any horse. He set his feet and stood rock-steady as Kellen slipped his left toe into the stirrup and swung his right leg determinedly across Shalkan's back.
Instead of the narrow slippery surface that Kellen had been forced to contend with when riding Shalkan bareback, the saddle gave him a wide comfortable seat, and the stirrups gave him someplace to put his feet and a way to brace himself. The broad curl of the saddle in front of him would give him something to hang on to, too, if Shalkan broke into one of his bounding runs.
There was a place at the back of the saddle to hook his helmet, so Kellen did.
'Tuck your knees in,' the unicorn said sternly, looking over his shoulder. 'You ride like an arthritic granny.'
Meekly, Kellen did as he was told.
Subconsciously, Kellen had expected that everyone in Sentarshadeen would turn out to see him off, but it seemed that the Elves had too much of a sense of propriety for that. The early-morning streets were deserted.
He wasn't certain for a moment whether he was disappointed or relieved. He finally settled on the latter. It was one thing to daydream about setting off on a quest amid cheering crowds; it was quite another to have a crowd come to see you off when you were not altogether sure you were going to be able to do what you were supposed to do… and actually, didn't know what you were supposed to do, when it all came down to cases.
As they passed the House of Leaf and Star, in the distance he saw Sandalon standing forlornly in an open window, watching them ride out.
'He will miss you,' Shalkan said quietly.
'I'll miss him,' Kellen said. He raised his hand and waved. He didn't care if it was bad manners. Ashaniel would forgive him.
The boy waved back energetically, and Kellen saw Ashaniel come to stand beside him. He forced himself to turn away and not stare after her like a moonwit. Sandalon would know that he'd said good-bye, and that was enough.
The spring was deserted when they arrived.
Unconsciously, Kellen expected to see the landscape veiled in mist, but the air was far too dry for that. Everything was bright and crystal-clear. Idalia set the packs down and looked around.
'I wonder… ?' she began.
An Elven Knight in dark gleaming armor was walking toward them from the direction of the Palace, leading a black horse and a white mule.
Jermayan.
Jermayan was going to be his escort?
This could be more than awkward.
The Elven Knight stopped in front of Idalia, gazing down at her. Idalia met his gaze steadily, and once more Kellen could feel the air was full of intense but unspoken communication.
'Take care of him,' Idalia said at last.
Jermayan bowed silently. Idalia turned away and walked off quickly, her back straight. Jermayan picked up Kellen's packs and added them to the mule's burden, lashing them down firmly, then mounted his own horse.
There was a long pause as no one moved.
'Where are we going?' Shalkan finally asked.
'Oh. Oh.' Kellen blushed hotly as he realized he was the only one who knew. 'North. Toward the High Desert.'
Jermayan silently turned his horse and rode off. Kellen and Shalkan followed.
KELLEN had thought that his own armor was the most elegant thing he'd ever seen, but that was before he got a good look at Jermayan's—and he had plenty of time to study it, because Jermayan didn't say anything as they rode, and given the Elf's look of stony concentration, there didn't seem to be much point in trying to start a conversation.
