Kingdom of Sea and Stone (Crown of Coral and Pearl #2) - Mara Rutherford Page 0,23

only marking on her was a tiny swirl of white fur in the middle of her forehead, but it was hidden by her long forelock. “Where did she come from?”

“The innkeeper said she was left by a traveler who never returned for her. He gave me a good price. She’s sound,” Grig added, seeing the concern on Talin’s face. “But I can’t speak to how easy she’ll be to ride.”

“That sounds promising,” I said wryly.

Grig held up his hands. “Apologies, my lady. We were in a hurry.”

I gathered the reins and found a large rock to mount from. “I’m sure it will be fine.”

“See?” Grig said to Talin.

I flashed a sweet smile. “If not, I’ll trade with you.”

Grig’s posture stiffened, but he nodded in agreement.

When we were all mounted—Zadie sitting behind Osius with her eyes squeezed shut and her arms wrapped around him so tightly it was a wonder he could breathe—we headed north to the main road through Meradin.

“Shouldn’t we stay hidden?” I asked Talin, riding up beside him.

“I would love to, but we’ll make terrible time if we don’t use the road, and we need to hurry. For Sami’s sake, and my mother’s. Our best option is to ride as fast as we can for Galeth and pray we can outrun Ceren.”

The little mare danced beneath me as we made our way through the trees, her gait light and buoyant. It was clear she was well trained; the slightest touch on the reins and she reacted, almost too much. If I so much as brushed her sides with my heels, she broke into a trot or canter. It was a good thing one of the men hadn’t tried to ride her. I doubted they had a light enough touch.

Gently, I patted her neck, whispering words of reassurance in her gracefully curved ears, which flicked toward me in response. Eventually, I relaxed into my seat, and she seemed to get used to the feel of my weight on her back.

Once we reached the road, we rode hard to put as much distance between the port and our party as possible. I was afraid for our parents, for Sami, and for myself, but the exertion of riding gave me something else to think about. There were even brief moments where I forgot why we were fleeing and could concentrate on nothing but the feel of the wind in my hair, the tension in my muscles, and the road ahead.

Despite the potential danger, I couldn’t help imagining what it would be like to finally see Galeth. I had dreamed of going there one day, ever since Sami told us the story of the Varenians who had been brave enough to escape and eventually create a society that revolved around horses. Now that I knew how to ride, the idea was even more fascinating.

Which wasn’t to say that horses didn’t intimidate me; they were enormous and powerful creatures, and it often seemed that our control over them was a mere illusion—a small bar of metal between his teeth was not going to keep Talin’s stallion, Xander, from bucking me into the next kingdom if he chose. That was why the idea of a partnership between man and beast was so intriguing. Galethians were not considered masters of their horses but equals.

An hour after sunset, we made camp among the trees. We had seen few people on the road, fortunately. It seemed everyone was hunkering down, preparing for war. We had covered more ground than expected, and the horses were still fresh, as the early autumn weather was ideal for riding.

“You did well,” Osius said as he helped Zadie down from his horse’s back.

She landed with a small groan. “Really? All I did was hold on.”

He smiled, blue-gray eyes crinkling at the corners. I’d always liked Osius. He had been kind to me from the start, though somewhat removed, unlike Grig, who felt like a big brother in some ways. I had noticed a relationship blossoming between Grig and Ebb, my lady’s maid, before I left, but I doubted they’d seen each other since. The thought of Ebb, who had been my only friend in New Castle, sent a pang of worry through me. I hoped she was all right.

“You held on well,” Osius amended. “Let me help you get settled.”

Zadie demurred politely. “You should see to the horse, surely. I’ll help make the camp.”

She went to clear the campsite of rocks and debris while I unpacked our saddlebags. If she was experiencing