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And Damian echoed her own belief that the Riders were a faal would find friendship and respect a them The Riders watched out for one another, cared for one another, and soan srouchy, older sister

A stiff breeze funneled into the valley, plowing down the grasses before it, tousling the an had forgotten to rebraid Da the valley, his back erect

“What is it?” Karigan asked, her hand going to the hilt of the saber Could it be predators he orried about, or roundmites?

The horses all faced into the wind, their ears perked

“Dae Jericho stood in a watchful attitude as well

She started to draw her saber, but Damian leaned over and stayed her hand with a touch “No, lass It’s the patron He comes”

Karigan released the saber’s hilt, but remained suspicious “Where is he?”

“He comes” Damian rose to his feet and she followed suit

“Well I don’t see him”

“Not here yet”

Karigan asked, “Then how do you know he comes?”

“The wind, lass,” Damian said “The wind precedes him, and the wind follows He is Eolian”

“Eolian?” Was it some exotic breed of horse she had never heard of before?

“Shaper of wind,” Damian said

Karigan sighed The more Damian tried to explain, the less she understood

“There,” Da toward the mouth of the valley “There he is”

Karigan squinted trying to see, but no horse was visible to her Then her vision blurred and there was a flutter of motion…She blinked and her eyes cleared She couldn’t have seen anything; just a trick of the eye, the wind tossing grass and brush around…

Then she wastheir heads Up on the ridge even her Condor did so Damian had

She gazed at the valley anew Maybe her eyes had not been playing tricks on her after all The pressure in her head, in the air, continued to build, swell She rubbed her temple