Midnight’s head swiveled toward him. They were all waiting, and Henry felt nothing but panic. “Get on the horse, Henry.” Brianna’s head popped up. “Look on the bright side. Even if we die, you’ll be riding on a horse with the girl of your dreams.”

“Bahtzen bizzle!” Coralis exploded in anger. “Get moving, boy!”

He needed no more encouragement. He clasped Serena’s hand and hoisted himself onto Midnight’s back. At once, they urged the horses forward, quickly picking up speed from a trot to a gallop. Henry wrapped his arms around Serena and held on for dear life, somewhat comforted to see her blushing almost as much as he was.

At first he flopped and bounced around, threatening to make them both tumble from their mount, but with some encouraging instruction from Serena he found the horse’s rhythm. “Don’t fight the movement. Become one with the horse. Imagine it is you that is running.” When he did, he felt the ground fly past beneath them, just as he had seen in his vision.

The three horses sprinted side by side, the urgency of the riders spurring them on to greater speeds. Monuments of stone rushed past, each more majestic than the last. He hoped he would have a chance to see them again. And that’s when it hit him.

He hoped he lived long enough.

Chapter Thirty-One

Serena pointed out rock formations as they rode past, turning back to shout their names to Henry. There was Sleeping Dragon, Big Fat Man, Indian Chief, Three Sisters—names the Diné had given to describe the massive rocks. Other than Sleeping Dragon, Henry couldn’t quite match the names to the shapes. To the ancient Navajo, it must have been like staring at cloud formations, where abstract visions of dog heads would float past.

Serena shouted something in the Navajo language, and the sound of her voice echoed back at them. “Talking Rock,” she said with a smile, pointing to a red rock mesa that rose hundreds of feet in the air. They rode close enough to the base that Henry could see petroglyphs—ancient scenes engraved on the rock.

The horses slowed to a trot as they emerged from behind a tall outcropping. They stopped in front of the formation she called the Skinny Elephant, and she hopped off the horse with the agility of a gymnast.

Henry just knew he was going to fall trying to dismount. He could see nasty bruises, welts, and scrapes in his immediate future. Fortunately, Coralis came to his rescue and offered to help him down.

“Ow, ow, ow!” Henry hobbled as he rubbed his backside.