She circled Raven around the paddock at a posting trot, getting a feel for his surging muscles, his barely contained power. He kept trying to break into a canter and pranced and sidestepped every time she pulled him back. He was testing her will, thinking to master her. He broke into a canter again, and she sat back and adjusted the reins. He half-reared, and she began to wonder if taking him outside the paddock, much less into the city, was such a good idea. But the horse did need exercise and maybe that would help calm him.

When next Raven acted up, Karigan recalled Luke’s words about using a light touch, and kept her commands firm but quiet. Combining the two was not necessarily easy and took subtle skill, but he responded with much less fuss. When she observed Luke watching by the gate, Gallant’s reins in his hands, she brought Raven to a walk and then a halt.

“Normally I might suggest a riding crop and spurs as aids,” he said, “but with him I don’t think it’s such a good idea.”

It wasn’t, Karigan agreed. Raven still had fresh whip lashes healing on his flanks, and she wanted to live, thank you very much.

Luke opened the gate for Karigan and Raven to exit the paddock. She felt the stallion bunch up, preparing for a bolt for freedom, but she managed to hold him in. He tossed his head in protest, almost yanking the reins out of her hands. The weakness of her right hand, due to her broken wrist, did not help.

Luke mounted up. Gallant was the professor’s saddle horse, a handsome steel gray gelding of twelve years. According to Luke, the professor rarely rode anywhere, preferring his carriage, so Luke saw that the gelding received adequate exercise.

“Be interesting to see how Raven does on the city streets,” Luke commented.

Interesting, right.

As if he’d heard her thought, Luke chuckled. “He’ll be fine, and he likes Gallant. As long as Gallant stays calm, which he will, Raven will, too.”

They followed the drive out onto the street, which was thankfully quiet. Raven engaged in looking here and there, ears flickering, hooves clopping along at a lively walk. He sidestepped at a passing carriage, and spooked once at who-knew-what, but Gallant, who was accustomed to the city, was a steadying presence, almost bored in demeanor.

As they departed the professor’s neighborhood and entered busier streets, Luke served as Karigan’s steadying influence, talking her through it when Raven acted up. Karigan considered herself a very good equestrian. Working with horses came naturally to her, but she knew Luke had years more experience, especially with stallions, which sometimes seemed like an entirely different species.

Riding Raven took all her concentration. It was tiring keeping up with him—she couldn’t be a passive rider with him at all. The last time she’d been on horseback was the day she entered Blackveil, the spring equinox, and where were they now? Just a couple weeks from the summer solstice, Day of Aeryon? If the seasons of her past and this future ran parallel, as she believed, it had been quite some time since she’d been in the saddle. She was going to be sore. Very sore. Could feel it already.

“Hello there, Inspector,” Luke said, suddenly projecting his voice ahead of them. “Yes, it is. The new horse the professor got his niece yesterday. A real handful.”

Karigan only saw the Inspector and his mechanical Enforcer as blurs. Something about the Enforcer spooked Raven, or maybe Raven was just trying to prove Luke’s words true, because he whirled on his haunches almost tossing her from the saddle. She held him best as she could, her cap slipping down over her eye. At least it didn’t go flying off in front of the Inspector! She finally got Raven to settle, but foam lathered his neck and his ears lay flat.

Doesn’t like the mechanical.

The Enforcer stood still on its metal spider legs, not making any noise or puffing steam. Its eyestalk didn’t swivel about, though it was clearly planted on Raven. Perhaps the Inspector ordered it to be still, or it had intelligence enough not to spook the horse further.

“My new lad here, Tam, has a way with horses,” Luke was saying. “The stallion will tolerate only him on his back.”

Karigan pushed her cap back so she could see better. The Inspector was chuckling. “If young Tam there can stay on his back! I wish him luck.”

“Best be on our way,” Luke said. “Good day to you, Inspector.”

“You, too, Luke.”

Luke urged Gallant past the Inspector, Raven dancing close behind. She noticed a subtle easing of Luke’s shoulders. She hadn’t noticed him being tense around the Inspector, but then she’d been too busy trying to maintain her seat.

As she thought about it, it was probably a good thing she’d been too busy, or else she would have worried about being discovered. What if the cap had flown off? Perhaps they could pass her off as the professor’s mad niece going out for a ride, but in disguise so she did not break any social codes of conduct. Maybe that would work, or maybe the Inspector would have grown suspicious and decided on investigating further. In either case, it would have invited more scrutiny than she or the professor desired.

What would happen, she wondered, if imperial officials did, indeed, find out who she really was? She couldn’t even appeal to Lord Amberhill because he was “asleep” or whatever, and the professor had shown that Amberhill, as emperor, had grown cruel and unlikely to help her. As a servant of King Zachary from the past, she doubted she’d be treated with much mercy or fairness. No, she did not wish to invite further scrutiny.

PERCUSSION AND POWDER