Chapter Twelve - Choosing Sides
Treasure and Fantasy struggle to keep up with Legend. We are totally soaked but the clouds are breaking up already. Luckily we don't have far to go.
We make our landing at the bottom of Rainbow Falls. Kayla and Jacob lift Evan off of Fantasy. He is still asleep. Even in his sleep, he appears to be having nightmares. He thrashes around on the ground. Kayla takes off his shirt and sees that he is still covered in welts from his allergies. Lizzie and I check Treasure's wound. "I will find Wakanda," Legend says. "She has special healing powers."
Legend returns with Wakanda and another smaller horse, Wachiwi, who is Wakanda's grandson. Wachiwi places some leaves over Treasure's wounds while Wakanda tends to Evan. We carefully dip him in the water to release the power of Forever's arrow and cleanse his other wounds. Wakanda prepares some type of ointment which Kayla applies to his skin. Then Evan is taken to a garden to sleep in peace, under the watchful eye of Fantasy.
"You are lucky to have escaped," Wakanda says. "Hecca is losing her influence over the evil horses and is capable of doing almost anything right now."
Just then Whisper and Thunder arrive. "I need to talk to Thunder alone," Wakanda says. Thunder follows her to her gazebo.
"What happened after we left?" Lizzie asks Whisper.
Thunder and Muse got into an argument. Thunder wanted Muse to come back with us, but she did not.
"Has Thunder left Hecca?" I ask.
Whisper explains. "It is not an easy decision for Thunder to make. He realizes that Hecca's ways are wrong and that she is losing her stronghold and he does not want to go down with her. But he doesn't want to leave Muse because Muse is his mate. It will not be safe for Thunder to go back to Hecca now that he has betrayed her. But it is too soon to know whether or not it will be safe for us to trust Thunder."
"And Muse?" Lizzie asks.
Whisper continues. "Muse is the most beautiful horse to ever come to Rainbow Island. But she is also very proud and independent. Muse is not particularly loyal to anyone. She likes to come and go as she pleases. It would be difficult for her to return here and admit that she was wrong. But it would also be difficult for her to submit to Hecca's fury which will only intensify now that Thunder has left. If she truly cares about Thunder, and Thunder changes his ways, she may change also."
"How did Wakanda come to be the leader of the good horses?" Kayla asks.
"She passes on the teachings she is given to the other horses. That is her calling. But the teachings do not come directly from her. They come from the Spirit." Whisper explains.
"There is more to this magic than I would have expected," Jacob says.
"There is more to life than what any of us can see," Whisper says.