Excerpt: To Journey's End

Sorrel was particularly bothered by Anka’s sudden appearance and he brayed loudly and reared up, causing Shealtiel and Elliott to fall off and hit the floor quite hard. Korah was still hanging onto the reins and managed to keep his balance. He steered the ittik towards the barn before he could kick up more fuss. Elliott and Shealtiel lay on the ground and looked at each other. Elliott had got caught in Shealtiel’s coat as they fell and he had landed on top of her, his arms sprawled out to his sides and his face very close to her own. Elliott was slightly embarrassed and felt her face flush red. She was aware of the warmness of his body against her own. Shealtiel made no motion to move straight away but looked at her for a while, his eyes taking in her scarlet cheeks and her wide eyes. At first she felt nervous but Shealtiel seemed to drink in her worries by his demeanour somehow, and when he moved to let her get up she felt comforted and relaxed. Their exchange had not been long but it lingered in Elliott’s mind as she brushed herself off. She checked herself over for injuries briefly and winced as she hit a sore spot on her leg. Shealtiel had not sustained any damage. Beyond lending her a hand to stand up, he did not react to their brief encounter. Elliott looked at him for a minute, but he was not paying attention to her. His expression was as unreadable as ever. Elliott felt a stab of annoyance as well as one of guilt. Now was hardly the time to start developing a crush.