Chapter 61

Izzy gasped when she found herself tossed onto the back of Gair’s powerful horse. Before she could protest or swing back down to join him, Gair hit the animal’s rear hard and yelled at her to go home and then let off his war cry. The horse took off over the ground faster than she had ever ridden any animal before. It was all she could do to hold her seat as the creature bounded forward. She feared she’d end up underneath it if she let herself fall or even if she jumped from the animal as it wound so quickly along the wooded trail. All she could do was grip tightly with her legs, arms, and hands. She kept her head tucked in tightly too, branches snagging in her hair when the horse brushed too closely to the trees.

At first, the thundering hoof beats had nearly drowned out the sound of clashing swords behind her, but the clanging of metal faded quickly to nothing and her heart kept pace with the horse's pounding feet. By the time she could reign the animal to a stop every muscle in he