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Karigan nodded

"Here in the stables your disguise is safe But you are not to speak of this to anyone in the house Understand?"

"Yes"

"Good then I found a saddle that looks like it’ll fit Raven I suspect he’s been used hard on the mouth so we’ll try soreeting at her approach There was no disguising herself frohed and stroked his neck He seemed none the worse fro and stood calany dapples on his rump However, when she took the bridle Luke handed her, she could alard, how he tensed up, but he tolerated her sliding the bit into hison the bridle He chewed on the bit and shook his head, but did not rebel further

"He wouldn’t have let me or the boys do that," Luke mused "He trusts you, maybe because you’re not male, and it would’ve been males who mishandled him"

The professor must not have told Luke that Raven was truly a Green Rider horse nor Karigan a Green Rider, which would have explained why Raven was so receptive to her

"Let’s see how he likes the saddle," Luke said

It was an ordinary saddle, larger and heavier than those used by Green Riders, who tried to e errands She set pad and saddle on Raven’s back as gently as she could, praising him softly the whole time His flesh quivered, and his ears darted back and forth as he listened He stairth around his belly He shifted and snorted when she tightened it, and curved his neck around to get a good look at what she was doing

Luke pressed soood"

She did, and Raven daintily lipped them off her palm The carrots took his mind off the tack

"Let’s take him out and see how the pair of you do," Luke said He led them out of the stables into the paddock The paddock was necessarily ss in Mill City were packed together It was a sign of the professor’s status that he had space for one at all

"Now the professor tells me you’re an experienced rider," Luke said "That true?"

She nodded