Chapter Eighty-Three

Nencarion the Rider

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"Their hooves were made of steel... their hot breath he could feel... horses snorting fire..."
-Ghost Riders, Johnny Cash

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It is like swimming through air- the kelpie he rides moves faster than the wind, pounding like a war horse beneath him, surging like a wave.

The world passes by in flashes of green, brown, gray, blue, and black. The days pass in what seem like minutes. He is drowning in time, drowning in magic as the black horse gallops across Middle Earth, leaving him breathless.

“Are we almost there?”

What’s wrong, Rider? Don’t you have your sea legs?

“Why are you making fun of me? I was just asking a question! I’m worried about my sister and her... um... future husband.”

Well, don’t be a coward. Hang on and don’t scream! It hurts my ears!

“I wasn’t screaming- ahhhhhhh!”

The kelpie bursts into a charge, and Nencarion nearly swallows his tongue as they plunge off a cliff.

"I'm going to die!"

You're not going to die, shut up!

"Why do you hate me!?"

I don't hate you, I just find this amusing. Now hang on!

The kelpie lands in a splash in a great, rushing river and begins swimming with the current, as Nencarion murmurs, "I love my horse, I love my horse, I love my horse." The kelpie only chuckles and continues to swim.