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"Oh, Cloudy," sheShe stroked his head, but he turned away and walked down her body, tail twitching He crouched at the foot of the bed and stared off into the darkness of the far corner His tail thuular shadows in the rooan rose up on her elbows to see what the cat watched At first she saw nothing, then she detectedher aches and pains, she sat all the way up and stared A fil away fro on its lap Faintly she could hear the scritching of its--his--pen
She swung her legs off the bed and stood She took halting steps forward and paused just behind chair and ghost He was still filarb appeared familiar, looked likelooked like the uniform of a Green Rider Who? she wondered Someone she’d known? She could not see his face fro that any sudden
It was a drawing of hi hirewhian to tint his uniforrew more familiar She knelt before him, now able to look into his face that was so intent on the drawing, and she knew
"Yates!" It ca, and without looking at her, raised his forefinger to his lips And vanished
A faint green aftergloavered where he had sat, and then dissipated Karigan knelt there hugging herself, fresh tears washing down her face, grief that she’d been unable to express before She grieved for Yates, she grieved for all those who she’d known and were now dead Froone
The cat caainst her leg It quieted her enough to hear the strains of a distressed whinny coh her open
"Oh, no!" She swiped tears froency, his need, ringing through her She ran from her room with neither her shawl nor slippers She pelted down the corridor, one door opening in her wake Mirriaed down the stairs, and then to the back of the house past bleary-eyed servants just beginning their day
She threw open the back door and raced across the yard toward the stables, her healing leg hindering her not at all Raven’s sharp whinnies called to her, and when she entered the stables, she found hi in the center aisle, only one cross-tie secured to his halter, and she had no doubt he’d rip it out of the wall, bolt and all, at any e whip in her hand, was Arhys, a se stallion Trapped beyond Raven, just out of range of deadly hooves, stood Luke and his stable boys still in night dress, unable to get around the horse to stop Arhys
What did the girl think she was doing? Did she have no sense of the danger she placed herself in?
Arhys laid the whip back, preparing to lash Raven "Stupid horse!" she cried
Raven reared again, bellowing, hooves thrashing He would kill Arhys
"No!" Karigan cried, and she lunged forward and grabbed Arhys The danger of the th she needed to heave the girl out of the way Karigan, however, lost her footing and fell prone beneath descending hooves She scrunched her eyes closed and gritted her teeth against the puainst her ear instead She rolled to her side and saw that by some miracle, or quick reflex and wit of Raven’s, that his front legs had not crushed her, but straddled her body instead He nickered at her questioningly She reached with a shaking hand to pat his nose
"Bad horse!" a little girl’s voice cried
Raven jerked his head up and snorted Luke shouted A quick glance revealed Arhys back up on her feet coan hauled herself out froirl She snatched the whip out of her hands and tossed it aside, then grabbed Arhys’ wrist
"Leirl cried
"Don’t You Ever Go near that horse again Do you hear o!" Arhys started kicking her and screairl wild in her hand, and a specially well-aian to one knee Arhys seized the opportunity to pull her hair and scratch at her face It was al one of the tainted Sleepers in Blackveil
"What’s going on here? Release the girl!"
Karigan looked up to see the professor, Mirria across the yard
"I hate her and her stupid horse!" Arhys screaan could retort, Arhys sirl She felt blood trickle from her nose She wiped it and smeared blood across her wrist When she looked up, Arhys was folded in the professor’s arainst his chest, everyone staring at Karigan in conderave!" Mirriaan looked to the professor, but even his gaze was accusing, his hold on Arhys protective What did they see in the girl? She was nothing but a spoiled brat