To Ensnare A Queen: The Hidden Land Novel 3 by Peter Meredith

Author:Peter Meredith [Meredith, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Market Publishing
Published: 2016-03-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Ella

The half-elf ran across the landscape eating up the miles, but at a great cost. Her physical energies drained from her with every mile and by midmorning she just couldn't go on. Not only physically but mentally as well. It simply wasn't logical. Every time she stopped to catch her breath she felt for the gnome and with every stop it became clearer that she wouldn't be in time to catch him before he made it to the Demorlaik. She was wearing herself out for nothing.

In a strange mixture of hopelessness, grief, and exhaustion she fell to her knees and then laid her head in a flow of soft grasses. Her heart was like a drum, but another sound, a gently thudding came to her ear and she didn't need magic to tell her it was a horse moving in a light canter.

Alarm jangled her nerves and she leapt up, fearing that one of the black elves had found her, but it was only a spotted grey and amazingly she knew the horse. It belonged to one of the scout's from Hildeoven, a young woman by the name of Verissa. But what was it doing all the way out here, she wondered, and where was its rider?

"Cappy?" she called gently. The unbridled horse had prudently stopped when Ella had emerged from the tall grass and now it swiveled an ear at her in clear recognition. "Hi Cappy, come here. That a boy. I have a Fig-Newton for you."

"Hey!" Whip-wip cried at the idea of sharing, and with such a big animal, too. She made to grab the fig but Ella shooed her away.

"I'll get you more," Ella told her. "Don't you worry you greedy little fairy, and besides there's enough to share. Come on, Cappy."

Cautiously the horse came over and took the fig from the flat of Ella's hand. He then allowed himself to be petted and rubbed, only Ella had more than that in mind. She took a fistful of mane and swung herself lightly onto the back of the animal.

"You're a God-send, Cappy. Now let's go! Let's see what you can do."

She kicked the grey into a gallop and rode hard. At steep slopes she dismounted and ran alongside him, and at a very large river, she swam next to him, encouraging him to go faster. At the far bank she allowed the horse to rest and as she did she discovered that she was gaining quickly on the gnome. Faster than she thought possible, and it wasn't until she overtook the poor little creature pushing feebly at the pedals of his omni-cart that she saw why.

His back was a wet mural of blood and there was a neat hole in his little coat just to the side of his spine. It was clear one of Ella's shots had been lucky—at least for her. The gnome appeared to be in a delirium, cursing and muttering while sweat dripped down his rectangle of a face.

Fearing another trap, Ella came at an angle, though it was for naught.

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