Steve’s eyes left his horse for the western walls that separated them from the sea. No, he thought, he won’t believe me—that much I know. How could he possibly? He’ll know we’ve found something, and he’ll look for it himself. But he won’t find the way. He’ll never find the right tunnel or the sea entrance.

Steve’s hands fell about the stallion’s neck as he placed his face close to his horse.

Raising his head, Flame cocked his ears, moved forward a few strides and stopped to graze once more.

Steve let him graze only a short while longer before leaning forward and saying, “Let’s go, Flame.” He clucked softly in the stallion’s ear and Flame’s head came up with a start; then he moved forward on dancing hoofs as Steve squeezed his legs slightly about him.

Steve buried his head in the stallion’s flowing mane as Flame broke into his long, loping canter. Then the horse’s strides quickened until he was in full gallop. Steve’s knees pressed close to the glistening red body as he felt the surge of giant muscles. He clung like a burr to the stallion’s back while Flame swept about the edge of the valley floor, and always Steve’s soft clucking was an accompaniment to the beat of pounding hoofs.

Flame circled the valley many times; then Steve ceased his clucking and called upon the stallion to stop. Flame responded slowly, his strides gradually growing shorter until he was in his loping canter. When he came to a halt, Steve slid off. Already the sun was sinking behind the western wall. It was time to go back to Pitch.

He turned to Flame, pressing his head close to the soft muzzle.

“I won’t be around tomorrow,” he whispered, “nor the next day—or the few that follow. But I won’t be long, Flame, and when I do come back it’ll be to take you away with me. Then we’ll be together always.”

Steve stayed with his horse for a while longer before leaving him. As he walked up the slope leading to the gorge, he heard the sound of Flame’s hoofs following him. When he turned around, after he had gone some distance, Flame was close behind.

Steve went to his horse again, his face troubled. This, he knew, was the nearest Flame had ever been to the gorge leading back to Blue Valley. Did it mean that Flame wasn’t as afraid of the Piebald as he believed? Would Flame one day go back to Blue Valley?