Ryah cries out in dismay when she sees the whip marks on the horse’s flank. “Oh Dandelion. I’m so, so sorry. He’ll never hurt you again. I promise.” She looks back to me, still open-mouthed and confused. “How did you…??
?
I shake my head, smiling. It doesn’t matter how. It just matters that they’re together again, and Ryah’s happy.
With a delighted whoop, she leaps onto Dandelion’s bare back and canters in a wide circle around the field.
I feel someone at my shoulder. It’s Elke, with Anouk not far behind her. Elke smiles up at me. “Have you been gone all night fetching her horse?”
I nod, and reach up to stroke Jareth’s nose, watching Ryah.
“That’s the happiest she’s been since she got here,” Anouk says to me.
“I know.”
The sun is up over the trees now. Wagon doors are opening and the other performers are wandering sleepily out onto the grass, wrapped in shawls and blankets, to see what the commotion is. They smile as they see Ryah atop her mare, trotting bareback around last night’s campfire in her pajama shorts and tank top. She performs an elbow stand, her back arched gracefully and her toes almost touching her head. Then she stretches her bare legs up to the morning sky as if she could kick the dawdling stars from the heavens.
When she brings Dandelion back to us, she leaps down from the mare and runs into my arms. Her body thuds into mine, her cheek pressing against my chest. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she whispers fiercely.
I laugh to cover my surprise, and the warm feeling that’s spread through my chest. She looks up me, her arms still wrapped around my waist and her eyes like the facets of a precious gem, caught by the sun.
“It was nothing, sparkle. You need your horse.”
I don’t know why I call her sparkle. I think it must be because of those blue eyes of hers. Ryah plants a kiss on my cheek, and a warm, unfamiliar feeling snakes through my chest. Her arms slip from around my neck to rest on my shoulders, and she just looks up at me. Then her smile fades.
“What’s wrong?” I ask her.
“I was just remembering how I fell asleep last night feeling like I didn’t belong here. Now that I have Dandelion again, I think I might be welcome.”
“You’d be welcome here even without Dandelion.” But I know what she means. She and Dandelion are a pair, and they draw strength and confidence from each other. It would have taken her a long time to bond with another horse.
“Do you really think I could perform?” she asks. “Elke has said she has ideas for the three of us.”
Elke and Anouk have gone to make friends with Dandelion, and they’re gently patting her nose and neck. I realize I still have my arms around Ryah and she’s dressed in tiny pajamas, and I step back half a pace.
“I do. I think the three of you will be wonderful together. But now that you have Dandelion, I have something to tell you.” I look into her eyes, letting her know how serious I am about this. “I only have one rule for the troupe: you don’t try out someone else’s act, even if it’s just for fun. The other performers might make what they do look easy, but I don’t want you up on the high wires and trapezes, for instance. If one of the other performers asks to ride Dandelion, you say no. Is that clear?”
“Of course.” She thinks for a moment. “But that doesn’t include Elke and Anouk, does it?”
“No, that doesn’t include Elke and Anouk. I’m sure you’ll all be riding each other’s horses. Elke’s ideas can get complicated.” I smile at her, imagining what the three of them will come up with together.
Ryah practically bounces with excitement. Then she notices the bay horse for the first time. “Oh! You brought Lester, too.”
I turn to look at the horse. “Yes. When I saw what your father had done to Dandelion, I couldn’t leave him behind. He can make himself useful as one of the wagon horses, if you like.”
Her face darkens at the mention of her father. I wait for her to tell me more about what he did to her, but she just shakes her head slightly, as if dismissing something she doesn’t want to think about. “Dad didn’t hurt you, did he?”
I remember with pleasure the feel of that asshole under my boot. “No. And he won’t be hurting you again, either. Or Dandelion. If you see him again, come and tell me right away and I’ll sort him out. But don’t worry too much about that. I doubt you’ll be hearing from him ever again.”
“Thank you, Cale,” she says softly. “And thank you from Dandelion and Lester, too.”
“Don’t mention it. All right, enjoy yourself today. And enjoy watching the show tonight.”
I wave to her, and then lead Jareth and the bay over to the other horses to get them fed, watered and comfortable again. I’m exhausted after a long day and night in the saddle, and so is Jareth, but I find myself smiling as I rub my horse down with a handful of straw. It was all worth it for the happiness on Ryah’s face when she saw Dandelion. More than worth it.
As Jareth eats his hay, I let my fingers trail over my cheek for a moment, remembering the feel of Ryah’s lips there. She’s a sweet girl. Life’s given her a battering, but her heart’s still open.
Chapter Five