Do you want to try? She asks, oblivious of his suspicions.

Once we reach the garrison, perhaps.

Makes sense. It's really convenient you have this telepathy thing, I'd never be able to have a normal conversation while running. I wouldn't have the air.

If the pace is unpleasant we can slow a bit, we'll still make it by nightfall. You are faster than any Man I've trained with. Likely because she isn't a Man, but still.

Well, I'm using magic to augment my muscles, so if they don't have it then of course I'm faster.

They do not. They'd likely be eager to learn.

Helping things that already work work better is a pretty efficient use of Effort magic. And Effort magic hurts like muscle ache, so it goes really well with exercise.

Sounds extraordinarily useful. Can you explain how your world's magic works?

There are three kinds, Effort, Sympathy, and Conquest. They each involve imposing your will on the world in different ways. With Effort, you push at it until you get what you want, with Sympathy, you coax it into doing what you want, and with Conquest, you command the world to be as you want. Sympathy makes you more diplomatic and more conflict-averse; Effort makes you stronger-willed but it also makes it harder to change your mind, and Conquest gives you stronger force of personality but also bossier. Most people who become mages specialize in one, if they have a particular resistance to the mental effect, or try to balance them so they cancel each other out a little. Also there's lots of meditation, that helps counteract the effects.

I see. So if I desired to destroy the Enemy-

Well, for one thing, if he's anywhere near as powerful as the level of bloodworking you've suggested implies to me, you'd have to train for a long time to get strong enough. As to how--that depends on a lot of stuff. If I wanted to kill someone and was equally skilled and powerful in all three kinds, I might order him to die, or convince his heart to stop beating, or push the air out of his lungs. Among other things.

He nods. I am very intrigued by your magic, and do want to learn it when we reach safety for the evening.

Fortunately I can teach you sitting down. Her legs are going to be so sore by the time they reach where they're going.

You're welcome to try horseback riding. Perhaps magic would keep you on the horse.

...I really should have thought of that earlier, she replies with chagrin.

He stops running. I would have suggested it, but I knew rather little - and still do - about the limits of your powers.

She slows, turns, and skids to a stop. Usually I don't try to apply magic to a skill I don't have at all, but not falling off a horse is simple enough that it's really not the same thing. I apologize in advance for what I'm sure is going to resemble a sack of potatoes chucked onto a saddle.

He'll forgive you. And he gives her a lift up, careful not to touch her hair.

She knows, from miscellaneous novels, that in this situation you're not supposed to grab the horse's mane, which is good because otherwise she probably would have. Suspecting that she might do it by accident if she's startled and her hands aren't anywhere, she tentatively rests them on the horse's back just ahead of where she's seated.

Well, they fight their wars with steel armored magic-moving mounts, he can't fault her for not learning. He shows her how to sit, instead.

She winces slightly--her legs aren't as sore as they would have been if she had run all the way there, but they aren't completely happy with her, either--but corrects her posture without complaint.

And they're off, at approximately the same speed but with more comfort for his - guest? prisoner? enemy spy?

Whatever she is, she isn't aware of his confusion to clarify it, which is just as well since he would have no more reason to believe her than he had when she told her story in the first place.

And they're in not just before darkness but by dusk. He explains the situation to the garrison with private osanwë as they ride up. 

Illia dismounts when everyone else does, possibly using magic to not just fall off in a heap. It's still probably the least graceful dismount her host has ever seen.