“All right, now let’s see you convince that devil from the Dark to leave. The foal can’t walk.” He chuckled viciously. “The mare’ll kill you if you go near it now she’s free.”
Eleeri nodded, but her heart lifted. He’d misjudged. “Maybe, and maybe I’ll kill you if you don’t leave now. You are a stupid, cruel, ignorant man. If all in this village are of your kind, I will be glad to leave. Now get away from here before I lose my temper.” Her eyes flamed with rage and the man retreated. With a final sneer, he slouched around the corner, leaving a small group to stand watching. One approached cautiously.
“Lady, if Gunnora judges these, then it is not for us to naysay her. But truly their kind follows the ways of the Dark. We cannot trade with you for anything obvious. Gerae will know and make our lives hard for us. But if there is anything small we could provide?”
Her mouth suddenly watered. Her supply of salt was running low. If she had that, she could continue to feed herself easily by the hunt.
“Salt—will you trade as much salt as you can spare?” He nodded and vanished hastily along with others. They returned bearing small hide bags containing not only salt but ground flour and some kind of sweetener. From the bandits she had killed she had taken small coins in silver and copper. These she proffered with a quiet comment.
“Of Karsten but nonetheless valuable. Those who owned them have no more use—for anything, even hunting those not of their kind.”
She could see that idea sink in. The word was even whispered in a soft hissing. “A spy—she has been spying in Karsten.”
She handed over the coinage, watching faces. They seemed to be happy with their bargain but not so delighted that she had overpaid.
“Are there other villages to the north?” She would find out what she could while they were well disposed.
“No, lady.” A hand rose to point. “That way is the forest of the Mosswomen.” A finger swung then to the northeast. “That way are the mountains again. Between those there is the river. Gerae will pursue you; best you leave the Keplians and go. Then he will kill them and leave you alone.”
“If he follows me,” Eleeri said in a hard-edged voice, “it will not be a stranger to you who dies. Thank you for your trading.” The man who had spoken for them nodded.
“Go in peace, lady. But beware of those beasts who are not truly beasts. The mare will kill if she has the chance, and so will Gerae. You are between the mountains and sea with no place to hide if you take them.” He turned away, his friends following, fingering their bounty in the Karsten coins. Eleeri turned back to the Keplians. The foal had managed to gain its feet, but looking closer, the girl could see why Gerae had been so amused. At some stage it had been struck brutally across the hocks. The small animal’s hind legs were swollen and bruised. There was no way it could walk any distance, and even as she watched, it sank back to the dusty ground with a forlorn whicker. The mare eyed her, standing protectively over the baby. Eleeri felt a surge of anger at the people who could treat a tiny foal so cruelly, and before she had thought, she was moving closer, crooning gently.
The mare stamped warningly, and Eleeri reached out with her gift. To her surprise, she felt the tiny jet horse under her shirt give out a flare of warmth. Her fingers touched it. Strange . . . it was warmer than its contact with her skin warranted. She allowed it to fall before her throat and saw that the mare’s eyes were fixed on it, wide with interest. She began to talk softly, explaining. The mare appeared to listen. Now she was trying to urge the foal to his feet once again. The baby tried and failed.
“Mare, we must leave here. That man will come back and kill your foal soon.” She reinforced the message with mind-send, becoming interested in the strength and clarity of mind-pictures from the mare.
“If I lifted him onto my horse, I could walk and we could travel away from here. If you will let me help him.”
From the mare she received a blast of distrust. Slowly she reached out to stroke the baby. As she did so, she allowed her mind to broadcast admiration. How beautiful he was, how strong and sturdy. How brave. It would indeed be a terrible thing to see him die. She would risk more even than she already had to prevent this. Her mind drifted to other horses she had known, and to her surprise she felt a gush of contempt from the mother, a feeling of indignation. They were not horses; how some human had felt about those others was nothing to her.
Eleeri smiled, sending acceptance. But whether they were horse or not, that man would return to kill. Did the mare still wish to be here when he did? She did not. Then she must allow the girl to aid her foal or remain with him to see him die. Pictures of the mare fighting came in reply.
In return, the girl sent pictures of the mare dying, shot through with arrows and spears. Then her foal, bound, slaughtered, discarded, and dead.
Capitulation. The mare would graciously permit the human to help her. Moving with a slow smooth motion, Eleeri lifted the small beast and placed him comfortably on the bedroll-padded saddle. Taking the reins, she walked to the gate and opened it. The mare paced after.
They passed through and departed from the village. Hating eyes watched them go.
Gerae decided he would not follow too soon, or too obviously; his word had been given before too many. He would wait this day and the next. The moon was nearing full. Tomorrow as soon as the moon rose he would be on their trail. Then let the witch see if she could put him off with bribes and clever words.
His mind dwelled on her slender form, the arrogance of her voice. It would be pleasure indeed to teach her that he was not to be so despised. He spent his day making plans and preparing for a journey. It had been kind of her to give him the horses that would help him to take her.
Eleeri had learned well the lessons of war Far Traveler had taught her. He had passed along many wise sayings and warrior maxims. One might be translated as “Believe there will always be pursuit and act accordingly.” She believed, and to the mare’s indignation was acting accordingly.
They had struck the branch of the river within an hour’s fast walking. There Eleeri led her small party into the water to travel upstream for another couple of hours. At the beginning of a long stretch of shallow water she allowed a few scattered hoofprints to show.
Then she turned them about and they waded back downstream. Where the river forked, she took the fork to the far side and continued to wade. She suspected that Gerae would follow as soon as he could escape the eyes of his neighbors. This wouldn’t make it so easy for him, particularly if he sneaked off after dark.
She mind-sent this to the mare and received a feeling of amused agreement. Something about the response caught Eleeri’s attention. There had been a note of intelligence in the sending. The amusement had been more sophisticated than the simple emotion of an animal. She spoke again, sending as she did so.
“May I be favored with a name I can use for you and the small one?”
Distrust!
“It doesn’t have to be your own, just something I can use. Humans feel awkward when there is no name.”
Amusement again, consideration. Then *I am Tharna. My son is Hylan.*
Eleeri halted her footsteps before she realized. That had not been the mind-send of a beast. It had been the clear concise sending of an intelligent mind.
The mare’s mind sent wicked laughter. *Humans! They say we wear beast shape, therefore we are beasts, and stupid. True, the males of our kind are often not as bright, but we are more than mere animals, shape or no shape.* The mare found with surprise of her own that the human was pleased with this. *Why does this information delight you?*