Belaset's Daughter - By Feona J Hamilton Page 0,25
drag, but still, occasionally, she heard the sound of its hooves sliding and heard the snort of alarm.
At last, a faint line of light appeared on the horizon behind them. Sitting sideways, as she was, Judith could see through a gap in the heavy cloth which was draped over the wooden frame to give them some kind of shelter from the weather. Anxiously, she watched as the day dawned. She scanned the country behind them, but could see no sign of movement. Apparently, no-one had thought it worthwhile to report their going. She trusted the Hanuchin servants implicitly as, obviously, did Isaac and Brunetta but would the gatekeeper say anything? Would anyone ask him who had left the town early, and why?
As though he had read her mind, Isaac leant across his wife and patted Judith’s arm, as he spoke.
"The further away we get, the safer we are," he said. "The ground’s too hard for us to leave much in the way of tracks, and, in any case, this is a well-used road."
Judith looked at the road behind them and saw he was right. The ruts and hoofmarks left by their passing were barely distinguishable from others already laid down in the remaining snow. Any thawing would conceal them completely and if the thaw did not happen, their tracks would freeze as hard as all the others in a very short space of time.
She shivered, and huddled into her cloak, pulling the hood further down and snuggling her chin into the fur lining. Peering forward, she could see beyond the driver’s shoulder.
They were passing through the same empty landscape that she remembered from her solitary flight the day before. Fields divided into strips to show ownership stretched on either side, bare of crops at this time of the year. Now and then, a small coppice of trees broke the monotony, but that was all. It was a good job there was such a well-marked route, she thought, it would be easy to get lost in such featureless country.
The movement of the cart and the dreariness of the landscape began to lull her into sleep again. Her companions had already dozed off, she could see. Isaac’s head had drooped and Brunetta sat with her head resting on his shoulder. Judith allowed herself to doze with them.
BOSON BOOKS
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Belaset’s Daughter
There was a sudden shout from their driver, as the cart lurched. Startled awake, the three passengers looked to the front. Isaac jumped up, as the driver, cursing, got down from his seat.
"What is it?" said Isaac, poking his head out. He jumped down to join the driver, as he went to the back of the cart. Judith’s horse, tried to dance away from them, but the man soothed it until it quieted again. Together with Isaac, he examined the wheels and axles carefully.
"We’ve come off the road, master, and landed in the ditch," said the man. "But there’s no damage that I can see. You’ll have to all get out, so that the horses will have less weight to pull then they can drag the cart out again."
Turning, Isaac helped Brunetta down. Judith jumped down as nimbly as he had himself, and the three stood watching as the horses were urged forward. There was a cracking sound as the wheels crunched against the ice in the bottom of the ditch, and broke through it. The horses strained against the harness, their breath steaming in the cold air. The driver shouted and brought his hand down smartly on the rump of the nearest horse. Its hooves scrambled for purchase, there was a final heave, and the cart came upright on the road again. The three travellers climbed back on board and settled themselves again. The driver pulled himself up and took up the reins.
"Try to stay awake," said Isaac to him, with an edge to his voice.
His servant pretended surprise.
"But I was awake," he said, in an injured tone.
"Hmph!" said Isaac, darkly.
They started off again. The journey took on a dreamlike quality for Judith. The steady walking pace of the horses, the creaking of the cart, the quiet, unchanging landscape and the stillness, as though the whole world had frozen in time and only they were moving through it. It was a weird, vivid experience. She felt, with part of her mind, that she should be more concerned with the safety of the party, yet the quiet, rhythmic nature of their passage was lulling her again. She gave in to it, and slept.