Inka’s worried expression captured the tense atmosphere in a single glance as she turned her gaze briefly back towards her father. Sterre watched as Het Vuur’s expression twitched in recognition.

Impazienza. Of all the horses to run into on this humiliating journey it had to be her, didn’t it? She had been nothing but trouble to Sterre back in her glory days when she was the queen of Tinuvel, but at least she had always been able to pull rank in order to comfort herself when the young mare started to rile her. What did she have now? A weak, blind man for a mate and an aging physique.

She wasn’t bigger than her anymore.

At last someone broke the tense moment of silence – Jetta, who was clearly familiar and friendly with the big draft mare. Sort-of-grandma. Had the mood been less hostile, Sterre might even have smirked at the term which the filly had christened her with. As it was, however, her expression remained stiff and hard – the armour that hid her shame.

So Impazienza was the leader of the Vulcans. Sterre supposed that fit her just right – being in charge. She had wanted to dethrone the ice queen for so long when they both lived on the Arch, no doubt it felt good to stand atop this mountain and think about how far she had risen.

How far Sterre had fallen.

Her dark gaze flicked towards Het again as she noticed his lips part, as if he were going to say something, but he evidently decided against it. In the end he settled on a muttered word for Sterre’s ears only. Tell them. She cut her eyes at him with a scowl and a bad-tempered crack of her tail against her side. Could he not even muster enough courage to admit his own reasons?

But there was no sense in arguing with him now – not here, in front of Inka and Impazienza anyway. Besides, the latter spoke up before she could chastise her companion.

She did not miss the fact that Impazienza called the Peak “my mountain”, but the big mare did not have to remind her that this was her place and not Sterre’s. She could hardly have felt more out of place if she tried, and it took all of her self-restraint to hold her tongue and keep her expression somewhat impassive.

Stiffly, she forced out their plight, spitting the words as though they tasted bad in her mouth – and how they did.

“We would like –” No, she corrected herself though it wounded her pride to do so. “We need a place to stay.”

this thing of darkness
I ACKNOWLEDGE MINE