Page 181 of Wind Rider

Then another girl, perhaps slightly older than the one on the white horse, who also had dark, beautiful skin and a mane of black curls dressed with the same purple ribbons so many of the horses wore, dropped from the golden horse’s back.

This close, Mari could see that the golden horse was covered in sweat. His sides were heaving and he was breathing hard. The girl had her hand on his shoulder, and was speaking earnestly to him, but the massive creature paid no attention to her. Instead he sprinted forward—directly at Mari and Dove.

“Don’t move!” Antreas said.

“Ghost!” the girl cried, running after him, but as the white horse caught up with her the girl suddenly stopped—her eyes widening in a look of compete shock.

To Mari, time seemed to move very slowly. She was able to see the younger girl slide off the white horse’s back, and the horse immediately drop to her knees so that the older girl could mount her. And then she watched as they chased after the golden horse—who was staggering to a halt right in front of Dove.

No one moved. No one spoke. The only sounds were the golden horse’s labored breathing and the approaching hooves of the white horse.

She reached them quickly. Mari had managed to tear her gaze from the golden horse, and she was looking at the girl as she and her mount joined the frozen group.

The girl dismounted before her white horse had come to a stop. She hurried to the golden horse’s head.

It was then that she saw Dove—reallysawDove—and Mari watched a myriad of emotions cross the girl’s expressive face: shock, disbelief… and then, quickly, both were overshadowed by joy—pure joy.

“I am River,” she said, speaking directly to Dove. “May I ask your name?”

Dove dropped Mari’s arm and turned her face toward River’s voice. “I am Dove.”

River staggered then—as if Dove had punched her—but when she looked up her smile was beatific.

“Where is he? Where is my Tulpar?” Dove asked, stretching out her hands blindly before her.

The huge golden horse made a noise then, low in his great chest—and Mari didn’t need to understand horses to recognize the love that resonated in that sound.

“I can hear you! I can hear you!” Dove said, searching with her hands.

“Here. He’s right here.” River stepped forward, gently guiding Dove’s hands to the horse’s head.

At her first touch, Dove’s hands shook—but as soon as she spoke Mari realized she wasn’t shaking from fear, but from excitement.

“You’re wet! And hot! And you’re breathing so hard,” Dove murmured to the horse.

“Use your hands to find his nostrils.” River spoke in a calm, steady voice, though Mari could see that tears were cascading down her cheeks. “When you reach a nostril, blow in it and he will be yours forever.”

Dove didn’t hesitate. She moved closer to the horse, following her hands, until she pressed her lips to the horse’s muzzle and blew into his nostril.

The massive animal sighed then, with a great, wavelike sound, as if he was releasing a lifetime of loneliness.

“Never! You will never be alone again!” Dove said as she rushed forward, throwing her arms around the trembling horse. “It’s okay! It’s okay,” she soothed as the horse bent his head and nuzzled her, nickering softly over and over. Dove ran her hands up his neck, and then laughed with glee. “Oh! You’re so big!”

“He’s a stallion. Actually, he just won a race that makes him the most important stallion of our Herd,” said River as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Of course he is,” Dove said. “He’s too magnificent to be anything but a leader.” She smiled radiantly, speaking to the stallion again. “No, my Tulpar, I am not afraid of you. How could I be?” Dove turned her head then, searching, as she said, “He wants me to ride him. River, would you help me?”

“Yes. Yes, I will.”

River moved to the side of the stallion as he dropped to his knees, and then she helped Dove swing one leg over his wide back as she fitted herself into the wet blanket strapped to him.

“Yes, I am ready!” Dove said. Gently, slowly, the stallion stood.

Then Dove’s smile shifted—changed—to an expression of pure shock.

“I—I can see! I see! Through my magnificent Tulpar’s eyes, I can see!”

Mari staggered in shock against Nik, whose arm went around her. Behind them she heard Antreas gasp as well.