My Lady Mage: A Warriors of the Mist Novel (7 page)

“Must you always be so clumsy?” Fagan snapped. “Clean up this mess.”

She averted her gaze so that he wouldn’t see the fury there. “I will fetch a cloth and a fresh pitcher immediately.”

He gave her a disgusted look. “Never mind. Just go before you do more damage.”

She nodded and backed away, forcing her anger back under control. He waited until she’d gone a few steps before speaking again, making sure his voice carried across the hall for all to hear.

“And, Merewen, don’t think I have forgotten about your disappearance last night. Once I discern how you evaded my guards, you will be severely punished.”

Then he smiled. “However, if you were to confess, I might be persuaded to show mercy.”

He would do no such thing. Fagan knew nothing of
mercy and took far too much pleasure in making the weak suffer. He might see her that way right now, but things would change soon. Just the memory of Captain Gideon and his men gave her the courage to stand up to him, at least a little.

“But, Uncle, you saw with your own eyes that I was right where I was supposed to be when you returned.”

Then she shot a glance in Olaf’s direction. “Your own man testified there was no way I could have escaped or returned through the gate while he stood guard.”

The room grew quiet. Perhaps she would’ve been better off to simply walk away, but she had grown tired of cowering before her uncle and his men. Before she could say so, she noticed how pale her aunt was. Alina’s eyes silently pleaded with Merewen as she slowly shook her head, obviously trying not to draw her husband’s attention.

The bruise that marred Alina’s beauty served as a harsh reminder that Merewen wouldn’t be the only one to suffer were she to further provoke her uncle. She immediately backed away.

“Before I leave, is there something I can bring you, Uncle Fagan?”

Fagan stared at her for several seconds before answering, as if wondering at her sudden change in behavior. Finally, he shook his head.

“Just go. I grow weary of your presence.”

Relieved that the confrontation was over, Merewen headed for the kitchen and from there to the stables, her one haven within the keep walls.

Inside, the earthy scents of hay and horses soothed her soul. A chorus of soft nickers greeted her, bringing a smile to her face. She moved from stall to stall, checking each of her friends as she patted noses and slipped a few favorites a treat. These beauties were the broodmares who now carried the next generation of saddle horses and therefore the future of her people.

“Ah, Lady Merewen, I shoulda knowed it was you. These ladies don’t talk to just anyone.”

A small wizened man poked his head around the corner from the tack room. He looked past her as if making sure she was alone. She didn’t blame Jarod. On the rare occasion her uncle took it upon himself to pretend some interest in their breeding program, he left the whole stable in an uproar. It sometimes took the stable master hours to calm the horses.

She smiled at him. “While the others were finishing their evening meal, I thought I would come see how your ladies were doing.”

There was no mistaking her elderly friend’s relief or the anger in his voice when he continued. “They be doing fine exceptin’ when them that knows nothing about horses decide to go poking their nose where it don’t belong.”

Merewen gritted her teeth. She couldn’t ban either her uncle or his men without causing herself even greater trouble. However, if their presence did adversely affect the mares, she’d have to find a way to prevent them from entering this part of the stables.

She paused to stroke the nose of one of her favorites, a mare who had already given her two handsome foals that showed tremendous potential. “I’ll try to keep them away, Jarod, but I cannot promise.”

“I know, my lady.” He sighed and moved on down to the next stall. “I swear, horses have more sense than most men, and they definitely are better judges of character. If a horse takes to someone, I figure that’s a man I can trust.”

“I agree.”

Merewen looked around. “Did young Edric find you? I would like him to work here in the stable. He’s a hard worker, and I think the two of you would get along.”

Jarod’s old eyes always did see too much. “I’ll keep him busy and out of sight.”

“Thank you.” She patted her friend on the shoulder. One less person she needed to worry about.

As they continued on through the stable, she thought back to the look on Captain Gideon’s face when he first saw her horses. Not only had he immediately sensed their beauty and their quality, but the strongest stallion on the estate had chosen to bear the warrior himself.

She’d never admit it to anyone, but her heart had leapt in her chest at the sight of the powerful warrior astride Kestrel. It was as if the two had been born to race the wind together.

She truly hoped Jarod was right about that meaning Captain Gideon could be trusted. The lives and welfare of her people depended on it.

G
ideon led the small procession down the path after they had spent an hour at weapons practice. Already he could feel his strength returning, and the others had clearly enjoyed the workout as well. Kane, especially, had taken pleasure in crossing swords with him, and they both sported bruises to prove it. The injuries would fade within the day, another gift from the gods.

Gideon had actually considered hiking down the trail by himself and only returning to fetch the others after he made sure the horses were actually waiting for them. However, fear of embarrassment did not justify wasting the time or the energy. The day had dawned hot and threatened to get more so as the sun rose higher in the sky. It was only prudent to guard their strength for the meeting with Merewen on the chance that her uncle and his men were to happen upon them.

One trip down would be difficult enough, especially burdened with more than just his sword and shield. At about the halfway point as they made their way along the rugged path, they ran into a heavy blanket of mist, which cut their visibility to just a few strides in any direction.

As they’d prepared to set out, no one had complained about the long hike until Gideon announced his decision that they should also fetch their saddles and tack from the cavern to take with them. By now, even Averel was grumbling whenever he didn’t think Gideon would hear him.

He didn’t blame his young friend, but they all knew how little time they had to end the threats against Merewen. Three months might sound like a long time, but not when it represented the total number of days they would walk the earth. They couldn’t afford to waste a single hour.

He shifted his saddle to his other shoulder as he neared the bottom of the trail, close to where Merewen had stopped to call the horses. His pace quickened as he once again heard the happy babble of the river and knew they’d reached the last stretch before the mountains gave way to the grasslands below.

After setting his saddle and bridle down on the grass, he waited for the others to catch up with him.

“Wait here while I scout ahead. If the horses are already there, I’ll whistle.”

“If?” Kane snapped as he tossed his own equipment to the ground. “They’d better be here after I hauled this down the mountain.”

Gideon ignored his friend’s bad temper, understanding its true source had nothing to do with Gideon at all. Every time they’d been called from the river, finding a suitable mount for Kane had posed a serious plight. If the animal was calm enough to accept one who carried the mark of dark magic on his face and in his blood, then it was likely to be worthless as a war steed. Fighting to control the fear of a more high-spirited horse carried with it a whole different set of difficulties for Kane.

Bracing himself, Gideon marched forward. As soon as he turned the last bend in the trail, the mists parted and he came to an abrupt stop. Not only was Kestrel there, but a small herd of horses stood clustered behind him. The sight was beyond Gideon’s wildest imaginings, for no two of the animals looked the same; yet each was a beauty in its own right.

It was time to share the spectacle. He put two fingers
to his lips and let loose with a shrill whistle, causing the horses to stir restlessly. One by one, Gideon’s men joined him as they all stared in stunned silence. He couldn’t help but grin at the expressions of total wonder on their faces.

Duncan was the first to break the silence. “What do we do now?”

“In truth, I’m not sure.”

After giving it some thought, he added, “As strange as this might sound, I’d suggest spreading out and let the horses come to us. That black one is Kestrel. I’ll go to him.”

As soon as he stood beside the stallion, the big horse nudged Gideon, hinting for some attention. Gideon scratched his neck as the two of them watched his men study the horses. The mares seemed to weigh and value each of the men in turn. Finally, a sorrel with a sweet face stepped away from the herd to approach Averel, obviously her chosen warrior.

His face lit up with obvious pleasure as he reached out to stroke her nose. “Hello there. I am called Averel.”

Then he blushed and looked around to see if the other men were going to tease him for introducing himself to a horse. No one said a word, as each man waited to see if he would be the next one to be matched with a steed.

A dappled gray mare whickered and pranced forward to stop in front of Duncan. Always the most chivalrous of their group, he immediately bowed his head. “My lady, I am honored. My name is Duncan.”

It was no surprise that the next to be selected was Murdoch. A powerfully built blood bay with a white blaze and feathered legs slowly approached him. She rivaled Gideon’s stallion in size, which made her a fitting mount for Murdoch, the largest of the five men. Tall with broad shoulders, he carried more muscle on his bones than any of the others.

Though Murdoch was usually slow to smile, his face lit up with a big grin as he and the mare studied each other. “She’s perfect.”

That left Kane. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited impatiently as they all looked on. Gideon hurt for him, knowing the truth about the man’s worth both as a friend and as a warrior. The remaining mares shifted uneasily, their eyes wide and worried. After a few seconds, Kestrel stamped his foot and whickered.

Finally, one of the horses took a tentative step forward and then another, her eyes wild and her breathing ragged. Before the mare reached Kane, though, another horse bugled in challenge. Everyone turned to face the intruder’s approach. With stone gray coloring and a face that had weathered to white, another stallion materialized out of the fog.

The big gray stopped a short distance away to rear up on his back legs and paw the air. Kestrel immediately answered in kind, determined to defend his mares.

The intruder charged down the slope, heading straight for the mare who’d been about to choose Kane. The big gray gently shouldered her aside, snorting and pawing the ground, but otherwise making no move toward the other horses.

Even so, Kestrel clearly perceived his presence as a threat. He sidled away from Gideon, his ears back and tail high. Before Kestrel could charge, Kane launched himself up onto the gray’s broad back, and the two tore off at a dead run.

Gideon blocked Kestrel’s path, praying the stallion wouldn’t run him down to give chase. Slowly, the horse calmed down, still snorting and prancing in place.

Keeping his voice low and soothing, Gideon approached the horse. “They’re gone. Everything is fine, and we have business to attend to.”

Kestrel let out a deep breath and shook from head to
tail but gradually calmed and turned his attention to his mares. Evidently satisfied with the choices they’d made, he whickered softly. The rest of the small band immediately retreated and trotted off in the opposite direction from the one Kane had taken.

For the moment, the crisis appeared to be over. Gideon could only hope that Kestrel would learn to tolerate the presence of the other stallion, because it would appear that Kane had found a kindred spirit. The mists had lifted enough that he could see the two of them running in the distance, moving as one.

He checked the sun’s position overhead. The appointed time they were to meet with Merewen was growing close. Having no idea how far they’d have to ride, they needed to get moving.

“Let’s see how our friends here take to saddle and bridle.”

After retrieving his tack from where he’d left it, he slowly approached Kestrel. Obviously the stallion was willing to accept a rider on his back. That didn’t necessarily mean he was accustomed to wearing a saddle.

But in truth, it took little time to have all four horses saddled and ready to ride. As they were about to mount up, Kane returned. He kept a wary eye on Kestrel as he and the gray skirted the edge of the group to stop a short distance away.

Kane slid down off the horse’s back and disappeared into the trees to fetch his saddle. As he adjusted the cinch, he murmured under his breath to the horse in what sounded like Kane’s native language. He rarely used it except in battle or times of high emotion, making it clear that he and the gray had bonded quickly. While everyone waited for him to finish, Gideon studied the horse and decided he was a good match for his friend.

Certainly, the stallion would never take a prize for beauty, but something about him drew the eye. He was a
behemoth of a horse. Muscular and powerful, he’d carry his rider for hours and still have enough left in him to charge into battle.

His coat bore the faint scars of past fights. How many of those were from confrontations with Kestrel? Gideon suspected that today wasn’t the first time the two stallions had crossed paths. As if sensing Gideon’s interest, the horse turned to face him, revealing yet another set of scars on his right shoulder. The deep claw marks looked to be from an encounter with one of the reclusive mountain cats. If so, it was a miracle the horse had survived such a vicious attack.

Once Kane finished, all five men mounted up. Once again, it was odd to let Kestrel choose their path. Duncan urged his mount forward to keep pace with Gideon and asked, “So, do we know where we’re headed?”