‘Will you help me find Alice?’ Lily whispered, her voice catching in her throat. A final whinny and gentle butt of the head told her that Morrigan was growing impatient.

‘Point taken,’ she said. ‘Let’s get going, shall we?’

With a struggle, she climbed up on Morrigan’s broad back, almost slipping off the other side of the saddle. Her knuckles were bright white as she clung to the reins and took deep, steady breaths. She had ridden horses several times throughout her childhood, but she’d never travelled any real distance on one. But something about Morrigan’s presence calmed her. She had forgotten just how much she missed the feeling of being connected to another creature and for the first time since she had set off, she felt a courage that grew from having the horse to accompany her. A new friend to help in the search for an old one.

Lily grasped the reins, clicked her tongue and instructed Morrigan to start down the winding road that stretched ahead, disappearing into the creeping fog in the distance.

Everything ached. It was like each of Lily’s muscles was crying out in pain with every one of Morrigan’s steps. They had been riding for hours. The novelty of rediscovering the joy of being on a horse had worn off shortly after she had to convince Morrigan to squelch through a thick, peaty bog that smelled so strongly of rotting eggs that Lily’s head had felt it might burst with the fumes. The poor horse had trudged along without complaint or long periods of rest for the entire day and Lily felt she had little right to complain when all she had to do was sit there and guide her.

The landscape around them was strangely unchanging. It almost felt like she was trotting on the spot, for the miles upon miles of open moorland remained consistent throughout that day. At first, the sight of the heather still blooming, the open road, the undulating rolling hills had brought comfort to her. She had always surrounded herself with nature and she had been quietly gratified that this journey kept her amongst the wild things.

After a few more hours though, it had become maddening, disorientating. Even glaring at the map, she couldn’t pick out one feature in the landscape from another. She felt heavy on the poor horse’s back and pitied Morrigan’s bad luck for ending up with her on this wretched journey.

They stopped to drink water and eat some simple food – bread and cheese for Lily and water and oats for Morrigan – when things got too much to bear. They lingered there together on the mossy ground and let their muscles rest while Lily pored over the map and Alf’s instructions. She absentmindedly stroked the horse’s soft mane for comfort, but something prickled on the back of her neck. She hadn’t been able to shake the feeling of unease for a while, and it was growing.