by P. C. Cast
“I thought you’d be here. Scoot over. This isn’t just your favorite place.”
River scooted over, but she also leaned down and flicked hot water at her sister.
“Don’t be immature,” April said, sitting beside River.
“You’re sounding more and more like Mother,” River said.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“I didn’t mean it as one.” River butted her sister with her shoulder, and both girls laughed.
“Who’s working out today?” April lifted her hand, squinting against the bright winter sunlight at the muddy scene below them.
The girls were sitting on the top lip of a tier of basins that cascaded steaming thermal water down, down, down, to a reservoir below. Long ago Herd Magenti had built a mud trap beside the reservoir—a long strip of earth that ran the length of one side of the rocky water catch and was the width of six horses. The mud trap was mixed with sand gathered from the lake and tilled daily—and daily it was also drenched with thermal water, diverted from one of the cascading basins, so that it was a sucking, muddy mess that required a lot of strength and tenacity for any horse to cross. All winter Riders brought their horses to the mud trap, exercising them so that their stay in the warm, comfortable Valley of Vapors did not make them soft.
But with the Mare Test coming the last day of spring and the Stallion Run the last day of summer, both the following year, this winter the mud trap was a proving ground for the next leaders of Herd Magenti.
“Clayton has Bard down there, of course,” River said.
“I see him. That big white blaze is hard to miss, even mud-spattered,” April said. “He is a good-looking stallion. And fast, too. Do you think he’ll win?”
“I hope not.” The words left River’s mouth before she realized she’d spoken them.
Her sister studied her. “Because of Clayton and Skye?”
River rolled her eyes. “Not you, too.”
“What do you mean—not me too? Hey, the whole herd knows that until you brought Ghost back to us Clayton had been following you around for years, totally love struck. There was even a rumor last year that you were the reason he left to spend those months training with Herd Cinnabar.”
“He trained with Cinnabar because they’re the best warriors, and Clayton thinks that training will help him guide Bard into winning the Stallion Run. Anything more than that is stupid gossip.”
“Stupid gossip that spread through the herd,” April said.
“I can’t help that.”
“True, but he was back to following you around when he returned—until Ghost. Then something changed with him, and Skye slipped right in where everyone thought you would be—mated to Clayton: you the Rider of our next Lead Mare, and him the Rider of our next Herd Stallion.”
River made a rude noise that sounded a lot like Anjo blowing snot from her nose.
“Okay, tell me if I’m wrong.”
“You’re wrong. At least you’re wrong from my perspective. Clayton and I have been friends since we were children. He wanted more. I didn’t. It’s been hard for him to accept it.” River moved her shoulders restlessly. “But I can’t force myself to feel more for him than I do, and I wouldn’t even if I could.”
April turned to face her sister, drawing her knees up and hugging them. “River, have you ever had feelings of ‘more’ for anyone?”
River sighed. “No. Not yet. And I’m tired of people asking me about it. Maybe that’s why Ghost found Anjo and me—because I understand what it feels like to have everyone obsessed with who I’ll choose. Why can’t we not choose anyone except ourselves? What’s so wrong with that?”
“Hey, sorry. I didn’t mean it like that—like I’m one of the gossips lurking around watching every time you so much as talk too long with any one guy or girl. The truth is, I want to be more like you than her.” April jerked her chin in the direction of the mud trap, where Skye had just appeared and was already giggling breathlessly at something Clayton was saying.
“If Skye spent half the time working with her filly as she does simpering at Clayton she might very well challenge Anjo and me for Lead Mare and Rider,” River said.
April shook her head as they watched Clayton knee Bard into rearing in the middle of the mud trap, apparently just so Skye and the group of girls joining her could coo and clap.
“Sometimes I think we should go back to the way it was generations ago, when men were only allowed in our camps when they were invited by women who wanted babies,” River said. “It’s hard for me to believe how ridiculous girls act when a cute boy pays attention to them.”
“Girls who take other girls as lovers can act silly, too,” April said.
“Not as silly.”
“So, you think Clayton’s mad at you for not wanting him and that’s why he’s stirring up so much talk?”
“I don’t know. He’s been really angry since Mother allowed Ghost to winter with the Herd, and he knew I didn’t feel more than friendship for him before I found Ghost. April, he knew it well before he left to train with Cinnabar. It’s just that me finding Ghost made the knowing finally sink in. I’m not sure why.”
“Uh, River, it could be because Ghost obviously hates Clayton, and you obviously like Ghost more than him.”
River shrugged. “Horses Choose their own Riders, as well as their own friends. I wish Clayton and Skye well.”
“Why?”
River’s brows went up. “Because I don’t want him, so why shouldn’t Skye find happiness with him?”
April sighed. “No, that’s not what I meant. I meant if you don’t have any feelings of jealousy, why don’t you want Clayton and Bard to be the Herd’s next Stallion and Rider? But I also think it’s weird that Ghost dislikes him so much.”
River blew out a long breath. “I’m not surprised Ghost dislikes Clayton. He can probably sense how irritating it is that Clayton wouldn’t take my No I don’t want you—I just want to be friends with you as a true no. Well, that and the fact that Clayton roped and tripped Ghost the first time they met—which definitely wasn’t a good start for them. I do think it’s strange that Clayton so clearly dislikes Ghost, especially when he spouts all that crap about the Riderless stallion heralding change for the Herd. Maybe he thinks I’m bonded to the stallion, which would mean I could compete against him for Rider of the Herd Stallion.”
“But you’re not bonded to Ghost, right?”
“Right. We’re just friends. If he’s bonded to anyone it’s Anjo,” River said.
Anjo raised her head from where she was grazing nearby and nickered softly at her Rider, and River blew her a kiss in return.
“Ghost and Anjo would make gorgeous foals. Can you imagine? Makes me wish Anjo could be bred to him in time to have a weanling for the next Choosing.”
River studied her sister. April was the sister closest in age to her, and at this spring’s Rendezvous she would be sixteen, which made her a first-time Candidate for the Choosing. Over the past year she and River had gotten close, which made River unexpectedly happy as she realized her sister was smart and funny, and very loyal. River needed loyalty—especially with the talk of change that kept being whispered through the Herd.
“Are you nervous already?” River asked her.
“Not yet. More looking forward and anxious for it to hurry and get here, but I know how nervous I’ll be at the Rendezvous, so I don’t really want it to hurry and get here. Know what I mean?”
“Exactly.”
“So, you think Clayton changed toward you because he’s worried that Ghost can beat Bard in the Run?”
“Ghost can beat Bard. I don’t have any doubt about that, but it doesn’t matter. Ghost doesn’t have a Rider. He can’t compete.”
April looked around them, and even though they were alone she lowered her voice. “You know there’s talk about letting him compete.”
“Ghost? That’s impossible.”
“Under the current law, yes. But there’s a w
hole group who think it’s time to change those laws,” April said.
“I know Clayton’s part of that group, but he’s not going to be for allowing Ghost to compete.” River shook her head. “I wish Mother would shut down the rumors, but she acts like they mean nothing,” she added.
“Maybe because they don’t mean anything. Mother has ruled for almost a decade. She’s wise. She wouldn’t just ignore something that needed to be dealt with. And you know there’s always crazy talk when the Lead Mare and Herd Stallion are stepping down in the same year.”
“I know, but it’s still annoying.”
“Hey, you didn’t answer me. Why don’t you want Clayton and Bard to win?”
“I think Bard is a fine stallion—not better than Ghost, and maybe not better than a couple of the other contenders, but that’ll be decided by the race. I don’t want Clayton to be Lead Stallion Rider because he wants to rule,” River said.
“But that’s what a Herd Stallion Rider does.”
“No. He leads the other stallions in service to the Lead Mare and the rest of the Herd. I know Clayton. He doesn’t want to serve the Lead Mare. He wants to rule over her.”
April made a rude noise. “That will never happen!”
“And yet Clayton and his supporters, including Skye, who believes she can beat Anjo and me for Lead Mare, follow him—and they’re getting more and more vocal about their desire for change.”
April shook her head. “I don’t get it. Our horses are strong and beautiful. Our people are healthy and prosperous. The Wind Rider lands have been a place of peace for centuries. And it’s not like any other Herd is going to listen to them. I just don’t understand why Clayton and his friends suddenly want change.”
“I don’t think it’s sudden. And I don’t think it’s only happening here, with our Herd. Clayton used to say little things I thought were off, or strange sounding, but when I’d ask him to explain what he meant he’d shrug away his words and change the subject—until he returned from Herd Cinnabar last spring. Since then he’s been blatant about his ideas. April, I didn’t start avoiding him just because he was pressuring me to be more than friends. I avoided him because I didn’t like what I heard coming out of his mouth.”
“So, it’ll truly be bad for the Herd if Clayton wins.”
“Yes, truly. Or at least bad for the Herd as we know it,” River said.
“He’ll need a strong mare-and-Rider team to keep him under control. You don’t think Skye and Scout can beat you and Anjo, do you? The Great Mother Mare knows Skye would give in to anything Clayton wanted. I mean, look at them down there,” April said, worrying a long piece of grass between her fingers.
Both girls gazed below. Skye was now perched on a rock at the edge of the mud trap. Even from their high vantage point River could see that Skye’s strawberry-colored hair was dressed with streams of purple ribbons braided in the same fashion as her filly, Scout. As River watched, Clayton, who was on Bard’s back as the stallion trotted determinedly back and forth along the length of the mud trap, his deep, muscular chest frothy with sweat, shouted something to Skye, and her flirtatious laughter drifted up with the rising steam from the reservoir. Several lengths behind Bard, Scout struggled through the mud, Riderless and ignored.
“Skye’s not the only person who doesn’t ride in the mud trap,” River said.
“Yeah, I know, but if I were lucky enough to be Chosen, especially by a horse as wonderful as Scout, I’d be out there with her and not posed on a rock flirting with a boy.”
River looked at her sister. “You mean unless Brax and Kanth were down there?”
April’s face flamed. Brax was a year older than her, and at the last Rendezvous was Chosen by a sweet bay gelding named Kanth.
“Brax and I like each other—maybe a lot—but I wouldn’t let my feelings for him turn me into that.” April pointed down at Skye, who had tossed back her long hair and was clapping and cheering Bard on, as her Scout continued to labor behind him, mud-spattered and breathing hard.
Disgusted by Skye, River’s gaze went to the girl’s filly. “Scout’s a fine horse, but she’s not as fast as Anjo—no mare is except Echo, and that was when she was in her prime.”
“Don’t let Mother hear you say that.” April bumped River with her shoulder.
“Oh, don’t worry. I’d never disrespect Echo like that.”
“But I agree with you. Anjo is fast.”
“She is! I’m sure Luce and Blue are going to compete in the Mare Test, and they’re actually a stronger team than Scout and Skye. Blue can definitely outrun Scout. And don’t think that Skye and Luce and I will be the only Riders entering the Test. Anyone can enter as long as their mare isn’t older than ten—and that includes a lot of amazing teams in our Herd and the other branches of Magenti. Pairs will come from all of our Herds, and the competition will be tough. You know the Test is about a lot more than speed. There will be choices we have to make as a team out there. I don’t know what the tests will be—no one except the Mare Council know—and since every Mare Test is different, not even Mother can help Anjo and me prepare.”
“Yeah, and the only witnesses will be the Council judges hidden all around the course—well, at least until you cross the finish line, where everyone will be waiting and cheering. I know all that—we all do. But do you think you can win?”
“Anjo says we can, and that’s good enough for me,” River said.
“I think you can, too,” April said firmly.
“Hey, you realize that if I’m Lead Mare Rider that means you and whatever filly Chooses you probably can’t be, don’t you?” River asked her sister. Lead Stallions held their position no longer than eight years—sometimes a lot less if they were injured or otherwise unable to father foals. Lead Mares led the Herd for ten years—unless injury or illness forced them to step down—and no mare over the age of ten could apply for the Mare Test, which meant that unless something unexpected happened, any horse who Chose April would not be eligible for Lead Mare.
April looked at her sister, surprise clear in her hazel eyes. “Of course I know that! Riv, I’ve never wanted to be Lead Mare Rider. I watch Mother. She and Echo have so many responsibilities. They have to figure out which mares should be bred to which stallions and when. They have to decide on the backup stallions, and the order they stand in for the Herd Stallion after he has been bred to the max. They sit in judgment and hear all the Herd disputes—all of them—then she and Echo decide the outcome, and sometimes that means enforcing penalties and even banishing Riders from the Herd!” She shuddered. “I can’t even imagine! And then there are all of the formal trade gatherings they oversee, as well as deciding which campsite we move to and when—and that’s just part of their responsibilities. It’s exhausting just listing them.” April shook her head firmly. “No. I have no desire to lead, and you have always wanted to. Plus, you’re Mother’s choice—not me, not Amber, and not Violet.”
“Violet’s only four. She can’t be chosen for anything yet,” River teased.
“True. But me—no way. I’ll be content to be bonded to a horse. Any horse. And to serve my Lead Mare Rider.” She bowed her head only half kiddingly.
“Thank you,” River said soberly. “I mean it.”
April met her sister’s gaze. “I mean it, too. And you’re welcome. Now, why don’t you take that gorgeous filly of yours down there and see if you can splash some mud on Skye?”
“That’s really petty,” River said.
“Yes, it is.”
River dimpled. “But it sounds like fun. Want to come with me?”
“Absolutely!”
River wiped her feet off in the grass beside the basin, and then she and April walked over to Anjo.
“How about we go to the mud trap and get some exercise?” River asked Anjo as she rubbed her filly’s wide forehead.
Anjo snorted and bumped River playfully.
“She’s more than ready!” April said, kissing Anjo on the side of her face.
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“She likes competition a lot more than I do,” River said.
“Because she knows she’s the best—just like Echo,” April said as she walked beside her sister and Anjo down the steep, winding path to the reservoir.
By the time they reached the mud trap it was no longer early morning and the exercise ground was filling with young Riders and their Companions. River noted right away that Skye remained seated on the rock beside the trap, and that several young girls—some already Riders, and some not—had taken seats around her. Those who had horses sent them into the trap to exercise while the girls remained comfortable, almost as if they were holding court around Skye.
There were a couple fillies laboring away in the mud trap, but most of the spectator attention was focused on Clayton and Bard, who were both covered with sweat and mud and sand, still struggling against the sucking ground while Scout held her own with them, though no one seemed to notice the hardworking filly.
“Do you see that?” April whispered to her sister while River braided Anjo’s long tail so that it would be easier to wash free of mud afterwards. “Those girls are taking their cues from Skye and just sitting around while their fillies exercise.”
“I see, and I do not approve,” River said darkly.
“Mother should know about this. It’s the laziest thing I think I’ve ever seen. If this is the change Clayton and his friends are for, well, they need to be stopped!” April hissed the words under her breath to her sister.
“We don’t have to bother Mother. If I’m going to lead our herd I can’t be calling on my mommy to help me.”
“Are you going to yell at them? Tell them how lazy and stupid they’re being?”
River smiled at her passionate little sister. “No. I’m going to do what our mother would do—lead by example. If they don’t follow, well, then, I’m the wrong leader.”
“Or they’re the wrong followers,” April muttered.
River laughed as Anjo knelt so that she could mount. She, like the other Riders exercising in the mud trap, were riding bareback. Actually, River preferred to ride Anjo bareback. She liked the skin-to-skin contact, and Anjo was so sensitive to her every movement that River could direct her filly without using their mental bond, and instead just nudged her slightly with thigh, calf, and heel pressure.
