Her thoughts scattered as Huw turned around and said unhappily, “Look, behind you. They are burning the house.”
Katkin saw the thick plume of black smoke from the valley below them, and spurred her horse forward to catch up with the others, who were now cantering up the sleep slope as best they could, following the eagle, who led them ever higher. Once they reached the top of the ridge and dived down the other side, the eagle sheared off, shrieking.
But she still heard its voice clearly in her mind, saying, “They will not follow today, my Queen. We will prevent their passage up the valley. Ride hard for the east and you pass into a barren land where there are no more of your kind. May the wind lift your wings.” Katkin sent a silent prayer of thanks to the eagle and broke into a gallop.
