Ilona hadn't spent so many hours upon a horse in many years. Her body protested at the strain. As they had ridden away from the Adair Estate, she had glanced back over her shoulder every few minutes until she could no longer see the sea behind her. Now she felt a sort of loneliness without it.
She didn't often travel far enough not to be able to smell the salty sea breeze, at least. Now though, all she could smell was sweaty men and the occasional faint scent of grass. The dust from the road blew up from the horses' hooves in front of her. She could feel the grit of it between her teeth. The air was cool, but there was no escaping the sun beating down directly on them.
