“We call them Visions,” Kalon said, noticing my awe. His eyes were smiling. I had a feeling he was pretty happy with the reaction he’d just elicited from me.

“Visions… Kalon, they’re gorgeous beasts,” I managed.

The stallion was slightly taller than the mare, a gorgeous white with a shimmering black mane and a black leather saddle. The contrast was delightful, to say the least. The female was a midnight black, her muscles twitching beneath the shiny coat. Her mane was white and much longer, with threads of black silk woven through the many braided locks. She’d been fitted with a white leather saddle, and she seemed to peer right into my soul with her strange, deep blue eyes.

I was breathless.

“The male is Lightning,” Kalon said, as the stable boy bowed and retreated, leaving us alone with the Visions. “He’s the fastest on this continent.”

“And the mare?”

“Midnight’s Dream,” Kalon replied. “Midnight, for short. She might look fierce, but she’s one of the gentlest Visions I’ve ever come across.”

The realization quickly rammed into me. “Whoa. Wait. We’re riding to the Blood Arena?!” And that was a stupid question. Of course we were riding to the Blood Arena, since they’d brought the Visions over. My mind was not the sharpest around this guy.

“Walking takes too long, since it’s on the edge of the city. I thought you’d be pleased,” Kalon said, suddenly looking concerned, as if I’d just forced him to recalculate everything.

“No, I am. Believe me, I am beyond pleased!” I said, my eyes basically sparkling. Pointing at my dress, I sighed. “But I’m not exactly dressed for riding. Not with the stiff underskirt.”

Kalon watched me for the better part of a minute, his eyes drilling into me. I knew the wheels were turning somewhere behind them, as he figured out a solution. I would’ve been utterly disappointed if I didn’t get to ride Midnight. She seemed to have been made for me. Her gentle gaze conquered me, almost instantly.

“Do you trust me?” Kalon asked.

I cleared my throat. “With what, specifically?”

A smile tried his lips. “With getting you up on that Vision, without the need of a riding outfit.”

At least he didn’t express offense at me not fully trusting him, in general. His honesty was refreshing, making me chuckle. “I trust you, then.”

“I apologize in advance, but it’s the best and fastest way,” he replied and knelt before me.

“What are you…”

My body stiffened as Kalon’s hands slipped under my skirt. I wasn’t sure whether I should scream or maybe just rip his head off, but part of me asked for a sliver of patience. My heart jumped in my throat as his fingers found the upper hem of the crinoline underskirt.

I briefly glanced over my shoulder, noticing the golden guards out by the main entrance. I couldn’t tell if they could see what was happening or not, but I decided I was better off not knowing.

“There we go,” Kalon muttered as he unsnapped something.

I was melting and dangerously close to burning as I felt the crinoline frame slip from beneath my waist. A second later, it fell on the marble tiles at the bottom of the stairs, and I stepped out of it. “Oh, this feels better,” I breathed, having regained most of my mobility.

“I never understood the purpose of these things, to be honest,” Kalon replied, his hands behind his back once more. “Again, I apologize, but you said you trust me.”

There was no point in telling him that my skin was still rippling, overcome with millions of tiny electrical shocks, as I’d felt his fingers brush up my thigh while he was removing the crinoline. It had been such a fleeting touch that it couldn’t be mentioned. It meant more to me than it probably did to him, anyway. Then again, he might’ve done it on purpose, which would’ve highlighted his masterful ability to steal a touch so swiftly that it made it impossible for the woman to determine whether it was accidental or premeditated. As the wheels turned in my head, I began to think I was dealing with an expert heartthrob. That made him dangerous.

“I… Yeah…” I couldn’t think of a better reply.

“Shall I help you mount Midnight?” Kalon asked, another smile stretching across his face. It hit me then that he was enjoying all this awkwardness, and I was feeding him material for decades to come.

In the blink of an eye, my composure came back, my ego unable to take another blow while Kalon was enjoying himself at my expense. With the crinoline off, I could do much more than just get up on a horse. But I decided to start with that, just to shut him up.

“I’m good, thanks,” I replied, approaching Midnight.

Kalon mounted Lightning quickly, holding the reins and watching me with devilishly handsome interest, while I gently stroked Midnight’s neck, allowing her to get to know me a little better. Like Lightning, she was bigger than Earth’s horses, and I was willing to bet, based on her muscular frame, that she could run as fast as a Dodge Challenger, if given the opportunity.

Midnight was a beast, despite her gracious, dark beauty, and she had to be handled with the utmost respect and reverence.

“Today, maybe?” Kalon sighed, looking amused.

There it was! The mischievous arrogance. The snark. I knew he’d had it handy, just for occasions like this. “Hold your horses,” I shot back, aware of the pun. It flew right past him, since he didn’t know what horses were. Mere seconds later, I finally felt as though Midnight was giving me her approval.

With one swift move, I firmly gripped the saddle and got up, throwing one leg over her back as gracefully as possible. Midnight and I had been made for each other, I thought, as I settled, my thigh muscles stretching with sheer delight. Taking hold of the reins, I decided to test her first.

I clicked my teeth, and she shook her head, gradually becoming restless. She was enjoying this. Pushing my heels gently into her ribs, I held on tight, as she started to trot around, following my lead. When I tugged the reins right, she turned right. When I tugged left, she turned left.

“Oh, the two of us are going to get along great,” I said, patting the side of her neck. Her mane felt like silk threads slipping through my fingers.

“Ready?” Kalon asked, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

He smirked. “She likes you. That’s good. Race you to the Blood Arena?”

I remembered the general direction from yesterday, so I gave him a brief nod. “I hope Lightning can keep up,” I said.

“I named him Lightning for a reason.”

“What vanishes faster? Lightning or a midnight’s dream at dawn?” I shot back, pushing my heels and prompting Midnight to dart across the cobblestone plaza outside the palace.

I heard Kalon laugh as my Vision galloped on the wings of the ocean breeze. She was light and remarkably fast, I quickly realized. The whole city darted past us in smidges of gray and beige, of green and white. I had to use one hand to hold my hood on, but I only needed the other to grasp the reins, as I leaned forward and allowed Midnight to do the rest.

She seemed to know where we were going, but she did allow me to lead, taking sharp turns where needed. I heard gasps swishing past us from different bystanders. We must’ve looked like a flashing tornado, cutting through the streets and raising dust behind us.

The thundering of hooves soon joined us, as Kalon caught up with Lightning. I threw him a glance, noticing his broad smile. He was enjoying this more than anything. We dashed through the city, headed south between the buildings and square parks. We raced past the slow-moving carriages and hopped over the occasional loose cobblestones on the streets.

It didn’t matter that I was still in a dress, and that my shoes were anything but adequate for riding a horse. The wind brushed against my face, and I felt more alive than ever. My blood rushed, my muscles were hot and strained, and my soul felt intrinsically tied to Midnight’s, in a way. I could feel her joy, the thrill of running and caring for nothing but the wind and the sky and the ground and the world in between.

I was a whisper riding a Vision. A dream fluttering through the city. A thought. A mere blip in the fabric of the universe. And I felt perfect.

By the time the Blood Arena rose before us, I had an indelible grin on my face, knowing that Kalon and Lightning were a couple of yards behind. I wondered if he was doing it on purpose, since he’d already bragged that his Vision was the fastest. But something told me that this was all Midnight’s doing, as if I’d come along and pushed her to challenge herself. To run faster than the wind. Faster than Lightning. Faster than anything!

We came to a sudden and laughing halt outside the Blood Arena’s main entrance. My muscles hurt, but it was a delightful ache that I hoped would linger for a couple of hours, at least. My heart was full, my soul expanded. This kind of happiness was hard to come across, and I suspected that the experience was strictly related to riding a Vision. Just like their blood-drinking was out of this world because of the Rimians and the Naloreans, the Aeternae had added more spice and magic to their existence by breeding and raising these magnificent horses, whose souls touched their riders’. This was unique. I’d never felt this way before.

Kalon reached us a couple of seconds later, beaming like the sun. Lightning’s breath was ragged, much like Midnight’s, so he clearly must’ve put in all the effort he could’ve mustered for this race. One of the Blood Arena’s valets rushed to greet us in his dark red leather uniform.

“You looked like you were having a lot of fun,” Kalon said, getting off Lightning.

“And you looked like you were having a little trouble back there. I thought Lightning was the fastest Vision on this continent,” I replied with a satisfied smirk.