Horse Charmer (8 page)

Kali dug her hooves into the ground and surged out the gate just as it rang shut behind her. Cassia leaned down farther over her neck, whispering encouraging words. Kali's ears twitched back and her head bobbed forward harder as she lengthened her stride. The other horses had turned off the road and were heading down one of the open pastures. Cassia decided to stay with them to cover her tracks.

The horses galloped at an incredible speed, ecstatic at being free once again. She momentarily forgot her predicament and enjoyed the feel of Kali stretched out below her and the wild mood of the herd as they moved swiftly toward the mountain in the distance.

Gradually, Cassia pulled herself away from the horses' feelings. She would have to leave the herd soon and risk making her own tracks. They reached a small stream and Cassia slid Kali to a halt in the middle of it and watched the herd gallop away. She longed to stay with them. Kali shifted uneasily under her and shook her head.

"The guards will track the herd," Cassia said as she turned Kali to follow the stream into the woods.

CHAPTER EIGHT

It took about a day for Cassia to start regretting her decision to run away. By day two of traveling through the woods and evading search parties, she was pretty certain she'd made a huge mistake.

Sure, she was heading in the general direction of home, but the intense need to run had slowly dwindled to nothing and now she was thinking about all of the other things she could have done to stop the wedding. The list grew longer with each mile covered. She'd nearly turned around and headed back to the castle several times. Only the knowledge that returning without a concrete explanation as to why she had disappeared would make things worse kept her going forward.

The fact that she and Kali hadn't crossed the border into Karah wasn't helping her state of mind either. They kept circling around, making the journey twice as long. Kali snorted at her inner scolding and Cassia ran her fingers through the mare's ebony mane to sooth her. The connection formed during the escape hadn't lessened. She could feel Kali breathing along with her own breath. That alone was enough to pause her inner ranting and focus on the here and now.

Cassia had been able to communicate with horses as long as she could remember, but she'd never had a bond as deep as this one. She still didn't understand how the connection worked, but she found it comforting despite the mystery.

Kali stopped and swung her head to the left, her ears pricking in alarm. Cassia followed her gaze and finally registered the sound of baying dogs. She groaned. She'd thought they had lost the dogs earlier in the morning.

"Come on." She urged the mare forward.

Kali leaped into an easy gallop heading away from the dogs.

"We have to get downwind of them."

A feeling of understanding washed over her and she leaned forward to keep from being knocked off by the low hanging branches. The sound of blowing air filled her ears and she could no longer hear the dogs, but that didn't mean they weren't right on their trail. Another sound caught her attention, the roar of a waterfall.

Kali burst from the trees and veered, halting to keep from running off the cliff. Cassia stared at the impressive waterfall and wide river. She looked up and then down the water trying to decide what way would be best. The Royal Caravan had crossed a river coming into Vesperan territory. If this was the same river, they were close to the Karahan border. Excitement and relief filled her.

Once across the border, they'd be safe. She evaluated the short cliff. High enough that jumping wasn't possible yet low enough to make her think about it. She dismissed the idea reluctantly.

Beneath her, Kali's muscles bunched. With one stride the mare launched herself off the cliff. Cassia wound her fingers deeper into the thick mane, barely able to stay astride. The impact of the splash nearly knocked her loose. The river filled her mouth as they sunk under. With a kick and thrash, Kali propelled them upward and broke the surface. Cassia coughed the water out, clinging precariously to Kali's back. She worked at untangling her fingers.

The swift current took hold and pulled them down the river. Kali fought the powerful rush of water, her body surging to reach the looming bank. Cassia finally released her tangled fingers to assist Kali by swimming alongside her.

She had never been so glad for her riding gear, and lack of skirts to tangle her legs. Kali's hooves hit solid ground and she slid onto her back. The mare turned parallel to the river bank, splashing a short distance until they reached a large outcropping of flat granite slabs before emerging from the river.

Kali scrambled up the rocks until they had left the water far behind them. Only then, did Kali strike out across the soft dirt. Unfettered by the slippery rocks, she flattened out and picked up her speed to streak through the woods. The wind roared again in Cassia's ears, Kali putting as much distance between them and the dogs as she could.

Judging it to be a safe, Cassia sat up and Kali slowed at her request. Now that her hearing wasn't drowned out by the roaring wind and pounding hooves, she sat quietly and listened. The sounds of the forest animals and birds made it a little difficult to fully focus, but she didn't hear any baying dogs. Satisfied they'd lost their pursuers for now, she let Kali pick the pace and they headed into a lighter forest of smaller trees.

After an hour of hard riding, winding through the forest, they came to a clearing. Kali stopped for a snack of grass and Cassia looked around trying to get her bearings. They'd been heading the wrong way part of the time, but it was easy to get lost in the woods especially when riding so quickly through them.

Adjusting their route, they moved back into the forest to locate a suitable camping spot before the sun set. A ring of trees and bushes was the best they found before nightfall. Cassia slid to the ground and slipped Kali's bridle off. Almost as soon as she laid her blanket on the ground, darkness swept through the forest. Kali became a dark shape barely distinguishable from the trees surrounding them. Cassia dropped her bag on the blanket and sat next to her bag. Kali kneeled beside Cassia to share her body heat.

Cassia hadn't been thinking clearly when she'd packed and had forgotten how cool the mountains and forests became during the night. She had no extra clothes or anything to make a fire. Of course, she didn't know how to make a fire even if she had remembered to pack flints.

With another shiver, she untied her wet cloak and got up to hang it on a nearby branch. The night would get colder. Her clothes weren't sopping wet anymore, but there was a distinct dampness to them and the cool air raised goose bumps even under her clothes.

After snuggling up into the curve of Kali's neck, she opened her bag to pull out the last of her meager rations. A few pieces of cheese, hardened from not being properly wrapped, and a biscuit just as hard awaited her. Not looking forward to it, but knowing she needed to eat, Cassia started to gnaw on the biscuit. Kali rumbled next to her.

"I apologize, girl." She untangled the silky strands of the mare's mane with her fingertips. "It seems like every time we stopped for food the dogs caught up. We'll need to find some supplies tomorrow and fill your belly." She offered the hard biscuit to Kali and pulled the hard cheese out for herself. "We passed a town on the border when we came out. The river we crossed was near the border so the town must be around here somewhere. If only we could stay on the road it wouldn't be so difficult."

It'll be fine
.

"I know. I should have paid more attention in my geography and maps classes."

I can find the town.

"How will you do that?" Cassia asked half asleep. She jerked up and stared at Kali as she realized she was having an actual conversation. "You're talking!"

Kali snorted in amusement.

"You're talking to me," Cassia said. "When did you learn to talk?"

I've always been able to speak. You weren't ready to hear.

"But, but..." she stuttered in confusion. "I've always understood horses, but you don't talk back to me. Yet you're talking now. I can hear your words. That's not how it works."

Who says
?

"Well, no one, but I've never heard words before."

As I said, you weren't ready to hear them, but if we're going to get you home safely you're going to have to.

Kali's dark liquid eyes glinted in the meager moonlight. Maybe she was dreaming.

You should get your rest
.
We have a long day ahead of us.

She slowly leaned back against the mare, but it was a long time before she closed her eyes against the darkness and even longer before her mind stopped running in circles.

****

Kali paused at a break in the trees and Cassia looked out at the village below. It wasn't very large, but an unusually large amount of wagons and people on foot where going through it for its size. The road stayed busy for the hour they watched from the edge of the trees.

Is this the village?

"I think so," Cassia said with a frown. "It looks familiar. It's definitely Vesperan and it's the closest village to the border."

She looked down the road toward Karah. No convenient sign or line marked where the border was and she wasn't a good judge of distances. The Royal Caravan had reached this village within an hour of passing over the border on their way to Castle Vespera.

The people in the village and along the road went about their day without any obvious alarm or discomfort. Of course, she wasn't sure what would cause them alarm. No sign of Vesperan soldier activity in the village either. It didn't mean there weren't any soldiers in the village, but they weren't actively patrolling.

She chewed on her lip with indecision. Food was becoming an issue, her stomach reminded her with a loud rumble. She also had no idea what was going on in the realm. The sound of the dogs yesterday was the only reason she knew they were still being pursued by trackers. Information could be just as important to her as food at this point. What if the advisors weren't even in Karah? It was possible they were traveling to Vespera after her disappearance.

There are many people entering and leaving the village.

"There are. The question is why."

It isn't normal?

"I don't know." She shrugged her shoulders in frustration. "It's on a crossroads, the closest village to two adjoining kingdoms. That could keep it busy, or the wedding, or my disappearance, or something else."

Waiting up here won't accomplish anything
.

"What am I going to do about you? If something goes wrong I'll need you close by and horses don't wander loose in villages."

I'll wait in the stable
.

She rubbed the soft leather of the reins between her fingers. She held the reins, but hadn't used them since the night before. The fine leather would be noticed by the stable hands if the Karahan crest on the headstall escaped their attention. The question was whether they would question why a lone girl was riding a Karahan horse.

You're assuming anyone in the village is looking for you.

"It would be a safe assumption."

Why? They are simple village people.

"There could be soldiers down there." This brought back the lack of information. She would have to take the risk. Her riding clothes were dirty enough to hide the fine fabric they had been cut from so she should be safe there.

Kali moved forward and headed down the slight hill away from the town so they could approach from the road and hopefully draw less attention. An idea struck Cassia and she slid off at a little brook alongside the road at a lull in the steady row of travelers and farmers entering and exiting the village. Pretending to let Kali drink, she carefully smeared mud along the crest and up the reins. Satisfied the gunk was doing its job, she swung back on and tensely entered the village.

A few people glanced her way, but no one lingered in their appraisal. Everyone was busy attending to their own business. Cassia relaxed when it became obvious no one was going to point and shout her name.

Stable?

She nearly answered and bit her lip. She would have to be careful about that. Talking to her horse wouldn't be a good idea, and she took up the slack in the reins. Even if it didn't draw unwanted attention on its own she didn't know how many people were aware of Princess Cassia's ability with horses.

Steering Kali toward the large barn and corral, she watched village folk and those passing by carefully. It was possible Karahans were in the village. Her mother had mentioned some of their people had traveled to Vespera for the wedding.

An older man with a scowl etched onto his face stepped from the shadowy doorway of the barn. "What you need?"

She froze for a moment forgetting what she had been rehearsing. Kali shook her head, breaking Cassia's immobility. "Do you have room for another horse?"

He frowned at her and looked Kali over. He jerked his chin toward the corral. "The stalls are full. Only the pen left."

"That's fine." She slid off of Kali's back.

His frown didn't change as he held out his hands for Kali's reins. "Four coins a day payable before you pick up."

Cassia forced a smile as she handed the reins over and was surprised by the small sharp pain that shot through her heart at being separated from Kali.

I will be fine.

She patted Kali on the neck and walked away like the mare was any horse. Again the slight pain crossed her heart and she glanced over her shoulder as the man walked Kali over to the corral. The mare cocked her head and stared back at Cassia.

She half expected to hear Kali's voice in her head, but all was silent and Cassia was on her own for the first time since she'd left the castle. She paused at a sidewalk and tried to decide what would be the best course of action.

No soldiers in sight, at the moment, but she couldn't count on that continuing throughout the rest of the day. She judged the position of the sun. She had about an hour before night would fall.