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A huge war horse bearing a heavy, bearded sorcerer thundered through the night past sleeping villages and open fields until, just as the sky began to lighten, he reached the outskirts of the forest and was pulled back gradually until he stood, slick with sweat and trembling, near to exhaustion.
The sorcerer leaned forward and patted his neck, murmuring words of thanks and encouragement to him before urging him to a gentle walk. For another forty minutes, horse and rider made their way slowly along the dim forest trail, before the sorcerer dismounted and led his mount from the road, picking his way carefully through the dense foliage until finally he came to a clearing near a stream. He let the horse drink its fill. Then, even though he was near exhaustion himself, he took off the hors
