She thought he muttered another curse, but when she glanced over her shoulder he was gone.

Don’t look back again. Look forward toward Sasha, look forward to all that was new in life. Look forward to the next exciting thing she’d learn. It was right around the next corner.

“Okay?” Sasha had stopped to look at her. “Is something wrong?”

“No, Korgan says everything is going very well. If you hadn’t been so focused on Chaos, I would have introduced you. Maybe another time. How is Nightshade?”

“Fine. She’s not as strong as Chaos, but that run didn’t even faze her. I think she would have flown like Pegasus if Chaos had asked her.” She paused. “I have to have her for Chaos, Alisa. But she’s a champion and belonged to Reardon and that’s going to be all kinds of trouble, isn’t it? What can I do?”

It didn’t come as a surprise. Naturally, Sasha would want to protect Nightshade and keep her safe from all harm. “Yes, it will be a problem. So I think we’ll tap Korgan before he heads down the road and let him handle it. He likes to have all the loose ends tied up anyway.”

“He won’t mind?”

“He’ll think of it as a challenge.” She added, “And he’s an extraordinary man who’d like the idea of making something Reardon touched with his ugliness turn out with a happy ending.”

“I like that,” Sasha said softly. “I knew you’d think of something.”

“All I thought about was Korgan.” That was who everyone thought about first. And what she had told Sasha was the truth. He would solve Sasha’s problem with skill, ingenuity, and generosity, and Alisa would let him do this last thing for her. She would owe him, but she would watch and monitor him over the years and someday she’d find a way to pay the debt. “Well, now I’m thinking that we have to go find Gilroy and try to find something to eat for ourselves and these fine horses.” She took Nightshade’s reins and pulled herself into the saddle. “And then we’ll call Margaret and check on Zeus and the other horses and see if we can get details about what happened at Jubaldar.”

*  *  *

Korgan didn’t allow Gilroy to bring Alisa and Sasha back to the castle until the following morning. And then it was only to the safety area in the lower forest where Margaret had taken the horses.

Margaret shot a wary glance at Alisa as they watched Sasha getting Nightshade and Chaos settled. “You don’t need to be here. I have plenty of help. I told Korgan that you weren’t going to like being kept out of the action going on at the castle. But you don’t even seem impatient.”