I don't sleep for the rest of the night. After Nona's incident, I slumped into the chair, my mind fraught with worry. Kaya left to stay with Bryn and I watched Nona sleep. After what had just happened, the soft rise and fall of her chest in the cool silence felt too peaceful.

The song of birds signal the dawn as they chirp a greeting to the rising sun. The melody snaps me out of my reverie and an urge to move and do something overwhelms me. I can't stand sitting here like a rag doll, utterly useless. I rise from the chair, nearly knocking it over in my haste, and take a step to the door. Then I stop and glance at Nona. I can't just leave her. Not after what happened mere hours ago.

My mind turns over, pondering the decision. Kaya said the episode isn't likely to happen again, and even if it does, Nona's body is still recovering from it and it'll be at least a day or so if it ever occurs.

Sunlight peeks through the window, giving Nona's face a soft glow. . I brush away a wisp of hair that has fallen across her brow. She looks so peaceful, like any moment she will wake up to her normal, healthy self. We'll find something today, I remind myself. Kaya and I will visit anyone with even a hint of medical knowledge and find a cure. She'll get better. I'll make sure of it.

After a half hour of consideration, I decide to leave. I'm not helping anyone by doing nothing. I need something to take my mind off of everything. Leaning down, I kiss Nona's cheek and head out to the stables.

If he could, Wes would never make me go through with the cleaning the stables after what happened with Darren and Nona. But after Darren's accusations of favoritism, neither of us can allow me to slack off and risk the idea spreading. I don't mind doing it though. It gives me something to do. Besides, I like being around the horses, especially Reyna.

The crisp morning air eases me a little, and the early sun paints a soft light on the grassy pastures beside the stables. The gravel path crunches beneath my boots as I near the brown pens. Lifting the wooden barricade of the gate, I step onto the soft dirt path.

It seems I'm not the only one uneasy today. The horses are jittery, betraying their usual calm. They shift in their stalls and toss their heads, eyes darting everywhere, searching for a hidden threat. At my touch, they calm a bit, but their gaze never settles.

What happened here? Nothing seems to be disturbed. The stacks of hay are untouched and the horses' saddles and such are in place. Maybe it was the storm last night. I can't manage to think about the horses' distress, not along with everything else.

I busy myself with sweeping the stalls and refilling the food and water troughs. When I go to groom the horses, they sidestep me, throwing their heads. After slowly approaching them again, they settle down, and I continue with slow, deliberate movements.

One horse in particular, a mahogany stallion, is extremely on edge. The whites of his eyes show as his pupils rove. He rears when I try to touch him and nearly kicks me as I sweep around the back of the tall. I barely manage to shove his food in and rush out, locking both the top and bottom gates of the stall. Something crunches beneath my foot and I crouch down. Half a glass tube is intact, a small hole in the center of the bottom. I consider going returning to the stall, but a bang from an inside erases the possibility. I'll tell Roe about it; maybe he knows where it came from.

I leave Reyna for last and take my time with her. She's the only one who doesn't give me any trouble. I brush her gleaming chestnut coat, lazily running the bristles through. After a few minutes, I rest my head against her neck and exhale shakily. The mare nudges my shoulder and snorts softly.

Pulling away, I reach into the small bag tied around my waist and pull out two apples. At the sight of the fruit, Reyna stomps her hooves, nostrils flaring. I hold out one. "Told you I'd get you something," I say as she snatches it up.

I lean back against the wall and take a bite of the other apple. Reyna tosses her head and shifts, and my eyes travel down to the band of shorn hair on the horse's foreleg. My fingers stretch towards it. At my touch, Reyna starts, but doesn't move away.

"You know, you're the only one she lets touch her there."

I turn sharply to the door. Old Man Roe leans against it, a walking stick in his hand.

"Oh, hi, Roe," I reach back for the pouch, pulling it free to hold it out to him. "I was going to come by after I finished up here, but I might as well just give it to you now."

Roe wraps his fingers around the bag. It jingles as he ties it around himself. His eyes don't leave Reyna's marred leg. "Won't even let me touch it. Can't say I blame 'er, though," he adds. "Have I ever told you how I got her?"

I shake my head.

"Heard a loud neighing while I was in the market, one day. It came from the forest and I found her tied to a tree. There was a man with a fire goin. I watched him stick a nasty lookin' metal contraption in there and latch it 'round her leg." Roe's knuckles whiten around the stick. "I couldn't bear to let her stay with him. Offered to buy it from him and spent a good hour arguing over it. The bastard finally let me take her for a month's earnings. I'd do it again, to save any animal with a monster like that."

I rub Reyna's back, appalled at her awful past. "That's an amazing thing you did," I say.

He gives me a wrinkled smile. "Ah, you know me and these animals. Love 'em to death. I put everything I got in this place." He gestures to the sprawling farm he owns. "These animals, they're my family." He waves his arm. "Bah, enough of these old man's sentiments," he chuckles. "I've got to get 'round to the rest of this place and tend to the others. Bye now." Roe hobbles around and limps to the red barn house along the path.

I finish off the apple and toss it into a bucket. The sun continues its climb, lighting up the sky as I lead Reyna out of the stables to the pasture. She moves at the click of my tongue, following along without need of a tether. I unlatch the gate to the pasture and hold it out for the horse as she trots in, closing it when I enter.

Stepping onto the fence, I throw my leg over Reyna's back and touch my heels to her sides. She sets off at a small trot around the field, and the itch to go faster makes me dig in my heels. She increases her speed and I lean over, weaving my fingers through the mare's black mane. An exhilarating rush swells as Reyna gallops around the wide expanse.

A sharp whistles pierces the air and I jump, startling Reyna to a stop. I ease the pressure off her stomach and turn in the direction of the sound.

Kaya's arms rest atop the white fence, a bag dangling from her shoulder. I direct the horse over to her and slide off. "What's in there?" I tilt my chin at the bag.

Kaya opens it to reveal the empty space. "It's for whatever we find. No matter how likely it is to work, I'm going to take everything and anything."

I nod and shift my gaze behind her to the thick line of trees obscuring the warehouse. "What about Bryn?" I ask quietly. Even though the horse is the only other one here, it doesn't feel safe to mention the little girl out in the open.

"I gave her a glass of water mixed with a sleeping powder after what happened. It should keep her asleep till noon, at the least. We should be back well before then."

The distant toll of the clocktower rings six times. "I'll put Reyna in her stall and then we'll go." I open the gate and lead the horse out to the stables.

"We're going to find a cure, Cara," Kaya says from behind me. "I swear it. After last night..."

I freeze, dreading her next words.

She takes a deep breath and continues. "I don't know how much longer she has."