"Tie her up," said Oblek, grabbing me by my arm. "We take her to the queen." He turned to Finn. "You will be well rewarded, Fae."

I trembled. He was going to take me straight to Morgana. How would I escape now? What should I do?

Suddenly, there was a flash of white light. It shot past me and hit Oblek, who collapsed on the ground beside me. I was free. I looked around, but where should I go? And where did the light come from? My eyes darted across the forest, to the other side of the clearing. That's when I saw him-the Black Wolf.

With his dark tousled hair, shining grey eyes, and ebony cloak rippling about him as he walked carefully and purposefully towards the guards, he looked like a sleek black panther ready to pounce on its prey.

Rafe held out his hands, and jets of white light shot out of his palms. The human guards crumpled like toy soldiers. But he now had the undivided attention of the Shadow Guard, and they slowly and confidently started closing in about him. For a split second, he looked over at me, his grey eyes shimmering with concentration. His eyes were hard set and brimming with anger.

"Run!" he said simply. His voice was powerful, strong, and one that you immediately obeyed, even if you didn't want to.

"Run, Aurora, now!" he said again.

His sword glistened in the moonlight as he drew it from its sheath and prepared to meet the Shadow Guard. I was about to turn and run, but I couldn't help watching him for a few seconds more. He was now battling both the Shadow Guards with his sword. It flashed and swirled like it had a mind of its own. I thought I saw a light surrounding him, and it flickered lightly with a faint blue hue.

I was entranced; I had never seen anyone fight with a sword like that before. He was like a young Sir Lancelot, or more like Zorro with magic. I couldn't keep my eyes off him. He was magnificent, and he had come back for me.

Just then I heard Kalen shout out, "My lady, over here."

I turned towards his voice. He was standing amongst the trees on the other side of the clearing, holding the pegasus who looked like it was about to bolt at any minute.

I ran towards Kalen, my heart pounding in my chest. I glanced back just for a second to see Rafe now surrounded by the Shadow Guard. They had advanced in an attack and were shooting bolts of red fire at his shield. Kalen had started muttering a running commentary in my ear as soon as I reached him.

"Look at him move. Do you have any idea how much concentration it takes to hold a magical shield like that and fight at the same time?" Kalen was saying. "And this is not just any fight, he is battling the Shadow Guard."

The pegasus had started putting up a fight; it obviously wanted to bolt away from the loud sounds. The other fae and Finn, had disappeared into the trees. Oblek had managed to revive himself and stood up unsteadily. The human guards were on the floor, and there was just Rafe and the two of us against Oblek and two Shadow Guards.

Rafe's invisible shield was still holding, but his sword had fallen, and now red and white jets of light shot back and forth between him and the Shadow Guard. How long could he keep this up? I had to do something, help him, or he could die.

"Try and get on," said Kalen, holding the pegasus. "She will not let me ride her, but maybe she will take you. If you are of the royal house of Elfi, the pegasus will carry you."

The pegasus still showed no signs of calming down, and it was taking all of Kalen's strength, such as it was, to hold her. She seemed to want to run free, but she was pulling in the direction of the fight instead of the other way around. I tried to calm her down and put my hand on her neck. My palm tingled faintly. Suddenly the pegasus stopped and was completely still. And then something extremely strange happened. I heard a soft musical voice in my head.

"Climb on, and I shall carry you, Princess," said the voice.

I looked around, and back at the pegasus. Did she just speak to me in my head? No! That was impossible! But supposedly, so was magic.

"Yes, it's me," the voice said, "and we don't have much time. Do you want to help your friend there or not? I'll explain later."

"Okay," I said in my mind, tentatively pushing the thought out at the pegasus. I hesitated for a brief second. Kalen gave me a boost, and I jumped onto the pegasus's back. Kalen looked at me with his mouth open wide. I guess I was of the royal line of Elfi, after all.

"Go," said Kalen. "Get to Eldoren, and go straight to Silverthorne Castle. Tell your granduncle everything that has happened. The duke will know what to do."

"We must help him," I said out loud, looking over at Rafe.

"Do not worry, my lady," said Kalen. "Rafe can take care of himself. You just get out of Illiador as fast as you can. He will meet you there."

I nodded, as the pegasus reared once and cantered towards the clearing. I held on tight and concentrated on staying on. Suddenly I realized the pegasus was running straight towards the Shadow Guard.

Kalen was shouting, "You're going the wrong way! You need to get away from this forest fast."

"I hope you know how to create a shield," said the voice in my head. "You're going to need it now."

"I can't," I gasped out loud. "I have no magic."

"You may not know how to use your magic, but you do have it, or you would not be able to speak to me with your mind," said the pegasus. "For now, I will shield you. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"You have magic?" I asked.

"I am a pegasus, protected by the old magic of the fae. The magic of the Shadow Guard cannot harm me," said the pegasus. "And my magic protects those of the royal house of Elfi."

This mind-talking was weird, but I was quickly getting used to it.

"It's you they want," said the pegasus. "I will draw their fire away from the Black Wolf to give him enough time to escape. But you must hold on tight. Whatever happens, do not let go."

We were nearing the fight. I could see Rafe's shield wavering as the pegasus increased her speed into a gallop in one fluid motion. It was like riding on air, and soon we really were-we were flying. The pegasus spread her powerful wings and shot into the sky like a hawk, flying directly over the clearing.

The Shadow Guards looked up, and their shields faltered. Rafe hit both of them squarely in the chest with powerful bolts of white light. They fell to the ground, but Oblek raised his hand, a ball of red fire growing in his palm.

"Now," said the voice in my head. "Hold on."

I closed my eyes and held on tightly to the pegasus's neck. I was scared, but I knew I had no choice.

Just then I heard Rafe shout, "No!"

I looked down for a second, in time to see a jet of red flames shooting towards me.

"Be calm," said the voice in my mind.

I felt a jolt hit my back, but there was no pain. I was still on the pegasus's back, flying out of the forest. I vaguely made out Rafe's dark shadow disappearing into the trees. I had done it. I had escaped, and most importantly, Rafe was safe.

8.

Snow I clung on tightly to the pegasus's neck as we rose up over the trees of Goldleaf Forest and flew towards the Cascade Mountains.

"That was very well done, Princess," said the pegasus, a calm voice in my head.

I smiled. I had only just caught my breath, and my heart was still racing. I never imagined that pegasi could talk.

"How did you know who I was?" I asked the pegasus, pushing the thought out to her.

The pegasus answered in my mind. "When you touched me, I felt your power. You are unmistakably of the royal line of Gwenfar-Ith-Aran of the fae. We pegasi have our own magic; I could see who you were, just the same as if you were telling me."

"Can you talk to everyone like this?" I asked.

"Only to the royal fae," she said simply.

It was an amazing and exhilarating feeling, racing through the sky on the back of a magical winged horse. The pegasus's powerful wings soared through the air. Soon we had cleared the forest and were flying higher and higher towards the Cascade Mountains.

"Where do you want to go, Princess?" said the pegasus, "I can take you anywhere you wish after we rest."

"I need to go back and see if my friend Kalen is okay," I said, "and Rafe as well."

"That I cannot do, Princess," said the pegasus in my mind. "Illiador is not safe for you now. The Shadow Guard were all over the place. Pixie Bush is where they will search first."

"But I need to know my friends are all right," I said, a little worried. Right now the pegasus was the only one who knew where we were. Without her I would be lost.

"Your friend, the little fae, will be fine. Do not fret, dear one. And the Black Wolf can take care of himself as well as the others. He will see to it that the fae are safe. I know of him; he may be a mage, but he is a friend of the fae."

I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to be taken back to Pixie Bush. My only choice was to go to Silverthorne Castle and meet my granduncle, the duke.

"I need to go to Silverthorne Castle in Eldoren," I said politely. "Do you know how to get there?"

"Yes, of course," said the pegasus. "But why do you need to go to Silverthorne Castle? Better yet, just show me why. It's quicker that way."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "How can I show you?"

"This is fae magic. Just put your palm on my neck and think about the events as they happened, and I will see it, too," said the pegasus.

I closed my eyes, and put my left palm on the pegasus's neck and thought about Redstone Manor, my adoptive parents, Christopher, Cornelia, Count Oblek, the tapestry, meeting Kalen and Rafe in the dungeons, Finn's treachery, our escape to Pixie Bush, and Mrs. Plumpleberry's healing salve and sound advice.

"That is quite enough," the pegasus said. "I will take you to Silverthorne Castle. But I must rest a while; the magic I used to protect us from the Shadow Guards magic has weakened me."

"Okay," I said, relieved that at least I didn't have to ride through the mountains for days with Kalen. I would have had to travel with Rafe too, though, and it would have been interesting to spend more time with him. I guess it was not to be. I was still a little apprehensive about where we would sleep that night, because the pegasus needed to rest. Some people may like camping under the stars, with wild animals around, but I did not. It was not really my idea of a good time. Flying to the castle on the back of the pegasus was absolutely the best thing that could have happened.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked hesitantly.

"Of course."

"What do I call you?"

The pegasus laughed, more like a neigh, but I could feel her emotions. It was amazing.

"My name is Gwyneira, which means, 'white as snow' in the old language of the fae," she said.

"May I call you Snow?" I asked. It sounded like a wonderful name for a pegasus.

The pegasus laughed. "Yes that is acceptable," she said. "I like the name Snow."

I smiled. "Perfect!"

We were now flying higher and higher over the Cascade Mountains. The wind whipped around my face and hair, but I didn't care. The moon was full and bathed the mountains in its silvery light. Riding on the back of a pegasus gave me the most wonderful feeling of freedom. After about an hour, we descended through the low-lying clouds and Snow carefully flew through the trees and into a clearing in a forested area of the mountains.

I slid off Snow and cautiously looked around.

The moonlight lit the little clearing, and Snow led me to some bushes, which she told me to push apart. I struggled a little with the dense foliage but finally found a small opening to a dark cave. I peered inside; there was no light, and I quickly backed away.

"There is no way I am going in there," I said to Snow out loud.

"Would you prefer to sleep outdoors?" asked Snow, sounding a little confused. "I'm afraid I have no idea how to light a fire, and it will get cold. If you knew how to use your magic, you could have done it, but since you cannot, we will have to make do with the cave."

I nodded, feeling upset that I had no magic and a little nervous. I had no idea what was inside that cave, and I was not going in there to find out. I would much rather sleep outside.

"Fine," I said abruptly, "I'll just sleep against a tree or something."

I looked around for a suitable spot. I located an old oak that looked quite comfortable, relatively speaking. It was a massive, ancient-looking tree, and the thick trunk had a small hollow in it, big enough for a person to fit into. I maneuvered myself inside and slid down against the inside of the mossy trunk, hugging my knees together and resting my head on them. I was cold and tired, so I wrapped my woolen cloak tightly around me as best I could, and, despite the circumstances, I immediately started nodding off.

Snow stood next to me. "I will be here to watch over you, Princess. Do not worry. I just need a little rest, and as soon as dawn approaches we shall be on our way."

"Okay," I said in my mind, already half asleep. The cool fresh air of the mountains was making me really drowsy. The leaves rustled gently, lulling me into a fitful sleep.

I hardly felt like I had had any sleep at all when I heard Snow's voice urgently calling to me in my mind. My eyes snapped open and I looked up, but it took me a minute to get my sleep-befuddled brain together. I scanned my surroundings quickly and got up from my place on the forest floor, using the big oak for support.

Two guards were holding Snow by her mane, and she was struggling to get free. The men who were holding her were wearing rusty armor and equally tarnished shields that bore the crest of a black rose.

"Morgana's guards," said Snow quickly. "Run, Princess; these look like scouts, so the Shadow Guard will not be far away. You must get out of here, now."

I whirled around in a complete panic. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't just leave Snow to the guards. What if they killed her?

"Leave me," Snow said. "Your life is far more important."

Terror welled up in my chest, and I turned to run, but two more guards were coming out of the trees behind me.

I was surrounded.

"There is no use trying to run, milady," said the gruff voice of one black-toothed guard. He was grinning manically at me.

I took a step back and felt something sharp prick my back.

"Don't move," said another guard from behind me. I couldn't see his face, but they all seemed to look the same to me. Dirty, filthy, matted hair, black grins and rusty armor.

From the corner of my eye, I could see the bushes rustling. What else was out there?