Savior (20 page)

              “Blackberry?”

              “Yes?”

              “I do love him. I love him very much,” she whispered.

              He whinnied and pranced for a moment. “Of course you do child. Now what say you to going a little faster? I could take you into a field and really let you ride instead of this walking through the woods nonsense,” he said as he looked over his shoulder at her.

              Alyssa grinned and nodded. “I would love that. What should I do?”

              His step hastened into a slow trot as he moved through the trees. “You should do nothing. Just hold on, try not to fall off, and don’t even think about kicking me. If you want to go faster all you have to do is ask.”

              She nodded and hugged her body tightly to his as he cleared the trees and broke into a run. The speed of his gallop knocked the air from her lungs. She hadn’t realized a horse of his size could run that fast.

              “How are you doing up there?” he called to her as he cleanly jumped over a fallen tree.

              She struggled to catch her breath. Finally she managed a weak, “Fine.” The stallion laughed and raced harder than before, galloping like he hadn’t done in years. Never before had a human ridden him while he ran. He found that it was more joy than he would have anticipated. The little angel clung to him for dear life. He could feel her hot breath against his neck as she struggled to stay on.

              Blackberry suddenly veered around a large tree, turning before Alyssa had fully recovered her balance. She fell from his back, landing painfully against a large rock. She sat up slowly as her vision blurred and then cleared. Along her arm were three large bruises, but it didn’t seem broken. She flexed her fingers a few times to make sure of her diagnosis. A few bruises were nothing to worry about really but she was concerned when she thought about what Marcus would say when he found out how she had gotten them. Blackberry trotted slowly toward her, a solemn look on his face. “I’m sorry little one,” he nickered as he touched her cheek with the tip of his velvety soft nose.

              Alyssa nodded and shrugged, if a little clumsily. The bruise on her shoulder was the size of a man’s fist and it made moving her arm awkward and more than a little painful. “It’s alright,” she replied.

              “We’ll go find Solara and she will make everything better.” Blackberry nodded and then did something completely unexpected. He tucked one front leg under his body, kneeling down in the grass. His long black mane fell to the ground as he waited patiently for her to slide onto his back, which she did eagerly.

              Alyssa wrapped her fingers in his mane as he straightened up and began walking cautiously to where they had last seen the dragon.

              “I’m not a doll made of glass Blackberry, you can walk faster,” she chided after finally getting tired of his slow pace. He was being overly careful so that she didn’t fall off again, which was appreciated. But in his attempts to be careful he was also wasting time and eating away at Alyssa’s nerves. She knew that he felt guilty for her accident, but his pace was edging on ridiculous. With a tentative tap of her heel against his side, she asked him to go faster. At the first touch of her foot

              Blackberry did nothing. But as she continued to nudge him he came to a complete stop in the tall grass and turned his head to look at her, his eyes narrowing.

              “Tap me again and I will gladly drop you back on the ground,” he warned through gritted teeth.

              His ears flicked back dangerously as he continued to watch her, daring her to continue. Alyssa shrank back away from him and nodded weakly, all thoughts of reaching Solara before noon forgotten.

              When he was sure that she wouldn’t try to get him to go faster, Blackberry turned back toward the field and starting trotting on his own. It was a slow jog, but it was enough to get them to Solara faster than she had anticipated. It was not yet mid-day when they finally approached the golden dragon.

              Solara lifted her large head and looked them both over, her eyes lingering on the large bruises that dotted Alyssa’s arm. “Should I even ask?” she said in a voice dripping with disapproval. “You should not be riding that fast Alyssa,” she cautioned.

              The angel nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

              “And you!” Solara roared as she rose to her full height and stared down at Blackberry. “You should have known better. What were you thinking, galloping around the field like a crazed animal?”

              “It was just a bit of fun,” Blackberry tried to explain, but quickly bit his tongue as Solara’s nose came level to his. The dragon could have easily eaten him, if she hadn’t already had her breakfast hours earlier.

              “Bruises are not defined as fun,” she growled. “And what am I to tell Marcus? That you were gallivanting around here on that horse like a madwoman?”

              Alyssa’s eyes rose to the dragon’s face. “Please don’t tell Marcus,” she pleaded. “It wont ever happen again, I promise.”

              Solara didn’t believe her, but the girl’s dark blue eyes, brimming with tears, were enough to make the dragon’s heart break. “Fine, I won’t tell Marcus… This time. But you will be careful from now on.”

              Alyssa nodded quickly. “And I suppose you’ll want me to heal you then?” Again the girl nodded. “Oh all right!”

              Solara ran a golden claw down the length of Alyssa’s arm. When she had pulled back, the angel’s skin was completely healed. Alyssa looked herself over and smiled broadly. “Thank you Solara,” she giggled. The dragon nodded and smiled back. Blackberry turned from Solara and began walking away with Alyssa singing quietly to herself high on his back.

              The sun was just beginning to set as Alyssa started walking back to the cabin. Her hair was a tangled mess and she was sure that she looked hideous, but a warm bath would change all that. She and Blackberry had spent the day together riding through the forest. Even though it looked big, she could never have guessed how large it actually was from inside. If they hadn’t found a few friendly squirrels to ask directions, they would probably still be lost deep in the forest. It had taken almost the entire afternoon just to find their way out of it. Alyssa fidgeted with a tangled mess of her hair that was clumped with dirt and blades of grass. Although she hadn’t fallen off again, she had rolled in the grass and played in the bushes. The river had also provided hours of entertainment before Blackberry had started complaining about drinking so much water that he felt like a fish. Her wings were also dirty and she was sure that her feet were caked with mud.

              Lights shone through the windows of the cabin as she approached and delicious smells from the kitchen drifted on the breeze toward her. She didn’t think Marcus would be mad at her for going through the front door and getting his cabin dirty, but she didn’t want to make him clean more than he already had to either. So she went to the bedroom window and let herself in. After a quick scan of the room, she realized that she was alone. As she passed over the trapdoor, her mind traveled to Slypher for an instant.

              It was unfair that she had spent most of the day outside and he was locked underground. She decided to visit him for a few moments later on that evening, hopefully with Marcus’s permission and possibly even his company. The demon did seem to be very lonely down there.

              Alyssa walked into the bathroom and undressed, piling her filthy dress in a corner before slipping up to her neck in the warm bath. Her arm was still sore, but at least Marcus would never know about her accident with Blackberry. He wasn’t a dangerous horse, she told herself, he was just a little wild. There was nothing wrong with being a little wild. But Marcus would see it differently of course and she was afraid of what would happen if he ever found out about what had happened. It had been an accident, but

              Alyssa knew Marcus well enough to guess how angry he would be at Blackberry for being reckless with her.

              The scent of lavender filled the air as she soaked in the warm bath. Her wings, although dirty before, were now a pristine white. And there was something else about them that she had only seen once or twice before in her entire life. The tips of her wings were glowing a faint silver. It was almost too dim to notice, but her eyes caught it immediately. In the silver there were also stray waves of blue, as if the colors were trying to blend together but couldn’t quite seem to manage it. Upon closer inspection, she also noticed that her skin had the same bluish silver glow to it. Alyssa held her hand up to the light, staring curiously at the soft rays that seemed to jump along her skin.

              Almost like water, the glow fell from her fingertips down her arm, disappearing into the warm water. “Strange,” she whispered as a scowl curved the edges of her mouth. “Very strange.” Alyssa considered telling Marcus about it, but decided against it in case it would make him worry. He seemed to have enough troubling him. Her gaze shifted to the where the trapdoor sat hidden under the rug. Perhaps one of the many books Marcus kept down there would have some sort of an answer. The odd waves of color though could just be something those with angel decent experienced from time to time. She was sure that it was nothing though since she didn’t feel ill and the colors didn’t hurt at all.

              Just outside the window she could hear a pair of birds talking in high voices that sounded almost like a cat meowing at the top of its lungs. Alyssa stood up from the tub and closed the window, blocking out most of the hideous racket. She returned to the water and closed her eyes, finally able to enjoy the bliss.

              In the silence, her mind began to wander. There were so many questions Alyssa had for Marcus, and most circled around Jasmine. Since he had been less than forthcoming with information though, she decided to turn to Slypher for answers. He was chained up after all so he couldn’t really hurt her if she went down there alone after her bath.

              . . .

              Marcus stepped calmly though the lightly damp grass of the field while humming a soft tune. For the first time since Jasmine’s passing, he felt somewhat lighthearted and at peace. This did bother him a bit, however, because he did not want to betray his memory of Jasmine, even though they the love they shared was a bit superficial. Of course, the marriage had been arranged for posterity’s sake, though over time, he had developed feelings for her. Every day they were together, some part of his heart was tormented because of the bleak world she had to live in, and he himself had contributed to that desolation.

              His mind drifted back to Alyssa, her soft simile and shimmering hair, the image of innocence and beauty. Often he would admonish himself for being with her, he did not deserve her kindness, her caring.

              Marcus continued his journey though the field, he needed to speak with Solara, he needed to make sure everything was ready.

              Alyssa dressed in a hurry, not bothering to dry herself or her hair, and pulled back the rug. The floor length dress she had decided to wear made going down the wooden ladder difficult, but finally she was in the first of the two chambers, surrounded by soft torch light. She couldn’t hear Slypher beyond the closed wooden door, but she could feel him. His energy was dark and foreboding, but not as malicious as the first time she had met him. The glow on her skin and wings seemed to dull as she crept silently closer to the door. Barefoot as usual, her feet made little noise as she walked. The only sounds she could hear were the swaying of her dress and Slypher’s heavy breathing just on the other side of the wooden door. “Slypher?” Alyssa called softly to him as she tiptoed closer. The breathing paused, but there were no other sounds. She called to him again, but he did not reply. The wooden door creaked slightly as she opened it just enough to squeeze inside. Even with the torches lit the room was dark. Alyssa waited against the cold stone wall as her eyes adjusted to the sudden lack of light. Her wings had stopped glowing, but there was still a faint hint of the silver color to them. “Slypher?” she called again as her eyes struggled to adjust. There was a low hiss from across the room and she smiled nervously. Although she had nothing to fear from him, the demon was still enough of a concern to make her tremble. Alyssa gulped loudly as she tried to get her racing heart under control. Just being this close to him was enough to make the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. The dress gathered gracefully around her ankles as she walked toward him, deliberately keeping her breathing calm.

              “What are you doing down here?” the creature hissed from somewhere in front of her. She could just barely make out his sinister shape in the flickering torchlight.

              “I thought you might like some company,” Alyssa replied in the steadiest voice she could manage.

              “Oh,” was all he said.

              Her gaze traveled behind her, to the rows of bookshelves in the other room. Her curiosity was insatiable and within a matter of minutes she was flipping through a leather bound book. As she skimmed the pages she came back to the room where Slypher stood waiting for her.