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"That is your squire," he tells me and points to the boy

The kid waves

"Ah Got it," I reply

The Shadow Knight faces me "He stays with you at all times when I am not present"

I don't ask why The kid is too small to defend me, unless I'm supposed to defend hi as how I'

"I will take care of him," I say in the aard silence that's fallen between the Shadow Knight and ht shakes his head Without another word, he grabs round and onto the horse I catch a whiff of brownies, or et to react or think and instead revel in the experience of hie hands nearly circling irl by any in in three years In that moment, I feel like this is the first time I've ever been touched by a man, like I'm delicate, tiny, and about toto say, witch?"

Realizing I'rip the saddle "No"

He releasesthe loop around , he accepts his reins from his squire

I watch how he sits on the horse and what he does With so over the horse's neck and straddle the saddle It's not comfortable The saddle is thin, and my dress is bunched up beneath ly, and try to figure out how to getthe Shadow Knight My challenge then beco one way and the Shadow Knight draggingand so does rab itspace Within a couple of od my horse is content to follow the black one I' on and steer at the same time

There's no way I can spend nine days on horseback

We reach a second field where thousands of men are lined up on horses in neat rows We slow, and my attention shifts with no small amount of amazement The men all wear the heads of different anie as the one I'm on They're also as well armed as their leader