FATE

Khaln

The moon sat high in the darkened night, and the warm wind softly brushed against the trees.

I was putting the last bag of rations on my saddle that sat below my feet and picked it up.Walking over to my horse, I watched him trot impatiently and smirked.

His name was Thor, and a stubborn horse he was. A Gypsy Cob was a very rare breed, and it was what made him so expensive to buy him but I was desperate for him. He was gifted to me by a sleazy peddler who was selling horses in the east and he was the most wild and untamed one in the corral. It took perhaps a year to finally break him and since then he has been my most trusted stead.

All in the sense we shared the same attitude, only I could handle him, anyone else he wouldn't let no one come close to him and would be considered a danger to him.

Strapping up my horse with his saddle, I had turned to see that Ezra was being helped onto a Percheron that had a blue hue to her. She steadied herself on the stead and rubbed her neck affectionately. The horse whinnied and moved her head to receive more pets.

She smiled and continued to pet her. I frowned in annoyance, how could a horse get a smile from her but I couldn't? It was beyond me.

"I'll be back before you know it." My eyes turned to Olivier who was holding the lighter woman by the waist, over such a short period he had grown fond of her.

"Olivier, I fear for your safety." She whispered.

"I will be fine. Will you wait for me?" He asked.

Laila nodded to him as a tear streamed down her cheek. He caressed her cheek and she held his hand with her own. Closing her eyes at the feeling of his touch, she kissed his palm and Olivier brought her face close to his to give her a passionate kiss.

As they kissed, a stablemate brought over his horse and held the reigns patiently to be taken from Olivier. Removing his lips from hers, Olivier hugged her one final time then grabbed his horse's reigns.

Laila followed his movements and as he climbed onto his saddle, Laila blew him a kiss as he steered his horse.

Hoisting myself over the saddle, I threw my leg over Thor's side and situated myself on him. Grabbing the reigns, Olivier had rode up next to me with his brown horse giving me a nod.

"Everything is ready." Olivier said.

Nodding in understanding, I turned to Ezra who was slowly moving her horse to stand next to mine. I could see her struggling with steering her horse.

"Would you rather walk?" I asked.

Her eyes looked up at me with annoyance.

"No, I would not want to walk. There's no telling how far this 'witch' may be." She threw back.

"Let's go." I said dismissively and whipped the reigns to have my horse jolt forward into a fast run.

Leading the others through the forest, our journey was towards the east, where the Sunken Waste Lands were.

"So, how do you know about this witch?" I heard Ezra ask over the wind.

"She was the one who had taught me dark magic, although I have not mastered it fully, she has taught me what I needed in order to defend myself." I responded steering my horse to the left as the others followed.

"Do you think she is still in the same place as before?" Olivier asked.

"To my knowledge, yes." I responded.

'I hope.' I thought.

Three hours of riding later, I had pulled back on Thor's reigns and stopped him in a field where the River Of Mind sat down the hill.