Page 64 of The Mirror and the Curse

Flurry cantered across the meadow, spread her wings, and launched smoothly into the mountain air with White beside her, their wingtips nearly touching. Eddi sensed her horse’s pleasure in flying with Flurry again and his relief that his human was safe.

Eddi paid no attention to the scenery during that flight. She rested her helmet lightly on Kai’s shoulder and closed her eyes, aware of his every movement. She’d been an idiot for years, denying her feelings for him, her attraction to him. So many excuses she’d made up, and none of them meant anything. Her father wasn’t an evil tyrant. He might protest at first, but he loved her, and he would likely enjoy Kai as a son-in-law. Their marriage might even improve Bilbao’s relations with the native dwarf population.

She heaved a sigh, and Kai must have felt it. His arms tightened over hers, pressing them against his sides. Did he lean back against her, or was he trying to maintain his balance?

Oh, Kai! She sighed again. He knew her at her best and her worst. In past summers he had been there for her whenever she wanted him. He was the main reason Faraway Castle was her favorite place on earth. His smiles made her day, and his frowns crushed her lower than dirt, because his opinion mattered more than anyone’s. Which was so frightening that she’d denied it all even to herself, because . . . because what if he didn’t love her back in the same way?

At the Summer Ball when they danced, she had thought maybe . . . maybe . . . But then he didn’t speak up, and fear made her cling to Fidelio as the sure thing. Because . . .

Okay. Fine. Because she had control issues.

Fidelio. What to do? If she broke up with him, would Kai even care? Probably not, after the way she’d behaved. Leading him on at the dance, then jumping into a relationship with Fidelio. What an idiot! Tears overflowed, tickling her cheeks, and she couldn’t even wipe them away.

She didn’t want this flight to end. But all too soon she began to recognize landmarks, and right about that time, she felt vibration in Kai’s body as if he were talking. His body felt tense, every muscle hard. Flurry dropped low into the valley carved by the Faraway River, approaching the resort from below. Almost before Eddi had time to wonder why, her stomach dropped as the horse swooped upward just enough to land in the abandoned practice field among broken-down brush jumps.

White landed behind them, trotted a few steps, and folded his gleaming wings.

Eddi unwrapped her hands, pulled them from around Kai’s body as casually as she could manage, and pushed up her visor. “What’s going on? Why are we landing here?”

“We need to talk strategy before we meet anyone. I just discussed the situation with Geoff Bryant.” Kai’s voice sounded rougher than usual, frustrated.

She sat up straighter, trying to put a little more distance between their bodies while Flurry walked along. “How did you—? Oh, never mind. What’s the deal? What strategy?”

“Specifically, we discussed what can be said about today’s incident and what cannot.”

“Oh.” Eddi paused. “I’m not very good at keeping secrets.” She removed her helmet and let her braid drop down her back again. Kai pulled his off too, and Eddi was tempted to reach up and smooth his wild hair. She really didn’t mind talking to the back of his head for as long as they were still strapped together.

He heaved a frustrated sigh. “We’ve got to keep the story simple and as close to the truth as possible, so here it is: During your third lap, White’s saddle band broke mid-flight, and you had to make an emergency landing. You don’t know exactly where you landed. You shot off your flare pistol as soon as you thought of it, and I found you a while later. End of story.”

Taking it in, Eddi nodded. “And since my saddle band broke, we had to ride double . . . It works, I think. So, if the person trying to sabotage me believes we don’t suspect anything, they’ll maybe try something again soon. My guess would be during the Cup race.”

“You’re spot on. Geoff Bryant intends to plaster you and White with safeguards during the race. I can’t share details, but he needs something specific to happen before he can act.”

“So . . . we’ll be the bait for a trap. Good to know.”

“I don’t like it.” Kai’s voice darkened and deepened. “I don’t like it at all. Too many unknowns. You can refuse, Eddi. You don’t have to fly in the Cup race.”

“I know. But if I don’t, the problem will pop up somewhere else when we aren’t expecting it.”

Eddi expected Kai to stop Flurry and dismount there in the overgrown field. Instead, they left the clearing on a path through the forest that would emerge near the main barn. Having nowhere else natural to put her arms, Eddi wrapped them around Kai’s waist, just as she’d wished to do. Feeling slight pressure from his elbows, she rested her cheek on his shoulder. Would she ever be this close to him again? Might as well enjoy the moment. He wasn’t complaining. They were old friends, after all. Or maybe he enjoyed the closeness as much as she did?

When Flurry stopped near the end of the path, White moved up beside her. Watching the two horses put their heads together and nicker softly, Eddi had to smile.

Kai said, “I’ll let you off here, then head back and collect your saddle band for Geoff to examine.”

Realizing her arms were in his way, Eddi let go of him. “Okay.” While he unbuckled the harness, she added, “Kai, thank you so much.” Her voice quivered. “You know what I think?”

“Do I want to know?” His voice held gentle humor.

“If you don’t, you should. I think you should enter Flurry in the maiden-filly race. She would certainly win.”

Kai unfastened the last strap. “It’s rather late in the day,” he began.

“It’s not!” Eddi interrupted. “People enter these races up to the last day. And after we both win our races, we could maybe make a quick trip back to the meadow and celebrate with apples. I bet Flurry would love to race.”

The filly gave a snort, nodding her head up and down.

“She says she would,” Kai admitted while swinging his leg over Flurry’s neck. “You never know; maybe I’ll talk to Geoff.” He hopped to the ground and reached up to offer help. Instead of refusing as she usually did, Eddi dropped into his grasp, taking him by surprise. But his hands caught her waist easily, and again she detected a pause before he set her feet on the ground.

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