It was indeed a lonely ride. Why should it not be? It was dawn, only half the time. He did not care about the loneliness; he wanted it all to end. He wanted to stay away, and the only place he found isolated enough was at the top of the hill, a place where no one would go easily. He believed that was the best place to be if he wanted to stay away from the rest of the world.

His eyes wandered the moment he heard his name from the distance. He knew who it was that was calling him. He realized Era was after him. She had not seen him, but she heard his horse's feet as they crunched across the rocky ground near to her. She must have ridden faster than Castar to close the distance between them in no time.

Era was not ready to give up yet. She rode on, and when she knew Castar would never answer her call, she took a different route. She knew the land well enough; it was near to her home. The route she followed crossed Castar's route at the point he had not reached.

Era reached the point wh