No one answered, but the looks on a few faces told her she wasn’t the only one surprised.
The deeper they went, the more it struck her: there were places within these walls she had never even imagined. Hidden stretches of land that felt more like wilderness than school grounds.
It made her wonder — how much else did she not know?
The ride went on longer than she thought possible. The instructors said nothing, only signaling for the groups to keep moving deeper into the trees.
What had started as a wide, sunlit path narrowed until the branches hung low enough to brush their heads. Shadows dappled the ground, and the sound of the horses’ breathing mingled with the rustle of unseen wildlife.
They kept going.
And going.
And going.
Elowyn’s thighs burned from the unfamiliar riding postu
