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SEAN

I a So

In the moment between Corr’s back and the surf, I think first of the dozens of horses behind us and then of et clear To hope that when I hit that ground, I hit it so that I can roll free of ht survive

For onewith perfect clarity: Corr, his face aaway, far out of reach; the blue, blue November sky above us

The piebald’s knee lurches up to strike my head

When I hit the sand, my vision breaks like a wave I have the surf in my mouth and the sand beneath me rumbles with hoofbeats, and there is red, red, red above me

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

PUCK

The moment we pass Ian Privett and Penda, Ian meets my eyes, and I see that he doesn’t believe it

But then the race is over

Even when I see that we have crossed the line first, even when it’s another half second before Margot flashes by, and another second before Ake Palsson and Dr Halsal crash by nose to nose, I can’t believe it

I slow Dove, patting her neck, laughing and rubbing away tears with the back of my bloody hand All of my pain’s melted away; all that remains are ceaseless shivers I stand shakily inher away from the other capaill uisce as they cross the finish Grays and blacks and chestnuts and bays

I don’t see Sean

My ears won’t stop hissing It takesfrotheine it And still there are the water horses at the end of the race,

But I don’t see Sean

A race official comes toward me, his ar; I have a terrible feeling inside ratulations!" the official says

I look at hi for what he just said to make sense, and then I ask, "Where’s Sean Kendrick?" When he doesn’t answer me, I turn Dove back the e came The beach at this end is a mess of sweaty capaill uisce and tired riders The beach looks nothing like what it looked like tobut a stretch of sand when I’ry, dark thing I direct Dove back the e cahts went down and a dead chestnut capall lying very close to the water They’re putting a sheet over someone farther inland, whichto be Sean

And then I see Corr, standing at the edge of the surf, reflected red in the wet sand beneath hi on the toe of the hoof His head is curled low and as I get closer, I see that he’s tres nearly upside down

There’s a dark, slender forled around it Even filthy, I recognize the blue-black jacket And the red Iwashed aith each wave

I think, suddenly, of how Gabe said that he could not bear it and I didn’t believe hi if you decided to

But just then I understand him perfectly because I cannot bear it if Sean Kendrick is dead Not after all this Not after everyone else It is bad enough to see Corr standing there with a leg I think is broken But Sean cannot be dead

I slide off Dove There’s another race official, and I press my reins into his hands I scraull swoops close to e on the beach -- why doesn’t soet close, I startle backward at a suddenthe stirrup, he uses it to heave himself up He’s unsteady as a new colt

I throw

Sean’s voice is hoarse "Did you do it?"

I don’t want to tell him, because it was only half of as supposed to happen

He pulls back and looks at my face I’m not sure what he sees there, but he says, "Yes"

"Penda was second Where were you? What happened?"