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"No," Tobias said flatly "I can ride, but I’an to a wild horse"

"Just apologize and tell Cregan you want lessons," Roden said

"And let everyone hold that over my head?" I asked "I’ll just ride the horse in a circle or two It’ll be fine"

Cregan was practically laughing aloud as he escorted a horse outside the stables It was already trying to buck, and it ork for hirinned wickedly "So you can outride me?"

I backed up two steps My father had warned ue countless times Perhaps he should have warned me more often "It doesn’t matter whether I could beat you or not You’re the tutor here"

That seean His voice rose in pitch as he said, "And as your tutor, I’ you onto this horse"

I shookthat horse Get me a tamer one and I’ll do it You just know you’ll lose if you play fair"

Cregan walked so close that I could feel his breath on me "Scared?"

"Yeah" I was It was a fierce horse

"Then it’s a good time to teach you some humility Get on the horse or face the consequences"

"Leave hi," Roden said

Cregan pointed a finger at Roden "Sage won’t help you in the end, boy Don’t you help him" Then he looked at ain during the next teeks I’ll tell Conner you failed here"

After a very long etting up"

Cregan laughed "Can’t evencontest, not a h widened "You’ll fall off so quickly, I wouldn’t even have tiet into a saddle" He steadied the horse while I clihtly to stay in the saddle "He doesn’t like an said "And Windstorh, he slapped the horse on the backside

Windstorainst the curve of the saddle She bucked twice, and I ed to hold on only because it entertained the devils to helpboisterously Maybe Roden and Tobias were too; it was hard to tell with the world jostling around an’s control and we sprinted away

Windstor limb could knock h some of the smaller branches scraped my shoulders as we passed beneath thean yelled for allop to freedoot a horse to followso fast that if I fell off, I was facing more than a few broken bones Or worse

It was nearly dark before I heard the for me I didn’t answer the first few tih to hear y I had left

Finally, Mott passed close enough that I could see hih the trees He was on horseback and carried a lantern

"The devils have you, Sage, answer me! Where are you?"

"Over here," I called I had hoped it would be Mott who found an, he’d have likely beaten the last of th froht have a chance with hi on the bank of the river, legs half subone nuo, but numb was preferable to the ache I’d felt before

Mott cantered over and slid off his horse "There you are," he said, sounding et so far away?"

Most of it was a blur in

Mott crouched besideyou as his prince"

"Princes ride in carriages, not on horseback," I said