The Purgatorium by Eva Pohler Page B

wasn’t a literal trail. She meant to keep the horses in line. But the horses didn’t stay in line. They kept vying for the place behind Chief. Pearl bit the butt of the horse in front of her, and it kicked back, startling Phillip, its rider. Kelly apparently hadn’t seen, and Phillip said nothing.
    As they ascended the hill to the canyon ridge, Daphne felt a little nervous with the big animal moving beneath her. She hadn’t ridden since she was nine, when her parents had taken her, Kara, and Joey on a family trip to Durango. Her mother wouldn’t join them on the trail ride, saying she didn’t like horses, but Daphne could tell even then that her mother was frightened of them. This had added to Daphne’s own fear. She was frightened then, riding up and down the steep San Juan Mountains and through the national forest.  And since Joey’s horse had stayed near hers, he had been the one to keep her brave and cheerful.
    Today, Cam was along to support her, but her fear was made worse by the anxiety she felt over anticipating the next exercise. She feared she was being set up for another terrifying experience. She wondered why she had agreed to come, if she were so uncertain; but she knew why: she was curious to see what would happen. Plus, it was so unlike her regular, dreary, gloomy life. And, most of all, her parents had wanted her to experience this.
    From the top of the ridge, the view was spectacular, reminding Daphne of how she pictured the Shire in The Hobbit . Green grass grew down in the valley and along endless hills to either side—again making her think of a fairway—all the way down to the stream, which turned and curled like fancy, cursive penmanship. Mounds of shrubs in darker shades of green contrasted with the emerald color of the grass, and then whole bushes of yellow poppies and purple mountain glory added to the serenity of the view. The hills rolled low in areas, like hobbit barrows, and then became more jagged and rocky and taller further away, toward the mountains and their purple peaks on either side.
    Kelly turned her body in the saddle so she was facing the group behind her. “We’re about to head down into Central Valley. This valley runs along a fault line dividing the northern half of the island from the southern. It also divides the two mountains, Mount Diablo to the north and Sierra Blanca to the south. A stream runs all the way through Central Valley from Prisoners Harbor, where you docked, to the west end at Black Point. You’ll find a variety of wildlife throughout the valley, including the island fox, the island scrub jay, the Pacific tree frog, the bald eagle, the island deer mouse, and several plant species, such as morning glory, monkey flower, and buckwheat. Some plant species here are found nowhere else in the world.”
    The ascent was nothing compared to riding downhill. The hooves slipped on rocks, causing the horses to stumble, and this did not deter them from biting one another. Pearl ran forward and pushed her way behind Chief, causing Daphne to let out a little squeal of fear. She pulled back on the reins.
    “Whoa, Pearl. Slow down.”
    “There you go,” Kelly said. “Show her who’s boss.”
    “Show her who’s boss!” Dave was laughing. “That’s classic! Show her who’s boss!”
    Daphne had no idea what Dave found funny.
    Pearl kicked at Phillips’s horse with her hind legs and then came down and reared back, nearly throwing Daphne off. Daphne’s heart beat fast and she couldn’t speak.
    Kelly turned Chief around. “Whoa, Pearl! Whoa, girl!”
    Daphne didn’t think it did any good as she caught her breath and tried to slow down her heart. If the horses had at one time considered Kelly their leader, they no longer remembered it. She was like any other rider to them now.
    Emma called out, “You okay, Daphne?”
    “Yeah. I’m okay.” Her heart still raced and she couldn’t breathe as she clutched the reins.
    She glanced at Cam, who looked at her,