Chapter 40
The days seemed to go by in a flash.
And yet, they seemed to drag on so slowly, as if savoring the family's pain that they were determined to hide, in order to enjoy every last moment they were still a whole, for however brief of time.
Slipping back into the old schedules was as smooth and effortless as a fish slipping through water.
Working with Arran and Mitternacht in the fields all day, resting in the shade of the forest that constantly loomed around them, and helping her mother very early in the morning and very late at night, the hours flashed by.
The first night Avalina had leaned against Mitternacht out behind the barn, bathed in the red glow of the sun as it sank below the trees, watching as it sank more quickly than she had ever thought possible.
'Day one.'
The second day was just as rigorous as the first, and Avalina had to watch herself and Mitternacht quite carefully, to make sure they didn't overdo themselves.
She could already tell an improvement in her horse.
His eyes were glossy again, shining with life, and he had packed on more weight overnight than she had ever thought possible. He was well on the road to recovery, and he was already breathing easier.
Arran must have broken his back working during the three weeks the horse had been missing.
This posed a problem Avalina didn't voice to her family, but she could see it behind her brother's eyes at times when they worked together.
When Avalina left, what would happen to the horse?
After thinking about it all day the second day as they worked, she came to the horrific conclusion that it would probably be best for her family and the horse if Mitternacht stayed here.
This opened another sack full of snakes she wasn't sure she was ready to handle.
On the upside, her family would be much better off with a horse here to help them. Mitternacht would be better off himself, with work to do to keep himself busy and as much fresh air and freedom as he could desire.
On the downside, she knew he would pine for her terribly, and at the very worst, have a setback and slip back into the violent, depressed and angry animal he had once been, striking, biting and screaming at anyone that dared get within twenty feet of him.
Not to mention that Avalina would be so terribly lonely and bored, trapped in the Horned King's realm without her best friend.
Alone.
Shivering, Avalina pushed the thought aside. It wouldn't do to think about that now.
After the work was done for the day Avalina unhitched Mitternacht from the wagon and rode him up into the forest hills at the back of their house.
Not to mention it was she and Mitternacht's absolute favorite thing to ever do, no matter the weather, it was the most peaceful, perfect trail ride Avalina could dream of.
It could be the most challenging or the most tranquil, the best endurance race where they were the only competitors, racing against their own time, or the most soothing walk they could want.
It fulfilled their every need, be it emotional or physical.
Reaching the top, Avalina and Mitternacht walked along the ridge, the ground steeply sloping down from either side of them.
It was a long way down, but neither felt any fear.
The horse and rider weren't visible from below. The trees closed over them like friends, shielding them from any and all prying eyes.
It was so beautiful here.
It took nearly two hours (Mitternacht trotting and walking alternately) for them to reach the very end of the ridge.
If Avalina had allowed him to canter it would have taken less than half the time, but after working all day she didn't want to push him too hard.
Normally this wouldn't even be a concern but he was still regaining the strength he had lost.
The two of them coming out of the treeline, they walked out for about fifty yards to the edge, literally walking over thin air.
They were standing on nothing but massive slabs of stone, layered on top of one another, that jutted out of the ridge's sharp, narrow face.
Prydain and all its glory spread out on every side of them, as far as the eagle's eye could see.
Miles upon miles of hills, valleys, trees, meadows, fields here and there, some belonging to Avalina's family, the others belonging to other brush farmers that lived a day's ride from them, lay out before them.
The grey mountain range that guarded Prydain's land bridge loomed against the sky in the far distance, dwarfing all else, despite the fact they looked to be the size of pine cones from this distance.
She could see everything from up here.
Everything.
The tops of the trees looked like tiny broccoli tops from up here, and directly below them was a stretch of sandy beach that glowed white in the sun, breaking out from the miles of treeline.
From up here, it was about the width of Avalina's hand, but in reality it was quite large.
The sandy stretch connected the treeline to the massive lake, the largest that Prydain possessed.
From up here, it was an ocean of blue, stretching to the West as far she Avalina could see, before disappearing below the horizon.
Dismounting, she lay on her stomach on the stone, which was covered in several inches worth of forest dirt, leaves, nuts and pine needles, and peeked out over the edge.
The drop made her dizzy just looking down, yet at the same time it exhilarated her with such a fierce joy she could hardly contain it.
Birds flew by underneath her, swooping and darting through the air without a single worry, like beautiful little feathered angels, their sweet songs filling the air around them.
If she listened very carefully from up here, she could hear the roar of the massive waterfall that fed the lake below them.
It was off to the right of her vision, nearly out of sight, but definitely there, a strand of bright blue-ish green against the land.
It looked like a little stream from this distance, but she knew better than to believe that. The falls were nearly 200 yards high, and the force of the water hitting you as it crashed over the cliff to plunge into the lake below was more than enough to easily break someone's skull in if you weren't careful.
From this distance she couldn't see all the beautiful little sandbars and rockbeds below it, but she knew exactly where they were. She had ridden Mitternacht there innumerable times and spent many hours playing.
She could stay up here forever. Here, time had no meaning, and pain and sorrow meant little, but the joy, the pride and the freedom and total, irrevocable peace she felt here was something she could never find anywhere else.
This was her Paradise. Her secret place.
Nobody except Mitternacht knew about it.
The sun was slowly sinking into the lake, setting the crystal blue into ruby red, lighting up the sky in every color imaginable.
It strongly reminded her of blood, but the thought held no malice here.
The miles of forest down below her was set afire in brilliant orange and gold, as the sun did its farewell display.
She knew she should be getting home, but she wanted to see this. To memorize it. All of this. To hold it forever in her memory, so that she would never, ever forget the slightest detail.
Slowly, slowly, the ruby fire receded from the trees, then slowly began to dance across the water, heading toward the horizon and leaving the water a very deep blue, nearly black.
Standing up so she could see it to its full potential, Avalina took it all in, turning her head slowly this way and that.
Slightly off to the left, however, several, several miles out on the shore of the lake, nestled against the treeline and the horizon, she noticed something she hadn't seen before the last several times she'd been up here.
It jutted harshly out from the trees, standing apart from them, yet not far enough out on the lake for her to see it clearly.
Bathed in a ruby glow, Avalina concentrated on the object, narrowing her eyes.
It appeared rather pointy and yet circular for a tree.
And then she gasped, realizing what it was.
It was the very top tower of the Horned King's castle.
Despite this shocking and rather depressing knowledge, Avalina watched the rest of the sunset, watching as it eventually slipped entirely under the lake, taking all its fiery majesty with it.
The world was now darkening, and the view below her now resembled a black abyss.
Avalina had estimated once that she was suspended about half a mile in the air here, but it didn't bother her.
Staring out over her world, Avalina was reminded of how small and insignificant she was in comparison to the grand scheme of things.
When she returned to the Horned King tomorrow, life here would go on as normal, and she would not be missed.
Avalina rarely prayed out loud. It was something done in her thoughts on and off throughout the day, something she didn't actually think about. It simply came by habit.
But for the first time in years, she felt the urge to speak.
"This is for the gods, or Fates, or whoever you are," she said softly, staring out.
"I'm not certain you even exist. But if you do, and if by some chance you're listening to me now. . .I need your help. This. . .ordeal of mine. . .is huge. And impossible to fix by mortal's standards. I'm going to be leaving my family tomorrow, going, to where someone who must be straight from the very pits of Hell awaits for me. My future is uncertain, my family is broken, and they will need something to hold onto. Hope and love are two things that can persevere right unto death, but I would rather we not die."
Avalina swallowed, a tear working slowly down her face.
"My family. . .my mother, brother. . .and me. . .we need a miracle. Nothing short of a blessed miracle sent from Heaven can save us from all of this. If you're listening, please send my family one."
Wiping her eyes, she finished as the first star peeked out of the black sky.
"And send me the best hero you have."
Listening as the creatures of the dark began their night music, Avalina mounted and turned Mitternacht toward home, listening to the cricket's upbeat and somehow mournful song.
'Day two.'