Oberi grumbled.Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say. I won’t touch them.
I patted him on the top of the head. “Good dog.”
* * *
Several days passed, and I was a little disappointed we hadn’t had a chance to use the handcuffs yet. We’d been swamped with finals, and Ava spent most afternoons resting.
She wouldn’t admit it, but I could tell she was having a hell of a time with exams after she’d spent half the semester in the hospital, not to mention she kept forgetting information that I knew she’d already learned. I couldn’t give her the answers through our bond, either, because we weren’t taking them together. My exams were scheduled after hers, so my professors could read the questions out loud to me. At least she had Oberi, but I didn’t know how much help he’d been.
I met up with my friends in our secret gym after one of my finals. The four of us decided we needed to blow off some steam, and lifting weights felt like a pretty good way to relieve some stress.
Marcus lay on the bench, groaning as he lifted weights. Ava and Kallie were in the other corner.
“Kallie, I can’t!” Ava complained.
“We’ll have to try something else,” Kallie said gently.
“Hey, what’s going on?” I asked, making my way over to them. Oberi was in her unicorn form, and I could feel the heat of her Fire mane rolling off her.
Ava huffed from Oberi’s back. “I’m trying to ride Oberi, and I… can’t.”
“How so?” I wondered. “It seems you’re riding her now.”
“Sittingon her and riding her are two different things,” Ava stated. “Without use of my legs, I can’t hold myself on when she moves, and if you’re not riding her with me, I can’t stay on.”
This was a major problem.
“We’ve been building up your core all semester,” I stated.
“My core isn’t going to help me here,” Ava said. “My core will help me balance, but my legs keep me on. If I can’t hold myself in place, I can’t ride Oberi.”
This really sucked because I didn’t feel like I could help. Ava neededsomesort of help or accommodations.
That’s when it hit me.
“I have an idea.” I reached up for Ava and helped her down, then set her back in her chair. I ran my hands over Oberi’s back, getting a feel for the curve of her spine. The idea formed in my head like an architect sketching out the blueprints for a building. I ignored reality when I touched her fur, and instead, pictured that I was running my fingers across smooth fabric. The cloth formed beneath my fingers, and within moments, a saddle appeared.
Ava gasped. “Charlie! It’s beautiful!”
Kallie came up beside me and ran her fingers over the saddle. “How did youdothis?”
I shrugged. “With all our practice this semester, I’ve been getting better at illusions. This one should be permanent.”
“Yes, but all your illusions have been made with your Earth powers,” Kallie pointed out. “This is like a real saddle!”
“Oh, um… I guess I didn’t really think about it,” I admitted. “I knew Ava needed a saddle, so I just did it.”
It feels really nice,Oberi remarked.It’s comfortable.
“It’s a bareback pad,” Kallie said. “I thought you didn’t know anything about horseback riding.”
“I don’t know much, other than what I’ve learned from riding Oberi,” I said. It wasn’t leather, like most saddles. It was made of nylon cloth, so it was thinner and more comfortable for two riders. It only had one set of stirrups, which I’d made thick to support Ava’s legs. “My idea was to create something that would keep Ava secure, but also allow me to ride with her.”
“Charlie, it has straps for my legs!” Ava sounded really touched by the gesture.
“I figured you’d need some adaptations,” I said.
“Can I try it?” she asked.
