Free The Wide-Awake Princess by E. D. Baker

the leaves of a river birch. Only a few steps farther and she saw a lake with the early-morning sunlight sparkling on its surface.
    After making use of the shrubs, Annie went down to the lake to splash water on her face. She was still bending over the water when the reflection of a horse appeared behind her. Annie sat back on her heels, surprised that she hadn’t heard the animal approach. When the beast pawed the ground, Annie jumped up and backed away. It was a handsome animal with a long, curved neck and a well-shaped head, but its eyes had a fierce look to them,and she could just make out the faint twanging sound of unfriendly magic.
    The horse reached toward her with its head and bumped her on the shoulder. Annie took another step back. The sound had grown louder with the horse’s touch, and Annie knew that it was trying to use its magic to make her do something. “Oh, no you don’t,” Annie said. Her gaze fell on a big stick and she reached for it even as the horse took another step toward her, its ears flicking with interest. Brandishing the stick in front of her, Annie walked away from the lake, careful to keep her eyes on the horse.
    When it saw that she was getting away, the horse put its ears back and trotted after her. She dodged out of the way when it opened its mouth and lunged, trying to bite her. In that instant, Annie saw that its teeth weren’t blunt like a horse’s, but sharp and pointed like a carnivore’s.
    “You’re not a horse!” Annie exclaimed, wielding the stick. “You’re a kelpie! I’m not going anywhere with you. Get away from me, you nasty beast. You’re not carrying me to your lake to drown me!”
    “Annie, is that you?” Liam called from farther in the forest. “Stay right there. I’ll come to you.”
    The kelpie’s head swung around at the sound of Liam’s voice. Afraid that the beast would try to go after the young guard, Annie shouted and ran at it with the stick. The kelpie reared and struck out with its forelegs so that she had to back away, then galloped past her, movingbetween the trees as easily as if on an open road. Annie chased after it, dodging branches and roots. By the time she got there, the kelpie was already facing Liam.
    “Don’t!” Annie cried as Liam reached a hand toward the kelpie.
    Before she could get closer, the animal knelt beside the young man. In one smooth movement, Liam vaulted onto the kelpie’s back.
    “Liam, no!” Annie shouted, still running toward him.
    Liam grinned and offered her his hand. “Come here, Annie, I’ll help you up. I have a ride for us. We’ll get to Shimshee in no time now.”
    “Get off, Liam!” Annie shouted as the animal wheeled around and started back toward the lake. “It’s not a horse. It’s a kelpie!”
    Startled, Liam looked like he was trying to dismount, but before he could swing his leg over the kelpie’s side, the beast began to gallop. Annie started to run after them and tripped over something on the ground. Liam’s pack was lying where he’d left it, along with his sword and knife. He was defenseless, and unless she did something fast, he was going to drown.
    Ignoring the lash of the twigs on her face, Annie followed the kelpie to the lake. She ran as fast as she could, but the kelpie had already entered the lake when she arrived. Galloping through the shallow water, it began swimming once the water reached its chest. Annie could see that Liam was still struggling to get off. The kelpie’smagic was holding him on, however, and both man and beast had begun to sink beneath the surface.
    Kicking off her shoes, Annie waded to the deeper water and dove in headfirst. “Go back!” Liam shouted as he struggled to hold his head above the surface.
    Annie swam faster, reaching out toward Liam with one hand, then the other in sure, steady strokes. She lost sight of him when the kelpie completely submerged, but when she ducked her head and looked around, she spotted the kelpie only yards away. She swam