Those Who Fear the Darkness (BloodRunes: Book 2) by Laura R Cole Page B

Layna wonder what it was
about her that Echo was about to comment on. Did the horse already
know her terrible secret too?
    “She is one of the ones who went up against
Gelendan’s new King and he seems to have taken a fancy to her. I
also recently learned that the King may actually be the offspring
of the Draconi gypsy tribe and a knight from the House of the
Phoenix.” Aileen gave the horse-woman a pointed look as though this
information was relevant and Layna felt that if the horse could
have raised her eyebrows she would have. “It appears that the time
is upon us, and as you know, the stone has gone missing. My fear is
that it has been moved to Gelendan. We cannot afford further
isolation. It would only prolong Treymayne’s demise. If there is
any hope of stopping him, it needs to be done now, with all the
resources we have.”
    Both Aileen and the horse stood there
silently staring into one another’s eyes for several long moments
and Layna wondered if they were still conversing.
    Gryffon finally broke the silence. “Layna,
this is Echo. She is an honored guest at our palace and provides
wisdom for the Ieldran, our council. She is very secretive, but as
far as we can gather, she is actually a mage who found a way to
turn herself into a horse and simply preferred to stay that way.
Her guidance has been priceless of late.”
    The horse - Echo - bowed her head in
acknowledgment of this compliment, and then turned to Layna and
winked.
    “She was quite feisty in her youth. Age seems
to have mellowed her,” commented Aileen with a mischievous glint to
her eye.
    Echo lowered her head towards Aileen and
Layna's eyes widened as a clear, sparkling horn sprouted from the
blaze of white on her forehead and steadily grew. It lengthened,
pointing straight at Aileen, until it just brushed up against her
chest. Layna would have feared for the woman's safety was it not
for the broad smile pasted upon her face.
    “I see she hasn't lost her temper
though.”
    Layna looked from Aileen to Gryffon. “The two
of you really need to work on your information sharing.”
    A tinkling musical sound issued forth from
the mage-beast, sounding rather like laughter, and the voice
sounded in her mind again. - Knowledge is a most powerful weapon.
It is prudent to guard it .-
    “Yes, yes, yes,” said Aileen, waving a hand
in the air, “but perhaps we should have warned you, dear, that a
horse would suddenly being talking in your head.”
    “It would certainly have been appreciated,”
Layna squeaked out. She was beginning to feel like a character from
one of her adventure novels.
    “Well, now that introductions are out of the
way, shouldn't we be getting on our way as well?”
    Echo lowered her head and raised it again in
agreement. - Indeed. Do you require anything before we
begin? -
    Aileen answered for them. “Actually yes, us
simple folk need to pack a few belongings and gather up the last of
our party.” She paused, the glint back in her eye. “And we seem to
be one horse short.”
    - She looks light, - Echo observed,
pointing the sharp horn in Layna's direction.
    “Too bad, she has a horse. You're stuck with
me, old friend.”
    Echo whinnied and stamped her hoof into the
ground. Layna was unable to decide what kind of emotion prompted
this action, and she stayed silent.
    Their group stopped back at Aileen's cottage
to pack and meet up with Charles, who despite his wild stories,
seemed just as surprised as Layna to encounter a talking horse.
    “Well, I never,” he had said when Echo
introduced herself into his mind. “I'm not bein' hoodwinked here am
I?” His reaction made Layna feel slightly less like the untraveled
maid that she really was. “You see?” he announced in Layna and
Gryffon’s general direction, “I told you there were strange things
brewin’.” He flashed a fearful look at Echo and added, “No
offense.”
    At Layna's urging, Gryffon took a quick nap
while they readied the supplies. The fact that he didn't