“Take good care of her,” he called across the space between horses.

Kai nodded acknowledgement.

Once they were airborne, Eddi released a long sigh. How was it that her two best male friends were wonderful individually but made her tense and uncomfortable in combination? Kai had hardly said a word—to be fair, he’d been allowed little opportunity to contribute. But he needn’t be all silent and sober when Fidelio was around.

As they flew south toward Greif Spitze, the snow-topped peak that served as the halfway marker of the Cup race, Eddi felt the tension gradually drain from her body. White also seemed to relax beneath her. Could he sense her emotions that clearly?

To her surprise, Flurry wheeled down and landed on the level top of a ridgeline. White followed, landing a safe distance from her. Kai didn’t dismount or remove his helmet, but he beckoned them closer. White moved before Eddi gave him a signal, which made her smile.

She could see Kai’s eyes through his visor. He shifted his gaze across a deep gorge and pointed with a gloved finger. Eddi caught sight of a creature like a large goat with huge curving horns scaling the side of a ridge. Behind it followed smaller goats with much smaller horns, and after each of them trailed a baby or two.

They weren’t magical creatures, yet they had charm of their own. Eddi patted her chest over her heart. Kai’s eyes crinkled, and then Flurry leaped into a canter and took off. Since there was nothing worth eating on this ridge, White eagerly followed. Before Eddi was quite ready to be back, they were circling the abandoned cross-country field. But Thursday’s lesson would be an entire morning of flying and exploring. Maybe they would visit the wild fterotá again. She could hardly wait.

They landed amid what remained of some brush jumps, and the two horses immediately lowered their heads to graze on the long grass. Eddi hopped down and pulled off her helmet, letting her long braid fall free. It would have been faster to ride their horses to the barn, but she was in no hurry. After Kai removed Flurry’s saddle band, the filly lingered near White instead of flying away. Perhaps the grass was her reason for sticking around, but Eddi suspected she liked White.

“That was fun! Wish it could have been longer,” she said as Kai approached. His hair was messy again, and she knew hers must be too. When he smiled at her, she felt her spirit relax. No lecture would be forthcoming, no criticism of Fidelio.

“I’ve got to head back,” he said, “but any day is better after a start like that. If you like, you can pull off White’s gear and let him return to the stable when he’s ready. I’ll make sure his stall door is open. Or he can hang out in one of the paddocks. The horses are all adjusted to him now.”

So Eddi unbuckled White’s saddle band and draped it over her shoulder, telling him to relax and enjoy his morning with Flurry. For an instant—the merest flash of a second—she thought she sensed something . . . a flicker of contentment, anticipation, and happiness.

But as she turned back to join Kai, she wondered if those emotions were her own. This tension between her and Kai was fun in a fluttery, electric sort of way. Sort of like when they were kids, but with different triggers for their bickering and banter. Scary, yet . . . safe. Which made no sense at all.

“What were those goat things we saw?” Eddi asked, falling in step beside her instructor as he headed toward the path.

“Ibex. They’re magnificent creatures. I thought you might enjoy seeing them.”

“I definitely did. Thank you. Was the huge one the adult?”

“He was the ram. The ewes are smaller and have much smaller horns.”

“That makes it easy to tell them apart from a distance.” She glanced his way and noticed what a nice profile he had. That beautiful mouth should look effeminate on a man, but on his face it was anything but.

As they left the field for the path through the forest, she asked, “Do you ever leave Faraway Castle? I mean, on the ground.”

“Sure, I do. I have a car.”

“You do? Really? I didn’t know dwarfs drove cars.”

“This dwarf does. If you ever need to borrow it, just ask.”

“Seriously? I might take you up on that. I really need to talk to Beatrice. Usually I can call her for a chat, but . . . being here without her this summer is weird. I miss my sounding board.”

“My offer stands. You wouldn’t even need to adjust the seat.”

“Beatrice? I know it’s a weekday, but do you have a few minutes this morning? I desperately need to talk.” Eddi slumped back on the leather seat of Kai’s sporty little car.

“The kids are at summer camp this week, so I’m at home, actually. What’s wrong, Eddi? Why aren’t you at Faraway Castle?” Beatrice sounded concerned.

“I’m in a turnoff about halfway down the mountain. I borrowed Kai’s car.”

“Kai has a car?”

“He told me I was welcome to borrow it anytime. Even showed me where he keeps his keys; can you believe it? So I took him up on it. Just for a quick chat.”

“A quick chat? I thought you desperately needed to talk.”

“I do. I-I’m really confused. About . . . everything.”