I grow frantic inside, but succeed in calming myself and whisper, “Shaylo?” I hear rustling, I know it is Shaylo, but I don''t see her right away. The board moves, Shaylo slips through, I step back. “What are you doing, are you okay?” I give her my hand to help her up and give her a warm embrace.


    She answers, “Yah, I am fine, they’re only bruises and will clear in a couple days.” She sighs and asks, “How about you, did Newlyn hurt you?”


    “No, she just gave me a stern warning and reminder of my place here.” I am not really telling a lie; it is a half-truth and Shaylo doesn’t dwell on it. “Why are you in my stall?” I ask.


    “We are leaving tonight.” Shaylo answers in a hushed whisper.


    “What, how?” Not tonight and after she had been ruffed up, this was the last thing that I was expecting.


    “I will explain once we are safe. Right now, I need you to do as I say.”


    “Okay Shaylo.” What am I going to do? I knew that this was coming, but not now. I guess her encounter with Newlyn was the final straw. She takes a key from her pocket and quickly, but quietly unlocks the door to my stall.


    She bids, “Go get two bridles and leave the saddles.” I run to the tack room and retrieve the equipment.


    Shaylo has two athletic horses picked out. They are large and look like they are born to run. I hand her a bridle. She quickly, but quietly adjusts the size and fits it onto the horse’s head. I do the same to the second horse. She approaches the barn door, which locks, from the outside and she simply clicks the door open by sliding her twig in the space between the two doors. Somehow, it works because we are now outside in the open but sheltered by the darkness. The horses follow behind while we walk down the path and through Newlyn''s front gates.


    Shaylo gives me a leg up onto the large horse and explains, “You need to keep pace.” She hops onto her horse, starting at a walk. My guess is to make the tracks less obvious and to reduce the noise, avoiding the sound of galloping hooves near Newlyn''s home where ears could hear and cause for alarm. We walk in silence. I don''t bother to say anything, Shaylo is thinking through our next obstacles. I believe that this could work, neither Shaylo nor Newlyn know that I managed to snatch a couple of flying suits the only downside to them is we can''t use them now in the night. I don''t believe they have seen the sunlight in a long time. I also have our sandwiches in my pant pocket. We walk for what seems like forever it feels like we are moving at a snail’s pace. I can still make out the outline of Newlyn''s home in the distance. We enter the tree line, and Shaylo takes off at a gallop, I follow not far behind. In the dark of night, it is hard to tell the direction we are moving in, but the faster pace calms my nerves since we are putting distance between Newlyn and us. These strong horses enjoy running and are snorting up a storm; it was a good thing we walked away in the beginning of our escape. After a while, the horses slow to a canter then, to a trot and finally to a walk. It is still the middle of the night, but we made a clean getaway. We have cleared the trees and are moving at a brisk walk across open fields, we pass herds of giant animals grazing and paying little to no attention as we pass. It is hard to tell because it is still in the night, but I catch a glimpse in the horizon just off to the left, the town where Rosaleen and I spent the afternoon and rented that solar bike. We are traveling in another direction, not towards town. We continue to ride in silence, trusting the eyes of our horses. We cross the vast field on to the next tree line, which leads to the mountains. The horses will need to be let go from here, they won''t make it over the mountain. It is as though Shaylo just read my mind because she has just brought her horse to a stop and has hoped off, I do the same.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Shaylo says, “Remove his bridle.” I tend to my horse; she does that same and gives her horse one firm slap on the hindquarters and he whinnies and gallops off. A gentle pat suffices for my horse is eager to catch up with Shaylo’s and he gallops off to catch up.


    Shaylo speaks up, “They will find their way home.”


    “Yah it''s neat how they remember.” The sky is starting to change colors to an orange pink. The sun has not yet come over the horizon but will soon.


    “We need to get over these mountains and then we will cross the shallows to the next island.” Shaylo explains.


    I remember the flying suits tied around my torso, “Shaylo you may want to see this?”


    “What?” She asks.


    “Look.” I lift my shirt to reveal the suits.


    Shaylo is confused for a second and recognition sets in, “When did you get those?”


    I smile and reveal, “Newlyn locked me in a room for a few minutes while she prepared some food. I searched the room and found these hanging in a closet.”


    “Taylan you amaze me!” She laughs and gives me a joyful pat on the back.


    “I don''t think these have been charged. We will have to drape them to catch the sun’s rays. The only drawback is they are reflective so it could make us easy to spot.”


    Shaylo regards them, “Good point well, let’s rest now and let them charge, we should climb up a tree and use the horses’ bridles to secure ourselves.”


    I add, “I think we can get away with wearing the suits and putting the linen jumper over top. The linen is thin the sunlight should get through.”


    “Let’s do that.” Shaylo confirms. I hand Shaylo a suit and we each strip down to put them on. Just as I thought, they are not charged; I slip the linen jumper over top, and then climb the rocky incline into the forest. We pick a large tree; its trunk is straight and thick at the base; it is too large to wrap your arms around to be able to touch your fingers on the opposite hand. There is a steady path of branches, which are ideal grasps for climbing. Shaylo gives me a leg up into the tree and follows. We climb to the canopy and each settle on a branch on opposite sides of the trunk. Shaylo adjusts herself so that she is in a sitting position, legs extended along the branch and back against the trunk. She takes the horse’s bridle, wraps it around her waist, and then loops the reins around her branch. I watch and copy her, securing myself to my branch. Fatigue is starting to take over as I gaze out from my perch over the open field below. The sun is now peeking over the misty horizon. A sweet warm breeze trickles through the branches and relaxes my senses.


    “Shaylo, do you think we will see our families?”


    “I''m not answering that, get over it and get some rest.”