Instead of riding off at first breath, I waited. Saw the Dividian first, hurtling off on her poisoned horse. Heading down the longest and slowest trail—to the east—but that’s not something she could have helped if she wanted to. Wormwood’s nasty stuff. I find myself praying she doesn’t get herself killed. Honestly, I’m impressed she even decided to mount the thing. That took iron sides.

Next off was Etzli. She’s building on her day one lead. I sat there waiting, horse tethered and settled, until I see three riders make their way into the yawning canyons.

Thyma isn’t with them. I smile at that and follow. I made the switch from the Ravenous rebirth to a hunting combination. I actually saw Bravos was going to use the same one for his first day of riding. Today is all about the chase.

As the pace picks up, I’m still a little stunned at how completely my pain has faded. I’m a long way away from trusting the Dread, but at least his magic works. It would have been a long day’s ride after the beating I got last night. The thought has me eager to pay them back.

It’s not hard to shadow them. I ride faster and harder than they do, but pull back on the straightaways, keeping out of sight. This section of the map has us fording a few rivers, cutting through the heart of everything, and moving gradually into territory where the most important decisions will come into play.

I’m not surprised to see Imelda rush out to an early lead. Riding breakneck like that can’t last forever, though. Behind her on the bracelet is Etzli, followed by Bravos. That’s a surprise. I didn’t even see him yesterday. It has me wondering if he went a different route altogether, but I don’t remember one on the map. It also has me curious about Pippa.

Where is the Ashlords’ prophesized champion?

There’s forest on the western side of the course. My kind of terrain, but it’ll be a hotbed for the other riders, too. I remember the cave route, but I didn’t choose the components for it. Didn’t want to test my luck in a place like that. On the east side of the course there’s the long way around, but I know that anyone who goes that way can’t win the Races. The way forward is west. If I want a chance of surviving on the forest paths, I’ll need to clear out some competitors.