When she entered the courtyard, morning chores were done. Stable boys sprawled on hay bales, discussing their latest infatuations. Derrin ranked slightly lower than Iestyn in the hierarchy. Falcon despised Derrin. Unlike Iestyn, Derrin was ham-fisted, loud, and overbearing. If Iestyn wasn’t exonerated, Derrin would take his position as Assistant Stablemaster.
“My Lady Falcon,” Derrin said. “Good of you to join us. Shall we saddle Tessa for you?”
She grit her teeth. “You aren’t wasting any time taking advantage of Iestyn’s situation.”
“You shouldn’t have any sympathy for that thief. I can attend your needs,” he said, taking hold of her arm above the elbow. He leaned over so his face was fingers away from hers. His breath smelled of onion and rotten meat.
The problem with secret identities was sometimes, like now, using the fact that she was Arman’s foster-daughter would be helpful. But she couldn’t. She gained more than she lost by being Falcon and not the Tarish princess.
“Hands off,” she snarled instead.
With a broad smile and a wink to his cohorts, he released her arm. “For now.”
She ignored the harsh laughter behind her as she strode away.
Lightning’s paddock was open. The gate shut with a clank. Kneeling, Falcon dug through the grass. Her fingers brushed against something hard. The wire tie. Holding it up, the ends were rough and uneven; someone had sawed through it. Her brow furrowed.
More groping turned up a cleanly severed second tie. Taizu missed it. Falcon sat back on her heels. It didn’t make sense. She had crawled away from the gate. So what was the other tie doing here?
She drove a dagger into the spot. Standing, she unlatched the gate and swung it open. It caught on the hilt of her blade. She cocked her head. The opening was slightly wider than a man. Iestyn had opened the gate and called Lightning. Had he dropped the tie when Lightning didn’t come? That would explain the second tie with the clean cut, but not the other.
Someone trying to cut the wire without attracting attention might have had to start and stop his attempts to sever it. Whoever took Lightning knew about the fail-safe. He dropped the uneven wire. Falcon retrieved her dagger, cleaned off the blade, and resheathed it.
Four gates split the field. One led to the royal barn, another to the visiting nobles’ barn, and two to additional paddocks. The fence’s black stain would’ve hidden most of the signs that someone climbed it. She ran her hand over a mud streak. Pursing her lips, she shook her head. It hadn’t rained in at least a sevensun. The mud stains on the rails predated the disappearance. Unless…she climbed the fence.
A puff of dust rose as she landed. The water trough sat at the intersection of the paddocks because the pump serviced all three. Lightning loved splashing people. The ground on his side usually stayed wet, making it the most likely spot for prints.
A few skid marks ending in deep hoof prints indicated that Lightning had run and slid to a halt. Probably playing. Clearer marks bore the cross-hatch Iestyn etched into Lightning’s soles.
The horse had walked.
Falcon shook her head as she circled the trough. Behind the pump, where someone would stand to work the lever, were several boot prints. There was one in front. Squatting, she inspected the mark in the mud. Just the heel and the outside edge of a shoe. She traced the impression. It was longer and narrower than Iestyn’s shoes. Someone else was in the paddock. She’d check with Taizu to see if he’d searched the paddock. At least there was some evidence than someone other than Iestyn had been there.
She closed her eyes and tried to envision how the print was made.
He’d come up to Lightning while the horse was drinking. When the thief had been splashed, he’d stumbled back, taking his weight hard on the heel. Maybe wrenched his ankle. She resumed searching. If the intruder left any other marks, hoof prints obliterated them.
Haltering the Retu warhorse was the next obstacle. He wouldn’t be led by a stranger. Assuming the Retu weren’t involved, one of the boyos had to help. Maybe one of them had been unaccountably wet that afternoon. She’d have to hope someone noticed.
Now where to take Lightning?
Falcon put her hands on her hips and scanned the paddock. You couldn’t bring a wagon into the courtyard without being noticed. If you led Lightning to the nobles’ barn, you might get him inside before anyone saw you. She walked toward the gate.
One of the boyos darted out of the barn’s entrance. She scowled. The boyos were preparing this barn for the arrival of Ryna’s betrothed. Boyos darted in and out at odd moments. She put her hands on her hips. The activity could hide what you were doing. People would assume the wagon was delivering hay, not removing a horse.
Not wanting to destroy any evidence, Falcon climbed over the fence. No distinguishable cross-hatched prints on this side. She rattled the gate. It held. Iestyn’s wire was in place. Either they hadn’t come out this way or the thief had replaced the old wire. He’d replaced the front wire, why not this one? They had to come this way. Didn’t they?
She needed to talk to Taizu.
Taizu hadn’t been in the paddock. He’d been unhappy about her plan to flirt information out of the boyos. When she reminded him that she was almost sixteen, he’d said that’s what he was worried about. Adult were so weird sometimes. After a sun of searching, a shoe and the possibility that someone had seen a wet shirt where none should be were her only clues.
Falcon knocked on the stablemaster’s door as the sun rose. He laughed, but he let her inspect his shoes. Lining the heel up with the heel of her palm, she thought his boots seemed a bit wider than the print. It was hard to tell for sure.
“How could someone have taken Lightning?”
“Iestyn had brought a foundered mare in from the field. We were in the merchant’s barn for about a bell. When we came out, Lightning was gone. Iestyn must’ve asked for my help to give his accomplices time to escape.”
“What’d you do when you realized Lightning was missing?”
“Called the boyos and looked for the foxedin horse.”
“Did all the boyos come right away?”
His lilac eyes rolled upward. “The geldings had just been turned out. Some of the boyos were filling troughs, but everyone came as quickly as I would have expected.”
“Anyone have a wet shirt?”
His expression clouded. “Not that I remember. Let me know if I can do anything else to help.”
She promised to keep him updated. Walking through the courtyard, she dodged boyos running grain to the horses.
Tessa whickered as Falcon entered the merchant’s barn. Over the turns, Falcon overheard a lot of gossip while brushing the mare. She stooped down to take her brushes out of the trunk in front of the stall.
“Can I help, Lady?” asked Quentril, the barn’s newest helper.
Like Iestyn, he had begged for the opportunity to be around the horses and was “working” at the barn while most boys were still in the nursery. A mop of unkempt red hair topped his freckled face.
“Sure, Quentril,” she said. “But call me Falcon.”
The boy kicked at the floor. “Stablemaster says that I gotta call everyone Lord or Lady. They’re better than me.”
“Well, then, we won’t tell him.” She leaned down to his ear and whispered, “Merchants earn titles. A title only means that person obtained a position that you haven’t. Yet. Captains of the Horse are selected from the boyos.”
He smiled. “Iestyn calls me Quent.”
Tessa was haltered and tethered to cross ties. Falcon took one side while Quent brushed the other.
“Falcon?”
“Aye?”
“What if you, maybe, saw something, if you didn’t tell, someone gets in trouble, but if you did, people’d be mad, and you’d be in trouble—what would you do?” he said.
Falcon walked over to his side. She crouched down and brushed Tessa’s foreleg.
“Sometimes, I put little bits of information together and f
igure out what happened. But others, if one key person doesn’t help, some very bad people get away with doing very bad things.” She met his amber eyes. “So, I guess it depends on whether you’re willing to risk being wrong so the right person’s sent to Justice. It’s not easy.”
He looked away and brushed Tessa.
“I was checkin’ fences. Derrin was in the geldings’ field.”
“Isn’t that where he was supposed to be?” she asked.
“Yea, but…”
“But?”
“I think he had Lightning…or maybe…Night, the dark bay Thatcher just bought. Derrin was on the far side of the field. When I got over there, Derrin and the horse were gone.” His lip trembled. “I—I didn’t say anythin’ when…”
She put her hand on his shoulder. “Will you now?”
“I didna know Iestyn’d get hurt.” His eyes welled, and his bottom lip trembled. “He’s my friend. He looks afta me. Won’t let the big kids give me their chores. But I was ’fraid the stablemaster’d hurt me…”
Falcon dropped to her knees and folded Quent into her arms. “It’s okay,” she said as she stroked his hair. “Iestyn’ll understand. It’s not your fault.” She held him away from her and brushed away his tears. “Did you see any markings?”
He stubbed his toe on the mat. “Just the haunches.”
From the rear, Lightning and Night were too similar to distinguish over that distance.
“When you were asked to look for Lightning, was Derrin’s shirt wet?”
“I don’t think so.”
Well, it had been too much to hope for anyway. “Where’d Derrin come from?”
“From the merchants’ barn. I think.”
Falcon bit her lip. That barn was the opposite side of the courtyard from Lightning’s paddock. Although the barracks for the stable boys was behind the merchant’s barn. Could Derrin steal Lightning and change clothes in a bell? Probably not.
“Sorry I didna see more.”
“No worries.” She smiled. “Come on, Tessa won’t groom herself.”
She walked to the tower, wishing she had better news. After days suns of hunting, she was no closer to finding Lightning. Maybe the Retu would be delayed. Falcon envisioned landslides closing roads.
The guard was different this eve, but he let her pass. Iestyn sat at the desk. He covered whatever he was writing with his arm. Someone had brought him clothes from his quarters. The musky scent of horse was barely detectible over the stench of dried sweat. Dark circles bruised his eyes.
“Aren’t you sleeping?” she asked.
His smile was slow and lopsided. “Figure I’ll be doing a lot of that after the Retu’re done.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
He folded the paper and put it in his pocket as he stood. “You should pick a new Captain of the Horse.”
“No.”
“Quent’s a bit old to start the training, but he’s quick. He’ll pick it up.”
“I won’t let you die. I’ll find Lightning…or if I don’t…I’ll find some way to pay for him even if it means mortgaging Tarishah.”
He spun around. “Saving me isn’t worth ruining your kingdom.”
Falcon bit her lip. Arguing got her no closer to finding Lightning. If she couldn’t find him before the Retu arrived, she’d just have to free Iestyn. She had enough gold and jewelry to get them out of the kingdom. It would be a different kind of exile than her current state, but Ietsyn wouldn’t die.
“Don’t think about it.” His voice cracked—something it did only when he was trying not to yell.
“You only spent a bell with the foundered mare?” she asked.
His brow furrowed, and he sat on the bed. “Who told you that?”
“The stablemaster.”
“Why would he…” Iestyn shook his head. “We trimmed Shorty’s hooves, put shoes and padding all around, and then medicated her. It took at least half a cycle, mayhap more. I wasn’t paying attention to the bells.”
She sat next to Iestyn. The pony, Shorty, was difficult to shoe. Foundering would make it worse. They’d probably spent closer to three bells working with her. Long enough for a thief to work. The stablemaster lied. Was he trying to save himself from the Retu’s vengeance or was he involved?
“What odds are the bet-takers laying?” he asked, breaking her train of thought.
None that favored him. “Don’t know.”
“You don’t lie well.”
“I do.”
“This is not something to be proud of.”
“In my profession it is.”
He glanced at the door. She looked too. The guard wasn’t visible.
“Your profession is ruling a kingdom.”
“Don’t start.” She stood up. “I’ll check in after Evetide. Trust me. I’ll get you out of this.”
“Trust has never been an issue.”
He had that strange look in his eyes again. The one that had started showing up about the time she stopped being able to easily pass for a boy. Falcon swallowed.
“I have to go.” She walked to the door.
“I’ll be here.”
Hand on the knob she said, “Not funny.”
The chimes rang. The third sun was half over. Armed with some wire, a wire cutter, halter, and lead, Falcon sat on a hay bale in the courtyard.
How long would it take to steal Lightning?
She’d refastened the paddock gate. The stablemaster dismissed the boyos for Nooning. Derrin and his group lingered, deciding which inn to visit. The guard passed on the ramparts. Derrin’s cronies pushed off, but he stayed behind.
Derrin swaggered toward her. Falcon stood. Even if he had nothing to do with the theft, he’d lose his chance at a promotion if Iestyn was cleared. Sweat trickled down the back of her shirt. His gaze bored into her. She had to maintain eye contact. Weakness would get her run over.
“Trying to save the thief?” His tone was light and teasing.
“Are you so anxious for his death?”
“Still.” He ran a finger down her cheek. “Your lover isn’t worth this effort. You’ll never find that horse.”
She held her ground. It wasn’t any of his business that Iestyn and she were just friends. “I’ve a job to do.”
She turned to walk away but stopped. Derrin would want to brag if he had anything to do with Lightning’s abduction.
“See anything unusual that morn?” she asked.
“Don’t you think I’d have told Captain General Taizu if I’d seen a stranger?”
A strand of hair dropped over her eye. As she tucked it behind her ear, she knocked his hand away. “What about someone who belonged?”
“I don’t get you.”
“Whoever stole Lightning had help.”
“Your boyfriend.”
“Didn’t do it.”
Derrin leaned closer. His cheek brushed against hers. He whispered, “Even if you find that thrice-cursed beast, Iestyn’ll get demoted for losing it.”
A dagger slid from the sheath on her hip. The tip pressed against his throat. “You presume too much.”
He took a step back. “There’ll come a time when you’ll come crawling to me.”
“Not even in my worst evemare.”
“I’ll be at the Dragon when you are looking for man, not a beast.” He turned and walked in the direction of the inn.
Sheathing the dagger, she muttered, “You’re the beast.”
With everyone gone, Falcon had two bells to recreate stealing the kingdom’s most prized horse. She jogged to Lightning’s paddock. Slipping the cutter from her waistband, she clamped down on the fail-safe wire. The snippers slid off. Repositioning to get a better angle, she used both hands to snap the line.
It had taken longer than she expected. A tug, and the gate swung free. The wire dropped to the ground. She had to get in the paddock and replace the wire. No telling how long Iestyn and the stablemaster would be busy with Shorty.
The gate closed without a
whisper. Iestyn took better care of hinges than Taizu did. She tried to thread a new wire through the latch but couldn’t reach. Whoever had taken Lightning was taller than she was. Although, most of the boyos were. She stood on the rail and leaned over the fence to reach the latch. Five minutes ticked past by the time she’d replaced the wire.
She trotted to the trough. The halter jingled and bumped against her hip. It didn’t make enough noise to draw attention during a busy sun.
This was the hard part. He liked playing chase as much as splashing. Lightning would snatch the halter out of her hands and toss it in the air. Once she started to halter him, he’d lift his head out of her reach. Another few minutes lost before Lightning deigned to be caught.
The clock pealed. A bell gone. With a frown, Falcon dropped the halter and turned toward the merchant’s barn. It was too far away, and she was running out of time. Sweat trickled between her shoulder blades.
How much longer? Where do I take him? Can’t go through the main gate.
Her brow furrowed as she looked for escape routes. Quent thought he saw Lightning in the geldings’ field.
She slung the halter over her shoulder.
Have to be quick.
A tug on the lead line pulled the imagined horse’s head up from where he cropped grass. The gate was a short jog away. Falcon jumped on the gate and reached for the wire. It wasn’t there.
She looked up at the sky. Thank the gods. Taizu had only walked the perimeter. Without tracks, he’d seen no reason to search the field. The thief passed this way with Lightning. He hadn’t felt safe or had time enough to replace the wire.
In under a minute, she stood in the geldings’ field. Most of the boyos were allowed in this paddock. So there was no reason for either the stablemaster or Iestyn to look twice if they saw him. They’d would assume the horse was Night. She sighed.
Now where?
Some of the back gates lead into fields, but a wagon couldn’t access them. The forest dropped off into the river. With Monsoon about to start, anyone using the river or hills around it worried about flash floods. Lightning was too valuable to risk. He could be led through the woods on the game trails. Boughs of ironwood trees would hide them from the castle. Watch patrols could be avoided.
Paths Less Traveled Page 4
