On horseback there was no reason they couldn’t reach the Cicade Forest in half a day’s ride. After two hours of riding, the sun began to set. The recent rains had finally stolen the heat from the day. The evening was cool. The few clouds that remained above were spread thinly across a dark pink sky. Blodwyn slowed by a small grove of trees.
“Whoa, Babe,” Mykal said, and tugged on the horse’s reins. He loved the mare’s palomino hide, with its brushed-gold coat and white mane. He had been grooming, walking, and riding her for the last four years. Actually, he’d groomed, walked, and rode all of the horses on the farm. Babe just happened to be his favorite. Feeding her an extra carrot or apple was his little way of letting her know his feelings.
Karyn trotted alongside Mykal on Defiance. The
