"Well, okay. I like horses. Let's go groom Persephone," Lermer said. "I need to be alone." The words sounded so much harsher than I'd meant them that I sat back down next to him and slid my hand in his. "I'm sorry. It's just that I need time to think, and that's something I have to do alone." His blue eyes looked sad, but he gave me a little smile. "How about I walk you to the stable, and then come back here and keep an eye on the news for you till you get through thinking?"
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"I'd like that." I hated the worried looks on my friends' faces, but I couldn't do much to reassure them. Lermer and I didn't bother with coats. The stable wasn't far. The cold wouldn't get a chance to bother us. "This snow is awesome," Lermer said after we'd walked a little way down the sidewalk. So
