Page 221 of The Chosen One Universe: Volume One

“Please,” Sawyer whispered.

The horse gave a slight nod then moved slowly forward. Once it was within touching distance, it lowered its head then its front legs.

It took a minute for Sawyer to realize it was offering to let him on its back, the position so similar to the one Draco took when he offered Sawyer a ride on his back. “I don’t… I don’ t know if I can get on,” Sawyer said.

The horse huffed before shaking its mane. Something else moved in the woods behind him and Sawyer knew he’d run out of time. He grabbed a handful of mane, whispered an apology, and used the last of his strength to pull himself up and onto the huge back. He kept the staff but arranged it down the horse’s side so it wouldn’t catch on anything.

The horse turned and walked back the way it had come, maneuvering through the trees more quietly than a creature its size should be able to manage.

Sawyer clung to its back, one hand tangled in the mane and his thighs attempting to hold on more tightly. The horse weaved through the trees until the sound of the ocean grew stronger.

Sawyer tried not to freak out. The fireflies had led him to this creature. The goddess had a hand in it. He would be okay.

They walked out of the trees and onto the sand. The horse didn’t stop. He walked to the waves, and then into the water.

Deep.

Deeper until the water was at its neck and then the body between his thighs trembled and shifted into something else, something he couldn’t quite focus enough to understand as they began to move through the water.

Fast.

Faster than Sawyer could even explain. They flew through the water, going away from the beach and deeper into the sea. He clung to the mane, tangling his fingers into the long hair and praying he didn’t lose consciousness and his grip. The ocean water flowed over him, stinging his wounds and sapping the last of his strength.

He had no idea how long they swam. He was fading in and out, but he managed to stir when the body he clung to trembled again, and then they were walking out of the water, onto another beach. This one with a beautiful cabin built next to the rocks and trees just offshore. He shuddered as the wind hit him and chilled his dripping wet skin.

The horse picked its way carefully over the stones, climbing up to the small yard in front of the cabin. Then he knelt again, and Sawyer managed to slide off his back. He hit the ground with a thump, his legs not willing to hold him up anymore. He slid to the side, staring up at the huge creature above him.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

The creature shimmered and then a man stood where the horse was only moments before, tall and broad with the barrel chest of the horse he’d been moments before. His dark hair was short, and he had a short beard as well, short enough that Sawyer wondered if he’d just stopped shaving for a while. Didn’t they have something like that in November? His thoughts blurred again, a gray haze washing over him.

“What’s your name?” His voice was deep and melodic. His eyes shimmered with the same silvery blue as his mane had.

“Sawyer.”

“Sawyer,” he repeated. He bent down and scooped Sawyer up in his arms. “Sawyer, I am Saeward. You’re safe now.”