Dimly, she heard the drumbeat quicken, while a chorus of flutes shrilled a wild melody. The fire leaped higher, flames dancing to the music. Fran sank slowly, dropping to her knees beside the sand painting. She watched the rainbow figure writhe and lift from the ground, arching over her.
It spoke in a voice like thunder, echoing within her head. “Come with me, Little Sister. There are things you must see.”
Then, the turquoise-blue horse, the thunder-pony, pranced up to her side and knelt so she could mount it. In a whirl like a dust-devil, the horse leaped to its feet and ran up the rainbow. Fran clung to its lapis-blue mane and gripped its sleek sides with her moccasin-covered legs.
Hearing hoof beats behind her, she looked over her shoulder. Ben followed, astride the jet-black horse o
