reason to apologize to me, not whenIwas the one who had failed to answer his question.

“Iwas picking flowers, and there was a strange fog.Perhapsit was two days ago?Ormaybe yesterday?AndIheard something whispering my name.”

Hisjaw ticked, the shadows in the hollows of his cheek becoming more pronounced in the moonlight.Helooked like a carving—a sculpture of marble in the image of a man.

“Myhome is a way away from here.Thisis the best way to get there.”Hewalked over to the horse and patted her nose gently as he untied her leads from the nearby tree.

Iwatched as he adjusted the saddle.Mybreath rushed from my nose, fanning against my upper lip. “Thefog?Doyou know about it?”

“It’snot safe to discuss it openly.Iwill tell you more once we’re inside,” he said.Hishands fell from the saddle as he turned to face me fully.Icould not decipher the look on his face.Pity, perhaps?Again, as quickly asInoticed it, it was gone, hidden behind carefully constructed irreverence.Heheld his hand out to me once more, a motion that was quickly becoming familiar. “Comenow,Iwill not let you fall off,Ipromise.”

Steppingup next to the horse,Itook his hand gingerly.Despitemy apprehension, the idea of showing any weakness to this man—to theDullahan—was even less appealing.ButI’dnever mounted a horse before, and without his help,Ihad no doubtIwould make a fool of myself.

Ihesitated, and a warning fell from my lips beforeIcould stop it—another thing that was quickly becoming familiar. “IfIfall, you will find your moniker to become suddenly accurate.”

Ifroze, almost able to see the words hanging between us, butIcouldn’t snatch them back.Theywere somethingIwould have said toHenry, a teasing promise to a friend.Theyshould have stayed tucked behind my teeth.Ibraced myself for the retaliatory strikeIwas certain would follow.

Butnothing came.

Asmile broke out across his face, and he bowed his head, attempting to hide his amusement.Ofall the thingsIcould have said, it was clear he was not expecting that. “Noted.Now, put one foot in the stirrup and swing your other leg over.Iwill climb on behind once you are comfortable.”

Mystomach clenched.Whilelogically,Iknew we would have to be on the same horse, hearing it said aloud was unsettling.TheDullahan, the deadly protector ofSleepyHollow, would sit, pressed against my back as he took me to his home.Thiswas certainly not howIhad planned to spend the evening.

Pushingit from my mind,Islipped my foot into the stirrup, gritting my teeth asIgrabbed hold of the saddle and pulled.Hishands wrapped around my waist to hoist me up, andInearly lost my balance at the contact.

TheDullahanwastouchingme.AndIwas stillalive.

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