She ran. Her hooves dug into the ground kicking back dirt and grass. She galloped forward in the field as her rider edged her on. Drake Rinehart was covered in dirt from toying with the horses all morning. His normally clean black hair was ruined by straw and frayed by the strong winds from horseback riding. Drake was a 10-year-old normal boy, except for one thing.

“Drake Rinehart, get inside right now,” a young woman called.

Drake ignored his caretaker and rode into the forest hills.

The tree limbs lashed at Drake however, he maneuvered them orchestrating his own dodging and directing the horse toward the clearest path through the wooded area. He leaped over streams, waded through the riverbank, and raced to the light at the end.

He emerged quite a bit dirtier than before. His boots and pants were soaked now. He took in deep breaths and scanned the area, fearing his mother would scold him when she found him. He leapt off the horse and tied the reins to a tree finding not a single sound beside the chirping birds and whispering winds. He lay on the grass craving rest. Riding horses was tiring on his young body.

Drake grimaced for what waited for him at home. He would have to clean up, prepare to meet his fathers’ extinguished guests, and deal with his little brother Kaius.

Drake’s little brother was always an irritant for him as Kaius would always tell their mother when Drake would sneak out of the house and always want to tag along. Sometimes Kaius would even blackmail Drake. Drake sent Kaius away crying to their mother earlier, so Drake knew he’d pay for it later. It was then that Drake closed his eyes and drifted into a trance state.

A pull of his conscious mind woke him up. His eyes met the dark and starlit sky with the three moons, all full, across a lake. A blonde woman in a red cloak sat under their reflection on the lake. Her eerie encompassing glow unnerved him.

‘This is the oddest dream. Where am I?’ Drake thought.

The woman noticed the young boy and thought him familiar. His hair ultimately gave him away. It was nearly the same as his future self although it was rather ruffled. She smiled. Her visions were never wrong. ‘It is you,’ the woman’s voice echoed in his head.

Her red painted lips had not moved and Drake was thoroughly confused. He tried to speak his words, in vain. His speech was not working. This was, indeed, some kind of magik. ‘Who? Me?’ he thought.

‘Yes, you.’ She held her arm out demurely and pointed at him. ‘You are the one who will…’ Her voice faded as with his vision.

The forest around his worldly body went quiet and Drake’s instincts noticed the stark difference. As his consciousness slipped back into reality, he heard the distant sound of galloping horses growing louder. Drake’s horse looked up from grazing on the grass and perked up her ears. Drake grabbed the reins, leaped on the horse, and took off.

Drake was not a silent rider by any means, but he was fast. He cut through the forest again, but he couldn’t maneuver the limbs as well with such speeds. The limbs snapped at his skin and at the horse causing the horse to slow down and red welts appeared across Drake’s arms. The invading horses approached and Drake could feel them. He looked back and noticed the soldier’s of Glyn and breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, however, the horse slipped and Drake tumbled from the saddle and crashed into a tree.

He grabbed his head, wincing in pain as the invaders stopped in front of him. They wore head to toe minuscules of armor with the embossment of a black griffon on the leather chest piece. Adorning the saddles was a red and yellow cloth with the same black creature. Drake cursed his luck.

One of the soldiers stepped forward and bowed. “The queen has summoned you.”

Drake stood and wiped off some of the dirt. “I don’t want to go.”

The sound of a horse thrashing alerted the soldiers. One of the soldiers helped up the horse that was bent over and breathing heavily.

“I’m afraid your horse has become lain Prince Drake.”

Drake shook his head and couldn’t believe his luck. Not only did he have to return home, his favorite horse was now useless. This day couldn’t get worse.