Though Ralph loved horseback-riding, and the weather was perfect, with a cool stiff breeze and hot sun, the air smelling of grasslands, sunshine, wildflowers and forest, he found his thoughts drawn irresistibly to a certain Elven girl. And Malina! He kicked himself mentally for not having said goodbye to her, or for not having made sure that she wasn’t left alone somewhere, nursing bruised feelings over what she had seen.
‘May I have your attention, Ralph?’ Pran asked him, making him aware that this was at least the second time the Elf had tried to gain his attention. From his mount on the other side of the Elf, Doc looked on with something between a mixture of annoyed pity and slight amusement, making Ralph all the more uncomfortable.
‘Sorry,’ Ralph muttered, reluctant to be drawn into the moment. ‘Okay, I’m listening.’
‘As I said, the ride into town will take several hours,’ Pran told him. ‘We will be returning some time after nightfall. However . . .
‘Now that we are alone together, there are a few questions I would like to ask the both of you. In return, if there is anything either of you would know from me, you have only to ask.’
The two Men nodded in their turn.