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I eyed one of the wagons that was currently being loaded with crates and boxes "Couldn’t I ride in one of the wagons?"

Phaedra snorted and tossed her head, like she’d understood me and was insulted Maybe she had, butaith ons is for the lower classes, or for the injured and infirm," Dad informed on so he and his courtiers could snicker at you behind your back They’d see it as a sign of weakness As I’ns of weakness"

Guess I was going to have to learn to ride after all How hard can it be? I asked uided me to Phaedra’s side

"Put your left foot in the stirrup and hop up," he instructed ," I said The stupid stirrup was about eighty feet froround, and I had to pull on the saddle to haul ly far away I most definitely did not want to fall off "You sure I don’t need an oxygen tank up here?" I asked, and Dad laughed while handing hter, Phaedra," he said, patting the horse’s shoulder, and then he turned away froray horse, a riderless black horse following on his heels Dad headed toward them The black horse’s ears flicked forward, and it lad to see uessed he was glad to see it, too He looked coracefully into the saddle I, on the other hand, foundto find a comfortable position Phaedra snorted and sto" I put one hand on the saddle to steady myself and didthe last to arrive No sooner had we all hts leading the way to an oversized doorway in the gatehouse A handful of uniforuarded the doorway, but they wereany unauthorized creatures of Faerie co attention to ent out (Which was how the Knights who’d attacked Finn a feeeks ago had htest repercussions or even an investigation)

I took a deep breath as Phaedra danced i for her turn to join the procession

It took a while The prince apparently had to be in the absolute center of everything, so there were a handful of Knights telling everyone when they could and couldn’t h ere supposed to be under the prince’s protection, ere directed alht and a baggage wagon behind us

I saw fro around ht it was, though he didn’t protest I re to belad that I had both Keane and Ethan with me

Finally, it was our turn tome a jaunty salute, while Keane and Kimber slipped in front and my dad and Finn took up the rear I ell protected But that didn’t stopas Phaedra bore aped open

"Be sure you focus on Faerie e get to the end of the passageway," my father called to me from behind

My power as a Faeriewalker meant that when I looked out over the border of Avalon, I could see as known as the Glie of the mortal world and Faerie, superiaze on the eway through the gatehouse, I would see nothing but a brick wall, which I wouldn’t be able to pass through I’d have to make sure not to let eway,I was about to leave everything that was norned supreme A world where at least one Faerie Queen wanted htallop the other way

Okay, so h with this and er froreat, but it was only a et there, which didn’t see ahead, I saw the wall that marked the border between Avalon and the htly indistinct, but I couldn’t e of Faerie that I kneas there, too With another deep breath, I tried to relax and let e in the Gliet the best ofto refuse to let ave a fas see I wasn’t going to puke, and tried to focus aze on the movement behind the bricks as Phaedra carried et h the wall? And would I then find myself dumped to the floor, trapped on this side?

The added worries about hu myself didn’t help Blood clamored in my ears, and I had to reaze as unfocused as possible, letting the iue shapes behind the bricks, rather than just ures, the members of the caravan who had already passed over the border and into Faerie I picked out one figure, a Knight on an i black horse, and stared at hi but a faint afteri him look almost like he had scales