Page 21 of Hollowed

Swingingmy other leg over, mindful of the way my dress bunched around my thighs,Isettled into the saddle, panting slightly at the exertion.Myhair had come loose from its bun and the wild curls now fell into my face.Ishoved them back, gripping the horn of the saddle in front of me.Thebreeze quickly cooled the sweat beading on my forehead.Iwas skeptical whether the heat came from the physical movement or the idea of having theDullahanat my back.

Isupposed it didn’t matter.

“Moveup slightly, please.”

Ibarely had time to follow his instructions before he rose himself onto the saddle behind me with a practiced ease that made me dizzy.Hewas not even out of breath.Scowling,Itried to focus on my jealousy of his physical prowess rather than the feeling of his thighs bracketing mine, or his front pressed against my back, seeping warmth into my stiff body.

Needlessto say, it did not work.

WhileIwas stuck in my head, his thighs flexed, andLiathbegan moving.

“Steady,” he said, his voice low as my entire body tensed andIgripped tighter to the saddle.I’dfelt his words more thanI’dheard them, the rumble moving through my back.Ibit my lip, not wanting to admit any more faults.Hespoke into my right ear, and if we weren’t pressed so closely together,Iwouldn’t have been able to hear him.

“Ifyou need to speak, please talk into my left ear,”Isaid, my chest tight with anxiety.Wouldhe look at me with disdain, as my mother had?Wouldhe be accepting, likeHenry?EverythingI’dsuspected about theDullahanhad been wrong so far, butIcouldn’t bring myself to hope his reaction would be pleasant. “Ihave no hearing in my right.”

“Ofcourse,” he quickly agreed, andIfelt his breath puff against the left side of my neck.Ifmy request surprised him, he took care not to show it.Iappreciated it, the nerves bleeding out of me—at least the nerves about his response.

Iwould have squeezed my eyes shut hadInot thought it could make things worse.Beingthis far off the ground, astride a large, powerful animal while sitting in front of another large, powerful being, was unsettling.Keepingmy eyes open was the wisest decision, else my dizziness would likely return with a vengeance.Eventhe fabledHorsemancould not keep me from falling as the world spun.

Wetraveled along the river for a while, before the horse took a path off the side, carrying us up a slight embankment to a well-worn trail between the trees.Wehad to be completely on the outskirts of theHollow, deep in the forest.Idoubted anyone had ever ventured this far out.

Wemoved down the path for several more minutes until the trees parted, revealing a sprawling solitary stone cottage.Itlooked like it had been here for years, well before the war withBritainhad even begun.Thestones were smooth with age, and moss crawled up the sides.Itwas remarkably well kept, the roof seemingly in good repair as we grew closer.

TheHorsemanpulled his mare to a gentle stop as we approached the large wooden stables off to the side of the house.Inone breath, he had dismounted and was standing next to me with his hand extended again.

“Here, let me assist you.”

Clamberingto find my footing in the stirrup whileIsimultaneously tried to pull my other leg over the saddle, it was not a surprise whenIlost my balance.Tippingto the side, my foot slid from the precarious grip, andIbraced myself to hit the ground.Butthe impact never came.TheHorsemancaught me, righting me in one movement and setting me on my feet.Hisface remained as neutral as ever, while my cheeks blazed in embarrassment.Thismythical being likely thought me a clumsy, foolish girl, andIhad done nothing to prove him otherwise.

“Thefront door is not locked,” he told me, takingLiath’sreins once more.Henodded toward the house, and allIcould do was follow his gaze. “Pleaselet yourself in whileIput her away.Thereis a fireplace in the sitting room.OnceIget back,Iwill show you to your room and get you dry clothes.”

Noddingwordlessly,Iturned away from the stable, taking a few steps toward the house beforeIstopped.Iwas willingly about to enter theHorseman’shome, andIhad been about to do so without hesitation or even a second thought.WhatwasIthinking?

TheHorsemanwas a being of death, yet he was being kind to me, and sending me into his home without hesitation.Whatwould be waiting for me inside?Wasit a trap?Mybreathing quickened.

Standingin front of the house,Istudied it with narrowed eyes.Itseemed like a normal house, aside from the same ominous aura that radiated out from theHorsemanhimself.Cold.Solid.Thishouse unapologetically occupied the earth it was built on, unyielding to the vines that tried to reclaim the space.But, asIwas quickly learning, things were not always what they seemed.Whatlay waiting onceIstepped over the threshold?Wasthat whenIwould finally meet my end?

Agust of wind washed over me, wracking a shiver from my body as it chilled my wet dress.Myfingers flexed, stiff from the cold as the shivers continued down my spine.Mymuscles ached, and suddenly, thoughts of warmth and a blanket had been allIneeded to enter this harbinger of death’s stronghold.

“Areyou well?”Hisdeep voice made me jump as he approached from behind.Pressinga hand to my chest,Isteadied my racing heart.Hestepped up beside me, understanding dawning on his face. “Apologies.Ididn’t mean to approach you from that side.”

“It’sfine,”Idismissed, dropping my hand from my chest. “Whatdid you ask?”

Heexamined at me for a moment. “Youare still apprehensive about me.Ihave told you,Iwill not harm you.Ihave no use for sacrifices,Katrina.”

“Whatdo you have a use for?”

Hesmiled wryly and nodded toward the house. “Goinside and warm up.Wewill discuss this more onceIjoin you.”

Iforced my body to go against every instinct to turn and run.Walkingup the door,Icounted my steps, intently setting each foot down on a stone.Iwould be fine.Icould do this.

Reachingthe front door,Ipaused with my hand on the handle, taking a deep breath to steady my nerves asIpushed it open and stepped inside.Myeyes adjusted to the dim lighting, andIblinked at what lay before me.

Theinside of the house wasnothing like whatIexpected, and yet everythingIexpected all at once.Awall of bookshelves framed a stone fireplace that sat cold and dark.Pottedplants sat on large windowsills across the back wall.Thesmell of warm parchment, leather, and moist dirt cocooned around me, lingering in the air, and settling into the dampness of my dress and hair.

Iflinched as the fireplace crackled to life with a sharp pop, spitting light and heat even though no one touched it.Myeyes drank in the flames, searching for any signs of illusions.Emberscrumbled off the end of a log, sifting down into ash along the bottom.

Walkingfurther into the house, the crackling fire called to me, pulling me in like a moth to the flame.Pickingup the ends of my dress to avoid tripping,Ihurried over to the wide cushioned lounge placed near the fireplace.Ialmost sat down, but at the last minute, removed the cushion and placed it on the floor so my wet clothes would not ruin it.Thewarmth was amazing, and as much asIwanted to explore the rest of this mysterious house,Iheld my hands up as close to the flames asIcould without sticking them into the fire itself.Adeep sigh escaped asIfelt the heat seep into my skin.

---