She could tell the moment she stepped inside. The stable was unnaturally quiet.
Lisa and Linda were standing in the aisle with their heads bowed. She knew.
“Come with us,” Linda said. Alex did as she was told.
They walked over to Concorde’s stall. The door was ajar, but it was too dark to be able to see anything clearly. Eventually Alex’s eyes adapted to the lack of light and she was able to make out Anne lying next to Concorde. He looked like he was sleeping. His normally gleaming coat was almost translucent.
“We can’t wake him,” Anne whispered with tears in her voice. “The vet’s coming back tomorrow to take him away for more testing. But he’s out cold. They don’t know what happened. No one knows—except Jessica.”
“She showed up during the photo shoot,” Linda said. “She did something to Concorde after Anne put him in his stall.”
“Concorde seemed afraid of Jessica and her horse,” Anne added.
Lisa, who had been sitting quietly next to Anne since they entered the stable, thought back to when Starshine collapsed in the paddock.
“You know,” she said slowly, “when Starshine collapsed, Sabine was there. This time it was Jessica. What if . . . they’re trying to get to our horses somehow?”
Lisa remembered what Herman said. There were just four Starbreeds at Jorvik Stables. Could the attacks have had something to do with that?
“It was Jessica,” Anne said. “I know it was her. And I’m not going to forgive her for as long as I live.”
Alex’s eyes were fixed on Concorde, lying on the floor.
“Listen,” she said, sounding more unsure to her friends than she had ever before. “Concorde. Is it just me, or does he look . . . transparent?”
“He’s not turning white, is he, Anne?” Linda said, studying Concorde closely. Alex was right. He was looking paler, almost—yes—transparent.
“No,” Anne replied quickly. “I’m pretty sure he’s a silver black; he’s been the same shade of gray since we bought him.” She almost couldn’t bear seeing her horse like this. She put her hand under Concorde’s heavy head. Then she gasped. She could still see her hand.
At Dark Core’s headquarters, Mr. Sands was sitting alone in his office, staring at a photograph. It was old, sepia-tone, with crumbling, curled edges. The photograph was of a horse from a different time. Its large wings were clearly visible. The magnificent animal, more mythical creature than horse, seemed to have been captured by the camera just as it was about to spread its wings and take off. Mr. Sands clutched the photograph so tightly that its edges creased, all the while muttering inaudibly.
On the large desk made of green and blue metal, the screen of his mobile phone lit up.
Missed call: Jessica.
25
“Are you seeing this?” Anne said as she wiggled her fingers under Concorde’s neck. She sounded both shocked and puzzled. Linda, Alex, and Lisa just stared. They could see Anne’s hand through Concorde, as well.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, the amazing transparent horse!” Anne continued and let out a sort of snicker. Then she clasped her hand over her mouth and burst out crying.
“Shock,” Linda mouthed to Lisa behind Anne’s back, and dashed off to fetch her a glass of water. She realized that she was shaky herself when she handed the glass to Anne. It was as though someone had pulled back a curtain from the world she thought she knew, revealing a completely different reality behind it.
Anne drank the water in tiny sips. She seemed a bit calmer now. Alex had fetched a towel and was pressing it against the wound on her arm.
“Would you let me have a look at that?” Lisa said quietly.
Alex removed the towel and showed her the wound. Four deep cuts across her upper arm, like she’d been mauled by a bear.
“What happened?” Lisa said, visibly shocked.
Alex told them about the strange events that took place a little while ago, before she had arrived at the stable.
“To be honest, I didn’t exactly relish the idea of chasing after Jessica,” she said. “Seriously, should I get a tetanus shot or something?”
Somewhere within her, Lisa knew that she had to help.
Lisa took a firmer hold of the towel. She pressed it against Alex’s wound and felt the familiar warmth begin to flow from her hand into Alex’s arm.
She heard the melody again. It rose slowly inside her. But something was wrong. It wasn’t the same as it was the last time, in the woods with Starshine.
Starshine. Of course. She needed him. The currents and eddies were much fainter than before. And this time, she realized, more currents would follow: green, pink, blue, black, pulling her in different directions. Everything seemed so confused. It was clearer when Starshine was guiding her. She tried to seize hold of the currents once more but fumbled.
She heard her friends inhale sharply.
Something black was chasing her down the stream, trying to pull her under. It was so strong. She could sense that it wanted to devour her. Her soul was literally screaming out for Starshine, but the music had to continue—she had to continue.
“Wow,” she heard someone say, very far away.
Lisa opened her eyes. Everything had disappeared—the stream, the glow, the music. Now she saw what her friends had already witnessed. Alex’s wound had healed. It wasn’t pretty, but it had healed.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore,” Alex said in wonder.
Lisa opened her mouth to reply. Then the world went black and she felt her friends catch her as she fell.
When Lisa opened her eyes again, Linda was standing in front of her with her mouth open. She was so stunned, she couldn’t get a word out.
“What did you just do, Lisa?” Alex asked.
“Yeah, what did I just do?” Lisa replied slowly. How was she supposed to explain something she couldn’t even understand herself? “I’m not sure,” she continued. “But I think I can heal people and animals who have been injured . . . Like in the woods, when Starshine was hurt.”
“He was hurt?” Alex broke in.
“Yeah. He broke his leg. I fixed it.”
“You . . . fixed it?” Linda asked.
“It starts when I hear this music,” Lisa told them. “It’s hard to explain. But Starshine . . . I need him. It was much harder to heal you, Alex, and I think that’s because Starshine wasn’t here to help.”
“You’re a healer, Lisa!” Alex exclaimed, her eyes beaming. “Do you get how big this is?”
“Sure,” Lisa said dryly. “But that’s about all I get.”
“Wow,” the other girls said in unison.
Linda picked some straw off of her pants.
“Remember when we talked about the legend of the Soul Riders during the Light Ride? That there are some who say the Soul Riders have special gifts.”
“I think it all fits together,” Alex said slowly. “I think Mr. Sands believes those stories are real. Why else would he go after the horses? And the Soul Riders . . .”
She hesitated before pressing on.
“That’s us,” she continued and looked timidly around at the others. It was as though she were standing on a frozen lake, testing the strength of the ice beneath her feet.
Linda took a step forward. Lisa followed her example, then Alex.
“Yes,” Linda said. “We are the Soul Riders.”
Her stomach filled with butterflies as she said it. But somehow it sounded right.
“Poor Concorde,” she added.
They looked at the lifeless horse. He was much paler now, like a pencil drawing steadily being erased.
Anne suddenly turned to Lisa and grabbed her by the shoulders.
“You could help him! You can heal Concorde!” she pleaded desperately.
Lisa looked at Anne with a pained look in her eyes. She slowly took hold o
f Anne’s shaking hands. They were ice cold.
“I thought about that. I really did. But . . . I can’t.”
Lisa saw the unhappy, puzzled look on Anne’s face and continued.
“I can’t quite explain it, but I just know that whatever is wrong with him, he doesn’t need my healing. If he was injured in some way, I would certainly try to help him. I’m afraid he’s simply . . . not with us. It’s almost as if he’s fading away.”
Anne dropped to her knees, sobbing. She remembered a line from a book her mom read to her when she was little. In the book, two brothers were standing next to their dead horses. The younger brother cried and the older comforted him. What you see over there is only their shells, he said. They’re somewhere else now, in a better place.
Was the same thing true of Concorde? Where was he going?
Anne thought about how she and Concorde had been able to move from one place to another in the blink of an eye. How they had evaded the SUV. Anne realized it was something beyond reason. Things like that simply can’t happen.
And yet . . . it did somehow happen. This was real. Could the four of them possibly be Soul Riders?
Control, complete, move on, Anne told herself like so many times before. It was her guiding principle, which had saved her many times when things seemed overwhelming. But how do you deal with something you can’t understand?
“We’ve all experienced something extraordinary,” Linda said, almost as though she could read Anne’s mind. Anne stiffened. Could she?
“Like during the Light Ride, we talked about the constellations we saw the morning Lisa came to Jorvik,” Linda continued. “Could that really have been a coincidence? I don’t know what it’s like for you, but I see things.”
“See things?” Alex asked.
“Yes, I have, like, visions about things that are happening. Things I can’t possibly know about. Or things that are about to happen. I try to piece the images together the best I can. I think it’s kind of my gift. Does that sound completely insane?”
Anne looked at Lisa, at the star-shaped birthmark on her cheek, and said, “I can move from one place to another.”
The others looked at her inquiringly.
“I mean, instantaneously. Yesterday. That SUV tried to run Concorde and me over. We were right in front of it and then, the next instant, we were behind it. It was something we did, I can’t explain. Just like how you were describing your healing, Lisa . . .”
Alex continued.
“And I can shoot lightning. I’ve known it for a while, but not exactly how or why. Tin-Can and I can do it together, and it only happens sometimes.” Alex shifted uncomfortably when everyone turned to look at her. “I just did it to Jessica. When she was standing over Derek.”
The others kept staring at her.
“It’s so surreal. I don’t know what it is. But I spoke to a woman Herman knows. Elizabeth’s her name, and she knows a lot about ancient witchcraft. She says I have a power. I’ve tried to show her. It’s hard.”
“Elizabeth? I met her in the woods once, with Starshine,” Lisa said. “I wonder if she knows more.”
“So, what are you guys actually saying?” Anne wanted to know. “That we’re the four magical girls? The Soul Riders? How do you figure that? You do realize how crazy that sounds, right?”
“Jorvik’s a special island. Unique forces wait to be awakened here,” a voice said behind them.
It was Herman. How long had he been standing there?
Herman squatted down. Resting his elbows on his knees and pressing the tips of his fingers together, he studied them gravely. The hay dust was virtually motionless in the air. Herman’s voice was gentle and he spoke slowly.
“You know that as well as I do. Because, surely, you’re coming to understand how certain things on this island are connected. And that you’re a part of that. A big part. An important quest awaits you. In order to succeed, you have to work together. High up in the mountains, there’s a place where the druids wait for the legend to come true. It’s said that they are ready now.”
“Quest? Druids? What?” they all blurted out at once.
“They’re called the Keepers of Aideen and are philosophers, you might say, with a close relationship to the four elements: fire, water, air, and earth. The druids study signs in nature, in the mountains and on the ancient runestones. They live in the service of the goddess Aideen and see it as their mission to watch over and protect the nature and people of Jorvik. Some of them live among us; others have withdrawn from human society, choosing a life in seclusion. They meet in a spot they call the Secret Stone Circle. Several of my closest friends happen to be druids,” Herman said and smiled.
“Before, you said the druids are ready,” Lisa said. “Ready for what?”
Herman looked uncertain.
“Why don’t you come with me,” he said finally. “I’ll make some tea and we’ll have a sit-down in my office. These are heavy topics. My old grandmother used to say a cup of strong, sweet tea always helps difficult news go down. Doesn’t that sound like a good idea?”
They stepped out of Concorde’s stall and followed Herman to his office. Anne lingered briefly by Concorde’s side. In the fading light, he looked paler than ever. She kissed his muzzle. It was ice cold.
“Don’t disappear just yet, sweetheart,” Anne whispered to Concorde as she closed the stall door and hurried off to catch up with the others.
26
“How much do you actually know about this?” Linda asked once they sat down in Herman’s office with a small mountain of cookies on a plate between them. Three kinds: vanilla shortbread, oat biscuits, and chocolate squares. The girls dug in, famished.
“Are you a druid, too?” Lisa wanted to know.
“Not exactly,” Herman said. “A kind of gatekeeper, perhaps. A sentry. There’s so much that I don’t know about the druids’ activities. Yet I probably know more than most.” He noticed their bafflement and continued with a small smile. “I understand that this is hard to take in and understand. Suddenly, old Herman turns out to be a recruiter for the druids.”
“What?” Linda said.
“Huh?” said Alex.
“How?” Linda wanted to know.
Anne looked at the others without speaking. There were tears in her eyes.
“The horse matching,” Lisa whispered, thinking back to the first time she met Starshine.
“Yes,” Herman continued, “I help the druids locate Starbreeds, the rarest of all our horses, and riders to suit them. That’s my most important task. Though lately I seem to have lost my touch.”
Seeing how quickly the cookies were flying off the plate, he walked over to the little fridge and peered inside.
“Would you like some sandwiches, too? I have bread, butter and cheese, and some smoked sausage, as well. Please, help yourselves!”
Herman put the food on the table.
“Do you believe in the legend of the Soul Riders?” Lisa sipped her tea and then started to put together a sandwich.
“To be completely honest, I don’t know what to believe. But I’ve seen some strange things over the years, let me tell you. There’s something special about the girls who form bonds with their horses here on Jorvik. The girls who develop strong bonds with Starbreeds are even more special—but that’s extremely rare. And by some almost impossible coincidence, here are four of you at the same stables, at the same time.”
Anne leaned over the table.
“What did Jessica do to Concorde in his stall? I don’t understand.”
Herman shook his head slowly.
“I’m not certain, but it may be that . . . Concorde’s on his way to some other place. Do you understand, Anne?”
Anne thought about Concorde’s fading contours in the stable and nodded slowly.
“I think so,” she replied.
/> “Yes,” Herman continued. “Jessica and Sabine . . . they’re two peas in a pod, those two. Their souls are dark. I’m scared to guess what is behind their attacks, but it’s clear they want to stop you, and Sabine was able to completely bewitch me . . .”
“Dark Core,” Lisa cut in. Herman’s eyes met hers. She went on. “Dark Core and Mr. Sands are behind this.”
“We think the people at Dark Core believe in the legends, too, and want to stop us,” Linda clarified. Herman nodded slowly.
“Dark Core has Starshine,” Lisa said, crossing her arms. “I’m going to get him back. Let the police think whatever they want.”
“Now, you listen to me,” Herman said. “Be very careful, girls. I wish I could trust the police to do their job, but all the signs point to Dark Core having infiltrated the top levels of government. That would explain why I’m not getting any answers. Starshine’s fate is in your hands, but we don’t really know what the best move is now. Talk to the druids. Elizabeth will help you. Trust them and no one else.” He put his teacup down. “Be very careful,” he reiterated. “I’m going to post a guard in the stables around the clock from now on. We have to do something to try to protect the Starbreeds we have left.”
Before Anne left the stable, she stepped into Concorde’s stall to take one last look at him.
“I know you’re waiting for me somewhere, sweetheart,” she said with tears in her eyes. “Don’t worry, I’m going to help you. Wherever you’re going, I’ll follow.”
Herman had just told them the druids were ready. Now Anne felt she was, too.
High up in the mountains, there’s a place where the druids wait for the legend to come true.
Anne didn’t know where that place was. But she knew she was going to find it.
27
Before the morning fog had lifted, with the residents of Jorvik still snoring in their beds, a secret meeting convened in an ancient stone structure in inhospitable terrain that usually stood empty. Many islanders were unaware of the existence of this place, but those who knew of it called it the Secret Stone Circle. There were other names, too difficult to pronounce, since they existed beyond language, time, and space. The Secret Stone Circle was an old site of worship, ritual, and magic. The place consisted of a circular, paved area where no weeds dared to grow. And yet all year round, whatever the season, there were wildflowers: red, white, and sun-yellow roses wound their way along the cliffs; cow parsley and daisies shone white.
Soul Riders (Book 1) Page 13