POV: Sera Wilde
The first time I tried to ride ahead, Kael collapsed.
Not dramatically. Just suddenly his horse stopped and he slumped forward like someone had cut his strings. One second he was riding. The next second he was barely conscious.
I turned my horse around before anyone could tell me to.
Darius was already dismounting. He got Kael down gently and laid him on the grass. Ryker checked his pulse like he was looking for a problem that needed solving.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Distance," Ryker said flatly. "You went more than fifty yards ahead. The bond does not like separation."
I looked back at the road behind us. I had not ridden far. Maybe sixty yards at most.
"I was trying to scout," I said.
"Well stop," Darius said. He was already pulling water from his pack. "He is barely recovered. His body cannot handle distance right now."
