There was a lot of confusion near the starting line. Some horses were being led away, others were being switched between riders, and the tack also got shifted around. In-Yeon got pushed by one of the boys from the Prince's yard and nearly started a fight before San Jin sent him off the field. This meant Song-hee had to run between his two teammates, to see they had what they needed. The warning bell rang and he cleared the field. Hae-sung's horse pawed and snorted. One lane over San Jin's mount rolled its eyes and quivered. With a large thunderclap, they were off down the track.

In-Yeon climbed onto the inside rail to get a better view and was the first to spot the accident. "Oh no, no, no," he cried then looked around for Junseo. He pointed to where Hae-sung's horse bucked and twisted trying to break free of the saddle rolling around under her belly. Hae-sung's foot was hung up in the stirrup and it looked like he might drown in the mud. Junseo sprinted out onto the track with Song-hee and In-Yeon right behind him but they were not fast enough to stop the mare from rolling over squarely on top of Hae-sung. Junseo slipped a knife out of the top of his boot and slashed through the stirrup leathers. Freed from the largest part of her burden the horse tried to bolt away but got its hindfoot caught in the rigging and fell hard. The race officials came over and removed the saddle but the horse could not rise. At the same time a stretcher was being brought over to Hae-sung. Junseo carefully cleared the mud off his teammate's face so Hae-sung might breathe better but there was a lot of blood.

The healer checked for broken bones and muttering to himself, "I don't know how to move this boy safely."

"What is your concern?" Junseo asked quietly and the man pointed to Hae-sung's oddly twisted hips.

"If we could lift him, but keep everything in the same position, would it help?" Junseo asked looking to a very worried In-Yeon. "I know it is wet but can we run some wind dogs?"

"We will need strong anchors." In-Yeon looked around. Brother Kuin stood beside them and nodded his assent.

"Let's get San Jin over as well," the words were no sooner out of Junseo's mouth and Song-hee was on his way to extract San Jin from the press at the finish line. When they returned Junseo gave Song-hee the job of holding Hae-sung's head still while he directed the other three to take up corners roughly corresponding to the waiting stretcher. Other members of the team did their best to shield what they were doing from the onlookers.

"I have never done anything like this without my crystals," San Jin said.

"Neither have I, but I trust the strength of our harmonies. The tricky part is not raising a waterspout so if you sense anything running out of control call out," Junseo looked to each one in turn before he started the low hum connecting him to the earth below. The others joined in with the same note then In-Yeon's pure tones started to rise. The winds stirred, circling into a tight spiral. Junseo's clap separated the twister into six small columns. He visualized how these wind-dogs should lift Hae-sung in one coordinated move. The healer shouted with surprise when his patient was ready for transport. Junseo signaled for the columns of air to get smaller and they ran around In-Yeon's legs like frisky pups. The boy sang a low harmony the others three reinforced and the breezes settled back down. Song-hee moved off with the stretcher keeping Hae-sung's head as still as possible. Junseo nodded his approval but then found himself abruptly sitting in the mud.

"Foolish boys," Brother Kuin scolded. "You forgot you don't have your stones and overreached."

"No. It was pushing up against field's shielding that zapped us," In-Yeon said, "Couldn't you feel it?"

"I was too busy pushing the water back to worry about something like that," Brother Kuin frowned. He went very still for a long minute before admitting, "I am surprised you were able to raise any of your winds with the dissonance coming off those barriers."

"Well done, all of you, but we are starting to attract too many curious looks." Knight-Master Lei put his hand out to help Junseo up. "You need to get clean before the healers are going to let you near their patient, so come along, let's get you warm."

Chenhui slid in beside In-Yeon and wrapped his arm around the young boy's waist. Scout Jian performed the same service for San Jin while Xuiyang helped steady Junseo as they followed their Knight-Master back to the stables. The rest of the team were there guarding the equipment and soon ran off of different errands. Brother Kuin paced back and forth in the doorway waiting for the course officials to appear but the Sun Temple's training master arrived first.

"You better have a good explanation for the energy work, especially since two of the participants should not be near any crystals," his voice pitched loudly enough for all to hear.

"They only reinforced the anchoring mantras otherwise we couldn't raise dry spinners to lift the injured boy. Even with their help it was a battle not to set any waterspouts loose." Brother Kuin's answered calmly.

"But how? I mean it shouldn't have happened."

"Neither should the accident, but it did. I wonder if they had a chance to go over all the equipment yet," Manager Doak said as he took his place beside Brother Kuin.

San Jin's bottom lip started to quiver, "You know we switched saddles at the last minute. If there was something wrong, I should have spotted it."

"Nonsense. We don't know what happened yet. Besides the race organizers should not have rushed the start the way they did. I don't care if the rain might have spoiled the view for the spectators." Knight-Master said loudly enough for the approaching official to hear.

"Your candidates were warned about crystal use. If they failed to turn in all their stones, they will be disqualified." one of the referees said.

"Now explain this working," the other stared directly at Junseo but In-Yeon stepped out front.

"It was my stones, and my working. My friends only helped with the anchoring mantras while my teacher guided me through the rest."

"You can ask the healers but it really was the best way to get Hae-sung up out of the mud. He was half-drowned by the time we reached him and his back might be broken. Trust me, if I had my crystals, I'd be working on him with the other healers right now." Junseo put his hand on In-Yeon's shoulder.

"But the shielding," the senior referee started.

"Made our task much more difficult," Brother Kuin cut in. "You can consult with any adept you choose but they will tell you the same thing. The bond between these boys from the hours and hours of practice they put in with, and without crystals, is the only way we were able to form the air-cushion. It was basic energy work, not sorcery, and definitely not cheating. At least not on our part. I can't say which other interests might have contributed to the accident."

"Yes. I expect you should consult with the protocol office. If the saddle was tampered with Minister Go's son may have been the intended target." The referees blanched at Knight-Master Lei's suggestion before hurrying away.

"What did they want?" a dejected looking Song-hee had snuck in behind the officials.

"Checking for a violation of the crystal ban, like that is important," San Jin's disgust was obvious. The boys all looked at Song-hee expectantly.

"The healers put a brace onto Hae-sung's neck then sent me away. They said it is just a precaution but they all looked pretty serious and were sending for someone from the Academy. Before you ask, I didn't catch the name but I don't think they would mind if Junseo looked in since they consider him first on scene, so kind of in charge." Song-hee's last comment came out more as a question.

"Standard field protocols. I will finish changing and go over. They probably won't risk moving Hae-sung." Junseo turned to Knight-Master Lei saying, "If he needs it, I will forfeit and get my crystals back."

"I am sure Hae-sung will get the best care but I will come with you to see what they need and what I might be able to tell his family," he said then instructed the others to go home and rest.