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.But then he was riding again, spurs digging into the silver haunches, as fearrose red in his horse s eyes.Headlights glared onto the bridge.Froech froze in the exact center of the left-hand lane.The lights burned closer, setting the boy s handsome face into aone-dimensional cutout of shock and horror.Slanted Faery eyes slitted in thelight of General Electric halogens.The youth raised a screening arm acrosshis face.High beams dipped, flashed, dipped again.A horn blew.Froech grimaced.The heat of iron born of the World s first making was rushingdown upon him, even as it surrounded him to either side.He spurred the horse,and jerked it in an awkward sidestep onto the walkway beside the railing.Water sparkled below.A longer blast on the horn.Page 90 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlFroech jerked the reins, dug his knees in.p.140Another set of lights swung onto the bridge.Heavy motors rumbled.Froech s horse revolted then, and flung itself across the wide roadwaydirectly in front of the oncoming vehicle.and calmly arched itselfacross the low railing on the opposite side.Suddenly the whole company was galloping after, the four remaining horsesinspired by their fellow s recklessness.And facing them was a gold Camaro,its brakes squealing a cacophonous counterpoint to its horn.There followed a moment of frozen time when it seemed to Liz the world waslost in a chaos of movement in which the only anchor was Uncle Dale s khakiedback.And then their mounts were leaping in pursuit of their fellow, as much fromhigh-hearted joy as from fear or their riders urging.Lights blazed to Liz s left and the railing loomed ahead of her.Silver shoesrang loud on pavement, and then she felt the horse s hip muscles tense beneathher. Hold on, girl! Uncle Dale cried as she buried her face desperately betweenhis shoulders.There was sidewalk beneath her, and then a gray glimmer of railing, and thenair and darkness. Shiiiiiit! a voice cried, and Liz glanced sideways to see Gary s mouth andeyes round to astonished circles as Cormac launched his mount into the air.The horn dopplered into silence as the Camaro sped past behind themGenerated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlAbove them.Raw, sick fear bloomed in Liz s stomach as she realized that Uncle Dale hadkicked free, and they were simply falling.Water, cold and hard, slapped her diaphragm against her lungs, hammered theair from her chest.A sour burning flooded into her nose, her eyes, her gapingmouth.Arms flailing automatically, Liz sought the surface.Other heads broke water around her, and she saw Nuada to her left, ponytailslicked thin across his shoulders, as he grasped Blackwind s mane with hissingle hand and sent him paddling into the bridge s shadow.She began tallying those dark blots: herself, and Silverhand, and Gary, whowas already swimming strongly, and there was Regan dragging Alec with one handand clutching her horse s tail with the other.A splash beside her as Uncle Dale s head broke surface minus his hat, whichwas floating somewhere out of reach.And further to the left there was asullen Cormac swimming behind hisp.141former mount.Finally, already almost within arm s distance of the nearest pylon, there wasFroech.The Faery youth was still seated, though only his head and upper torsoshowed above the inky surface, even as his stallion s head and arching neckalone were visible, riding low within the water.He was leaning far over thepommel, eyes closed, his body absolutely motionless except for his lips, whichseemed to be chanting some unvoiced litany.Nuada paddled up beside him, just as the youth s lids quivered open. Presentwisdom a trade for previous folly? the fair-haired man asked. Or was thatnot a glamour I felt you casting? Froech nodded groggily. Aye.The minds of men are easy things to cloud whenthey do not wish to trust their senses.The chariot drivers will but thinkthemselves too much enthralled by wine.That much at least I could do that,and break the force of our fall somewhat. Perhaps the first well-considered thing any of us have done lately, Nuadareplied, as Blackwind pulled him past.Liz concentrated on swimming, which she did well in spite of the increasingdrag of her soggy clothing, all the while keeping a close eye on Uncle Dale.That old man was a continuing source of surprises, she thought, having seenPage 91 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm
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