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With that, he snapped the reins, and the Theryl threw her head back She let out a whistle, a trilling call more like a bird’s than any mammal Molly knew of Her front hooves left the sidewalk for a moment and waved excitedly in the air And then they were off--tearing down the dusty street, weaving through traffic, with Molly and the Wadi holding on for dear life

The sheriff and Therylelse She let go of the useless little handles and wrapped her ared half a yelp as they picked up speed, the Wadi’s tail wrapping around her neck and squeezing off the rest of her outburst All around her was the thunder of Theryl hooves and the strange and sickening rise and fall of its peculiar gait

Molly concentrated on the rhyth it Each corner they rounded threw her ti leaned to one side or the other After dozens of blocks flew by, the sheriff yelled so, and Cle hooves

"There," the sheriff said He pointed to a squat building at the end of the road, out on the edge of town A tall fence studded with lookout towers ringed the structure; inset into this was a suard station, which seeh

"Flank!" The sheriff’s ar fro The roar of the shuttle’s thrusters hit them moments after the realization they’d arrived too late

"No!" Molly yelled She tried to screaed the Theryl forward, and she had to hold tight to his back The ani the previous jaunt seem like a stroll by comparison Even the roar of distant thrusters couldn’tfast, Molly wondered if they weren’t better off heading back to Parsona and giving chase in the at to do? Arrest the departration? That would be too late for her friends She peeked under his armpit and saw the world ahead in brief flashes each tiht for the guard gate, urging the Theryl to dizzying speeds with loud "ha’s!" Ahead, the wall of steel wire and coiled razor jounced a dozen limpse

Molly tried to yell for him to stop, but the Wadi and the raw speed clutched her breath She visualized all of the and wondered if the sheriff planned so down--

Suddenly, the Theryl’s gait stuttered, almost as if it had come to the same realization Its hooves skipped, its back sank down, and it took two strides that felt different Then the rear legs of the aniht to either side so quickly that Molly felt her storabbed her orists around the sheriff’s waist and squealed as the Theryl jolted into the sky, the rough gallop gone in a buzz of whipping wind

Opening her eyes a crack, Molly caught a brief glis spread to either side, a thin flap of skin stretched out between the the air Below, the coils of razor wire passed in silence, the Theyrl’s leathery wings waving at the fence withseeround, the flap closing up over its belly, and the thunder of hooves on packed dirt resu; her teeth clapped shut as her jaw hit her sternurip on the sheriff and peeked through his ar loo been cleared with an impossible leap

"Whoa!" the sheriff yelled

Molly leaned back as he pulled the reins; the thunder faded to dru over the Theryl’s head and juround He turned and held out his hands as Molly slid down after hi next tie animal’s neck "First time on one?"

"First and last, I hope" Molly truly meant it The Theryl turned and snorted at her, its hiskers ht," the sheriff said He glanced back toward the guard gate, which was suspiciously lacking in the activity department "Let’s poke our heads in and ask so roar of the shuttle, the white hull perched atop a column of thick s around--"

The sheriff fell silent; he shielded his eyes to look up through the glare ofsun Molly did the saap in the shuttle’s exhaust, the dash of blue sky between puffs of interrupted sh above, sideways, its thrusters dark and quiet The craft grew larger as it began its slow descent--its plummet to the prairies of Lok

"Hyperspace!" the sheriff cursed He drew his pistol and continued to watch the shuttle fall toward the horizon Molly wondered what he thought he was going to do with the weapon, if it was just a reaction to danger, or perhaps a desire to put so near death out of its ainst her neck, its scales scratching her like course sandpaper

The sheriff glanced at the nearby entrance to the building and reached inside a saddlebag He pulled out a dozen long plastic strips, the same kind Molly used to secure hoses in the thruster rooives us the right to arrest them" He handed the strips of plastic to Molly "Consider yourself deputized"

Molly sed hard, an i back in her vision Before she could object to her new role, the sheriff strode off, walking to the door with a stride of purpose and vigor she hadn’t seen in his carriage around the office

"Hey, wait," Molly said, hurrying after hi?"

"No, you don’t need a gun" The sheriff paused at the door and peeked through the glass, cupping one of his hands by the side of his face He grabbed the knob and turned to Molly "Just stay behind me We’re here to arrest them, not kill them"

Molly nodded She looked at the quickcuffs he’d handed her and figured she’d still feel better with a gun

"Let’s go," the sheriff said

He pulled open the door and stepped inside Molly followed him into a dimly lit foyer; she let the door slam shut behind her Once her eyes adjusted, she saw an empty reception desk at the end of the hall with a set of double doors beyond it The sheriff strolled across the roolanced behind the desk He placed one hand on the set of doors and turned his head to the side

"Let "

Molly nodded once more

With that, the sheriff pushed open the doors to the i to find a labyrinth of cubicles, or perhaps a maze of tiled hallways studded with fluorescently lit offices Either option would’ve felt fae building built on bureaucracy

As the doors yaide, however, the sheriff cursed out loud at the sight that greeted the Molly had expected And yet, it was a sight ly familiar