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  Loren trotted down the road, somewhere south of Skeldr Town. Scorch kept pace with him, slightly behind, panting like she’d been walking for hours. Which she had. It had been a confusing last few days.

  He’d gone exploring by himself, not planning on going much further than the outer houses in town, but then he’d found a group of merchants traveling south with some apanas. That had looked interesting, so he’d followed them. Apanas were such strange creatures, so tall and soft and fluffy! He’d told himself that he wouldn’t go much further with them. Then they’d invited him to eat the evening meal with them. Then night had fallen, faster than he’d expected. He’d turned back, walked a short way down the road, and realized they’d taken several turns and he didn’t remember the way back. That had left him alone with Scorch on an unfamiliar road at night.

  It had been a little scary. He slept in a copse of trees a little to one side of the road, Scorch curled tight against his side, until he woke at dawn. Then? Well, he’d just kept walking. And walking. And walking.

  At around noon he’d found a little village he didn’t recognize. At that point everything was still mostly an adventure. He didn’t want to approach anyone in the town. They were all big and stern and intimidating, and he didn’t dare admit that he’d run off. So, he figured he’d try and find his own way home. It couldn’t be that hard. He’d had the sun on his left side the afternoon he’d left, so all he had to do was keep it on his right and he’d find his way home. That was how traveling worked, right? When you didn’t have a map?

  Scorch was starting to complain and whine, and he wasn’t sure what to tell her. He sure didn’t know when they would stop walking, but that was all she seemed to want. She was hungry, too, even though she’d found some food in a trash pile in the village they’d passed. She was eating more, now that she was bigger. So was Lorencio, but he wasn’t too hungry. The grass here tasted amazing compared to the thick, carefully grown but slightly bitter grass he knew in Valore.

  It was another day after they’d found the town before he finally broke down and admitted he couldn’t get home on his own. He was in farmlands, confused and still very, very lost. The idea of talking to one of the strange War-Forged horses he passed on the roads had been terrifying. Now, though? He was lost. He was alone. He was even a little scared. And he was determined to talk to the next stranger he saw, no matter how tall or intimidating they were. He didn’t want to spend one more night out here.

  But no one came along. He seemed to have found the one side road in all of Onea that didn’t have any travelers. Night started to fall, and still no one had passed him. He didn’t even see anyone working in the fields. It was as if everyone else had left, and he was alone in the world. Or, mostly alone. Scorch was here. He glanced down at her and smiled. As long as he had her he could do this. Couldn’t he?

  Loren walked down to the ditch on the side of the road, determined to find a warm place to stay the night. Just because it was summer didn’t mean the nights were perfectly comfortable. Here the road wound its way among fields of grains and other produce, with the occasional orchard to add some height to the otherwise fairly flat farmland.

  There was a small patch of trees on the other side of the field on his right, with thick brush growing among them. He could sleep there, especially with Scorch to help keep him warm. So he crossed the field. The mud between the rows sucked at his hooves and slowed him down, and by the time he was near the trees his lower legs were covered in mud. There were big tracks in the field, hoof prints. Maybe someone had been here recently. That was a comforting thought, that someone had been here today. It meant he wasn’t really all alone.

  The hoofprints led to the trees, then skirted around the edge. Loren was tempted to follow them and see where they went, but night was falling fast, so instead he walked into the trees.

  And right into a giant bear.

  It was a huge bear, much taller than he was and covered in shaggy yellow hair. He’d walked into its side. The instant he realized what it was he’d run into he was backpedaling, little legs moving backwards as fast as he could make them to get out of there.

  He tripped over a low bush and fell backwards into the field, getting his whole side covered in mud as he scrambled to get up. He heard the crashing and crackling of plants being stepped on, and in moments the bear emerged, big head swinging and beady glowing eyes searching for him in the low light. He was on his feet again in seconds that felt like hours, and took off across the field, with Scorch far ahead of him.

  He heard huge paw steps pounding behind him, gaining on him, and he threw everything he had into making it across the field and away from the monster behind him.

  It turned out he was too focused. He tripped again over a clump of mud and in seconds was face down in the mud. The giant paw steps caught up to him and stopped as he lay there, shaking in terror. This was it. This was the end, and all because he just had to talk to the apana herders.

  He heard it snuffling quietly, and then a big mouth closed on the top of his neck. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the final bite.

  It didn’t come. Instead the bear used its grip on his mane - not his neck as he’d thought - to pull him upwards, back to his feet. In a second he was up again, facing the giant monster that had chased him down. It made a loud whuffing noise right in his face, then started to lick his neck where he’d gotten the most mud.

  He was far too shocked to do anything other than stand there and let it clean him. He was even too shocked to notice the approaching hoofsteps coming from the direction of the trees. Finally, though, it stopped licking him and glanced to the side for a moment before again focusing its attention on him.

  A huge stallion stood there. He was really big and for a moment Lorencio assumed he was War-Forged. Another look, though, made him doubt this assumption. The tall bay stallion didn’t stand like the raider he appeared to be. He had some scars, and his black-and-white mane was cut short. Something in his expression, though, just felt… different. After a long moment he broke the silence.

  “What are you doing out here, little one?”

  “I’m not little!” For some reason, that was the first response that came to him. It was ridiculous of him, he knew. Compared to everyone else here, he was tiny.

  “Sorry. Of course you aren’t.” The stallion seemed a little off-balance. “Um… where are your parents? It’s late for you to be on your own.”

  Even though he wanted to tell the stranger, Loren suddenly had the chance to be annoyed. Just a minute ago he’d thought he was going to be eaten by a giant bear. He wanted some answers before he explained why he was out here. “Why hasn’t this bear eaten me yet?”

  The horse showed surprise for just a moment, his ears flicking to an attentive pose before dropping in amusement. “Blaze? She wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone a foal. She probably just wanted to make sure you were okay. You are, right? Okay, that is?”

  “I’m fine.” Blaze was licking him again, and he glared at her and stepped away. His legs still felt trembly and weak from running and fright, and he was getting really mad. He narrowed his eyes and glared up at the tall stallion. “Why’d she have to chase me? She shouldn’t do that! I was so scared!” To his horror, tears started to drip down his cheeks, and he fought to cover them by yelling louder. “I thought she was going to eat me, and then I’d never get home, and Scorch would be lost and she wouldn’t even have me and she’d only ever eat garbage in the little town and no one would care and my mom would be all alone and she’d never know what happened to me!” In a moment his anger was spent and he broke down, dropping his head to try and hide his tears from the stranger. He didn’t mind crying in front of people he knew but he didn’t trust this big horse. He might make fun of him, and Lorencio couldn’t bear that.

  After a moment he felt the stallion nudging his side. “Hey, hey, shh. It’s okay. I’m gonna get you home to your mom. It’s all right. Blaze isn’t going to eat you, I promise, and I’m so sorry she scared you.” Lorencio had enough annoyance left to glare at him one more time, his breath coming in shaky gasps as he tried to get control of himself. “It’s really late, though, and I think you need rest.”

  Lorencio nodded through his tears. He was really, really tired all of a sudden, and all he wanted was to go to bed in his own home, with his mom nearby and Scorch next to him. But he couldn’t. At least he knew this stranger would help him get home, though. That was much better than nothing.

  “I was going to sleep in those trees over there.” Loren glanced up as the stranger gestured towards the trees he’d just run from. “You can stay with me tonight, and then in the morning I can show you the way back. Does that sound okay to you?”

  Loren nodded, sniffing a couple times. The stranger had a kind voice, and he felt, somehow, that he could trust him. “Sounds good.”

  There was a hint of amusement in the stallion’s next words, though he was trying to hide it. “All right. Just follow me. It’s getting dark, and we don’t want you to trip again.”

  He led the way across the field, his big strides making it hard for Lorencio to keep up. The bear walked behind him, giant paws slapping the mud. He fought the urge to glance behind him every few seconds.

  Once they were in the trees, Lorencio realized there was a small clearing in the middle. It was totally out of the wind, and pretty warm as well. The tall horse stopped once they were in the clearing. Lorencio was so tired he nearly walked into him. His sudden stop turned out to be too much for the bear behind him, and it walked into him. He yelped and stumbled forward, stumbling on tired hooves as the bear walked into the clearing, looking both annoyed and concerned. As soon as he’d stopped the bear started licking him again. Though Loren wasn’t looking at the stallion, he heard a soft chuckle.

  “She seems to have taken a liking to you.” He heard the sound of earth shifting and stones grating against each other, and glanced over to see what the horse was doing. To his shock, a small cave made of dirt was forming in front of his very eyes. As he watched it settled and solidified, leaving a little hole in the dirt, surrounded on the top and three sides with more earth. The horse brushed leaves, twigs, and small branches into it before lighting it with a small stone and piece of metal. He was wearing a set of saddlebags, and they seemed to be stuffed full, though Lorencio couldn’t begin to guess what was in them.

  Once the fire had started, the horse turned to him. Lorencio was lying down near the fire, his eyelids drooping.

  “What’s your name? I can’t just keep calling you ‘kid’ or ‘little one.’” He laughed softly at Lorencio’s expression. “Yes, I know. You’re not little. My name’s Ithran, by the way.”

  “I’m Lorencio. Some people call me Loren, though.”

  “Very nice to meet you, Lorencio.” The stallion lay down a little further back from the fire. “In the morning I’ll take you to Skeldr Town. It’s not that far from here, just an hour’s walk or so.”

  “Really?” Lorencio frowned at himself, though he was far too sleepy to be really annoyed.

  “Yes, you were very close to home. You know, Lorencio…” But Loren didn’t hear anymore. He’d fallen fast asleep.

* * *

  Sometime in the night, there was a soft pattering of paws. A small, muddy dog emerged into the clearing and curled up next to the tiny spotted foal, who slept peacefully. She was observed only by a large bear, whose red eyes and orange chest glowed faintly in the dark.

* * *

  Ithran woke just after dawn. For a moment he was completely shocked when he saw the little white foal who was curled up next to Blaze. Then the events of the previous night came tricking back. The little colt had been wandering alone in the field. What was he doing out here? One look at him told Ithran that he was no War-Forged child. His coat was too white, too smooth, and he was too small and delicate. Or, well, his coat would be too white if he hadn’t fallen in mud the night before. He was still caked with it in places. Lorencio wasn’t an Ocean name, either. In fact, it sounded very Aodh. They were the only people who gave their children such pretentious names. Loren wasn’t bad, though. Perhaps his parents had some sense.

  A little dog was curled up at the foal’s side, and oddly enough it didn’t match the picture the colt presented. It was a shaggy street dog, the sort that could be found in nearly every city from Skeldr Town to Ousulas, and it seemed to be the boy’s familiar. There was a puzzle here to be certain.

  Ithran had let the fire go out hours before, and now he collapsed the little barricade he’d made to hide its light from anyone who might have been watching. Earth Manipulation had turned out to have near-infinite uses, and he took a moment to thank Kaia for her gift, eyes closed in prayer.

  When he opened them he walked over to wake Lorencio. Thankfully the child seemed to have gotten over his fear of Blaze. He was curled up against the bear’s side, breathing quietly. Ithran nudged him gently with his nose.

  “Come on, Lorencio, it’s time to get up.”

  The colt was awake in an instant, and remarkably enough, didn’t seem tired or afraid as Ithran had assumed he would be. “That’s great! You said it wouldn’t take too long, right?” As he spoke, he scrambled to his feet. Once up, he looked hilariously gangly and awkward. Had Ithran ever looked like that? Probably.

  “That’s right. Only an hour to get you to the outskirts of town.” Ithran didn’t want to have to enter Skeldr Town. That was too dangerous for a vagabond like him. He’d just been here to get some supplies and information from a village about twenty minutes from here. Obviously he couldn’t abandon the colt, but he had really hoped to avoid going anywhere near the bigger population centers. Nothing for it, it seemed. “Come on, Blaze. Time to get up.”

  Cinder flew down from one of the trees overhead as the bear stirred and stood up. Cinder had taken to Blaze like a duck to water, and had started riding on her back instead of taking his usual place on Ithran’s. Ithran didn’t mind, not really, and it certainly made for an interesting sight. He’d have to order them to start back. An Ursa Major would attract far too much attention on the road. For that matter, Ithran himself would. A horse of his size and build would usually be a raider or at least a scout, and thus well-known. To be unfamiliar was to be pegged as a vagabond.

  After telling Blaze to take Cinder and head back to Dinah, he led the way out of the clearing, Lorencio trotting at his side. The ground was somewhat drier than it had been yesterday, though it was going to take days to get the mud out of his feathering. The foal’s dog pranced beside them, watching everything with lively mismatched eyes. For the first time, Ithran realized it had a brand on each shoulder in the shape of… the Aodh dragon? What in Kaia’s name? “That’s a good dog you have, Lorencio. What’s its name?”

  “Her name’s Scorch. I found her on the street at home.”

  “Where’s home?” They reached the road and started walking north to Skeldr Town.

  “Valore. It’s a long way away, but Lady Hira wanted to talk to my mom so we had to come right away. We had to come up here on a ship, it took ages. We were even attacked by pirates! That wasn’t fun, and I fell off the ship. I’m okay, though.”

  The child was from Valore. And his mother… was she perhaps a spy? Why else would the Warlord summon a horse living in Aodh? Or perhaps something more benign, like the ambassador. He’d heard the ambassador to Aodh was a mare, though he’d never met her. Apparently this was her son.

  His mind snapped back to what the child had been saying. “You were attacked by pirates? That’s… quite the adventure.”

  “The one I saw was really big, and he had lots of tattoos all over his face and neck. He was unicorn and he had a really big sword. I don’t know what he wanted, but he sure was mad about something. I was sure….” And on and on and on as they drew closer to their destination.

  Ithran liked the kid. He talked a lot, but he was actually a decent storyteller, and enthusiasm made up for what he lacked in maturity. The time passed quickly, and soon the houses of Skeldr Town were in sight. They’d already passed several groups on the road, and Ithran had attracted some stares, though perhaps that was just because he was traveling with Lorencio. They didn’t exactly look as if they belonged together.

  He stopped in the road once they reached the first house. “Lorencio, do you think you can find your way from here?”

  “I sure can!” He frowned and stared up at Ithran. “Aren’t you gonna come and meet my mom?”

  “I can’t go into the town. I’m not welcome here.”

  “But… why not?”

  “It’s complicated. I’m not from here, and there are horses who would lock me up if they found out who I was.” Ithran spoke in an undertone, glancing around to make sure no one overheard him. It couldn’t hurt to give the colt some explanation, but he didn’t want to be overheard.

  The colt’s eyes widened. “Really? Wow! Why?”

  “That’s a really complicated question. Uh… I’m a Vindicator. If you ask your mom, she can explain what that means. I have to go, though. Good luck finding her. You’re sure you can find your way, right?”

  “Yeah! I’ve been down here lots.” The colt was prancing in place, eager to get home to his mother. Ithran certainly didn’t blame him.

  “Goodbye, Lorencio, and good luck.” Ithran turned to go, eager to get back to Dinah and report what he’d found.

  “Ithran?” Lorencio’s little voice stopped him and he paused.

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you. I couldn’t have gotten back here on my own.”

  “You’re very welcome, Lorencio.” Again Ithran was about to go when something occurred to him. If the foal’s mother were to travel back home by land, which seemed likely, they might run into trouble with other Vindicators. Dinah was planning something to prevent the war brewing in Aodh and here in One, and this foal might find himself caught in the middle. “Lorencio, if you’re ever lost or… attacked in the forests down south, and you see a dark bay mare with white spots, or a grey mare with a broken blue horn, tell them you know Ithran. They’ll be more willing to help you then.” He couldn’t stand here and describe all the Vindicators to this foal, so he figured he’d only mention two of the more recognizable ones. Perhaps that would be enough to help.

  “Okay.” He wasn’t sure if the foal had been paying attention at all, in his eagerness to get him.

  “Run along home, Lorencio. Hopefully we’ll meet again someday.”

  The foal nodded and took off, his dog scampering at his heels. A mare with a shopping basket leapt out of his way as he tore down the street. As Ithran left Skeldr Town, he found himself chuckling. The foal might have been from a land utterly at odds with Ithran’s beliefs, but he was a good kid nonetheless.

Description
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  Loren trotted down the road, somewhere south of Skeldr Town. Scorch kept pace with him, slightly behind, panting like she’d been walking for hours. Which she had. It had been a confusing last few days.

  He’d gone exploring by himself, not planning on going much further than the outer houses in town, but then he’d found a group of merchants traveling south with some apanas. That had looked interesting, so he’d followed them. Apanas were such strange creatures, so tall and soft and fluffy! He’d told himself that he wouldn’t go much further with them. Then they’d invited him to eat the evening meal with them. Then night had fallen, faster than he’d expected. He’d turned back, walked a short way down the road, and realized they’d taken several turns and he didn’t remember the way back. That had left him alone with Scorch on an unfamiliar road at night.

  It had been a little scary. He slept in a copse of trees a little to one side of the road, Scorch curled tight against his side, until he woke at dawn. Then? Well, he’d just kept walking. And walking. And walking.

  At around noon he’d found a little village he didn’t recognize. At that point everything was still mostly an adventure. He didn’t want to approach anyone in the town. They were all big and stern and intimidating, and he didn’t dare admit that he’d run off. So, he figured he’d try and find his own way home. It couldn’t be that hard. He’d had the sun on his left side the afternoon he’d left, so all he had to do was keep it on his right and he’d find his way home. That was how traveling worked, right? When you didn’t have a map?

  Scorch was starting to complain and whine, and he wasn’t sure what to tell her. He sure didn’t know when they would stop walking, but that was all she seemed to want. She was hungry, too, even though she’d found some food in a trash pile in the village they’d passed. She was eating more, now that she was bigger. So was Lorencio, but he wasn’t too hungry. The grass here tasted amazing compared to the thick, carefully grown but slightly bitter grass he knew in Valore.

  It was another day after they’d found the town before he finally broke down and admitted he couldn’t get home on his own. He was in farmlands, confused and still very, very lost. The idea of talking to one of the strange War-Forged horses he passed on the roads had been terrifying. Now, though? He was lost. He was alone. He was even a little scared. And he was determined to talk to the next stranger he saw, no matter how tall or intimidating they were. He didn’t want to spend one more night out here.

  But no one came along. He seemed to have found the one side road in all of Onea that didn’t have any travelers. Night started to fall, and still no one had passed him. He didn’t even see anyone working in the fields. It was as if everyone else had left, and he was alone in the world. Or, mostly alone. Scorch was here. He glanced down at her and smiled. As long as he had her he could do this. Couldn’t he?

  Loren walked down to the ditch on the side of the road, determined to find a warm place to stay the night. Just because it was summer didn’t mean the nights were perfectly comfortable. Here the road wound its way among fields of grains and other produce, with the occasional orchard to add some height to the otherwise fairly flat farmland.

  There was a small patch of trees on the other side of the field on his right, with thick brush growing among them. He could sleep there, especially with Scorch to help keep him warm. So he crossed the field. The mud between the rows sucked at his hooves and slowed him down, and by the time he was near the trees his lower legs were covered in mud. There were big tracks in the field, hoof prints. Maybe someone had been here recently. That was a comforting thought, that someone had been here today. It meant he wasn’t really all alone.

  The hoofprints led to the trees, then skirted around the edge. Loren was tempted to follow them and see where they went, but night was falling fast, so instead he walked into the trees.

  And right into a giant bear.

  It was a huge bear, much taller than he was and covered in shaggy yellow hair. He’d walked into its side. The instant he realized what it was he’d run into he was backpedaling, little legs moving backwards as fast as he could make them to get out of there.

  He tripped over a low bush and fell backwards into the field, getting his whole side covered in mud as he scrambled to get up. He heard the crashing and crackling of plants being stepped on, and in moments the bear emerged, big head swinging and beady glowing eyes searching for him in the low light. He was on his feet again in seconds that felt like hours, and took off across the field, with Scorch far ahead of him.

  He heard huge paw steps pounding behind him, gaining on him, and he threw everything he had into making it across the field and away from the monster behind him.

  It turned out he was too focused. He tripped again over a clump of mud and in seconds was face down in the mud. The giant paw steps caught up to him and stopped as he lay there, shaking in terror. This was it. This was the end, and all because he just had to talk to the apana herders.

  He heard it snuffling quietly, and then a big mouth closed on the top of his neck. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the final bite.

  It didn’t come. Instead the bear used its grip on his mane - not his neck as he’d thought - to pull him upwards, back to his feet. In a second he was up again, facing the giant monster that had chased him down. It made a loud whuffing noise right in his face, then started to lick his neck where he’d gotten the most mud.

  He was far too shocked to do anything other than stand there and let it clean him. He was even too shocked to notice the approaching hoofsteps coming from the direction of the trees. Finally, though, it stopped licking him and glanced to the side for a moment before again focusing its attention on him.

  A huge stallion stood there. He was really big and for a moment Lorencio assumed he was War-Forged. Another look, though, made him doubt this assumption. The tall bay stallion didn’t stand like the raider he appeared to be. He had some scars, and his black-and-white mane was cut short. Something in his expression, though, just felt… different. After a long moment he broke the silence.

  “What are you doing out here, little one?”

  “I’m not little!” For some reason, that was the first response that came to him. It was ridiculous of him, he knew. Compared to everyone else here, he was tiny.

  “Sorry. Of course you aren’t.” The stallion seemed a little off-balance. “Um… where are your parents? It’s late for you to be on your own.”

  Even though he wanted to tell the stranger, Loren suddenly had the chance to be annoyed. Just a minute ago he’d thought he was going to be eaten by a giant bear. He wanted some answers before he explained why he was out here. “Why hasn’t this bear eaten me yet?”

  The horse showed surprise for just a moment, his ears flicking to an attentive pose before dropping in amusement. “Blaze? She wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone a foal. She probably just wanted to make sure you were okay. You are, right? Okay, that is?”

  “I’m fine.” Blaze was licking him again, and he glared at her and stepped away. His legs still felt trembly and weak from running and fright, and he was getting really mad. He narrowed his eyes and glared up at the tall stallion. “Why’d she have to chase me? She shouldn’t do that! I was so scared!” To his horror, tears started to drip down his cheeks, and he fought to cover them by yelling louder. “I thought she was going to eat me, and then I’d never get home, and Scorch would be lost and she wouldn’t even have me and she’d only ever eat garbage in the little town and no one would care and my mom would be all alone and she’d never know what happened to me!” In a moment his anger was spent and he broke down, dropping his head to try and hide his tears from the stranger. He didn’t mind crying in front of people he knew but he didn’t trust this big horse. He might make fun of him, and Lorencio couldn’t bear that.

  After a moment he felt the stallion nudging his side. “Hey, hey, shh. It’s okay. I’m gonna get you home to your mom. It’s all right. Blaze isn’t going to eat you, I promise, and I’m so sorry she scared you.” Lorencio had enough annoyance left to glare at him one more time, his breath coming in shaky gasps as he tried to get control of himself. “It’s really late, though, and I think you need rest.”

  Lorencio nodded through his tears. He was really, really tired all of a sudden, and all he wanted was to go to bed in his own home, with his mom nearby and Scorch next to him. But he couldn’t. At least he knew this stranger would help him get home, though. That was much better than nothing.

  “I was going to sleep in those trees over there.” Loren glanced up as the stranger gestured towards the trees he’d just run from. “You can stay with me tonight, and then in the morning I can show you the way back. Does that sound okay to you?”

  Loren nodded, sniffing a couple times. The stranger had a kind voice, and he felt, somehow, that he could trust him. “Sounds good.”

  There was a hint of amusement in the stallion’s next words, though he was trying to hide it. “All right. Just follow me. It’s getting dark, and we don’t want you to trip again.”

  He led the way across the field, his big strides making it hard for Lorencio to keep up. The bear walked behind him, giant paws slapping the mud. He fought the urge to glance behind him every few seconds.

  Once they were in the trees, Lorencio realized there was a small clearing in the middle. It was totally out of the wind, and pretty warm as well. The tall horse stopped once they were in the clearing. Lorencio was so tired he nearly walked into him. His sudden stop turned out to be too much for the bear behind him, and it walked into him. He yelped and stumbled forward, stumbling on tired hooves as the bear walked into the clearing, looking both annoyed and concerned. As soon as he’d stopped the bear started licking him again. Though Loren wasn’t looking at the stallion, he heard a soft chuckle.

  “She seems to have taken a liking to you.” He heard the sound of earth shifting and stones grating against each other, and glanced over to see what the horse was doing. To his shock, a small cave made of dirt was forming in front of his very eyes. As he watched it settled and solidified, leaving a little hole in the dirt, surrounded on the top and three sides with more earth. The horse brushed leaves, twigs, and small branches into it before lighting it with a small stone and piece of metal. He was wearing a set of saddlebags, and they seemed to be stuffed full, though Lorencio couldn’t begin to guess what was in them.

  Once the fire had started, the horse turned to him. Lorencio was lying down near the fire, his eyelids drooping.

  “What’s your name? I can’t just keep calling you ‘kid’ or ‘little one.’” He laughed softly at Lorencio’s expression. “Yes, I know. You’re not little. My name’s Ithran, by the way.”

  “I’m Lorencio. Some people call me Loren, though.”

  “Very nice to meet you, Lorencio.” The stallion lay down a little further back from the fire. “In the morning I’ll take you to Skeldr Town. It’s not that far from here, just an hour’s walk or so.”

  “Really?” Lorencio frowned at himself, though he was far too sleepy to be really annoyed.

  “Yes, you were very close to home. You know, Lorencio…” But Loren didn’t hear anymore. He’d fallen fast asleep.

* * *

  Sometime in the night, there was a soft pattering of paws. A small, muddy dog emerged into the clearing and curled up next to the tiny spotted foal, who slept peacefully. She was observed only by a large bear, whose red eyes and orange chest glowed faintly in the dark.

* * *

  Ithran woke just after dawn. For a moment he was completely shocked when he saw the little white foal who was curled up next to Blaze. Then the events of the previous night came tricking back. The little colt had been wandering alone in the field. What was he doing out here? One look at him told Ithran that he was no War-Forged child. His coat was too white, too smooth, and he was too small and delicate. Or, well, his coat would be too white if he hadn’t fallen in mud the night before. He was still caked with it in places. Lorencio wasn’t an Ocean name, either. In fact, it sounded very Aodh. They were the only people who gave their children such pretentious names. Loren wasn’t bad, though. Perhaps his parents had some sense.

  A little dog was curled up at the foal’s side, and oddly enough it didn’t match the picture the colt presented. It was a shaggy street dog, the sort that could be found in nearly every city from Skeldr Town to Ousulas, and it seemed to be the boy’s familiar. There was a puzzle here to be certain.

  Ithran had let the fire go out hours before, and now he collapsed the little barricade he’d made to hide its light from anyone who might have been watching. Earth Manipulation had turned out to have near-infinite uses, and he took a moment to thank Kaia for her gift, eyes closed in prayer.

  When he opened them he walked over to wake Lorencio. Thankfully the child seemed to have gotten over his fear of Blaze. He was curled up against the bear’s side, breathing quietly. Ithran nudged him gently with his nose.

  “Come on, Lorencio, it’s time to get up.”

  The colt was awake in an instant, and remarkably enough, didn’t seem tired or afraid as Ithran had assumed he would be. “That’s great! You said it wouldn’t take too long, right?” As he spoke, he scrambled to his feet. Once up, he looked hilariously gangly and awkward. Had Ithran ever looked like that? Probably.

  “That’s right. Only an hour to get you to the outskirts of town.” Ithran didn’t want to have to enter Skeldr Town. That was too dangerous for a vagabond like him. He’d just been here to get some supplies and information from a village about twenty minutes from here. Obviously he couldn’t abandon the colt, but he had really hoped to avoid going anywhere near the bigger population centers. Nothing for it, it seemed. “Come on, Blaze. Time to get up.”

  Cinder flew down from one of the trees overhead as the bear stirred and stood up. Cinder had taken to Blaze like a duck to water, and had started riding on her back instead of taking his usual place on Ithran’s. Ithran didn’t mind, not really, and it certainly made for an interesting sight. He’d have to order them to start back. An Ursa Major would attract far too much attention on the road. For that matter, Ithran himself would. A horse of his size and build would usually be a raider or at least a scout, and thus well-known. To be unfamiliar was to be pegged as a vagabond.

  After telling Blaze to take Cinder and head back to Dinah, he led the way out of the clearing, Lorencio trotting at his side. The ground was somewhat drier than it had been yesterday, though it was going to take days to get the mud out of his feathering. The foal’s dog pranced beside them, watching everything with lively mismatched eyes. For the first time, Ithran realized it had a brand on each shoulder in the shape of… the Aodh dragon? What in Kaia’s name? “That’s a good dog you have, Lorencio. What’s its name?”

  “Her name’s Scorch. I found her on the street at home.”

  “Where’s home?” They reached the road and started walking north to Skeldr Town.

  “Valore. It’s a long way away, but Lady Hira wanted to talk to my mom so we had to come right away. We had to come up here on a ship, it took ages. We were even attacked by pirates! That wasn’t fun, and I fell off the ship. I’m okay, though.”

  The child was from Valore. And his mother… was she perhaps a spy? Why else would the Warlord summon a horse living in Aodh? Or perhaps something more benign, like the ambassador. He’d heard the ambassador to Aodh was a mare, though he’d never met her. Apparently this was her son.

  His mind snapped back to what the child had been saying. “You were attacked by pirates? That’s… quite the adventure.”

  “The one I saw was really big, and he had lots of tattoos all over his face and neck. He was unicorn and he had a really big sword. I don’t know what he wanted, but he sure was mad about something. I was sure….” And on and on and on as they drew closer to their destination.

  Ithran liked the kid. He talked a lot, but he was actually a decent storyteller, and enthusiasm made up for what he lacked in maturity. The time passed quickly, and soon the houses of Skeldr Town were in sight. They’d already passed several groups on the road, and Ithran had attracted some stares, though perhaps that was just because he was traveling with Lorencio. They didn’t exactly look as if they belonged together.

  He stopped in the road once they reached the first house. “Lorencio, do you think you can find your way from here?”

  “I sure can!” He frowned and stared up at Ithran. “Aren’t you gonna come and meet my mom?”

  “I can’t go into the town. I’m not welcome here.”

  “But… why not?”

  “It’s complicated. I’m not from here, and there are horses who would lock me up if they found out who I was.” Ithran spoke in an undertone, glancing around to make sure no one overheard him. It couldn’t hurt to give the colt some explanation, but he didn’t want to be overheard.

  The colt’s eyes widened. “Really? Wow! Why?”

  “That’s a really complicated question. Uh… I’m a Vindicator. If you ask your mom, she can explain what that means. I have to go, though. Good luck finding her. You’re sure you can find your way, right?”

  “Yeah! I’ve been down here lots.” The colt was prancing in place, eager to get home to his mother. Ithran certainly didn’t blame him.

  “Goodbye, Lorencio, and good luck.” Ithran turned to go, eager to get back to Dinah and report what he’d found.

  “Ithran?” Lorencio’s little voice stopped him and he paused.

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you. I couldn’t have gotten back here on my own.”

  “You’re very welcome, Lorencio.” Again Ithran was about to go when something occurred to him. If the foal’s mother were to travel back home by land, which seemed likely, they might run into trouble with other Vindicators. Dinah was planning something to prevent the war brewing in Aodh and here in One, and this foal might find himself caught in the middle. “Lorencio, if you’re ever lost or… attacked in the forests down south, and you see a dark bay mare with white spots, or a grey mare with a broken blue horn, tell them you know Ithran. They’ll be more willing to help you then.” He couldn’t stand here and describe all the Vindicators to this foal, so he figured he’d only mention two of the more recognizable ones. Perhaps that would be enough to help.

  “Okay.” He wasn’t sure if the foal had been paying attention at all, in his eagerness to get him.

  “Run along home, Lorencio. Hopefully we’ll meet again someday.”

  The foal nodded and took off, his dog scampering at his heels. A mare with a shopping basket leapt out of his way as he tore down the street. As Ithran left Skeldr Town, he found himself chuckling. The foal might have been from a land utterly at odds with Ithran’s beliefs, but he was a good kid nonetheless.