At dawn she collapsed. Then she heard the sound of hooves.

She heard the sound of hooves, like a swift, sudden gale of wind upon the sea. Then she saw them: two horses and two riders with long hair and bright, otherworldly eyes. She cowered in terror; they saw her and came to halt – a wave of light crashing upon the shore. Their eyes pierced her as they sat tall and menacing above her; in fear and wonder and without thinking she reached down to catch a stone to defend herself, but even as she bent the ground swam before her eyes and she swayed. When she raised her eyes she saw that one had drawn and bent his bow, and that an arrow was pointed at her, and saw the taut bowstring; and she caught sight of a drawn sword. Then she lowered her eyes again before the piercing light of their gaze.

One spoke to her in a language that she did not understand; his voice was demanding and stern, and yet melodious; and although she did not understand she felt strangely awed and moved – as by some ancient, distant music woven into the unknown words. Then he spoke to her in what seemed to be another tongue – one that was harsher, and yet suffused by a faint, musical lilt. They were demanding something of her, questioning her – this much she could understand, but the words themselves meant nothing to her. She kept silent, but slowly drew her arms away from her body, showing herself to be unarmed, and raised her eyes in silent plea.

Now the two men spoke briefly amongst themselves; soon one of them dismounted, and came towards her, pulling his horse with him. He gestured, and spoke to her – not unkindly but still with an air of grimness and stern command. She perceived that perhaps he meant for her to climb upon his horse, and indeed when she tried to do so, and her diminishing strength failed her, he helped her up, and then climbed himself before her.

Then they were gone, riding fast; with one hand she clung hard to the saddle, and dared grab the fine fabric of the rider's cloak with the other. The wilderness sped by their horses' hooves, and they went from hill to hill in the grey morning. Her bones seemed to shake within her flesh as they rode, and the world grew dull about her. She closed her eyes and was lost.

Then she woke again, held loosely in one of the riders' embrace. As in a daze, bewildered and faint, she saw a forest of tall pines; then they rushed into a dark crevice of red stone; and then with a flash they rode into the open again; and a river appeared before them, glowing whitely in the shade (for she could see now that they had ridden East towards the mountains.) Then with barely diminished speed they forded it, pale foam rising to meet the white coat of the horses. On they rode, from a rocky shore up a steep brown bank.

They rode into the mountains, that rose dark and green about them as they came into the end of some narrow valley, and she gazed dizzily up at the heights, that were wreathed in white morning mist. Before them some higher peaks stood distant and black, and melted into clouds. They rode on, and the mist closed about them.

Then she heard rushing water, first a soft muffled sound, and then louder; and then in it she thought she heard dim echoes, a clear tingling of bells to herald dawn. She gazed into the mist, and even as she looked it was lifted above the hills and torn in the wind; and beyond she saw the green flanks of great hills, and in the distance the faint outlines of tall, delicate spires, and slender bridges that hung, as it seemed, upon the air.

The first rays of dawn came over the mountains. The mist burned away before her eyes. There were the mountains, blue as smoke in the distance, and a radiant green valley about them; and far away she saw a great house whose many-coloured roofs shone bright and gay in the sunlight. Then she heard and saw no more.