Ascent of the Unwanted (The Chronicle of Unfortunate Heroes Book 1) by Nathan T. Boyce

and an acrid smell overran the normal smell of bedding and horse permeating the stable. Over each bowl he spoke those words, “This is the spirit united.” Each time only one drop entered each bowl.
    “You must feed Ghost first. The liquid placed into the mixture will fool the horse and make the blood palatable for him. Then you must partake.” Istan handed the bowl to Erik.
    Erik looked down into the gray stone bowl. Whatever Rovan had placed into the bowls had caused the mixture to bubble as if boiling. The red blood had turned black and every once in a while Erik could see bits of leaf or caterpillar roll over the top. The smell emanating from the bowl was too strong for Erik to keep under his face for long.
    He held the concoction under Ghost’s muzzle. The horse sniffed at the bowl. Gingerly his lips pressed against the inside of the bowl, his tongue probing into the liquid. The horses head shot up. The eyes opened wide and rolled back showing white more than color. The colts bucked and struggled to be free from whatever was holding them. “Let them go!” Rovan shouted.
    As one the young horses ran out of the stable into the open pen. Erik stood watching, stunned at what had occurred. “It is your turn,” Istan said to Erik.
    Erik looked back into the bowl. A swirling line of spittle was mixing itself into the black fluid. Holding his breath and closing his eyes Erik poured the foul brew into his mouth. The metallic taste of blood he expected hid behind a potent sweet, smoky taste. It burned. His tongue was on fire. The back of his mouth felt like a whole had melted in it. His nose was steaming and his eyes watered.
    A jolting sensation slammed into his head. He held his hands up to his temples to keep his brain from exploding. He was on his knees screaming while at the same time he was outside running, scared. His head pounded with pressure from two minds. He could feel how scared Ghost was. He was scared as well. The two minds seemed to be pitting their emotions against each other to see who was stronger, while at the same time feeding upon each other. Fear quickly became terror and still the emotions grew. The emotions were too much for him to contain. Erik stood and ran as hard as he could to escape the torturous struggle inside his head.
    A sharp blow struck him on the head. The union was so complete Erik was unsure which of them had been injured. Even the fact Erik was on his back did not clarify the situation for him. “Fight the union!” Istan yelled at him. “Separate yourself from your brother!”
    Erik thought he had been fighting the union. He tried to push his mind away from Ghost’s to no avail. He needed to change tactics. It was tough to think. His heart pounded hard in his chest. The terror consumed him framing his vision in crimson.
    An idea occurred to him. Istan told him to separate himself. Mentally he formed the image of a wall and wedged the image between the two consciences. Pushing the wall through was tedious but the partition snapped into place. The emotions no longer spurred each other. Without its rival emotion to egg on his the fear became manageable. Erik took a deep calming breath. He was in control. His head still hurt. It must have been him that hit his head. His hand felt a sensitive lump forming at his temple.
    With the war of dominance over Erik realized he knew exactly where Ghost was. Erik could point to Ghost with his eyes closed. His young brother was still scared and running in the pen trying to find a way out. “Excellent, Erik!” Istan yelled y. “Now help Ghost. Allow the calmness to flow toward him.”
    Erik pictured the feeling radiating from his conscience in waves, oozing through the mental wall toward Ghost. Ghost’s fear reacted immediately. In his mind Erik could feel the horse slow from a fear induced sprint to a calming, rhythmic trot. The excitement abating Erik could hear other Cavaliers yelling directions to their respective foals. A Cavalier with