“But we really will be back in the County within a couple of months? You will keep your promise?”

“I will do my very best to bring you back well within that time. We are heading for the kingdoms that border the Kobalos lands. Once we disembark, we will head for the northern regions, where there is ice and snow all the year round. It is only September now, but in another couple of months, winter will be nigh and the cold will come south. We need to return before that happens. We shouldn’t have to go far to learn what we need. If it comes to it, we will race the snows south.”

The weather changed quickly, and soon we were being battered by a cold wind from the north. The sea grew choppy, then mountainous. Jenny was sick first, and less than an hour later, I too brought up my breakfast. Whether Grimalkin felt the effects of the stormy sea I never knew; long before the first salt spray stung my eyes, she’d retreated belowdecks.

At the end of our sea crossing lay a port called Amstelredamme. Here Grimalkin hired a fisherman to take us farther up the river to a small town where the proprietor of a large stable greeted Grimalkin with a low bow and called her ma’am. It was clear that Grimalkin was well known to him and that they had traded together previously. We were furnished with four excellent mounts. Grimalkin handed over the payment. She seemed to have an endless supply of money—most of it in the form of gold coins. It was what she referred to as her war chest.

Some of our provisions were carried in panniers attached to each side of our mounts. Once again the fourth horse was used for baggage, carrying the tent and the bulk of our food and equipment.

As we set off, Jenny patted her horse’s head and whispered into its ear. It was a beautiful creature with a friendly disposition, and despite her earlier doubts and discomfort, she was clearly delighted to be riding it. But Grimalkin noted this and shook her head in warning.

“Don’t get too attached to that mare, child. This is the first of several you’ll be riding. We need to keep up a fast pace and will be changing our mounts every few days as they tire.”

I wondered how we’d cope with the pace, never mind the horses.

We were now in a foreign land, but in truth, it looked very similar to certain parts of the County back home. This was a flat moss land with a huge sky; gangs of men were busy cutting peat and heaping it onto carts. However, we had a long journey ahead of us, and no doubt the scenery would change.

Grimalkin proved as good as her word. We rode hard from dawn until dusk each day, only pausing to rest, water, and feed the horses. We had our midday meal in the saddle, eating our one hot meal after dark. After two more days, we changed our mounts for fresh ones in another small town.