Horse Stone (Book 1 of Ilyrian Series)

Chapter 55

I could see a bright, white light appear through my closed eyelids, and I had a feeling that if I hadn't closed my eyes when I did, then I would have after that because it was too bright, and I wouldn't have been blinded if I didn't.

The wind blew around us, and it encircled the two of us and had my hair flying in the wind.

Strong magic filled the air while our bond was formed, and it made the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stand at attention. It pricked and tingled and made itself known by whispering stuff without words, a song without a melody.

I stayed relaxed and listened to the magic that surrounded us.

As soon as the wind moved around us, it stopped, and everything went still. The light dimmed, and I knew that if I opened my eyes, then there wouldn't be a blinding light like there had been a few moments before.

So, I opened my eyes and bit back a gas while I looked around, noticing full well that I wasn't on stable grounds any longer but some far off world that could only be described as a fairy tale place.

A small gasp escaped my lips while I looked around in awe, and my heart pounded hard in my chest while a small lump appeared in my throat.

The sky was a very clear blue, bluer than I had ever seen it where I lived, and it seemed to sparkle and glow the more that I stared at it. The trees looked green and sparkled like emeralds, and it looked so beautiful that it took my breath away.

Birds in the trees sang, each note different than the last, and it didn't sound like the birds that were on Earth. They sounded different, more human, and it sounded like I could understand what they were saying, what they were singing, but I had no idea what they were singing.

A powerful snort from behind me that had my hair blowing forward interrupted me from looking around, and I turned on my heels with a small gasp on my lips to see... Vanar behind me.

I stared at the brown eyes of the stallion that I trusted and saw no recognition in his eyes as well as no trust. "Vanar?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, but that didn't stop the small bit of hope I felt. I didn't move to touch him because I knew that he would not like that.

The stallion narrowed his eyes and didn't say a word or a word that I couldn't hear. He pressed his ears to the back of his head and bared his teeth, something that I had witnessed only once before, but this time it frightened me.

He looked the same that I knew him, but the only difference was that he had a horn, and my Vanar did not. He still had the black coat that shone red in a certain light, and he still took my breath away every time that I looked at him.

"Who are you?" someone asked on top of Vanar's back, and I looked up to see a female sitting there, pointing a weapon towards me. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, and I could see that she didn't trust me. "How do you know his name?"

I licked my lips and cleared my throat while I shifted on my feet. My mouth went dry, and I began to feel nervous about who I was talking to and how I ended here.

The female narrowed her eyes further at me, and her blue eyes flashed when I didn't answer her. She had this power about her, and I could tell that she would have people bowing down to her and fearing her but yet respecting her, too.

"Well?" she asked, her tone harsh, and I wanted to duck my head but didn't because a part of me told me to stand up straight and let her know that she didn't scare me when she did. "Who are you? How do you know him?" She gestured to Vanar, and I looked at him before I looked at her. "Speak, Child, before I murder you."

I bit my lip and cleared my throat. "Ummm, I'm Hadley," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I shifted on my feet and cleared my throat again. "Hadley McCormick."

She narrowed her eyes further and scowled. "How do you know Vanar?" she asked, her voice sharp and tone harsh.

I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. I wanted to call Inen to me and have it here to protect me, but I knew that I couldn't hide behind it for long. I had to stand up for myself and find out who she was and where I was by myself. "I work with him," I said nervously. I cleared my throat again and shifted on my feet, not knowing what I should tell her. "But... I know him without..." I gestured to his horn.

The female lowered her weapon, and she still looked at me with suspicious eyes. She scowled, but I could see a small bit of kindness forming in her eyes while she stared at me. "How do you know him without his horn?" she asked, her voice hard.

I hesitated and shrugged while I looked down at the ground before I shifted on my feet. "Because he was at the horse farm that I live near," I said hesitantly. I placed my hands behind my back and dug my toe into the ground.

She raised an eyebrow but stayed silent. She wanted me to continue, and I knew that she wanted to see what else I would say about how I knew Vanar.

"He's rude and such with me, and there was a chance that I... might have talked with him multiple times a day. He... trusted, or trusts, me, and I touched the place where his horn laid, and... ya." I shrugged and bit my lip, not knowing what she would think when I said that.

The female dipped her chin closer to her chest, and she lowered her weapon all the way. "You talked to him?" she asked, and I nodded in confirmation. "How?" she asked.

I pressed my lips into a thin line, wondering if it would be ok if I told her about the stone. I knew that there were those that could use the stone against me to harm the horse that I wanted to protect or the world that I was slowly trying to learn.

A small smirk appeared on her face, and she bit back a small chuckle. "It's ok, you can trust me," she said. She moved a hand across Vanar's shoulder, and he looked at her before he nuzzled her leg gently. "He does."

"But... Vanar knows you," I said and furrowed my brows. I licked my lips and cleared my throat while I shifted on my feet. "I... don't even know your name."

The female dipped her head into a bow, and her whole body relaxed as if she knew that I didn't mean her any harm. "My name is Adrianna," she said, her voice soft yet firm. "It is nice to meet you, Hadley."