She was too busy shaking with the other two and marveling at how hand-like their actual hands were inside their gloves now to pay much mind to him griping. She’d made a deal with two out of the three. Surely, when she helped them free themselves, the sarcastic third Headless Horseman would go with the flow. He didn’t seem like an actual jerk—just smart-mouthed.
“Good.” She clapped her hands on her thighs in preparation for standing up. “So… how do we get to Sleepy Hollow? We surely can’t ride horses there.”
“No other mode of transportation for Horsemen, unfortunately.” Aaron stood up and delicately offered her a hand. She took it, since he’d been so gentlemanly. “But they’re very fast, they never tire, and if we ride in the Between, we won’t actually take any time at all. Maybe we’ll be back before anyone even knows you’re gone.”
“I like the way you think.” She brushed at the seat of her bedraggled leggings and the front of her filthy hoodie. “But I don’t relish the idea of riding a horse all the way to New York.”
“It’s only twelve hundred miles or so,” Chad said, fluffing out his tattered cape. “And here, you won’t need bathroom breaks.”
She paused, eyes going wide. “Wait, seriously?”
Jerome grunted. “Seriously. One of the first things we noticed. Even before the fire thing.”
“Are you sure it’s not just because you guys are… kind of… undead?”
Aaron hesitated. “She does have a point. That might be a problem.”
“I guess we’ll find out.” Chad whistled, loud and piercing in the watercolor gloom. His horse strode over to him, and he gave it a loving stroke on the nose. “Are you riding with me?”
She weighed her options. Part of her was tempted to ride with Aaron. He’d been such a gentleman, and he was a little smaller in stature, so he might not take up as much saddle as Chad, though a little stouter in girth. Jerome was out for the moment because… sarcastic guy. And not exactly small in stature—broad at the shoulders, though narrow at the hips.
But Chad held her securely through the chaos of the crossing, promised to keep her safe and did so. For all the squishing against the saddle horn, she admitted she felt safer with him than she would with Aaron just yet.
“Yeah,” she finally said, drawing it out a little. “Yeah, I guess. Thanks.”
He offered his hand, and she took it. As before, he helped her up and into the saddle, then climbed up behind her. The other two Horsemen mounted their giant steeds, and without a word, they were on their way.
To Sleepy Hollow.
Hopefully, to freedom. For all of them.
4
Jesus Christ, it took a long time to ride a horse from Missouri to New York.
Esmie was bored. With a capital B. She wished her cell phone worked. She could at least pop in her headphones and listen to a podcast or an audiobook or a playlist orsomething.This was agony. Mental and physical.
Yes. Her ass was killing her. They hadn’t taken a break since they started out, and it must have been hours. It was misery. Torture.
Andso boring.
“So,” Chad said, speaking for the first time since Missouri. “What’s your major?”
Her spirits rose. Conversation, she could do, and gladly. “Criminal justice.”
“Hm. Are you going into law, too?”
“Did I hear my name?” Jerome asked, riding a little closer to their side.
“No,” she and Chad said at the same time.
Jerome snorted but didn’t move away.
“And no,” she answered the prior question, “not a lawyer. I want to be a crime scene investigator.”
Chad whistled low. “That’s impressive. You sure you want to see that sort of gore and violence every day?”
Her jaw firmed. “I want to help people find closure on the worst day of their lives.”
