Cloud's Rider

“Just calm down.”

It was Guil Stuart and Tara Chang. Tara was the rider Spook was afraid of. And Guil Stuart only slightly less so.

But <still water,> was insistent, washing over his vision, alternate with the white of real snow and those snow-obscured figures that had him pi

“Carlo,” came Da

He wanted things quiet. He wanted <Spook standing still,> so he dared let go, because he had Spook’s mane twisted in both his hands and he thought it might be hurting Spook and compounding the problem. “Settle down,” he said, scared to let go as Spook stood shivering. “It’s all right.” <Carlo and Da

“Carlo,” Da

“Back there?” Stuart asked, and he and Chang at least made a move or the intent of a move in that direction, which gave Spook a notion of <ru

Carlo freed one hand and used it to pat Spook on the shoulder— heart pounding, took the risk of freeing the other, awkwardly patted Spook’s resisting neck and secured of Spook at least a trembling quiet.

Then Spook turned his head, butted it against him, <Blood on snow. Spook and Carlo, Spook and Carlo> was the sending, until, his doing or Spook’s or the others’, he gained awareness of the other riders, other horses, distances, minds, intentions, <strong, not moving, quiet water ru

“I’m here,” Da

“I know,” he said. “Da

“I can hear it. I believe you.” There was a lot of <wanting> and a lot of <anxiousness> and a lot of <Stuart and Chang> in the air, with not quite an easy feeling to it—rather a skittish wariness that calm-sendings didn’t stop.

“Devil meeting you here,” Stuart said. “Did you kill it?”

He was talking to Da

“How did youget here?” Da

That and something he couldn’t get, but didn’t think he wanted to, either. For a moment there were images pouring every which way, <Evergreen village> and <Brio

He tried not to contribute to the confusion. Da

Then Da

They stood like that a moment, with <fear> and <wanting> ru

He didn’t know why Da

“Kid’s new?” Stuart’s voice asked.

“Today,” Da

“Easy,” Chang said, and with every word the ambient grew calmer. “Easy, kid. You’re all right. You’re doing damn fine. He’s just on edge. It’s not your fault. Calm. Calm down.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said. His voice was shaking. “He’s scared of you. Spook’s especially scared of you.”

The ambient sank further toward quiet. Tara Chang was quieting things, he thought, and the world unfolded further—wider and wider so that, with his hands on Spook’s side, he was aware of Guil Stuart’s physical pain, Chang’s grief, Da

Aware, then, of the mountain far and wide—and a breathless silence fallen around them.

Da

That meant peace, and peace came as a shakiness of the knees and a thorough relief. Da

And he was very glad they had.

“Where did you drop the thing?” Guil asked with a fleeting image of what had been <chasing them.> Tara had gotten down, but Guil hadn’t, hurting too much, Da

“Back in those trees,” he said to Guil’s question, and supplied the only image he had, <black shape, total surprise as it crashed down through the limbs.> “I don’t know what it was, but it dropped at me and I shot.”

Burn took his rider slowly and warily in that direction. He and Tara went along with Cloud and Flicker in close company, and Carlo and Spook followed uncertainly hindmost—scared, still flighty, and with Spook—he was almost certain the source was Spook—giving off images of <dark> and <vacant mountain> and <shadow in the treetops.>