The rider didn't. After a few more quiet eternal seconds, the rider moved on. No snap of the reins or jamming of the heels, the goort just decided to move on, and the rider didn't argue. Either the two of them knew each other better than best friends, or the rider gave an order David couldn't hear or see in the shadow. Clop clop, clop clop, the metal armor of rider and goort clinked quietly, and the shadow moved on.

The four of them didn't move a muscle until they knew the rider had hit the curve of the mountain and had gone around it. Caera held a finger up...