Free On Fallen Wings by Jamie McHenry

beat of my heart. It matched the rhythm of Ophelie’s steps.
    I knew she couldn’t keep this pace forever. “Forward. Faster,” I urged her. “You’re almost there.”
    As we galloped, horses around the field joined in the chase, but none of them caught us. We were winning. I wanted to look back, to see how close Father was, but resisted. I focused only on the goal. The lake shimmered through the trees. We were almost there.
    Behind me, I could hear hoof beats like the thunder of a coming storm. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Father as he passed me on Garret. His curly blonde beard pressed against his neck and his hair whipped back like the feathers of a diving eagle. A fierce grin was on his face. Aside from Mother and us children, my father loved the chase more than anything—the wild freedom of rushing through the world, becoming one with the powerful beast beneath him. He often said it was as close to flying as the living could ever know. I understood his passion.
    “Go—go!” I prodded Ophelie more, but had the sensation I was riding backwards as Garrett passed us with ease. Ahead, I saw the crystal reflections of the lake surface and the trees of Morgan in the distance. Accepting my loss, I released my grip on the reins and looked back to verify my position; the others were barely visible.
    Knowing I would be forced to listen to their gloating all season if I lost to anyone else, I nudged Ophelie again and resumed the chase after Father. We caught up to him shortly. He sat regally on Garrett at the water’s edge while his champion drank victory from the lake.
    “That was good,” he said, grinning. “You’re getting faster.”
    “Excellent ride, Father,” I acknowledged. I bowed slightly. “You’re still unbeaten.”
    “Barely. You’re the closest one, yet.” He tousled his hair with his fingers, pulling and tugging it in every direction. When he finished, it looked like Ethan’s hair.
    “Ever?”
    He nodded. “One day, I’ll lose to you.”
    I smiled as screams and whoops drowned the conversation. Mother arrived first, followed by Leila and Sean. Far behind them, Cael and Ethan eventually arrived at the gravel shoreline. Cael was red faced and looked like he had carried Avalon. Ethan looked happy to finish.
    I guided Ophelie toward Sean and directed her to saunter in front of him. “I’m pleased that you could join us.” I gave him a mocking grin.
    “That was a good ride,” said Sean, offering a polite smile. “I don’t think that I’ll ever catch you.”
    “Bring me back my horse, and I’ll teach you everything I know.” I leaned close and patted Sean on the hand. “Still, you did okay. You almost caught Leila.”
    “I didn’t want him to get lost,” said Leila defiantly. She led her horse to the water and allowed him to drink. She turned to Sean. “I would have let you win—as a tribute to your noble efforts in the morning.”
    Sean bowed. “Then, thank you.”
    “What about me?” complained Ethan. “I had to go back for Cael. He fell off Avalon twice.”
    I glanced at Cael, who remained on his horse, panting as much as the gelding. “Are you all right, Cael? Would you like some water?” With a nod back toward Sean, I rode over to his younger brother. “Is there anything you need?”
    Cael spoke between strong gasps. “No…thank you…I’ll be okay.”
    Mother steered her horse next to Father and leaned next to him. “Was it crucial to win, dear?” she asked, matting his hair down with one hand. “I thought you would have shown courtesy to our guests.” She motioned toward Sean. “To our future son-in-law.”
    “That’s all right, Keelia,” said Sean to my mother. “It was a fantastic ride. Did you see all the birds fly over us?”
    Father and I shook our heads.
    “No, I missed them,” I answered. “I was focused on the lake.”
    Sean’s horse stepped away from the gravel and back onto the grass. “I definitely lost the race,” said Sean. He nodded