The Wind's Call (The Broken Lands #4) - T.A. White Page 0,2

the bushes, uncaring as they left small burrs in her coat.

She headed toward the stream, dipping her long neck so she could drink the water.

She was all elegant lines, a dapple grey with a mane and tail that looked like it couldn’t decide between white and grayish black. She was a beauty with more white than gray in her coat, different from the horses Eva was used to. This was a majestic creature, nothing like the stocky workhorses of her village, accustomed to a lifetime of pulling plows.

A leather halter looped around the mare’s nose and behind her ears. There was no bridle Eva could see.

"Are you lost, pretty girl?" she asked.

Eva looked around uneasily. There was no way the mare had come to be here on her own. Where was her owner?

The horse's ear closest to Eva flicked at the sound of her voice, but she didn't lift her head.

"Thirsty, huh? I know that feeling."

The mare was well cared for, if the sheen of her coat was anything to judge by. The halter on her was high quality too. Whoever her owner was must have cared for her.

Beyond the burrs and leaves caught in her coat and mane, Eva couldn't see any signs of abuse or neglect. Nor could she find any suggestion of malnutrition. She was a healthy weight, her muscles lean and developed.

The mare couldn't have been lost long.

Which meant Eva needed to leave her. If her owner was looking for her, Eva didn't want the man to find her as well.

Her fingers itched to touch and stroke, an urge she stifled. There was no point in getting attached when the mare wasn't hers.

Eva hesitated, knowing she should leave but unable to. This might be the only time in her life she was this close to such a magnificent creature, and she couldn't quite bring herself to pass up the opportunity.

She stepped closer, making soothing noises as she paid attention to the mare's posture. Horses, despite what her father and the other men from the village seemed to think, had extremely expressive body language.

The horse remained relaxed as Eva neared, her ears upright and her tail still.

Eva reached out and set her palm against her coat, working out a few of the burrs where she encountered them.

"Such a beautiful girl," Eva crooned.

After getting out all the burrs she could reach, Eva stepped back.

"I have to go now. I hope your owner finds you soon."

She moved through the trees, surprised when the underbrush snapped and crackled as the mare plodded after her.

Eva held out a hand. "No, no, you have to stay."

The horse snorted and lipped her fingers, continuing forward until her head loomed over Eva's.

Left with no choice, Eva took a step back only for the horse to follow.

They repeated the odd dance several times before Eva gave in. There was no way to force the horse to stay put short of tying her off somewhere, which Eva refused to do. There were too many predators in the Hags’ Forest to chance leaving the mare defenseless.

"Lonely, huh? Me too."

She rubbed the mare's neck, chuckling when the mare dipped her head to lip at the end of Eva's blond braid where it had slipped forward over her shoulder.

"Have it your way, but I'll warn you. No funny business. We have to find a place to sleep if we want to survive the night."

The horse snorted before stamping a foot.

Eva took that as agreement and set out, feeling much less alone than she had minutes before. It would be nice not to face the coming night on her own.

*

A stamp and soft snort reached Eva where she was curled around her pack, waking her. She raised her head and peered into the semi-darkness shrouding her shelter. She'd sought sanctuary the night before in a small depression at the base of a large tree, which could be a grandmother to the smaller ones around it. Its roots framed the depression, creating a small cave for someone small enough. It was just Eva's luck that she could slide through.

Dawn was barely a thought in the sky.

She sat up, listening to the quiet rustling that had brought her out of sleep. There were no signs of unease in the mare's movements. Eva took that to mean it was safe to leave her temporary burrow.

She was halfway out when movement in the bushes froze her in place. The horse flicked its tail but otherwise didn't seem particularly bothered by their guest.

Eva silently cursed.