Genevieve shrugged.
“A lady has to keep potential husbands happy. A man doesn’t have time to saddle his own steed.”
The brunette could not help but smile with satisfaction. She enjoyed one-upping her sister.
“Don’t you know how to?”
Suki grumbled.
“You can’t walk the whole way.”
“I managed it before, didn't I?”
Genevieve tutted at her sister.
“I’ll teach you. Pick a Nightmare. Preferably a mare or filly. They don’t resist as much as colts.”
“Pick one?”
“Yes. Any Nightmare that you want. None of them will want to kill you. Sheehan worked them down.”
“Of course he did. Did he teach you that as well?”
“No. That was our father’s doing.” In one of the only times that he let me out of the castle.
“Where are these ‘friends’ of yours?”
“Probably in class. I promise you that they’re on their way. Be patient Suki.”
“Patience is for ladies. I’m not a lady.”
“Put that bridle away, Suki. First, you have to bond with the filly or mare. Show them some love.”138Please respect copyright.PENANAiiff9MVIVw
“Gee. Love. What does that feel like?” Suki rolled her eyes.138Please respect copyright.PENANAKQLG0BEv8i
Genevieve sighed and picked up the hem of her dress. The brunette made her way across the muddy yard to the paddock. Suki expected Grommet to follow, but the stallion stayed where he was, content to nibble a stray clump of wet grass. It had rained during the night, which seemed to worry everyone at the school. Suki threw the bridle and a tangle of reins over the rail that Genevieve had tied Grommet’s reins to.
“Ha! Even if you wanted to run, she’s got you.” Suki smirked at the stallion before joining her sister.
Suki heard someone cry out, followed by the thump and splash of someone being bucked off a Nightmare.
“You okay Dawn?” Florimal laughed.
Randolph helped his girlfriend to her feet, using a charm to clean her clothes. He did so without using a Magi, which made Suki wonder where Sheehan found the blonde. That was dangerous. Suki was just glad that she was not the only one who had trouble with everything to do with Nightmares.
“Hi.”
“I’ve seen you before. You’re the one in the blue hood.” Dawn said, her wings were folded at rest.
“Yes, I am. My name is Suki Lamb. Are you friends of Gen’s?”
“Yes.” Dawn said curtly.
Her audience stood behind her like a row of Pawns.
“I am Dawn Nuage. This is Florimal Young, Graham Greenwood and Randolph Tranter.”
Suki had a feeling that she and Dawn were going to be at odds from the first day.
“It’s great to see that you’re getting to know each other.” Genevieve smiled, catching Suki off guard.
“Yeah.” Suki muttered, pulling on a pair of leather gloves.
Nightmares were made of pure mana. Long term exposure to pure mana dissolved skin and bone.
Dawn nodded.
“I was just going to show Suki our selection of Nightmares. Would you four like to join us?”
“Sure. We need a break from watching Dawn.” Florimal laughed. “It’s like a fail compilation.”
Dawn was one of those fairies. She could not seem to be friendly with anyone or anything. Not that Florimal could talk. The only time she had been near Nightmares was to help Greenwood cut them up.
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Genevieve stopped in front of a filly with fluffy ankles. Her long mane like ripples on a lake. An innocent fringe hung over her pupil-less eyes. Her tail was fluffy like a cloud on a summer’s day.
“This is Tenderfoot. I think you’ll get along with her, Suki.”
“What makes you say that?”
Genevieve held out a brush for Suki to groom Tenderfoot’s fur coat with.
“You’ll see. I’ll braid her mane for you.”
Suki took the brush and walked over to the filly.
“Uh…”
Dawn, Florimal, Graham and Randolph had left the sisters to prepare their saddlebags.
“Brush her gentle, in long, smooth strokes.”
Tenderfoot pulled her head away from Suki. She was skittish.
“Oi, you dumb mare. I’m not going to skin you.”
“Suki. Don’t speak to her like that. She’s a filly.”
“What’s the difference?”
“She has not had a foal. That’s the difference. You have to be gentle with her.” Genevieve took up a comb and started to rake the comb through the Nightmare’s mane before parting it. With strands set, she began to twist Tenderfoot’s mane into a fishbone braid. She hummed as her fingers flew. Tenderfoot’s heart rate spiked once, but then settled. She blinked at Suki, as if encouraging her.
“Alright. I’ll try.” Suki grumbled, pressing the soft bristles of the brush into Tenderfoot’s shoulder. Her strokes were short and angry. Tenderfoot flinched but tried her best to stand still for Suki. Suki relaxed enough to pet the Nightmare between the ears. The gloves were chunky and cumbersome.
“I think she likes you, Suki.” Gen smiled. “There. Finished the braid. Now, you can saddle her up.”
Genevieve tied the end of Tenderfoot’s braid with a rubber band she had been wearing on her wrist.
The fishbone braid flopped over one of Tenderfoot’s shoulders whenever the filly flicked her head.
Genevieve talked Suki through the process of saddling the filly. Suki smiled, starting to enjoy herself.
“We’re missing one thing.” Suki said. “Eden.”
“Eden? He’s been here the whole time.”
“Where?” Suki looked around. All the Nightmares were drinking at the water trough. Ready to go.
Genevieve whistled. Tenderfoot lifted her nose from the trough and walked over to the sisters.
“Not you, stupid.”
*That’s not very nice.*
Suki panicked, hearing the voice in her head. The brunette did not react. Had she not heard that?
*Ever since you got here, you’ve been a ball of negative energy.*
“Get out of my head. Who are you?”
*Who am I?* The voice laughed. *Don’t you remember my voice?*
Before Suki’s eyes Tenderfoot transformed into a brown haired young man.
“Ede-”
Her voice snagged in her throat. Could it be? After all this time...
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The Nightmares at the trough panicked. Genevieve and Randolph worked together to calm them. The only Nightmare that did not panic was Sheehan’s stallion. After Sheehan freed Eden from the foundations, Eden would follow Grommet and Sheehan, on long walks through the swamp, in the form of a Nightmare. Suki threw her gloves to the ground. Throwing both of her arms around Eden. She squeezed tightly. Vita Loquiturs were also made of pure mana but touching their skin did not dissolve flesh or bone. Suki was overjoyed to see Eden again. Her heart fluttered at the sight of him.
“Eden!”
He nodded. He had always feared the worst when the little girl’s screams faded into the melody of the marsh. Here she was. In all of her post pubescent glory. She was still two feet shorter than him.
“How? When? Who?”
“Sheehan. When he set the school up. Uh, mana? I don’t know.” He answered, embracing her.
“I don’t care. You’re alive! You’re right, Gen. I like this one. I like this one a lot. I can’t believe it!”
“Everyone’s ready to go.” Genevieve said softly. “Saddle up. We have a long ride ahead of us.”
“Right. I forgot. Eden. You’re stuck as my Nightmare until we destroy the Fomorians.”
I wouldn’t have it any other way. Eden smiled to himself.
His face remained neutral. When he was a child, he thought that was because he was broken, because he was made from all sorts of complex curses and charms, like a quilt made of scrap fabric, when normal fairies were born from one mana provided by a god or goddess. Sheehan told him that every fairy was different and that was okay. Now that he was older, he understood what Sheehan meant. Now the man who taught him who he was, was murdered. Not passed peacefully in his sleep like an old man should have. A Vita Loquitur was looking for the people who killed Sheehan. How the tables had turned. Raphael created Eden to destroy the fairies of the Other World, not save them.138Please respect copyright.PENANAJnnbRBVqTK
***138Please respect copyright.PENANAoOGDl4Tvu9
Suki, Gen, Dawn, Randolph, Florimal, Greenwood and their Nightmares took one step onto the bridge when they heard a little girl panting. Out of breath. Waving her arms. Trying to catch up to them.
“Wait for me!”
“No!” Dawn fluffed her purple feathers to make her wings seem larger than they were. Randolph dismounted elegantly, assisting Dawn to swing down from the saddle with some of her dignity intact. She was not a fast learner but bless her. She was trying.138Please respect copyright.PENANAPFqxMoq5jZ
“You are staying right here.” Dawn continued.
“Why?”
“Don’t argue with me, Daisy. You are eleven years old. This trip is too dangerous for a child.”
“I’ll be good. Pan can look after me. I even got him ready. All by myself. See?”
Pan was giving one of the fillies, who approached to sniff him, a dirty look. He flexed his talons at the Nightmare.
“Try me.” Pan grumbled. “I’ll kill you.”
Short Snouted Pig Gremlins were not particularly fond of Nightmares. Nor was he amused to see Randolph. Pan folded his arms and curled his lip in a sneer. The two of them had never gotten along, though it was one sided. Pan was under the assumption that Randolph was pretending to be nice to get close to the angel sisters. Dawn and Daisy were the last of their kind. Pan was assigned to protect Daisy before Sheehan paired Dawn with Randolph. Pan knew a thing or two about manipulation. He used to survive like other Short Snouts, stealing travellers’ belongings.
“Aw. That’s adorable.” Florimal cooed.
“Don’t encourage her.” Dawn snapped over her shoulder. “I said no and that’s final!”
“But I-”
“No! Genevieve. You’ll stay here and look after Daisy. Make sure nothing happens to her.”
“That isn’t fair!” Daisy said. She was on the verge of crying. “I want to go with you! No one gets left behind. I miss him too! He…”
“She can ride with me.” Randolph suggested. He led a Nightmare with pink horn, feathered wings, mane and tail over. He handed the reins to Florimal and fastened a saddlebag. Snowfire was used to educate students on proper care and handling. Nightmares were not stupid.
“Excalibur may not be old enough to ride, but he can walk with the seven of you. I’ll make a halter.” Genevieve agreed.
Grommet sired one foal. Sheehan gifted that foal to Daisy because she was upset. Even though she was feeling sad, Daisy helped Sheehan care for the newborn foal and bonded with him. Daisy beamed at them, but when it came to clambering into Snowfire’s saddle, she hesitated.
“The seven of us? What about you?” Randolph asked from the saddle of Snowfire.
“I’ll stay here with Snowflake, Freya, Oxley, Lilith and Shirley to protect the students.” Genevieve smiled on the surface. If she didn’t smile, she would curl into a ball and cry. “It is only a matter of time before the Fomorians turn their attention towards us.”
Genevieve fixed a halter for Excalibur from a length of rope and added small care packages to their saddlebags – including food rations, special instructions and envelopes. They did not have time to linger if they wanted to escape the Fomorians.
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Snowflake waited for Florimal, Greenwood, Dawn, Daisy, Pan, Randolph, Eden and Suki to leave before she landed on Genevieve’s shoulder and nestled into the Halfling’s long hair.138Please respect copyright.PENANAqQpZ58vm6C
“I know, Snowflake.” The eleven-year-old sighed. “We shall return to the castle quickly.”138Please respect copyright.PENANAuFcMG3lrfz
The Halfling threw her arms around the neck of Sheehan’s mount and cried into his soft, black fur. Suki’s group had an insurmountable journey ahead to find safety, but Genevieve had to evacuate the students and faculty from the castle before facing the Fomorians alone. What would her father and Phillip Tranter say when they saw what she had become? What horrible experiments would that twisted angel perform on her?