Page 28

The three of them trooped out the door and into the misty gloom. Technically it was just after lunchtime, but if Chloe hadn’t known, she would’ve thought it was early evening.

The forest was no less beautiful for it, though – if anything, it was even more stunning than Chloe thought it might be otherwise.

The mist seemed to almost have a life of its own, forming little curlicues when caught by an errant breeze.

Condensation dripped from the branches onto the leaf litter below with a gentle pitter-patter.

Muted birdsong echoed through the trees, the birds themselves invisible, their calls unidentifiable to Chloe.

Moving forward, they entered the forest itself.

Kira had told them about a clearing where it was safe to shift without being spotted by hikers – though to be honest, Chloe thought that in this weather someone could be five feet away and they’d never see them anyway.

Still, it was better to be safe than sorry, and the pegasus’s wingspan was massive enough that she thought Ethan would need all the space to take off that he could get!

The forest opened up in front of them, leading into a wide space, and Chloe stifled a gasp.

The clearing was truly magnificent, the ground lined with a bed of freshly-fallen orange leaves.

Surrounding them on all sides were not just the flame-colored deciduous trees, but mighty pines that towered serenely above them, disappearing into the mist. It felt like they were tucked away from the rest of the world. Even the birds were silent here.

Curtis stood in the middle of the clearing, turning in a slow circle, looking around himself in awe.

~I remember this,~ he said, his voice reverent. ~I used to come here. It has not changed, except that maybe the trees are even taller than they once were.~

Chloe watched, a wistful smile on her face, as Curtis closed his eyes and simply took in the sensations of the forest that surrounded him, whatever that might have felt like for a ghost.

She was glad that he’d been able to find something that hadn’t changed – it must’ve been awful, being thrown into the modern world and seeing everything that he knew altered or torn down.

He turned to face Chloe and Ethan, eyes open once more, and his face looked more peaceful than she had ever seen it.

It also looked more transparent than she had ever seen it. For a moment Chloe thought that it was just the mist making him less visible – but no, she could see the trees behind him much more clearly than she would normally be able to.

“Curtis?” she asked, her voice tinged with alarm.

~It’s okay, Miss Chloe,~ he said with a smile. ~I’m not going anywhere. Or – I am, but not where you’re going.~

Before she could formulate a response, Curtis continued, ~I cannot proceed any farther than this point. The closer I get to the necklace, the more I feel I cannot proceed.~

“But why?” Chloe asked, knowing that she sounded petulant. But she was worried! Did this mean that they couldn’t help Curtis after all?

Curtis shrugged his ghostly shoulders. ~I don’t understand the workings myself. All I can think of is that Miss Janie wished for someone to find the necklace, but that someone cannot be me.~

He turned to Ethan. ~Maybe that someone has to be you, since I was attached to you when I was brought to this world.~

“It seems like as plausible a reason as any,” said Ethan, looking a little stony-faced. Beneath his breath, Chloe could hear him mutter, “This is why I don’t like magic.”

Chloe thought that was a bit rich, coming from a guy who could transform into a mythical creature at will, but she decided to keep her mouth shut. She supposed that magic was something he didn’t have much experience with, and people often feared things they didn’t understand.

Personally, if nothing else, she was grateful for magic, since it meant that she’d at least had the chance to meet Curtis, and because of him, Ethan.

“So, what now?” she asked.

Curtis shrugged. ~Perhaps I shall visit my descendants one more time, if they will have me. I would like to go bowling with them. Or watch them bowling, in any case.~

Chloe laughed, feeling some of the tension leaving her. So long as Curtis was actually okay, then that was all that mattered.

And, she had to admit, there was a part of her that really wanted to spend some alone time with Ethan. Especially since he’d gotten so cagey earlier when Kira had referred to her ‘mate’! There was definitely something going on, and she knew that Ethan was hoping she’d forgotten about it.

Well, fat chance. She was going to keep annoying him until he caved in and told her what was happening.

“I’m sure they’d love to see you,” she said. “I really hope we can bring Eula some closure over this – it seems to have really hit her hard.”

Curtis bowed slightly to both Chloe and Ethan. ~I shall send them both your regards,~ he said. ~Thank you for letting me see the forest one more time. I shall be forever in your debt.~

“Of course,” Chloe said. “It was our pleasure.”

“Think nothing of it,” added Ethan. “Thank you for helping us work out what we need to do – hopefully we’ll be back by this evening with the necklace, and you can go back to your family.”

Curtis smiled an ethereal smile, and then spread his hands out in a gesture that seemed to encompass the whole forest. He looked up one more time, taking in the fog-shrouded treetops, and then vanished with the wind.

Chloe shivered. Everything suddenly felt weirdly empty without Curtis – she’d gotten so used to his quiet presence that it felt strange not having him here. Even the forest felt muted.

Well, he’s probably off having fun bowling with Eula and Janie now, she told herself, brightening a little. Or maybe Janie will find him some trashy reality TV.

She turned to where Ethan was standing next to her, looking thoughtfully at nothing in particular. His expression was a little pensive, and so she poked him in the ribs, enjoying the way he jumped and made an undignified sound.

“Hey, you!” she said cheerfully. “What was all that about with Kira earlier today, hmm? What could possibly be so outrageous that you have to keep it a secret, when you’ve already dropped the ‘I’m actually a winged horse’ bombshell on me?”

Ethan resembled nothing so much as a pegasus caught in the headlights, his eyes wide, but then he relaxed slightly. Or enough to talk, anyway.

“You’re a persistent one, aren’t you?”

“You’re damn right I am.”

He sighed. “All right. I promise that I’ll tell you… just as soon as we get up there.”

Chloe opened her mouth to protest, but Ethan raised a hand, cutting her off.

“Time is of the essence here, and the weather could turn at any moment, so it’s vital that we get flying as quickly as possible. But as soon as we’re up there, I’ll explain everything to you, I promise.”

“I suppose I can’t argue with that,” Chloe sighed, before her expression hardened in resolve. “But the moment we’re up there…”

“Okay, okay,” Ethan said in mock surrender. “Have you ever considered becoming a lawyer? You’re certainly persistent enough.”

Chloe thought about it for a moment.

“Maybe an animal rights lawyer, but that’s it,” she said. “But I think I’m of more use where I am. Anyway,” she went on, “let’s get going. I want to get to the bottom of this. All of it.”

“Stand back,” Ethan said, moving into the middle of the clearing, and Chloe did so, tightening the straps and checking the zippers on the backpack that Kira had given them. The last thing they needed was for everything to come tumbling out while they were flying over the forest!

Ethan began to shimmer, and she watched, fascinated once more, as his body elongated and widened, wings bursting forth from his back, hair turning pure white and covering his body… until, at last, the magnificent pegasus stood before her, ethereal and imposing in the mountain mist.

It tossed its head in an extremely haughty fashion, clearly aware of how beautiful it was, and she took a moment to wonder whether that was Ethan’s usual somewhat restrained arrogance being given free rein, or if the pegasus itself had its own personality.

She couldn’t wait to find out more about it!

Chloe approached him with a sense of wonder, reaching out one hand to touch the soft hair on his flank. She only had a moment to wonder about how she was going to mount him before he knelt down obligingly, moving himself closer to the ground so she could get a leg over him.

Despite her years of working with animals, she didn’t have a lot of experience riding horses – but something about sitting on him felt so right , even here on the ground, that she knew without question that he wouldn’t let her fall.

She could feel him making the most minute adjustments whenever she shifted her position, ensuring that he always compensated for any movements she made. Chloe had never felt so safe in all her life.

That wasn’t to say that she didn’t still feel a bit nervous about the idea of flying, though!

“Okay,” she said, gripping his mane and hoping that she wasn’t pulling his hair too hard. “Let’s do this thing.”

She wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, given that there wasn’t a lot of precedent for riding around on flying horses. Presumably he wouldn’t taxi like a plane, or hover like a helicopter!

In the end, it took her a moment to even realize they’d taken off.

The little leap he did into the air was so smooth that she barely even noticed it, and then they were off, the enormous wings making a gentle whoomph sound as they beat up and down, creating drafts of air that sent her hair blowing around her head.

I hope Ethan finds the world’s worst bedhead attractive , she thought giddily for a moment, even as the professional part of her wondered about how the pegasus’s anatomy differed from that of a normal horse in order to accommodate the wings.