For a moment Flame stood there as though his hindquarters were no longer a part of him and had no feeling. And in that moment Steve moved forward, unheeding Pitch’s sharp yell. Quickly Steve withdrew the ropes from about the stallion; then he fell backward as the stallion moved. From the ground, Steve saw Flame plunge heavily up the side of the pit, his body heaving and his hindquarters dragging. Then, snorting, he ran slowly from the chamber.

Getting to his feet, Steve quickly followed, but before he had reached the outer cavern he felt Pitch’s hand on his arm.

“Steve!” Pitch shouted. “Let him go! You promised!”

For a moment Steve’s eyes blazed and he pulled away from Pitch. “But he’s hurt, Pitch. You can see that. He still needs help!”

“He can take care of himself, Steve,” Pitch replied harshly. “He doesn’t need you any longer. You promised me, Steve! You gave me your word—”

“That I’d let him go where he pleases,” Steve finished bitterly, “without chasing him.” Then, after a long pause, he said, “Maybe you’re right and he can take care of himself now. Maybe he doesn’t need me any longer …”

Yet Steve still could hear the sound of Flame’s hoofs on stone as the stallion ran through the tunnel, and he wondered.

A BOY AND HIS HORSE

14

They stood before the sea exit, the great chamber behind them. Once again Pitch looked at the hole in the outer wall, his keen interest evident in his eyes.

Steve stood a few feet away, his gaze not on the exit but directed at his feet, which were imbedded in the fine, white sand of the cavern’s floor. He could think only of Flame.

You’d better forget him, he told himself. Forget about running after him, at any rate. You gave Pitch your word. It was a bargain you made with him. You’ve got to stick to it. Pitch has done his part. You’ve got to do yours now. Flame is free.

Steve looked up at Pitch, who was talking about the exit again. He had forgotten Flame; or at least, it was apparent to Steve, Pitch no longer cared to think about the stallion. This hole in the rock and the canal were of much more interest to him.

And he wants you to think that way, too, Steve thought. He wants you to forget Flame. Instead, think about the sea exit and the tunnels and the Conquistadores! Think about all of them, but don’t think about Flame! Why did Pitch believe he could so easily forget his horse, Steve wondered. Or was he underestimating Pitch? Perhaps Pitch knew that he could never forget Flame for all the sea exits, tunnels and lost worlds ever left by the Conquistadores!