The Stronghold

Escape On Unicorns

"They are not unicorns," Tom said, looking at me as though I were crazy. "They have no horns, for a start."

From behind my back I produced a bridle, a saddle, the full set needed to tack up a horse. I even had a few brushes with me.

"Put a bridle on Bruno," I commanded. Tom took the bridle handed to him and slid it over the stallion's snout, tightening it and making sure the bit didn't slip and hurt him.

"The bridles have horns on," Tom said flatly. He turned to me with a disbelieving look on his countenance. "You've made them into unicorns."

"Yep," I said cheerfully, tossing him a saddle, a blanket and a brush. "Tack up!"

*

Once we were done with the unicorns and Tom had given me a leg up onto Sammy (I'm short, okay?) we rode off, trotting, cantering and then galloping. Dust whipped around the horses hooves and we bounced up and down, moving with the horses's gait.

Tom's hair was flat against his head, his cap lowered over his face. He seemed to be a professional at horse riding whereas I was falling sideways every three seconds.

"Oh, come on," Tom laughed as I almost toppled to the ground once more, "you can do better than that!"

"Your outfit could be better than that but it's not!" I shouted back grumpily. He scowled and spurred Bruno on with a tap of his heels and a click of his tongue. I groaned and reigned Sammy to a slow stop, giving up chasing my friend.

Come back, please.

Never!

Tom...

I can't help it if you're bad at riding.

I'm fabulous at everything else, though.

Really? I'd like to see you pull off this look.

Why would I want to? I was born in the correct era.

I don't wear this by choice. The second you get sent down to those cells they put you in this.

So a world war one army uniform is prison uniform down there?

Yep. And they got rid of my fabulous beard.

Eh, it isn't as good as mine.

Tom went silent in my head for several seconds. Then I got another message.

Who's Albin?

I don't know. Hang on, are you poking about in my head?

No...

You bastard! Get out of there!

Tom's rich laughter echoed around my brain and I growled, spurring Sammy into a direct gallop. Within seconds we'd caught up and overtaken a stationary Tom and Bruno, much to their surprise.

"The race is on!" Tom cried, wheeling Bruno around and cantering after me.

"No sir, the game is on!" I called back, rising out of the saddle to increase my speed and aerodynamics. "And I'm winning it!"

"Not if I can help it." Tom rode up beside me, using Bruno's 'horn' to snag the waistband of my trousers and tip me sideways. I yelped and clung to both Sammy's reigns and Bruno's reigns, one foot out of the stirrups, dangerously close to Bruno's metal-shod hooves.

"Tom, help!" I wailed, swinging my leg out of the way and promptly getting tangled in the stirrups and straps.

Tom sighed and grabbed the back of my shirt, pushing me back onto my horse/unicorn.

"Happy now?" he said a little sarcastically.

"Very."

*

We rode for hours until my backside was numb and I was falling asleep in the saddle. Tom had kept the same pace as Sammy the entire time, nudging me back into my saddle with his shoulder. He had one hand gripping Sammy's reigns and was leading the smaller horse alongside Bruno.

"Pepper?" Tom said quietly. I yawned and forced my eyes open.

"Yes?" I murmured.

"Are you falling asleep?"

"Yes."

"We'd better stop." Tom tugged Bruno's head back lightly and halted him, Sammy doing likewise.

"Where are we going to stay?" I asked sleepily.

"Look up," was Tom's reply. I raised my head and nodded. Then my eyes snapped open and I squeaked in shock.

We were stood in front of the grandest hotel I'd ever seen, made entirely of columns and pillars, marble, velvet, trailing ivy and rusty red brickwork. The sound of low chatter in posh voices drifted across the vast expanse of green lawn, a large water feature bubbling away and partially masking the talking.

"How... what..." I stammered. "I can't afford to stay here! I don't have my wallet!"

"No," Tom said. "I do."

"How do you have my wallet?!"

"I took it out of your pocket whilst you were fighting Rebecca."

"You're evil, you know that, right?"

"I'm not evil. Rebecca is."

"Very true."