To Ride A Púca by Heather McCorkle Read Free Book Online Page B

in disappointment and she moved away with a few lazy beats of her wings. Dubh pushed his nose into Neala’s hand, forcing her to pull the muffin away.
    “Don’t be greedy now boy, ye have guests,” she told him.
    He kept pushing at her, forcing her to turn her back on him. She tore the muffin in half and reached outside the stall to place half of it on top of the grain barrel.
    “There ye go ladies,” Neala said.
    The two fairies flew out to fetch the treat, touching Neala’s hair and face as they passed.
    Once Dubh had finished his half of the muffin, Neala slid the bridle on him and swung onto his back. This time as she used her energy to give her an extra push she wondered what else it could do. A thrill ran through her. Careful of the little blue flowers the fairies had woven into Dubh’s mane, she grabbed hold of it and leaned over to open his stall door.
    For the first time in her life she had someone besides the fairies to talk to, someone who would talk back. It was icing on the cake that he was so cute—really good, really rich icing. Smiling, Neala urged Dubh into a trot and left the barn, waving back at the fairies. They would always be special to her but she was more than ready to move beyond childhood playmates.
    The sun shone from a cloudless blue sky, forcing Neala to shield her eyes. Considering how rare such weather was this close to the end of spring, she took it as a good sign. The grass was dry and the yellow and blue flowers around the house were open with their petals toward the sun. Every living thing hummed with vitality, making Neala’s skin buzz. Moving through all that energy was almost like moving through water with different currents pulling or pushing. Her awareness had never been quite this focused. But then, she had always thought her power was useless so she had ignored it until now.
    When she rounded the house she came upon her da chopping wood. He smiled and waved as she rode past.
    “Have a good ride. Remember Neala, not a word about Dublin to anyone. There’s nothin’ to worry about,” he said.
    Neala squeezed her eyes shut and flinched inwardly. She had planned to tell Bren about the invaders today. If she lied her da would know. Druids had an uncanny ability when it came to detecting lies.
    “Don’t worry da, I won’t. Ye said it was safe after all. I’ll stack that for ye when I get back,” she said, adding the last part to take the sting out of the dig about it being safe. She didn’t want to give him any reason to call her back. Thankfully, he didn’t.
    The path leading into the forest was clear enough of vines and plants that Neala felt comfortable letting Dubh speed up into a canter. Unlike yesterday’s wild ride, the pace was relaxed and controlled. She wanted to get there fast but she wanted to be in one piece when she arrived. It was a tossup which excited her more—seeing Bren, or learning to use her power. All night she had been picturing his face—and more. Those kind, alluring green eyes wouldn’t give her a moment’s peace.
    The terrain started to change after a while, growing steeper and rockier. She slowed Dubh to a trot and eventually to a walk once he started breathing heavily. He was the kind of horse that would run until he was dripping sweat if she wanted him to.
    The trees became thinner the higher they climbed until soon they were surrounded by only a grassy meadow. The hill leveled out and Neala could see for miles. The green meadow stretched out for a while before being engulfed by the forest. Ancient trees that had seen generations of her kind grew in these mountains. Some were as big around as a small cottage and tall enough that they seemed to brush the clouds. Coming up here always made Neala feel humble and small, yet connected to something big and wonderful at the same time.
    Her da’s family had lived here in the Slieve Bloom Mountains for generations. Seeing it like this helped her understand why her brother had been willing to