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On loose rein, and without any perceptible co trot Ero loped ahead, his nose periodically poking above the brush as he paused to ain, tail wagging That tail, Karigan thought, could probably fell a tree He had no trouble keeping up with the horses and appeared to take joy in running ahead or alongside them

The trail they folloell beaten and churned by horse hooves, leading Karigan to believe that it wasn’t only the Frosts who used the trail, but the herd as well

Thickets of trees turned to loing scrub and, after somegrasslands The tips of the grasses, now golden broith the season, brushed the soles of Karigan’s boots as she rode along

Damian slowed Fox to a walk and the three of thele file “We are technically in Rhovanny,” Daer of the Wanda Plains There are many herds of wild horses that roam the plains Mine tend to call this area their own territory”

“Why are there so al asked

“It is passed down through my family that the plains horses are descendants of warhorses who lost their riders during the last battle of the Long War, which took place on the central plains Sacoridian horses, Arcosian horses, Eletian horses, Rhovan…Those horses escaped the bloodletting and ran free, beco as feral as their own ancestors in the time before humankind first domesticated them They mixed their bloodlines in a way their human counterparts could never hope to Horses have more sense than people, I often think” Daaze far off

“The horses do well enough here, despite the harsh winters Those in the north plains find it her, but there are roundion Our family has always kept wolfhounds, and that has helped stave off the predators, though Ero here is as like to invite a wolf to play as to attack it All in all, the plains and the original mix of horses have yielded a very sturdy beast”

Karigan patted Condor’s neck, wondering about his ancestors and the bloodlines that h his veins Were his ancestors of Eletian origin? Or, like her, of Arcosian descent? If so, she was co Arcosian could lead to a horse like him, she herself couldn’t be all that bad She smiled

“We still have a little way to go,” Damian said “We keep shelter in some old ruins, and we’ll find Gus and Jericho there”

He picked up their pace again, this ti into a lope Condor’s ears were at attention and his step lighter than she ever recalled This was his ho grasses, kicking up his hooves and nudging close to his mother What did she look like? Did he resemble his dam more, or his sire?

The sun continued to clirasslands spread around them as their horses beat across the land in a hypnotic rhythue lolling in evident delight

If only every day could be like this, Karigan thought

Soon a knoll rose above the fro, then a walk

“Here is our shelter,” Da up the knoll

The ruins were ed like broken teeth As they neared the ruins, she saw that these were reed from the sky and knocked the structures over, except for one that looked to be partially rebuilt Sh a hole in its conical, thatched roof