My fingers tightened around the leather reins until my knuckles burned white, breath caught somewhere deep in my throat.
The great white horse stood tall and still beneath me, powerful and alert, its coat glowing like polished pearl under the wide, open sky. Behind me, the warmth and solid weight that had been my safety, my anchor, was gone completely.
Draven had shifted back, giving me full rein, leaving me suspended in that heavy, breath‑stopping silence.
Now… you ride it alone.
Those words echoed in my mind, sharp and clear. My heart gave another violent, heavy thud against my ribs, fear coiling tight and cold in my chest—but mixed with it, something else: a quiet, stubborn spark.
I swallowed hard, straightened my spine just a fraction, and remembered every lesson he had whispered into my ear only moments before. Lead. Decide. You do not obey—you command.
