Dawn came and the girl and his horse were gone.  Duncan clicked and whistled, but his marbled gray came not, nor was it corralled with the others.  Thomas and Baldwine each found their black stallions and saddled up for the ride to the hillfort at Bamburgh. 

“Perhaps I should now be worried,” said Thomas, trying to lighten the dark mood that had overcome his friend Duncan.  “First Baldwine loses his knife, then you a horse.  It would stand that I am next to be in the deficit.”

A smiling boy came from the trees where he had been attending to his morning business and said, “She is gone with your gray.”

“Give this boy a diploma and call him teacher,” said Baldwine with no disguise of his sarcasm.

“I know now that she ha...

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