Even before Palton pointed him in that direction, Riley was climbing onto the palfrey. He got a feel for the stirrups, and then he held on to the rein. When Palton pointed, the horse had already started to move and he couldn't see what expression Palton was making.
The horse raced – or it tried as fast as an old sack of bones would let it. It was no wolf with shining night eyes, and it was blind, and so was Riley. But the darkness was not the only thing blinding him, guilt was there – and also fear.
Fear of losing Tanya, fear of her mother's soul still dragging from his shoulders, and fear of others knowing what he did.
He felt like drowning in a dark sea, and he wished that will be the end of it. He wished all of this was a dream, that his mother was safely back at the house, and he wished Tanya was riding with him under the serene moonlight.
Except that was not the reality. His hands were bloodstained with that of his mother, and he couldn't seem to find Tanya.
