Chapter Five: Horse

I'm not sure when luck started to avoid me like I was some kind of disease. Maybe I had done something to make the universe mad at me, it was the only reasonable explanation for everything that just occurred within a couple of hours.

My bath was interrupted by three warrior Fae, which could be categorized as a phenomenon all on its own considering I was in the Mortal Quarters.

As if that wasn't enough to please whatever force was working against me, ants had wiggled their way into my clothing on the ground deeming them unwearable.

I hissed out as one bit my finger, leaving me with no other choice but to drop the infested gown back onto the ground.

"What's wrong?" One of them question.

The blonde hair man was named Oberon. He seemed to be the jokester of the bunch, a smile always crossed his face, making light jokes whenever he could.

Bolt was the redhead, he seems to take himself a little more seriously than his companion.

They only referred to their leader as The General. He didn't do much talking, but when he did his voice carried with the weight of each word. His voice was made for people to listen to.

None of them offered me their name in courtesy, I had learned them through their conversation with each other.

They had agreed to turn away so that I could get dressed in privacy. Now the ants left me with no clothes to wear.

The sun had faded and the cool night air licked up my arms causing a shiver to take over my body. Even made my teeth chatter together roughly.

Just as I let the thought, 'How could it be any worse,' cross my mind ants started to climb up the curve of my toes and bit me in revenge for messing up their newfound home.

The shriek left my mouth as I began batting at them senselessly.

With my gaze trained on my feet, The Generals presence went unnoticed until he shoved his firm hands under my armpits and picked me up as if I was as small as a child.

His hands weren't smooth, they were rough and calloused, the kind of hands that you would think would belong to a minor from swinging a pickax all day.

My feet dangle in the air the bites already starting to swell. He sits me down in the edge of the water, the sting getting wiped away by the cold.

His hands only leave my underarms when he's sure I'm not going to fall over as if I was a vase with a narrow base.

I cover my midsection with my arms feeling too exposed and vulnerable.

"Here."

He throws a black undershirt at me and I don't waste time slipping it over my head relishing in its warmth. The smell was enticing, slightly musky but mainly coursed with a woodsy scent.

It was so large it nearly reached my knees, giving me the full coverage I desperately wanted.

"Mortals, so..." I thought he was going to throw an insult at my kind like the Fae uptown do frequently, but his word choice was more on the worrisome side. Like the idea gave him a fraction of confusion.

"... Fragile."

"Let's hurry. It's getting dark and I want to find a woman to warm me up tonight." Oberon rubs his hands together with his eyes rolling into the back of his head, the thought alone made him a happy man.

Typical.

"I should gut you for your stupidity." The General scolds his more troublesome companion.

"The Queen would have gladly let us quarter at the castle you moron," Bolt scoffs as if he couldn't wrap his brain around what Oberon had done.

"The ladies at the castle wouldn't have given me the time of day, the Mortal woman fawn over me as if I'm the last piece of food on their plate."

I scrunch my nose in distaste for the blonde Fae keen on making one of the women moan tonight.

"Durn fool." Bolt shook his head in disapproval but let a chuckle slide past his lips.

This obviously wasn't the first time that Oberon had made a fool of them all, maybe it was the Fae's favorite past-time.

"Come on. Your shoes are covered with those ..." The general seems to struggle with the right word to say as if he had never seen ants before.

Perhaps he hadn't, considering Fae's nearly impenetrable skin would never have to worry about the bug's measly venom.

"Ants." He just grunts in reply grabbing my elbow and leading me to his massive chocolate-colored horse.

Before I have time to protest he slides his rough hands under my armpits again hoisting me up onto the beast.

I couldn't dwell on the fact that this man was tossing me around like a ragdoll because once I realized just how far in the air I was sitting fear crept its way into me. Heights were not my strong suit.

The ground was so far below me that I could easily break my neck from the fall.

The General put his foot into the foothold of the saddle and settles himself behind me, his macular thighs encasing mine making them look like twigs.

His firm chest pressed to my back makes me tense up with the unfamiliar contact. I wasn't very hands-on, I preferred my personal space.

The firm material of his pants caused friction against my outer thigh, whereas the horse's hair was tickling the inside of my thighs.

The beast shuffled around as if my presence made him antsy. His long dark hair fell to one side of his neck, the gentle blow of the wind making it wip around and brush against my right arm.

Leaves crinkle as they hit each other from the gust of summer-filled air.

"This whole place feels different than the last time I was here." Bolt mounts his horse before glancing around at the dead crumbling leaves, fading sunset, and variety of trees in his line of sight.

Who knew what those Fae eyes of his were picking up. They could pick up on such little details, I knew from having their sight during visions.

"It feels dull now that I've seen the Outer Wall," Oberon adds mounting his lighter-colored horse. The Outer Wall was supposedly beautiful in an unearthly way. Said to have shelf-like mountains and water that defies gravity from an old spell one of the previous royals enchanted it with.

The horse below me huffs out a puff of air from its nostrils causing a weird noise to invade my ears.

The subtle tap of The General's boots against the beast's sides has him coming alive and walking forward in big, sure strides.

He has so much confidence in his steps that he appears to be strutting in performance.

Amazment chased away any leftover fear when I slowly fell in love with the graceful creature.

I let my fingers twirl his fur enjoying the wiry texture.

The General's presence was all-consuming behind me, the ride causing our bodies to clash together awkwardly.

After countless rough collisions, the back of my head hitting his chest was the last straw before he put his palm flat against my stomach and pulled me flush against him.

His woodsy scent overwhelmed me at this proximity.

I inhaled deeply finding enjoyment in the smell, it was much more pleasant than the roses of the brothel.

Maybe if I inhale it enough I could embed it into my memory for good.

We rode in silence all but for my directions, rocking much more in tempo with each other since he got rid of the space between our bodies.

Small animals scurry back under us heading in for the night. The rabbits probably had a nest full of kittens somewhere close by considering it was half summer.

The birds had long since perched up somewhere, leaving the sky empty and dark. Bats would surely take their place in no time.

The women were sure to give me grief about showing up at the doorsteps with nothing more than a man's shirt on.

They will pester me with leading questions and make assumptions that couldn't be farther from the truth.

After no more than fifteen minutes we could spot the back of the brothel, this side looking more grown up than the front.

I could feel The Generals disdain seeping through his armor.

They were all taken aback by how rough the place looked.

Even I questioned my life as I too took in the shabby dirt-covered back, the windows in need of scrubbing, and the weeds in need of clipping.

No move was made and there was nothing said for a long moment, not until Bolt spoke what they were all thinking.

"Fucking hell, Oberon."