by Rhavensfyre
Alex hadn’t noticed Rohanna following behind her. She was busy watching the moonlit path in front of her, stepping carefully across the uneven ground as she mounted a rounded hillside. Still, the woman was moving faster than Ro thought possible. Most of the time she was travelling blindly, trusting the path Alex had gone to not trip her up.
She almost missed when Alex’s silhouette crested a small hill ahead of her and disappeared. Ro scrambled after her, descending into dark shadows that fought with the fog that had continued to thicken and was now earnestly seeking out the dips and hollows around her.
Ro’s heart pounded in her ears and her lungs burned from the effort of climbing.
After watching Alex ascend, she made sure she stayed low once she reached the ridge. Crouching down on all fours, she peeked over the edge and gasped aloud. The slight noise seemed to travel on the fog and she clapped her hand over her mouth before someone heard her, then stared wide eyed, at the strange scene below her.
A large open glen where there shouldn’t be one stretched out as far as she could see. There were old-fashioned torches placed at regular intervals where the forest butted against the glen, and a pavilion perched next to a stream that bubbled along the bottom of the crescent-shaped field. The well-manicured, almost park-like setting was a surprise, considering how far out into the countryside they had driven.
Rohanna looked up at the sky, frustrated that she couldn’t see more. The full moon would have made it easier to see if the sky was clear, but the heavy grey fog rolling in softened and blurred everything around her, making her vision seem cloudy and unfocused. Eyes straining to see, she slipped over the ridge and kept moving forward. Staying on the trail had its own dangers. The dirt was loose and rocky and she risked giving herself away with every step, but she couldn’t help herself. If she could just get close enough, she could discover what Alex was up to.
She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard voices, then realized that Alex was talking to someone else. She whipped her head around, expecting to find Alex right on top of her, then sagged in relief. A trick of the fog made it sound as though they were standing right next to her. Then a twig snapped near her and she did jump. Resisting the urge to run like hell, she ducked behind a large half-fallen tree, praying that the pounding of her heart only sounded that loud inside her head.
A woman stepped out of the fog and greeted Alex with the familiarity of an old friend. When she spoke, Ro relaxed perceptibly. This was the other voice she had heard moments ago. She risked moving just enough to get a better view, finding a thin spot in the branches to peek through unobserved.
“Alexandria. It is so good to see you. It has been too long since you have joined us!” Grasping the woman’s outstretched hands, Alex leaned in and kissed first one cheek then the other.
“Thank you, it is good to see you as well,” Alex said. “Is GranMere here?”
“She is. But Alexandria, what brings you here on this night?”
“It’s a long story, Elphie, and not one I am allowed to speak freely about,” Alex said.
“I’ve heard rumors,” Elphie lowered her voice.
“What rumors?” Alex’s voice sharpened enough Ro expected to see the fog between them sliced clean through.
“That you went to see the GranMere.”
“Aye, that much is true.”
“Might I ask why? After all this time?”
“I’ve met someone important to me.”
Rohanna wanted to growl in frustration. She felt like a child, hiding in the woods and listening to conversation she desperately wanted to hear, and now she was completely lost. GranMere? What and who were they talking about?
Rohanna felt like she was listening to a conversation from a different time and place. Even Alex’s voice sounded odd; her cadence and demeanor completely different from the teasing, playful manner Ro was familiar with. Even Alex’s accent had changed. Rohanna shook her head, trying to remember. Had Alex ever told her where she was from? Now that she thought about it, Alex didn’t sound like a local.
“No, she isn’t.” Alex spoke again and Rohanna cursed under her breath. She hadn’t heard the question.
“A woman?” Elphie asked. “I take it Kaleigh was not pleased.”
Alex nodded. “You know how she is, Elphie. She should know by now that I won’t bow to her demands.”
“She must be something, then, for you to come back.” The woman’s curiosity was patently obvious, even from where Ro was hidden.
“Ah, you are too smart for your own good.” Alex shook her head, a ghost of a smile touching her lips before disappearing. “And yes, she is something else, that is for sure.”
Ro felt the small hairs on her arms raise in response to Alex’s comment. What did she mean? There was something odd about how she responded, a secret code that Ro wasn’t privy too. Christ, why did I follow her? This is getting stranger by the minute.
“And you cannot tell me a thing, can you?”
“No. Not until I speak to GranMere again.”
After staring at each other for a long moment, Elphie shrugged her shoulders and took a deep breath. Alex hadn’t budged on giving up more information, and it was doubtful she would. Without warning, Elphie lunged forward and squeezed Alex unabashedly, then stepped back. She gripped Alex’s upper arms and looked up at her. “Alexandria, I will always love you. No matter what, we are sisters. Do you understand?”
“I love you too, little sister.” Alex returned the embrace, then turned her attention towards the canvas pavilion. “Where is she?”
“She has already honored the moon. You will find her in the glen with the other Meres.” Elphie turned and started up the path. “I’ll come with you as far as I can, but my job tonight is to stand watch.”
“You don’t have to, Elphie. I know the way.”
“This is true, but still, I will attend you as far as the tents.” Elphie paused. “You need to shed your human trappings before approaching her. Tonight she feels the need to honor the old ways.”
“Where are they?” Rohanna whispered, trying to control her growing frustration. She could no longer see Alex or the woman she was talking to. Desperately scanning ahead of her, she sighed in relief when a thin spot in the fog left a clear window for her to see through. She caught a brief impression of movement that coalesced into a human body. A triumphant surge of adrenaline pumped through Ro’s veins; she had found her. The fog swirled around Alex, then slithered away like an undulating mass of smoky grey satin. Its movement reminded Ro of the flourish at the end of a magic trick, and like the magician’s dramatic reveal, it ended in a surprised gasp.
Alex was completely nude, her body bathed in pale moonlight.
Ro’s breath caught in her throat, and with good reason. Alex was breathtaking to watch. Freed from the usual braid, her hair hung loose in a long flowing mane that swayed across her back in time with her strides, accentuating her slim waist and ending just below her firm buttocks. Unable to look away, Rohanna watched in awe as Alex’s long legs took the steep slope in great strides, the muscles in her thighs and calves contracting rhythmically beneath flawless skin. Then the fog closed in around her again, releasing Rohanna from the hypnotic scene. Rohanna sagged against the fallen tree, trying to make sense of it all.
Was this her secret?
Rohanna had stumbled on something she had no understanding of. The other women obviously knew her, and Alex had called her “sister” so she must be a part of Alex’s family. But who was this GranMere, and why was Alex naked? She had to know and to do that, Rohanna had to find a way up the hillside without being discovered.
Rohanna finally managed to make it to the top of the hill, but not without suffering for it. She had bruises and scratches on her arms from picking her way along the dirt path, and she had fallen, twice. She found a good hiding place and caught sight of Alex, standing alone and proud in the middle of a large, almost flat, field. Surprisingly, the fog hadn’t found its way there. The f
ull moon was high above the horizon now, casting a cold white light across the entire field. Alex’s shadow stretched out behind her, inky black and as sharp as the gnomon on a sundial. Other than the sound of the creek below them running across its rocky path, the normal sounds of the night were eerily absent. There should have been frogs speaking to each other along the creek bed, the rustle of night creatures hunting for a meal. Even the soft hoot of a lone owl would have been welcome, yet there was nothing…except for Alex.
Alex stood in the middle of all that silence, unmoving and silent. Rohanna found herself holding her breath. They were both waiting, but Ro had no idea what it was for, only that the night felt pregnant with strange energy. Hypersensitive to every sound and smell, she swore she could feel the damp air moving across her skin, plucking at the hairs at the nape of her neck in a silent rhythm she felt she should recognize.
Several minutes passed by and still Alex stood there as solid and straight as a lodge pole. Ro wasn’t faring as well. Damp and cold and already on sensory overload, she had to pee badly but couldn’t leave her hiding place without revealing herself.
“Screw this,” Ro finally muttered, rising up on her knees. She had screwed up, following Alex like this…and it was time to fess up and take the hit. Hopefully Alex will forgive me for this stupid stunt, she thought. Before she was able to scramble to her feet, an impressively massive horse thundered out of the woods across from Alex. Its steel grey coat gleamed with silver highlights as it tore great chunks of grass out of the earth with every hoof strike. Rohanna’s heart reeled. The horse was charging straight for Alex!
Rohanna lurched forward, her hand stretched out in front of her as if she could physically pluck her lover out of the path of danger.
Before she could shout a warning, the horse slid to a stop in front of Alex. Blowing hard, it pawed at the ground and tossed its head. Rohanna watched as incredibly, unbelievably, Alex knelt before the horse. It was all so surreal. Rohanna rubbed at her eyes, unable to reconcile what she was seeing with her concept of reality. When she looked again, the scene only got stranger.
Alex appeared to be addressing the grey horse, speaking too low for Rohanna to hear. With every minute that ticked by, the horse became increasingly agitated, stomping and snorting frequently.
“What are you doing, Alex?” Rohanna whispered, worriedly gnawing her lower lip. Alex was kneeling so close to those dancing hooves, there was no way she could move quick enough to avoid injury if the horse reared up or struck out at her. As the strange meeting progressed, Rohanna became hyperaware of more minute details. Alex’s body language didn’t register fear. Rohanna shook her head. Fear made sense. That close to danger anyone would be afraid. They would also be trying to get the hell out of the way. Rohanna grimaced, then narrowed her eyes when another explanation surfaced. Alex’s behavior made zero sense to her. Nightmare? Is this all a dream, and I’m really back at Alex’s, asleep on the couch while I wait for her to return from her errand?
She pinched her arm, hoping the pain would waken her, and earned nothing but a bruise for her troubles. “Stupid me, it never works, yet I try it every time,” she muttered, returning her attention to the strange scenario in front of her. If she couldn’t wake up, she could at least pay attention and try to decipher the meaning behind the dream.
Despite her kneeling position, Alex’s tall, sleekly muscled body refused to remake itself into passive submission, every line screamed defiance. Secretly relieved, Rohanna realized that some strange battle of wills was taking place. She had only seen Alex in control, strong and assured of herself. To see Alex bow to another was disturbing enough. To witness her acknowledging their superiority? That would have been devastating.
An inhuman scream broke the silence and echoed through Rohanna’s skull. She had heard this sound before, in another dream. Rubbing her forehead, she tried to pull the memory of when out of her head without success.
All of a sudden, the horse wheeled around on its hind legs and took off, running full out for the edge of the forest and rapidly disappearing. Alex stood, then bent over to brush off her knees. She didn’t see the other horses emerging from the nearby woods, not until dozens surrounded her, every one of them with hides as black as night. They galloped around her, circling closer until Rohanna was sure one of them would run her over…and not a single one made a sound.
One mare broke away from the band and headed straight for her. It reared up, teeth bared and ears pinned back, and lunged out at Alex aggressively. Alex didn’t even flinch. The mare spun and kicked out, her rear hoof making contact with Alex’s body. Instead of scrambling to get up, Alex fell to all fours, her own scream of pain ending abruptly.
Rohanna watched in horror, sure that the woman she loved was being trampled beneath the milling bodies. Several of the horses struck out at each other, white teeth flashing savagely in their attempt to bloody the other. Rohanna clenched her fists, her body vibrating with the need to do something. There was no way she could make it through to Alex without being trampled herself, but she couldn’t just sit there and watch, either.
“Hey! Hey, whoa there!” she yelled as loudly as she could, jumping up from her hiding place and running straight for the small band of horses. Legs pumping, she waved her arms, trying to get their attention. It was incredibly stupid and dangerous, but it was the only thing she could think to do.
As soon as it began, the violent attack ended. As if responding to an unspoken call, the entire herd took off for the hills. The ground shook violently beneath their hooves as they thundered past Rohanna. Her heart in her throat, she watched them pass by at breakneck speed until they disappeared down the steep hillside.
Turning back to the now empty field, afraid to her core of what she would find, she ran as fast as she could to the last place she had seen Alex. Terrified, her fear pushed her onward as she scuttled crablike towards the still form lying on the ground ahead of her.
She expected to find Alex’s battered and bruised body. Instead, another black mare lay there. She was breathing heavily and various cuts and bites marred her coat. Bright red blood glistened in the pale moonlight as it ran down her hide in muddy rivulets. Then, the mare opened her eyes and looked at her. Blue on blue and glowing softly, with no pupil set inside that strange light, Rohanna found herself looking back at the same mare she had dreamed about weeks ago.
“A horse that wasn’t a horse. She took me to the stone circle riding a road made of stars, and then…and then, she was something else.”
Rohanna’s mind rebelled and then blanked completely. Her body went numb as shock set in, forcing her to sit down before she fell down.
Attempting to sooth the injured mare, she cradled its head and ran her hands across the silky fur of its neck. She scanned the meadow around her but couldn’t find Alex anywhere. The ground around her was torn up, masking any signs of her escape. The woods were a mass of darkness. If Alex had run for the safety of the trees, she would never find her.
“Alex?” Rohanna called out. “Alex? Please, answer me if you can.” Rohanna didn’t know what to do next. She could feel her panic growing, threatening to escalate out of control.
“Alex, where are you?” Rohanna asked tearfully. Her voice cracked, reducing her plea to a whisper. The black mare nickered weakly, moving fitfully beneath her hand until Rohanna looked down.
“Alex,” Rohanna whispered. Inside the bright blue light of impossibility, Rohanna reached out into the night and for the first time in her life, purposefully tore down the cobwebs guarding the hidden corners of her mind. A million points of pain pierced her skull, sending waves of agony across her temples and blinding her momentarily.
“A horse that wasn’t a horse,” she murmured, and was also, somehow, Alex.
Ro cradled her head and rocked back and forth, refusing to lose the knowledge…refusing to let it slip away like it had so many times before. She felt lightheaded. Her vision went fuzzy, then blackness rushed up to greet her as she collapsed
to the ground next to the injured horse.
***
Rohanna. Rohanna, wake up.
Rohanna groaned. Someone was calling her name. She pulled herself up on her elbows, every muscle and bone protesting the movement. Her body was stiff from lying on the cold, damp ground. She couldn’t move her legs and she panicked before she realized that there was something lying across her hips. Blinking rapidly, she brought her eyes back into focus and directly onto Alex’s pale face.
“Rohanna,” Alex croaked, then licked her lips before trying again. “Ro, baby, what are you doing here?”
Rohanna swallowed nervously.
“I followed you. I couldn’t help it, I’m sorry I…and then I thought this was all a dream, and now I know it isn’t, and I’m so confused about everything.”
“Shhh.” Alex reached up and touched Rohanna’s lips. “It’s okay. We’ll work this out together, but not now. Now, we need to get out of here. You shouldn’t be here, it’s not safe.”
Alex tried to sit up, failing miserably to hide her pain and weakness. She finally gave up and fell back to the ground. The attempt made Alex’s face go beyond pale.
“Here, let me.” Rohanna scooted free then kneeled above Alex, noting the multiple bruises and cuts. A large cut above Alex’s eye had bled profusely, leaving dark streaks running down her cheek and neck. Now it was closed shut by the mud caking most of Alex’s body. A particularly nasty bruise ran across most of Alex’s flank and ribs on her left side. Rohanna delicately explored the area with just her fingertips, eliciting a muffled groan.
“Um, Alex? I think you’re really hurt. We need to get you to a hospital.”
“No, no hospital.” Alex wrapped her arm against her ribs for support and rolled to the side so she could get her legs beneath her. Every breath she took was a sharp knife slipping between her ribs and every attempt to move brought fresh tears to her eyes. Breathing fast and shallow and grinding her teeth hard enough to make her jaw crack, she made one huge effort to gain her feet. The muddy ground made it hard to balance and if wasn’t for Rohanna’s steadying hand, she would have fallen before taking a dozen steps.