Discoveries

2

Somehow, it was peaceful.

As peaceful as falling down a cliff gets.

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My eyes took a moment to adjust to the bright moonlight that drew long shadows all around. This time I accepted the freckled hand that was extended to mine. He helped me onto my pearl-white horse, before mounting his own. But it wasn't the brown mare he'd been riding earlier. It was the stallion. My pearl-black stallion. I frowned, but couldn't completely grasp what was going on.

"It is not considered polite to gape where we're going," Flynn said, patting the stallion's hind quarters. A rare crease had found its way onto his forehead.

Where were we going?

We rode further down a winding path. Deeper and deeper into an unknown forest. Naked branches scraped my elbows and knees.

Somewhere in the distance I heard the rush of water. A shallow river peeked through some shrubs. No sound was heard but the muffled beating of our horses' hooves and water on pebbles. The rush turned into a roar as we emerged from the trees. Foaming wild water darted downward from rock to smooth rock, dark green moss getting as close as possible to the white force. The deep ice-blue pool beneath swirled and tumbled down into lesser waterfalls.

It left me speechless.

Filled up all my senses.

Flynn's voice broke the moment. "Grand enough an entrance, princess?"

I could only nod.

He led us into the shallows and then deeper. When the water reached up to my knees I should have felt the icy cold, should have panicked, should have worried about my dress – well maybe not me –, but I didn't. Instead a deep calmness wrapped its arms around my soul.

We reached the white curtain and stopped. Fly looked at me and said, "You ready?"

Once more nodding was my only choice.

I closed my eyes and let the water run over me. It felt as if it went right through my body, cleansing every cell and bone, revealing every lie. Life itself rushed through me. I was smiling by the other side.

But he had vanished.

In stead seven cloaked figures stood around me, one in front and three on either side. Each bore a single white candle which exuded an intoxicating fragrance.

Jasmine.

They moved forward without a sound, the first beckoning me to follow. My common sense was no match to my curiosity, so Jasmin went on.

I couldn't make out any features, but somehow I sensed my companions were female. Their candles led us into a dark, all-consuming tunnel.

There was no drip of water, no sound of breath, no padding of feet or hooves.

My head was clouded, any questions that ignited soon dimmed. The darkness seemed to go on forever.

Finally a light appeared far ahead. As we got closer I saw that vines covered the end of darkness. They parted as we came by.

A large full moon eerily lit the tall pine forest on the other side. Thick white fog covered the forest floor like a blanket, causing the trees to look like they were hovering. Seven horses stood in a perfect semi-circle, and they too seemed to be separated from the ground. Something else was off, and it took me a moment to realise what it was: my breath formed little clouds in the air, but theirs didn't

"Why?" The whisper escaped my lips.

"It is beautiful, is it not?" the first figure said with a smile in her voice. With both hands she carefully lifted the hood off her head, as if to not mess her hair. The others followed. They were indeed female. Each was different from the other, but still they all had something in common. The one that had spoken was slender and tall with smooth hair black as a raven's wing. It had come spilling over her back when she'd taken off her hood. Her skin was pale as the moon, her face a perfect oval as she turned to face me.