When Crutchy woke up the next morning Blink immediately walked past him and threw some clothes on his head. "Laundry. Who's got breakfast?"

"Race," Snipes said from the floor.

Crutchy shoved the clothes off him and said, "Don't expect him to do anything for awhile. He ain't gonna get up for a couple hours. Embarrassment or actual tiredness, I don't know which."

Blink snorted. "I was wonderin' how long it would take. After I caught 'em kissin' yesterday—well, you get the point."

"Yeah, I do," Crutchy said with humor in his tone.

There was a silence. After a while Blink repeated, "So, who's got breakfast?"

Crutchy shrugged. "Snipes'll have to take it."

"Noooo!" he wailed. "I just got here!"

"Too—" Crutchy began, stopping suddenly. "Ya hear that?"

"What? I don't hear nothin'," Snipes said matter of factly.

Blink looked at Crutchy, bewildered. "Yer right! She ain't there!"

"Who!"

"Ista."

"What about 'er?"
Crutchy stood up and said worriedly, "We can't feel Ista's, what'd'ya call it, her presence. Which means either she's far away from here or—dead."

"Dead?"
"No she isn't," Gardrania said firmly from the bedroom door. "We're going to find her." She looked at the closed door leading to Medda's room. "Get those two up."

"Gardrania?" Crutchy interrupted. "Sorry, but, this is Mush. Mush, c'mere. This is Gardrania. This is her house."

Gardrania nodded to him. "Glad to have you with us, Mush. As you can see, you're not the first."

"She's kidding," Crutchy murmured to Mush.

Gardrania looked around the room and resumed speaking. "Blink, come with me. Snipes, you make breakfast." Snipes jumped up and Blink followed Gardrania out the door.

"So, Gardrania, where're we goin'?"

"In to town to get some horses."

"Why?"

She answered without turning her head. "We're going to save Ista. We have to go up into the mountains. We have to go fast. Horses go fast. That is why we need horses." She paused a moment. "Can you ride?"

"Well, sure, I guess."

"Good."

--

Meanwhile, back at the house, Crutchy opened the door to Medda's room and walked in. "Hey, lovebirds, I know ya had a lot 'a fun last night an' yer tired now an' all that but," he walked over to Race's prostrate form and screamed in his ear, "Get up!"

Race jumped about half a foot, dropping Medda in the process. "What'd'ya think your doin'! Don't know one got the right to sleep in this house?"

"You'd be in real big trouble if this wasn't an emergency. Get dressed and get out in the main room. Now."

"I ain't taking orders from you."

"Yeah, you are."

"Fine."

"And you get out there too, Medda." He turned away and left the room, murmuring, "I can't believe I pulled it off! I just told Racetrack what to do, and he listened! Yes!"

Twenty minutes later Gardrania and Blink rode up on horses, with five more tethered behind. "Up," she commanded. "We're riding into the mountains."

"Are those….horses?" Crutchy stammered.

"Yeah," Blink said absently.

"I can't ride a horse."

"Why?"

"Why'd'ya think!"

Gardrania looked over at him from the small chestnut mare she was riding. "Crutchy, you can ride. Not very fast at first, but you can ride. I can take your crutch. Easy enough?"

"Sure. Help me get up," he answered deadly.

She boosted him up, and taking his crutch, said, "Hold on to the reins. Pull them to stop. Pull left to go left, pull right to go right. Put your feet in these." She pointed to the stirrups. "Blink's got the basic idea. He'll help you." She held his gaze a moment to long to be friendly, then smiled briefly and went to help Snipes.

Blink rode up next to him. "Need some help?"

"Naw, I don't think so. It seems pretty easy, is it really that bad?"

Blink grimaced. "Yeah. My butt is really startin' to hurt."

Crutchy laughed. "No, I mean besides that."

"It's okay. Once you get your balance right."

Crutchy nodded. "What kinda horse is this."

Blink narrowed his eyes and looked at the horse. "Bay mare I think is what Drania said. Nice horse. I wonder if Race is gonna enjoy this?"

Crutchy snorted. "He watches 'em, he don't ride 'em."

"Yeah, yer probly right," Blink replied. Gardrania motioned for everyone to start moving, and Blink said to Crutchy, "Well, let's go. I have a feeling this is gonna take awhile."

--

As Stamel walked down the passageway to his room, he thought, things couldn't be better. Finally the boss realizes how important I am and how much he needs me. I deserve a promotion. He motioned to a man walking towards him in the other direction. "You, gypsy! Over here." The man walked over to him reluctantly. "Now, uh, whatever your name is—"

"Kris," the man said, his voice full of barely contained anger. "Remember, Stamel? What do you want?"

Stamel realized that he had to be careful around this character. "Well, Kris, I was going to ask if any travelers had been spotted."

"No." And I'm sure I would tell you if they had been, Kris thought dryly. "I'm off duty. Why don't you ask whoever's in the tower right now?"

While Stamel was trying to decide if Kris had meant it or not, the gypsy slipped away to his quarters.