The Wind's Call (The Broken Lands #4) - T.A. White Page 0,6

for getting her way. Neither man had pushed too hard, letting her act the way she saw fit.

She glanced at Hardwick. "Brighid was restless when I did my rounds last night. Thought I'd stick around and make sure she had company through the night."

Spring was trying to sink its claws into the Highlands, which meant one thing for them. Foals.

Brighid had looked ready to drop for the last week or so, and Eva had thought it likely she might foal overnight. She'd been right.

"Any problems?" Hardwick asked.

Eva scraped up the last of her breakfast, savoring the last spoonful. "Nothing I couldn't handle."

Which didn't mean the night had been easy. The birth was Brighid's first and it hadn't been without its complications. A horse's birthing process was surprisingly fast, especially when compared to that of a human. When Brighid had passed the hour mark of labor and there was still no sign of the second hoof of the foal, Eva had known something was wrong.

The knee of its front leg had gotten lodged against the mother’s pelvis. It had taken some doing, but Eva had gotten the second hoof into the right position. After that, the birth had gone off with little difficulty.

Eva rubbed her neck, reminded of how much the effort had taken out of her. Her back and legs ached. She didn't mind the pain. The successful birth and the joy of watching the mare and foal bond had been worth every moment of uncertainty and work.

Hardwick's grunted. "I'll check on her."

She nodded. Eva had expected nothing less.

The three Trateri from earlier waited across the campfire, bags at their feet.

Noticing where her gaze had gone, Ollie lowered his voice, "Our new apprentices. They're from Rain Clan. Jason, Delia, and Quinn."

"We've met," Eva said.

Apprentices. Great.

She hated when they got new ones. She always ended up having to knock some sense into a couple of the thick-headed ones. They saw her as a Lowlander and thought they didn't have to listen. They soon learned otherwise. If not from her, then from the other herd masters.

She grimaced. Training untested apprentices into proper herd masters took time and patience she preferred to reserve for her charges.

"It won't be so bad," Ollie said, guessing where her thoughts had gone. "They're practically half-trained already."

"Easy for you to say," Eva muttered, scraping her spoon along the bottom of the bowl. "You're not the one they always pick a fight with."

"Maybe this time don't take the bait."

She leveled an unamused stare on Ollie.

"You'll be grateful soon enough," Ollie promised, unaffected. "Foal season is upon us. I predict in a couple of weeks you'll be thanking the stars we have three extra hands to help."

Doubtful.

"No use griping. It is what it is. Each of them will shadow one of us while I assess their skills," Hardwick rumbled. "Ollie, you're with Delia, I'll take Quinn. Eva, you're with Jason."

Eva waved her spoon to signal her compliance while making a less than thrilled sound she hoped would be mistaken for enthusiasm.

Hardwick's grunt said he had correctly interpreted her effort for what it was but wasn't going to take issue with it now. "Eva, you're on the west pasture, Ollie take the south. I'll check on last night's foal."

Hardwick stood, jerking his chin at Quinn. The tall Trateri trailed behind the head herd master with one last glance at his fellow apprentices.

Ollie sighed and set his bowl in the wash basin and gestured for the woman to follow him. Eva had to fight back her groan when she realized the most troublesome of the lot had been assigned to her.

Jason's face reflected a similar disbelief and dislike, no happier about his placement than she.

So much for her peaceful morning.

Eva's spoon plopped back into her bowl and she set the half-eaten food aside, her appetite gone.

She stood. "Let's get to it."

*

By midmorning, Eva was wiping the sweat from her eyes as she tried to talk herself out of throttling her new apprentice. Well, Hardwick's apprentice that she was in charge of whipping into some semblance of shape.

It wasn't that Jason was dumb or bad at tending to the horses. Quite the opposite actually. He had some talent with the horses. Unfortunately, he also had a talent for arguing and second-guessing every order Eva issued.

It was enough to make her long for the peace of yesterday, when she was able to check on the herd in relative silence and not have to count to three every time she opened her mouth for fear