CHAPTER 2THE MEADOW was surrounded by trees; and the girl vanished almost immediately into these. Feliz Gebrod charged after her, tripped over a root in the false and tricky dawn illumination, fell sprawling, caught a flickering flash of cloak somewhere farther back in the depths of the wood, got up and galloped on again, expecting every minute to come up with her and not doing so—until shortness of wind forced him to halt.
He stopped, leaned against a tree and snorted for breath. His body was built for power rather than speed, though for a short distance he could move very fast indeed. Panting, lungs heaving, he told himself that he was a brass-bound i***t; that the girl, insane or not, obviously knew how to take care of herself; that after all, this was her world—and it was all none of
