“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I believe the candles represent her spirit here in this world. When the last flame dies out, her spirit will move on.”
No wonder Pansy had wanted to stay behind. Not long ago, I’d have sworn I didn’t believe in such nonsense, but now, if it had been my mum, I’d have waited as long as it took, savouring every last moment of her presence.
At long last, the trees began to thin, the clear blue sky visible in broad patches above them. Idris threw out an arm, too fast to see. I collided with the surprisingly solid, steely limb and staggered backwards, clutching my chest.
“What the hell? A little warn—”
“Quiet.”
A low command. I obeyed.
He pointed two fingers at my eyes, and then pressed one to his lips, and pointed between the trees ahead.
I followed the movement, and when he began to edge forward on slow feet, I followed that too, doing my best to mimic his silent steps. When we reached the last tree, he slipped behind it, pulling me with him.
I opened my mouth to protest, but found him barely a hair’s breadth away. I made to step back, but his hand, gripping my arm, didn’t yield even an inch.
“Wait here,” he breathed, and suddenly, he was gone, leaving me glaring at empty air.
Immortals, urgh.
I peered around the tree, the rough bark biting into my sweaty palms, and the breath left my body in a rush.
Idris strolled, his shoulders loose, looking somehow smaller and less threatening than he usually did, towards a herd of horses, grazing on the lush grass plain stretching before me.
Horses with wings.
Some of them raised their silver heads, snorting nervously and backing away as Idris approached. They were going to bolt. Would they run, or take to the skies? I stifled a laugh and shook my head. That I was here, that I was even considering such things… I was lucky. For the first time since I’d woken in that sunlit pool, I felt lucky to be here, to see such wonders. Whatever happened, whether I found my way home or not, however quickly my life blazed by, I could not regret being here and seeing this.
Idris stopped a healthy distance away from the nearest horse. The herd watched him, heads high, ears pricked, glorious wings flared. All but one.
One horse tossed its mane and gave a high, whinnying cry. Idris whistled, and with an almighty beat of wings, the horse propelled itself into a prancing trot. It was only after the beast skidded to a halt before the prince, after it nudged him with its head, sending him staggering harmlessly back a few steps, only after Idris wrapped his arms around the beast's neck, that I realised my mouth was hung open.
The prince turned to where I still hid behind the tree, beckoning, and without hesitation, I walked to him on hollow legs.
The horse watched me with piercing blue eyes. It was much bigger up close, and I saw it wasn’t white at all, not really. It gleamed a light, metallic grey, almost blue where the sun shone. Its wings, folded loosely at its sides, skimmed clear of its hind legs, the blue-tipped feathers trailing on the ground behind the tail.
“Meet Saeth,” Idris said, and he smiled, actually smiled. If I hadn’t been so preoccupied with the impossible animal before me, I might have paid a little more attention to how that beautiful, lopsided grin transformed his face into something quite breathtaking.
“Saeth, meet Eliza.”
I’d never heard my name come out of his mouth before, even if his pronunciation wasn’t quite right. It was always ‘human’ or ‘mortal’, or some other insult.
“I didn’t think you knew my name,” I said without looking, too mesmerised by Saeth, who extended his neck to sniff my outstretched fingers. “But it’s A-liza. With an A.” The difference was minor, but it mattered to me, now more than ever, just like it had mattered to Mum when she’d scoured the book of baby names. Not that the prince or his horse knew the difference between the spellings. “It means joy.”
“My apologies.” Idris faced me, his eyes sliding to my initial necklace, resting just below my collar bones. He lifted his hand to my chest and my lungs simply gave up, refusing to draw another breath as his fingers slid along the metal, tracing the golden A. His skin never touched mine, but my ears heated all the same.
“I assumed it was A for Annoying.” His lips twitched into another smile, this one more reluctant than the first, as his hand fell away.
“Oh, I didn’t realise you were funny.” I tried to sound scathing in an attempt to hide exactly how flustered I was, but it was futile. I could barely hold his unnervingly beautiful gaze. Instead, I turned my attention back to the magnificent horse.
The horse whickered softly, coaxing a grin from me. This, talking about animals, I could do. “He’s beautiful. I didn’t know they really existed. I’ve seen them on TV, but humans think they’re a myth.”
“TV?”
I couldn’t resist a sideways glance to confirm I’d scored a point in this imaginary match I’d started. He’d teleported me and embarrassed me, but at least I wasn’t stuck in the medieval days. That had to count for something. “Oh yeah, I forgot, you’re an antique. A TV is a sort of… mirror humans use. It has moving pictures. We use it to tell stories and share news and stuff.”
He pulled a bemused face. “You mortals have come a long way while I was sleeping.”
Saeth, seemingly satisfied with me, turned his attention back to Idris, nuzzling his neck and making small, low noises.
“You have been missed, friend.”
“So, are you going to tell me what on earth is going on?”
“This is my horse,” he said simply. “From before. I’ve been tracking him ever since I awoke, and here he is at last.”
“But you were cursed hundreds of years ago, doesn’t anything here ever die?”
Idris’ broad, pale hand, sweeping down the silver neck, fell still at my question. He didn’t answer, but the air between us chilled. Had I said the wrong thing? Trust me to put my foot in it as soon as he started to thaw toward me.
“Well, at least I know where you’ve been disappearing to now.” At least he wasn’t a traitor. I dared to run my hand over Saeth’s shoulder. The hair was silken and surprisingly springy, almost like feathers.
Idris fixed his clear green eyes upon me. For once they weren’t haughty or bored, they were… alive. “Well, human, do you want to taste the sky?”
“Erm, what?” I backed off a step, panic coiling around my stomach.
Idris placed a foot on the folded wing, and sprang, cat-like and agile, onto Saeth’s back. The horse didn’t so much as flinch, though the others nearby snorted uneasily. A pale hand unfurled, palm up, waiting for me. An invitation.
