“Be seen!” Spinner shouted as he skidded to a halt. He wrapped an arm around the Golden Girl and jerked her to a stop. The horses were startled again as three people suddenly appeared among them, but they settled down quickly. The mare gave Haft a love nip when he got in range. Haft tried to avoid receiving any other expressions of affection from the mare as he moved to untether her. “You ride this one,” Spinner said, lifting the Golden Girl onto the gelding; the horses were already saddled. “What do you think you’re doing?” the Golden Girl demanded. “You’ve sent everybody else off to freedom, and you’re keeping me as your own slave?” “What? No!” Spinner said, shocked and perplexed. It wasn’t the reaction he expected for freeing her; she sounded as if she didn’t want to be with him at all. “The others will probably be safe in Oskul, but who knows how long it will take them to get home from there, or even if they’ll be able to get to Oskul with the Jokapcul invading Skragland?
