Chapter 51

I gasp air back into my lungs after a moment of real fear when I couldn’t pull any in-

It aches as it fills me, having been so roughly knocked out of me in the first place –

God damnit, I think, shaking a little with the shock of falling off a horse for the first time, of the sudden violence that caused it –

I roll over on the ground, pulling myself to a seated position, pressing my eyes closed as I work to steady my breath.

Someone is there next to me, almost instantly – I feel a hand on my shoulder, a tremulous voice asking if I’m okay –

When I open my eyes, I’m shocked to see it is Kent kneeling next to me, concern written in every line of his face.