I cantered once more under a cloudless sky. A light sheen of sweat lathered my coat, but the breeze cooled it, and I found it a joy to run. Raneld sat on my back again, his ankle less swollen than it had been, but still tender. He was a fairly heavy burden, truth be told. He was a big man and I was not especially large as horses go. Arabians ever were a smallish breed. Still, I didn’t find his weight beyond bearing. I might have run faster without it, but currently my heart was free of hate and I was glad enough of his company.
The plains were utterly empty around us, a faintly wrinkled blanket that went on and on and on forever. The sky was a perfect bowl above, and we moved eternally at its center, as the sun slowly wheeled above us. There was no sign of human habitation, or of were-cre
