Page 71 of The Shadowed Oracle
“She’ll be fine.” He’d kneeled next to his sister and was inspecting her head for the injury that knocked her out. “Looks kind of cozy, don’t you think?” He smiled a wild grin.
“She does,” Ingrid replied. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, it felt good to finally speak. “Like an angel.”
“Can’t believe this asshole—” Raidinn nudged the corpse of the young man he’d just cut open from ear to ear. “Can’t believe he thought she was a Shade. Do me a favor, will you team? Don’t mention that to her. Ever since she’s turned the big four-zero, she’s a little self-conscious about her looks.”
Ingrid brought her hand over her chest, smiling a promise.
“Won’t touch the topic,” Dean added, looking to Ingrid. There was more than confidence in his eyes. There was relief, and something like admiration. Ingrid smiled at him.
But the sound of hooves interrupted the moment.
“The third rider.” Ingrid widened her stance, lifting her blood-soaked blade. “We forgot about him.”
“The bloke that lost his little pet?” Raidinn argued.
The hooves drew closer. Louder and more powerful, like the crashing of a rounding hammer on hot steel. Bang. Bang.Bang.It had to be more than one rider. The rest of the unit must’ve been nearby. Raidinn stood and shielded his still ailing sister. Ingrid joined him, then Dean, forming a wall, ready for whatever appeared to them over that hill.
Though what they saw wasn’t a squadron riding in to avenge their fallen brothers. There were no Viator in sight.
“Oh.” Raidinn let out a deep exhale. “I think we found Alkaleese.”
Striding out of the night was a beast Ingrid couldn’t fathom being tamed by man or Viator. Couldn’t comprehend it even having a name. With its jet-black coat and mane, stomping with hooves like battering rams, she was the most exquisite animal Ingrid had ever seen.
An undeniable allure pulled her closer to the horse called Alkaleese. They faced each other. Deep brown expressive eyes searched Ingrid as she carefully stepped forward with her hand out.
“Hello girl.” She’d slowed to an imperceptible slog. “Do you mind if I come closer?”
“Ingrid,” Dean whispered. “I’m not sure?—”
She waved him off, gently, but Alkaleese still stirred.
“It’s okay,” Ingrid said. She had no sense of danger. Only the tentative, keen searching that came before an understanding. Ingrid had plenty of motives to befriend the beast, to ride her the rest of the way, yet there was something else drawing her in. She couldn’t explain it. Something deep within her told her it was right.
She stepped closer. The animal snorted, shaking her head. Flesh met fur and Alkaleese nuzzled into the embrace, rotating downward and forcing Ingrid to caress the bridge of her nose.
“I’m going to climb on,” Ingrid whispered to her. “Is that okay?”
Alkaleese continued to push her forehead into Ingrid’s hand, almost welcoming her. Ingrid glanced down at the stirrups and noticed they could be lowered and expanded to accommodate the rider. With her unoccupied hand, she unfastened the metal buckle and the leather, ladder-like straps fell down to a manageable height. Ingrid slowly moved to Alkaleese’s side, petting her enormous shoulder.
She made the climb up.
“Careful,” Dean whispered again as the beast bucked slightly, almost throwing Ingrid off at the very moment she straddled her enormous back.
“I’m fine,” she said, steadying herself. “Don’t move.”
Dean’s face pinched with panic. She smiled at him, settling in the saddle. Then, without any second-guessing, she took the reins.
“Forward,” she said.
Nothing happened.
“Ingrid,” Dean persisted, louder this time. “I think we should save horseback riding lessons for a later time. It’s incredibly, terribly—and let me be very clear here—dangerous.”
Ingrid knew that. But so was everything else in that world. Even the damn flowers. If she couldn’t figure out how to ride a beast like this, then maybe she wasn’t what they claimed after all. Maybe she wasn’t the one to defeat Makkar. It would be a kind of test.
That was it, Ingrid thought to herself, the force within telling her to approach the horse was a desire to test herself. Skeptic that she was, she wanted to fully commit, to put her friend’s theories on trial as soon as possible. She needed to throw herself into the deep water and teach herself to swim. And there was no time like the present.
“Forward!’ she said louder.
