Chapter 47

The good news was that the sprint had eaten up the miles between them and the castle. During the stampede, they had traveled much more than they would have at their normal pace. The bad news was that they had to rest for the night, otherwise their horses would keel over and never move again.

The plains gently faded into rockier ground. Over the course of several hours, they walked, then rested alternately, so that they did not push the horses too fast.

As they drew closer to the castle, Elaine's mind began to fill with worry. What had they been doing to Zachary? Was he alright? Would they be able to make it there in time?

In thinking about Zachary, Elaine had a pang of homesickness for her small village. Everything there had a place, an order. Everyone knew what to do and when to do it. There was no need to make decisions, because everything had already been decided. Out here, in the huge, wide, and wild world, anything could happen.