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“I don’t think I can do this.”
“Raven. Darling. You already are.”
Raven realized that Kellen was right. Riker had picked up speed after she’d adjusted her grip, and they cruised smoothly through the sky. Kellen was also correct about where to focus. If she kept her eyes on the horizon, it actually wasn’t so bad.
“Woohoooooo!” Bianca shrieked, speeding past her with her blonde hair flowing behind her, Seamus hot on her heels. “Come on, Raven! Try and catch me.”
“Oh, it’s a race she’s wanting?” Raven glowered, her competitive spirit edging out some of the fear.
“Are you going to let her win?” Kellen asked, his own Alicorn keeping easy pace with Riker. Raven took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders, letting the tension drain, as Lily and Callum flew in circles around them. The sun lowered in the sky, casting the moment in warm gold, like a sepia-toned photograph of olden times, and Raven wanted to capture this memory in her mind forever.
Her first real friends. Her first kiss.
And flying freakin’ Alicorns.
If everything ended tomorrow, and she had to go back to living in her little studio, she’d clutch this memory to her heart for the rest of her days.
“Let’s ride,” Raven declared, a smile at her lips. And when Riker leapt forward, slicing through the air, she could no longer contain her own scream of excitement either. “Woooohooo!”
16
Raven
“We can call it a draw,”Bianca offered, and Raven chuckled, sliding from Riker’s back into Kellen’s waiting arms. It took a moment to steady herself on the ground, and she wondered if that was what people who lived on a boat felt like when they went back to land.
“I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure I won,” Raven said. Kellen drew a bottle from his pocket and poured a few drops into his hand, holding it out in front of Riker’s mouth. “What are you giving him?”
“Extra protection. It supercharges their healing process in case they do get wounded for any reason. It takes a few hours to settle in and work through the system, so I want to make sure they have it before we leave in the morning,” Kellen explained as he went on to the next Alicorn. It was the bottle that he had taken from the weapons room, Raven realized. What other magicks could they take with them into battle tomorrow?
Into the Dark Realm.
Everyone spoke of the underworld in hushed tones, and Raven hadn’t really gotten a grasp on what they were dealing with yet. She made a note to ask Kellen or Bianca later, but for now, she didn’t want to think of dark realms or battles. Looping an arm over Riker’s back, Raven leaned in and pressed her lips to his coat.
“Thank you for giving me that joy. It’s a freedom I’ve never known, and I felt, I don’t know, powerful up there. So, thank you, friend.”
Riker stomped a hoof, leaning into her, and Raven smiled. An image of herself, hair streaming in the wind and pure joy on her face, popped into her head, and Raven hugged Riker.
They waited until Kellen had finished giving the Alicorns their special tonic, and together they walked back toward the castle. There was meant to be a rally of sorts that evening, to unite the people before half the Air Fae left for battle the next morning, and Kellen had asked her if she would sing. Normally, she enjoyed singing for a crowd, but now nerves kicked low in her gut. Would it be possible for her to perform for the Fae in the same manner that she did for people passing by on the street? In Galway, she hoped to entertain, maybe get a smile or a coin from someone passing by. But tonight? These people might lose their loved ones in the morning. How was she supposed to sing a song that would embolden them when they faced potential loss?
“Did you ask him?” Bianca dropped back, distracting Raven from her thoughts.
“Ask him what?” Confusion rippled through her.
“For a talisman. Something that could replace the amulet.”
“Oh, right. I forgot, actually.” Raven winced.
“We’ll need it tonight, if possible. I think we’re meant to charm it and put intention into the item and all that. Do you want me to ask him?”
“No, no, I can ask Kellen, it’s fine.”
“Ask me what?” Kellen asked, coming up behind them, and Raven winced again. Now it sounded like she’d been talking about him. She had, but not like that. Raven sighed, annoyed with herself, and turned to Kellen as Bianca made herself scarce. He looked relaxed, much more at ease than she’d seen him in days, and she realized that he’d needed to ride the wind as much as the others had. Though it had been fun, and even miraculous in its own right, it had also been a team building of sorts. A unification of their shared goals.
“Um, well. So.” Raven dug her fingernails into her palms as she thought about what to ask him for.
“Just say it, Raven.”
“If we want to complete the ritual, Bianca is certain we can likely be equally effective if you can substitute a different item for the amulet. Something deeply meaningful to you. I was thinking…maybe something of your mother’s?” Raven trailed off at the stricken look that crossed his face. She hated being the one to remind him that his best friend had betrayed him.
