Beautiful Beast

Chapter 14

KALISTA

We glance at each other once and I see my fear reflected in his eyes; then we spur our horses onward. My magic twists within me and I demand the trees to open for us. The forest is reluctant—it enjoys our panic. Yet, it concedes and between the spindly figures of the trees, I catch sight of the lamps which hang upon the stable doors.

"There," I shout and point to the beacon.

Arawn sees it as well and we push the horses faster. They gallop frantically toward it, also sensing the danger which snaps at our heels. When we are nearly halfway to the stables, I glance back. Emerging from the trees we left behind only moments ago, are the prowling forms of the wolves.

Frantically, I call my magic, hoping that perhaps I can slow them down. But the sparking magic trips over my anxiously beating heart and wildly flails about. The jolt nearly unseats me and only by clutching a handful of Abraxas's mane do I stay upon his back. My blunder, though, causes him to slow and grants our pursuers a chance to gain ground.

But I will not be overtaken simply because I am too distressed to properly wield my own magic.

Pulling Abraxas to a halt, I spin him toward the wolves. They are closer than I thought, and this nearly causes me to falter again. But I grit my teeth and with a wave of my hand, a swirling blizzard descends upon the creatures. Snow magic is not my forte—it belonged to my great-aunt Veralisa. However, it does what I need it to. While the wolves flounder in the drifts and are blinded by the ice, I spin Abraxas toward the stables. To my annoyance, Arawn had also stopped and is waiting for me a few meters away. He should have continued on.

With the wolves momentarily distracted, we race toward safety. Hector and Abraxas are swift, but once the wolves have untangled themselves from the blizzard, they once again give chase. I bend over Abraxas's neck and whisper for him to go faster.

A few paces from the open stable doors, we slow a fraction and at the threshold, Arawn leaps from Hector's back. He stumbles once, then hurries to the doors. I also dismount and help him heave them closed. Just as the beam falls across the doors, a heavy body slams into them. The doors tremble like autumn leaves but hold fast.

"They won't try to break through, will they?" Arawn asks.

"No." I inhale deeply, then add, "They will leave us alone now."

We stand there for a moment, staring at the doors. They were so close. One misstep and we would have made a hearty dinner for our cruel keepers.

Arawn reaches for Hector's bridle. "We should put these boys away."

I nod numbly and follow him. Johnathan and Matthew are nowhere to be found, so we untack and groom the horses by ourselves. We also feed them their hay and give them extra portions of grain.

"Now what?" Arawn asks, sliding Hector's stall door closed.

I fold my arms over my torso. "I think I can magic some food out of the palace pantry and then I suppose we will have to wait till morning."

We drag a big chest out of the tack room and cover it with a blanket—this will be our table. Next, we find two short stools and a few candle stubs. I light the candles with sparks of magic, then I lay my hands, palms down, upon the table.

Imagine it in your mind. Then draw it toward yourself. My father's voice echoes in my mind. Calling things to himself was one of his favourite tricks and my brothers took after him. They never mastered the art of teleporting living creatures and that was a good thing or else we would have suffered from more than spider webs falling upon our heads, toy soldiers appearing next to us, and soap contaminating our porridge.