Her movements gracefully complemented the steed's thunderous muscular vibrations from the rhythm of his headlong, furious pace.
He'd never seen anything like it. They way she could handle that horse was a miracle to behold. He had never seen anyone ride as fast as that.
Their bodies merged into one figure as the sped their way toward the horizon. It gave Franklin Barker the illusion of a chimera, those ancient half-person, half-horse beings with human heads and the body of a horse.
He kept his gaze fixed upon the speeding figure until his eyes burned from the strain of searching out the receding form.
He breathed a sigh and stood up.
CHAPTER TWO
Melanie bent lower over Lightning's beautiful mane while whispering sweet songs of inducement into its ear.
She told it that it was the fastest thing alive, that its power was tribute to the strength nature blessed it with.
The feeling of speeding like a bullet, complete with the thrill of that initial blast from the barrel, pulsed through her.
Lightning was in a feverish mood today. It was rare when the horse was doing anything she wanted to please her.
She loved when he started up like that. The first thing she always said to the horse upon mounting it was, "Go, Lightning, go as fast as you can like a crack of thunder."
And they bolted from a standing position like a shot out of a cannon. It thrilled her to the marrow when she experienced it.
She always said that to the horse as soon as she was comfortable in the saddle but it was not all the time that Lightning granted her wish.
The horse could be cantankerous when it wanted to be. Some days it would obey her initial command, but only halfheartedly.
Other times he wouldn't listen at all. It was often after a period of time when they were separated.