" Okay, I'm sure you'll have a good time once you get the knack of it.You won't be the first person with a little fear to have their firstriding exper...ence at this dude ranch. And it is good to have a healthyrespect for what a horse can do." Thank you for reassuring me, Steve. I know that I will feel betterbeing there with someone I know." If you don't like it, we can always come back early. Ride the rollercoaster, perhaps?" Oh no, Steve. I am not afraid of the roller coaster. But I know what. " How close to the Manor do you think it was?"Vanlo paused and looked at the Overlord with a small, humorless grin."Well? How close?" We do not appear to be on the same parchment of the scroll, your Lordship," Vanlo said patiently. "Allow me to be more direct: these sensations are clearly phantoms of my mind."Roquan frowned. "I beg your pardon?" It stands to reason, your Lordship. The idea that Portals are opening randomly about the countryside near the Manor makes no sense. Your Portal is. Some more mother / daughter bonding time talking about ourlittle soap opera lives. Mother didn't get into sexual details, but Ifigured out most of that on my own. I was happy that she was happy. Shedid tell me that William had asked about me. All of the sudden it hit me.Mother and I had dinner with William and his brother and Motherintroduced me as her daughter. William thought I was Mother's daughter. Ihad to ask Mother if she realized the problem that I was done after todaybeing Mother's. They did hit gloves—where I had been afraid that Truelove was going to back up, and not do it. The bell rang, and then----Joey comes out of his corner like a fuckin rocket. Before Truelove could even get his gloves up to his face—Joey attacked with the combination---bamm, bamm, bamm—3 shots to the head, then two to the left eye—causing b l o o d to spurt up into the sky. As Johnny raises up to protect his head—Joey delivers the same combinaton to his belly—1-2-3-4-5, in less than two seconds..