Silver Stray (Heat Strokes 7)

Sunbeams played over violet-colored grass and glinted off shimmering crimson water in the distance. The light gave everything a cheery blue glow Lysali could still appreciate despite the sorrow clutching at her heart.

She paused in the center of the meadow and kicked at a pointed rock with the tip of her hoof. How could her own family disown her? Just because the palace laboratory burned down didn't mean she wasn't worthy of living among them, did it?

All right, so it had been her alchemical formula that exploded, bringing down both turrets and the main science building. But she'd only left it unattended for a couple of hours, and only because she'd wanted to read in the garden for a while.

"Those stupid legends about Humans are going to get us all killed!"

Lysali scowled at the memory of her mother's words. The books she read weren't stupid. They were wondrous and exciting, not to mention extremely erotic.

Her family didn't understand, but how else was she supposed to indulge her sensual female needs? Unicorn males left much to be desired. Someone needed to beat into those stubborn heads of theirs that the universe didn't revolve around the size of their horn.

She blew a puff of air through her nostrils. An amber butterfly fluttered past her ear and landed in the crest of her silver mane. She shook her head to dislodge it.

Well, this was just perfect. Where, exactly, was she supposed to go now?

She'd been walking all morning. The heat that had begun as a nagging mugginess, dampening the back of her neck, had turned stifling. Even the shadows cast by the spiky foliage of the trees bordering the meadow provided little relief from the sweltering humidity.

First, she needed water. Then, shelter for the night. After that, she'd try to come up with a plan. Snorting her frustration, Lysali turned toward the shimmering surface of the red spring winding around the edge of the meadow.

The glittering sparkle of a fat sunbeam played at the edges of her hoofs. She stepped into it, leading with her right foot. A tingle began low in her sole and spread upward, until it encompassed her entire leg.

An unexpected yank threw her off balance. She stumbled forward, neighing as her head broke through the sunbeam. For a fraction of a second, the light blinded her.

When the dazzling brightness passed, she remained still and fought to regulate her breathing. The landscape looked different. The colors were all wrong.

Violet grass had given way to lush green blades. The sky was blue, not fluorescent pink. And the water that had only moments ago gleamed with a crimson sheen now shone a sparkling aquamarine.

But all that was nothing compared to the sight of the creatures bathing in the center of the shimmering spring. Her imagination had played with the gorgeous illusions often enough for Lysali to recognize them as men.

Human men.

But that wasn't possible. Humans didn't exist -- everyone knew that.