My thoughts circled back to Gavyn and Rasial as I came in sight of the gate that led through the wall surrounding Obernewtyn to the thick wood beyond. When Rasial had arrived at Obernewtyn leading a motley band of farm beasts after killing her brutal master, she had made no secret of her disappointment at finding humans where she had thought to find none. That no human at Obernewtyn owned any beast or regarded them as a lesser form of life had not consoled her, nor had she been reassured that many of us could communicate with animals. Chillingly, she had told me that she had come to Obernewtyn to seek her death. Yet she had stayed on, forging her inseparable if incomprehensible bond with Gavyn and even serving as Avra’s replacement as mistress of the Beastguild.

As if summoned up by my thoughts of his mate, Gahltha appeared at the gate, his silken mane floating back from his long dark neck. As he cantered towards me, I felt a fierce surge of joy at the sight of him, and when he came to a halt beside me, scolding me for my tardiness, I mounted meekly.

Fastening the bag of supplies to my belt, I sat back comfortably to signal that there was no need for haste since I had warned Ceirwan that I would not be back until dusk. But Gahltha wheeled and broke into a brisk trot that had me straightening my back and tightening my knees. The black stallion had taught me to ride and was wont to test me if he felt I was riding carelessly, though maybe now he was only eager to begin our long-awaited jaunt. I had been promising to go out with him since our return from Sador, without being able to find the time for it. In truth, the pleasure I would take in the ride was not my primary reason for it.

There were two trails leading away from the farm gate. One ran along the wall to the main gate, and joined the road that went to the mountain pass leading to the lowlands. The other trail wove a little way through the forest then forked. One fork led to the great mound of stones and boulders that surmounted the caves where the Teknoguild had established their hall, and the other ran towards the high mountains. Gahltha chose the latter and broke into a canter. Thereafter he alternated walking with cantering or galloping hard whenever there was a stretch that allowed it. Many smaller paths and trails led away from the main path and he chose whichever his mood dictated, save that he always advanced up the valley towards the high mountains.