Chapter 20

Aubrey kept the sadness at bay.  She had left her best friend behind.  She had left Daisy to live her life out, as it would have been.  It was the right thing to do, but a small part of Aubrey was gone.  Losing a best friend was hard, and losing the dragon who had been her only companion for years was harder.  How would she be able to do this?  The answer was simple.  She needed to keep her chin up and deal with this threat.  The woman who had spoken over them as they lie beneath the dirt that was the woman Aubrey wished to speak to.

“I wish the two of you would stay behind,” she mumbled as she threw a few coins down onto the stand. 

The man sitting there smiled up at her.  A few of his teeth were missing, but it didn’t keep him from smiling at her.  “Thank ya, Miss Annie.”

“A pleasure, Jorge.  You know I love your fruit.”

A small blush crossed the man’s face as she picked up the small pile of fruit and began walking away. Her legs felt light, as if a weight was missing.  Aubrey pushed the thought from her mind.  It would do her no good do dwell on the past.

“If you think that we are going to stay here while you get yourself killed,” Nathaniel mumbled as he picked one of the fruits from her hand, “then you are not the intelligent woman I thought you were.”

“Give me one,” Alin said.  Taking a bite, he groaned in happiness.  “I would live here if it were allowed.”

“It is,” Aubrey replied with a laugh.  “All you need to do is marry one of their own.  Then, you can stay here as long as you wish.”

Alin glanced around at the people nearby and winced.  “You know that is not possible.”

Aubrey shrugged.  “How do you know?”

His eyes narrowed at her, and she snapped her mouth shut.  He was right; she had no business in trying to make him move onto another woman.  He thought he was set in his love; there was nothing she could do to change his mind.  She walked into a nearby shop, and both the men stopped at the entryway with a confused expression.  “What are you doing?” she asked.

They looked at her with confused expressions.  “It will not let me enter,” Nathaniel mumbled as Alin nodded in agreement.

A large smile crossed her face.  “Well, look at that.  The two of you cannot follow me everywhere.”

Footsteps echoed from behind her, causing her to glance back at the man walking towards her.  She blinked, expecting the perfect image to go away, but to her surprise, he still stood there with a large smile on his face.  Taking a step towards him, she gave him her best smile.  “Hello.”

“Hello,” he said.  His words floated across her skin.

She took a step forward and held out her had.  “I am Annie.”

He took her hand and raised it to his lips for a kiss.  “You do not have to lie to me, Princess.  I am quite aware of who exactly you are.”

“How?” Aubrey asked, attempting to pull her hand away.

He immediately let it drop, and regret flashed in his eyes.  “I did not mean to scare you.  It is one of my gifts.  I have the ability to see through falsehoods.”

“Must be hard,” she mumbled.

“What?” he asked with a confused expression.

“Not being able to trust anyone.”

He took a step away from her, and his head tilted to the side.  “And you?  Are you a mind reader?”

She let out a laugh and shook her head. “No.  I do not have any certain power.  I am from the royal family; our power is only as much as our land will allow us to have.”

A handsome smile crossed his face.  “Now, what can I do for such a lovely lady?”

She smiled back before motioning towards Nathaniel and Alin.  “How about you let my friend in?”

“Sorry,” he said genuinely.  “The shop only allows women to enter, or those of the bloodline. Some weird spell my ancestors placed on it.  I think it had a lot to do with what the women used to do in this place.”

Curiosity burned in her, causing her to lean towards him. “Please, do tell.”

He let out a beautiful laugh and shook his head at her. “Family secrets.  Now, I think you were looking for some horses?”

She nodded her head.  “Some that will carry us for quite some time.  I plan to rest them accordingly, but I cannot have one die on me during the heat.”

“I understand,” he replied.  “Just follow me to the back, and we will have a look at a few.  If your friends would like, they can meet us there.  There is no spell on the outside.”

“That would be great,” she mumbled before turning towards Nathaniel and Alin.  “Meet us around back,” she yelled and waited for them both to nod before following after the man.  They passed several shelves with a multitude of items overflowing them, but Aubrey only spared them a small glance.  She was here for one reason, to get horses and get out of this town before she followed through with her plan.

She took a step outside, and her eyes immediately fell onto the black horse.  It stood tall and proud, no color but black on its coat.  Aubrey was in love.  This was her horse.  This proud creature would be the one she would take with her on her short journey.  “I want him,” she said, pointing at the horse.

The man next to her winced.  “He does not like people.  He must have come from a bad family, because he will not let anyone around him.”

Aubrey shook her head.  “It must be a good thing that I have Alin with me,” she said just as her two friends appeared.

Nathaniel immediately pointed to a brown and white mare.  “I choose her.  She does not look as if she would cause too much trouble, but she has a spark that lets me know that she would be a fine horse.”

The man nodded. “Mirabelle is a great horse, fine choice.”

“Alin,” Aubrey began, “I need you to take care of the horse.”

“What is wrong with him?” Alin asked as he took a step towards the black stallion.

“He came from a bad lot,” she mumbled as she glanced up and down the row of animals.  The one she had just chosen would not be for her, she realized.  That horse was for Alin.  He needed something like the stallion to keep his attention on. 

Walking down the row of stables, she stopped when she heard the noise from the other side of the door.  Glancing back at the man, she raised an eyebrow.  “What is behind this door?”

His eyes narrowed at the door as if he were attempting to read something on it before remembrance crossed his face.  “That is Star.  She has a large star on her head. Gentle creature and loyal to a fault, she would be a great choice also.”

“I’ll take her,” Aubrey mumbled as the door opened to reveal the beautiful creature before her.  When the man had said she had a star on her head, Aubrey had envisioned many different possibilities, but she had never expected the pure white horse that stared back at her.  The only color on her body was the large black star shape on her forehead. 

“Hello, Star,” Aubrey mumbled as she ran her hand over the horse’s face.  It pushed at her hand, making her let out a small laugh.  Looking at it, she noted the riding blanket already on her back.  “Someone has been riding her?”

“My sister,” the man answered.  “She will be upset once she realizes Star is gone, but it is for the best.  I know the horse will be taken care of better if she is with you.”

Aubrey nodded before coaxing the animal out of the stall.  “She will be loved and cared for.”

The man walked towards her.  Leaning down, he held his hands out as if he were going to boost her onto the horse.  Looking over at Alin and Nathaniel, she noted that they were already sitting proudly on top of their own finds.  Setting her foot in the man’s hand, she pushed herself up quickly, not wanting to hurt him.

He rose to his feet and smiled.  “I hope that you will return, if only to let me know how the horses are doing.”

She smiled at him.  “I wish you luck in your future endeavors, and if I am alive, I will return on my journey home.”

“That is all I can ask,” he said while running his hand down Star’s neck.  “My sister would kill me if she knew I let you leave without at least asking.”

“Thank you,” Aubrey said, tossing him a bag of coins.  “I hope that will be enough for your trouble.”

He weighed the bad in his hands before shaking his head.  “You paid me too much.”

She shrugged.  “You deserved it.”

“Thank you,” he mumbled.  Walking behind Star, he entered his shop again with a quick, “Have a safe journey,” thrown over his shoulder.

Aubrey smiled and waved as she exited the village.  Nathaniel and Alin were not far behind, and the fact comforted her a little.  She would not be alone once she set her plan into motion.  Glancing back, she noticed that the village was no longer in sight.  This was the perfect time.  Dropping her shields, she let her magic flow from her body.

“What are you doing?” Nathaniel croaked.

She glanced over at him and watched as he eased his horse closer to her as if he could not help himself.

“I am leaving a trail.”

“Why?” Alin asked, staying firmly in his spot, but with a dazed expression on his face.

Aubrey smiled at them.  “If I cannot find her, I will let her find me.  It is time to see the face of my enemies.”