Kriki's Gift, Chapter XXIX, Reading 1

Carra soon discovered that Badger had a joyful bounce to his walk, which made him feel almost as if he were floating.  She had expected the warhorse to have plodding gates because of his pronounced musculature, but he was anything but heavy beneath the saddle.  His lilting steps punctuated the rhythm of her chant - as if the horse was joining her in the meditative power of Flindra's prayer.  She grew fond of this big, chestnut gelding as she settled into the comforting rhythm of the chant.

"Spirit around me, Spirit within me, Spirit protect me, Spirit direct me."

The Queen's chant eased her tension and touched her mind with a sense of peace.  This simple prayer was such a heartening example of Flindra's abiding faith in the goodness and love of the Divine.  She smiled as she imagined her Queen using these words to combat fear in the days she served with the Rangers.  It made her feel as close as a sister to her for Carra was entering into an adventure fraught with peril.  She only hoped she would conduct herself with similar courage to what her Queen had evinced during her service in Kalmyk's troop.

Carra suspected that many of the men around her were silently repeating the chant too, but the prayer didn't seem to dull the sharp edge of their attentive scan of the surrounding landscape.  Their expressions were focused and intent and their bodies translated the tension to their mounts so many of the horses strained at their bits and walked with exaggerated movements.  It was a very different picture from the relaxed ride from Leidz to the Pass Gate just a few days before.