“I can’t,” I croaked, throat dry. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, I didn’t have a death wish.
“Which frightens you more? Me or the horse?”
It took me a moment to register his words, but then I scowled. “I’m not scared of you.”
He gave a low, elegant laugh. “You mortals were always terrible liars.”
I snatched his hand, glaring up at him, but he made no move to help me, only gave a slow half-smile as his cool fingers closed around my palm.
Seconds ticked by, and he continued to survey me with the corners of his eyes lifted by that crooked, villainous smirk. My ears began to burn.
“You need to put your foot on his wing.”
“Oh, right.”
Blushing, I placed my boot gingerly on the waiting limb. If I snagged a feather, I doubted the horse would hesitate to kick me from here back to the trees. I might be doomed to the mortal trappings of age and death, but I didn’t fancy bringing that inevitable end forward.
Before I had time to think any more on the subject, to see sense and change my mind, Idris hauled me upwards, and I grabbed onto his jacket, swinging my leg over Saeth’s broad, silver rump.
His flanks were warm and silken beneath my bare thighs. Slippery. Oh shit. This was a bad idea, a very, very bad idea. I was already too high off the ground, and the horse’s hooves were still firmly planted in the grass. What was I thinking? I’d never done anything more daring than riding a donkey at the beach. I should get down, now. I was going to—
“Hold tight!”
I’d barely adjusted my seat, wedging my knees into the back of Idris’ thighs, when enormous, beautiful wings spread, each at least twice as long as the horse itself.
With a great whoosh, they beat the air, and I shrieked as the ground sank away, just for a moment. The horse surged into a gallop, the wings beating again, and again, each time lifting us momentarily into the air, before a belly-swooping drop back to the ground.
I clung desperately to Idris, my nails aching with the force of my grip. The wind rushed past, snapping my hair back as we gained momentum. Ahead of us, a ravine that I hadn’t noticed earlier raced closer and closer.
What if we didn’t get airborne? What if two riders were too heavy? Idris wasn’t exactly dainty, and neither was I for that matter. What if we plunged over the edge of that cliff? I didn’t even know what waited at the bottom. Jagged rocks? The broken bones of those fools who’d attempted this before us?
The drop was upon us, and the horse sprang into the air, wings snapping wide, and for a moment, we were flying. My heart swelled.
But then Saeth arched, and we were going down. Down, down, down. Plummeting. Faster and faster. My organs floated up to my throat, horribly weightless. We were falling. Free falling. Plunging to the wild river I now saw speeding towards us.
A scream ripped free of my chest, and I buried my head against Idris’ back. I was going to die. We were both going to die.
The world tilted sideways, and an icy spray hit my stinging face. Idris gave a howling whoop that turned into a cackle of wild laughter.
I opened my eyes.
The river raged not inches below my dangling feet, white plumes and glistening spray leaping around us, around the wings, spread wide and strong, the feathers rippling in the wind.
I lifted my head.
We sped through the ravine, sheer, grey cliffs rising tall on either side of the wild river cutting through the land. A bend rushed upon us, and we banked, tilting sideways again. I dug my knees in and held my breath, but this time, I kept my eyes open.
We began to climb in a gentle curve, the river falling away with terrifying speed. We rose past the cliffs, the woods, the plains spread out below us, a distant blanket of rolling green.
With a boom, the wings beat the air, and the clouds, which had been tiny, scudding across the vast blue sky only moments ago, loomed.
Clouds.
A laugh tore from deep within my chest and my eyes streamed, from the wind, or awe, or maybe both.
We were flying.
Booms and whooshes sounded all around, and I whipped my head around, hair streaming across my eyes, to see the rest of the silver herd soaring joyously along with us, manes flying, the sun blinding on their metallic feathers.
My heart swelled, threatening to burst through my ribs in a supernova of delight. I loved this. I, Aliza, the boring human woman, loved flying.
My cheeks ached as I smiled as I never had before, and when I turned forwards again, the clouds were close enough to touch. I gasped, but the wind tore the sound away before I had a chance to hear it.
The tips of Saeth’s feathers grazed the cloud, sending rippling wisps pluming free. I dared to loosen an arm from Idris’ waist and stretch it out into the open air, reaching.
Idris shifted his weight slightly, and we tilted, drifting closer and closer until my outstretched fingertips skimmed the impossible.
I was touching a cloud.
My fingers came away wet and numb. I held them up, marvelling at the crystalline drops of water clinging to my skin.
Then Idris tipped his head back, his hair whipping me in the face, and threw his arms wide like wings, with only his legs gripping the airborne horse.
“Don’t do that, you stupid bastard!” I bellowed, clamping my own arms around him again.
The shaking of his shoulders was the only sign he’d heard me. I didn’t even know why I held him so tightly, when he was the idiot not holding on. If only I could reach the mane. I should have been in front, would have been if I’d known he had a death wish. Or maybe I’d have stayed on the ground.
What was I thinking? I didn’t love this at all. Humans had no business flying anyway. Maybe in an aeroplane, with lifejackets and seatbelts and in-flight snacks, but not on the back of a horse, with nothing but a dim-witted immortal to prevent me falling to my death.
