Chapter Two — The Edge of the Sky

The morning of the Mountain Run arrived beneath a gray sky.

Twenty riders gathered near the old timber bridge.

Some had trained for months.

Elias had only the black stallion.

He had named him Raven.

No saddle had ever stayed on Raven for more than a few minutes.

Until Elias.

Clara stood beside the starting line.

“You don’t have to do this,” she said.

Elias tightened the reins.

“Yes, I do.”

“Why?”

He looked at Adrian, waiting on the other side.

“Because I’ve spent my whole life being told what I cannot be.”

Clara lowered her eyes.

“And if you lose?”

Elias smiled.

“Then I’ll lose as myself.”

The signal sounded.

The riders exploded forward.

Raven moved like lightning.

For the first mile, Elias stayed behind the others.

Adrian led the group.

He knew the course well.

He had the finest horse in the valley.

But the mountain didn’t care about money.

At the first steep descent, two riders slowed.

Adrian continued.

Elias followed.

The trail narrowed until there was barely enough room for a horse’s hooves.

Below them, the valley disappeared into mist.

Then Raven stopped.

Elias leaned forward.

“What’s wrong?”

The stallion refused to move.

Ahead, a section of the trail had collapsed.

Adrian was already across.

Elias looked around.

There was another route.

But it was far steeper.

He remembered his father’s words.

Don’t try to break a wild horse.

Find out what it’s afraid of.

Elias loosened the reins.

“Your choice.”

Raven stared toward the mountainside.

Then he turned.

And jumped.

For several seconds, Elias felt as if they were falling through the sky.

They landed on a narrow shelf of stone.

Elias nearly lost his seat.

But Raven kept moving.

They climbed higher.

The other riders disappeared below.

Only Adrian remained ahead.

At the final ridge, the storm arrived.

Rain swept across the mountain.

Thunder rolled between the peaks.

Adrian’s horse suddenly stumbled.

Adrian fell.

His body struck the muddy ground and slid toward the edge.

Elias saw him.

He could have continued.

No one would have blamed him.

But he pulled Raven around.

He dismounted and grabbed Adrian’s arm.

“Hold on!”

Adrian looked up.

“You’ll lose the race.”

“I don’t care.”

Elias pulled with everything he had.

Raven stood behind him, refusing to move.

Together, they dragged Adrian away from the cliff.

For several moments, both men lay in the mud.

Then Adrian laughed bitterly.

“You really are a fool.”

Elias sat up.

“Probably.”

Adrian looked toward the summit.

“You could have won.”

Elias shook his head.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because winning wasn’t worth leaving you there.”

Adrian stared at him.

Something in his face softened.

The two men continued the climb together.

When they reached the summit, the storm suddenly broke.

Sunlight poured across the mountains.

Below them, the valley stretched endlessly.

Adrian looked at Elias.

“My father was wrong about you.”

Elias smiled.

“Your father hasn’t said anything.”

“He doesn’t need to.”

Adrian looked toward the black horse.

“He would have called you a stable boy.”

Elias climbed back onto Raven.

“And what do you call me?”

Adrian hesitated.

“A rider.”

They rode back together.

But waiting at the bottom was bad news.

A fire had started near Bellwater.

The dry grass had caught.

The wind was pushing the flames toward the Hawthorne ranch.

Clara was still there.

Elias looked at the burning horizon.

Then he turned Raven toward the valley.

Adrian followed.

The race was over.

Something much more important had begun.