Castle Avamir [Paperback]

It has been a long, hard winter, and the Gypsies are glad to be leaving Lord Levin's mountains for the sunny plains of Lord Kaybale's lands. But that means time is running out for Heart. The old stories say that Castle Avamir is higher than the clouds, deep in a valley, under the stars, and over the moon.
It makes no sense -- but if Heart can't solve the riddle, she might never find a safe haven for her beloved unicorns.Chapter One

Heart wiped a raindrop from the tip of her nose.

She pulled her cloak tighter and shivered.

Davey's wagon was stuck fast.

Its wheels were half buried in mud.

Davey sat on the driver's bench.

The reins were loose in his hands. His jacket and shirt were dark with rainwater. His trousers were mud stained.

The horses were nervous and he was singing to them.

Heart brushed at her own clothes, then at Moonsilver's armor. The boots Josepha had given her were caked in mud.Everythingwas.

We need a hand! Binney was shouting. Davey's stuck.

Groans rose from the long line of Gypsy wagons.

Heart made a face. Every muscle in her body was sore.

They had been struggling against the weather since they had left Bidenfast.

Usually, Binney said, they made it to Lord Kaybale's sheltered valleys before the worst storms hit. Not this year.

Winter in Lord Levin's mountains had been long and cruel.

They had spent months huddled in the crowded wagons.

The cold didn't seem to bother Moonsilver or Avamir. It was terrible for everyone else.

Zim had been sick for weeks, sniffling and coughing. The horses shivered and stood close together. Kip slept inside Binney's wagon, curled in a ball so tight his tail covered his ears.

The snow storms finally stopped.

Then the rains had begun.

The streams had turned into deep torrents of dark, muddy water.

There was a low, distant rumble of thunder. Not much chance we'll sl³+