Below is a brief except from Windmaster Legacy. Lord Dal is on a rescue mission to save his kidnapped bride. He is trapped on a cliff with open air at his back and an enemy blocking the path to freedom.
An authors note: I foreshadowed the magic used to same the hero without ever knowing it. I just included a tale told to children earlier in the book about horses with wings that flew in the sky with the birds. And a personal thought, I especially liked the stallion's snarky attitude afterwards.
Dust off to the left indicated mounted men galloping toward him in a flanking maneuver. When a third group of men on horseback raced into view, Dal realized he was being herded to the edge of the plateau. Tairneach skidded to a halt, sending rocks flying over the edge. Eagles soared up from below, disturbed from their nests.With a quick glance, Dal evaluated their odds. Fifty men with drawn swords formed a wide arc, cutting off any escape route.
“Just like old times, huh, Taer?” Dal scanned the stone-faced men, searching for weakness, some misalignment in the formation that would give him an advantage. However, these were not untrained troops. He knew why they did not attack. They awaited their commander.
Dal took a guess. “Come on out, Third. No need to hide. Show your men your great leadership skills.” His voice ringing with sarcasm bounced off the rocks and sang back multiple times. “Or are you afraid? After all, I’m not a helpless mare slowed by a foal.”
Still no answer came from those facing Dal or from behind their lines. “Taer, we need to save Ellspeth. That has to be our only concern. I’ll break their ranks so you can get through. I should catch up in a few days.” At the scornful look, Tairneach cast over his shoulder, Dal added a hasty afterthought. “If they happen to capture me, and that is doubtful, they will take me to Ellspeth. You can track me and we will rescue her that way. What do you think?”
Tairneach answered by nodding toward the open sky. When Dal started to climb down from the saddle, the stallion sidestepped. Dal kept hold of his sword, but had to grab the saddle horn. “Taer, what are you doing? No one can survive that fall.”
The fàlaire’s neigh drowned out Dal’s words. Tairneach trotted two steps toward the edge, then spun on his haunches to face the oncoming force. His commands were clear.
“You’re sure about this?”
Taer’s trumpeting drowned out the screeches of the circling birds.
Dal slid his sword back into its scabbard. Lightning bolts flew from his fingers into the mass of men. Commending his fate to his ancestors, he draped himself over Taer’s neck. With a wild neigh, the stallion spun and raced to the cliff’s edge. This time he did not stop, but leaped into space. Wings emerged from Taer’s side. His triumphant bugle resounded to the clouds. After a few heartbeats of free flight, Dal released his death grip. Sitting up, he adjusted his legs so they would not hamper the slight shifts Taer’s wings made during the glide toward the ground.
Dal held his breath as the earth closed to a handspan beneath the fàlaire’s hooves. Instead of the bounce he expected to experience after a hard fall, Taer’s slow trot absorbed the forward motion. His whinny when he came to a stop sounded like the giggle of a mischievous child.
“You didn’t tell me you could fly,” Dal mumbled. “After all these years, you’re still keeping secrets from me?” A smack to Taer’s neck brought forth another whinny from the stallion and a toss of his mane. “All right, you had your fun,” Dal said. “Now let’s go before those archers find our range.”
~till next time HelenTaer pranced a few steps before heading out at a lope.
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