by Thia Mackin
No hostlers waited in the courtyard to take the horses, a fact that had escaped me upon my arrival on foot. Stepping into the main stable, I scanned for any workers. Only a curious horse greeted me, neighing a hello. “Hello to you too. Did you eat everyone?” I questioned, patting her nose as I passed—moving toward the second barn.
A single step out the back door of the primary stable revealed the sounds of chatter, and I followed it to the other barn. A group gathered around a birthing stall, murmuring. Inside the stall, a woman talked softly to a largely pregnant chestnut mare who paced back and forth. Suddenly, the mare dropped to the ground and rolled. The female guard—presumably the owner—stepped back, waited until the mare stood, then moved closer.
“How long has she been rolling?” I questioned, eyeing the scene. “Did her water break?”
Rezqwa was unavailable for who knew how long, and he was the only person I’d trust to deliver a breech on this Plane. The mare rolled again, trying to reposition the foal for easier delivery.
“She’s been having contractions for about ten minutes, pacing back and forth, but it seemed like a normal foaling. About four or five minutes ago, she began lying down and rolling. I’ve never seen a horse roll, and her water hasn’t broken.” Panic filled the guard’s voice, and a little of it touched me. “What do I do?” she asked, half-begging for a solution.
A quick glance around the crowd revealed that about half were already in their human form. “Raise your hand if you are on-shift right now.” That narrowed it down. “Of the people with hands up, how many have been to Terra?” A few more went down. “Know where Asez Holding is?” I pointed to the woman with her hand still in the air. “Go to Asez. Ask for Rendle Cavallo. Tell him a mare is in distress with a breech foal and beg him to help. Let him know the Master of Stable is away. And if he doesn’t agree, find Rankar Sirach. Tell him what is going on.” She nodded, but her feet didn’t move. “Go!”
As her energy built, I headed to the sink to scrub my arm to the shoulder. “Grab her headstall, let her lean against the wall if she wants, and I’ll see if I can feel anything.” Immediately, the guard followed my direction, but her eyes watched the heaving sides of her mount. “I’m Kinan.”
“Willow Pliea,” she answered. “And this is Caucus.”
Finished lubing my hand and forearm, I spoke softly to the mare as I approached her hindquarters. “Willow, our main issue here is time. The foal will run out of it first. Then its mom. So I’m going to do a physical exam.”
Palpating the vagina revealed nothing. The foal should have already filled it. Deeper, something blocked the pelvic opening. “The foal is presenting breech.” Closing my eyes allowed me to visualize better. The tail. I peeked and checked the room. No Rendle yet. One of the observing stable hands placed a loop of nylon-like rope in my free hand.
Goddess, a little help?
Inhaling deeply, I made a small tear in the placental sac. The hindquarters plugged the hole so little water was released, but I worked my hand inside. Running my fingers along the smooth, amniotic sac, I determined the foal was upright and felt for its leg. The left hind foot filled my hand, and I guided it carefully out of the pelvic opening. It jerked the leg back inside. “It’s alive!” I assured everyone, pulling my arm out briefly to get the loop.
Reaching back inside with the loop in my left hand and the end of the rope in my right, I found the leg again. Using my fingers, I ruptured the amniotic sac and cupped the foot as I pulled it free again. Loop around the hoof, I tightened the slack with my right hand and searched for the other hind foot with my left. Then both were free and in the loop.
And the next contraction began. Pulling as the mare pushed, I exhaled in relief as the hindquarters slid free. Normally, the foal would have its head out now—taking its first breaths. Instead, its head was immersed in amniotic fluid in the uterus, and a better than average chance existed that the umbilical cord was flattened by the pressure of the baby’s body against the vaginal wall.
The mare and I both rested in the seconds between that contraction and the next. Then we began again. Suddenly, the shoulders came free in a gush of liquid. The guard immediately released the mare and hurried to the newborn, cleaning the fluid from his face and nose. “Gods,” one of the bystanders murmured, “look at him. He’s a beauty.”
Sitting on the ground, covered in goo and trying to remember not to touch my face, I grinned. He was handsome and completely unlike his chestnut-colored mom, all blue-gray with tiny white spots on his back legs and a large white blotch on his left hindquarter shaped vaguely like a snowflake.
“Good job, lass,” Rendle congratulated, patting my right shoulder as he passed me to check the mare. Silently, he washed and lubed up before advising the owner that he wanted to check her uterus and vagina for signs of obvious damage before infusing the uterus with antibiotics. He recommended having her checked by an animal healer prior to breeding her again.
By the time he finished his exam on mother and baby, the colt was already on his feet and nursing. Rendle offered me a hand up as he moved past.
“Thank you for coming.”
“You had it under control,” he advised, stopping to wash up at the sink. I followed suit, acknowledging that a shower and change were next on the agenda.
“Anything could have gone more wrong and put it well out of my ability. Luck and the Goddess delivered him,” I admitted, turning my head to check on the foal. “Please come inside for something to eat, my treat, before you go.”
He declined with a shake of his head. “Another time, perhaps.”
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the normal cost of an animal healer visit and handed it to him. His lips flattened slightly, and he tried to hand it back to me. This time, I shook my head.
“Your time is valuable. Besides, the Banded Traveler will reimburse me.”
He sighed, set the money on the ground in front of me, and opened a Gate. “Come to lunch with an old man like me sometime soon; that would be enough.”
I sighed, watching him leave. Then I picked up the money and headed inside to clean up so I could finish my shift. Later today, I needed to visit Elizar Stone to discuss if he could help me with Rankar’s birthday and Yule presents next month, and I did not want to smell quite this much like stables when I did.
The cold, evening air found every speck of exposed skin as I leaned against the upper rail of the corral. The moon, only days from being full, lit the desert enough that I watched the roan gelding exploring his new enclosure. He’d already greeted me, accepted the sugar cubes, and headed off again. Apparently, Rendle had determined that the Deylura-cross would bond me based on our interactions and had sold him to Rankar as a Yule gift for me. Goddess, his gray and white coat shone so brightly in the moonlight it brought tears to my eyes.
Warmth encapsulated me as Rankar wrapped his left arm around my waist. The chill disappeared, and tension I hadn’t even realized I felt left with it. “You okay, eirlys?”
My fingers entwined with his, and I leaned back into him. “Today was one of the best days of my life, Rankar.” The need to explain filled me, but describing how I felt caused me to hesitate. Facts, I could do facts. “I’ve never shopped for Yule before, and I barely remember receiving gifts as a child… I did. I just can’t remember. My memories of family and sharing moments like this are limited to snippets and flashes—excepting the last few years with Elie and Triswon. But I’ve never stayed long enough to experience this.” Turning in his arms, I wrapped both arms around his waist and looked up to meet his eyes. “I love your family, Rankar, and I love you. I love Hypnos and Thanatos. Going to sleep in your arms. Waking up by your side. Knowing I’m yours and you’re mine.” Raising cold fingers, I traced the smile on his lips. “I don’t have words to describe how I feel, but I’m so much better than okay. Thanks to you.”
He leaned his head forward, pressing his lips to mine. My eyes closed, and I enjoyed the feeling of safety. “I’m glad I could
give you this,” he murmured. “I love you, too, Kinan.”
I felt his intent and opened to him. The kiss was tender, the gentle promise of warm coals on a cold night. Just a little fuel could embolden it to a full-blown blaze. However, this was neither the place nor time. We couldn’t disappear. Yet.
Typically, everyone in the family stayed up all night performing Mari Lwyd—an ancient Welsh custom of riddles, games, and song—and eating taffy and drinking wassail. I’d only met his soulsibling, Tier, and his sister, Alika, this morning at Rankar’s birthday celebration. Tier had welcomed me unequivocally upon sight, encouraging his soulsibling’s happiness. Alika—though less exuberant in her greeting—had presented me with organic soaps for Yule and appeared to genuinely like the original print of Qalildre I’d purchased for her in Mystor. Plus, she’d brought her boyfriend, Lucienn, to meet the family. Not the ideal time to run off. No point unintentionally increasing the animosity between Alika and Rankar. I liked her and hoped the misunderstanding between Ran and her could be fixed.
“Rankar? How far away is your house from here as the crow flies?” The drive typically took about twenty minutes, and Gating would be instantaneous.
He glanced over his shoulder like he could see it in the distance. “About ten miles. Why do you ask?”
I smiled. Definitely doable. “After Plygain, can we run home?”
His grin warmed my chest, but left me suspicious.
“What?”
“Yes. We can run home.”
Earlier in the day, we’d Gated our presents back to the house—excluding my horse, who would be remaining in the Sirach barn—to remove some of the clutter in the crowded Sirach home. However, when the family began Gating out, Rankar and I escaped to his bedroom and shifted into our alternative forms. Tiernia grinned as Rankar brushed up against her at the landing, opening the door to let us out as she and Kismet walked out to the car.
I set the pace, my legs shorter. The dry, desert air carried the smells of small animals scurrying as we darted past. A rabbit froze in its tracks, and I leapt over it without slowing down. The shorter weeds brushing my underbelly tickled, and the shifting pebbles beneath my paws distracted. Running gave a sense of freedom that only compared to how I felt riding full speed over the ground on horseback.
Once, we stopped to explore a small cave system. Our investigation startled a raccoon and a few bats. No buried treasure or secret caverns, but dirt and cobwebs coated my fur and whiskers. I rubbed against Rankar’s side as he gave a feline laugh, trying to smudge away the worst of the debris using his fur. He bumped me with his head. So much bigger than me, it pushed me back a step. I darted between his legs, taking off toward the house but choosing the path of most resistance.
Finding a nice den of brush in a place too small for him to squeeze into, I settled in to wait. I could hear him tracking my scent then trying to find a way around. After a few long minutes, he chuffed from a short way away. He knew where I was, but he couldn’t get to me. We’d call it a tie, I decided as I backtracked into a place large enough for him.
Bumping his leg with my shoulder, I took off again. Already, I could smell older trails where we’d crisscrossed the area on past runs. Within minutes, we were at the fence. Staying low to the ground, we headed to the porch and entered the house through the patio doors to find Hypnos and Thanatos waiting on the couch.
::Shower?:: Hypnos asked after we shifted back.
“Someone’s feeling a little judgmental,” I grumbled, glancing at Rankar.
Rankar grinned wickedly, raising an eyebrow at me. “Shower?” he echoed.
I laughed before taking off toward the master bedroom at a run. This time, he was right behind me.
Chapter 23
“Your mother was a mule!” I cursed, sitting in the dirt a moment to take stock to make sure nothing broke in the fall. Hypnos appeared overhead, concerned, but I sent him reassurance that I wasn’t hurt. I’d named the damned horse Pantheon, hoping that time spent with him would somehow honor Romtal’s memory. However, Romtal had never, not once dumped me on my butt.
The blue roan bumped my shoulder with his nose, not quite an apology but definitely showing some concern. “Custodia means ‘guard.’ Stās means ‘stand.’ You can’t stop when I expect you to go,” I lectured, pulling myself to my feet. “Otherwise, I end up on my butt, and you end up dog food… if you weren’t so mean your meat probably tastes bitter.”
The beautiful, ornery creature had learned the ‘stay’ command effortlessly, enjoying the attention and treats obedience brought. The whistle to bring him to my location seemed to be part of his innate language. He heard, understood, and obeyed instantly. Plus, he tracked better than both the Pyrenees, Trouble and Cliff, combined. No matter where I hid out of his sight, he found me. And he had nerves of steel. As long as he could see me, no noise in the world spooked him.
However, he liked to bite any creature that wasn’t me just for being too close. Thank the Goddess Hypnos was wary and lightning fast as the drakyn somehow always ended up within reach of the horse’s teeth. A sign hung on his stall door warning everyone to keep away, even the guards who normally cared for the Asez Holding horses daily. At least living at the Sirach ranch, he encountered fewer people than if I boarded him at the Banded Traveler.
Exhaling, I grabbed the pommel and remounted. Perhaps we both needed a run to calm our nerves. Walking toward the corral gate, I bent low to unhook the latch. He patiently exited and waited for me to lock it back. Heading toward the pasture, I grinned as he bunched his hindquarters and effortlessly leapt the fence. His pacing was perfect, barely breaking stride upon the landing. Then I gave him his head, pointed away from where the sheep currently grazed.
The wind whipped my face, so I bent low and let him run. He had endurance and seemingly enjoyed the hell-for-leather speed. However, worry caused me to slow him after a few minutes. We continued on at a walk, wandering in the general direction of Asez Holding’s compound.
Between the Sirach and Asez land, hundreds of acres spread before us. We had time before Rankar would be home from work, and nothing relaxed me more on a day off than riding. The months of working at Elie and Triswon’s had allowed me to recover at my own pace, and the limp had disappeared. Unfortunately, the work bored me. Some days, it tried my patience. It never challenged my skills.
When scuffles broke out in the courtyard or just beyond the gate, it tested my willpower to remain at my post inside the stable. My job was to keep the horses calm, make sure none of the animals were injured. Even if I was better suited to the security work, Elie preferred I stay out of danger as much as possible while in her employ, and I refused to further push her hospitality.
Luckily, Rankar had gotten approval from Keawyn for me to use the Asez Holding training facilities. My rifle only drew compliments, not suspicion, at their specialized gun range. Plus, my marksmanship brought out the competitiveness of guards who considered themselves snipers, drawing bets from the rest on who would win the weekly, “friendly” shooting competitions. Apparently, the gamblers appreciated the money my skill won them enough to share their winnings with me. I doubled my income each week just practicing.
A drop of rain hitting my nose startled me out of my thoughts. A look at the sky hinted that it might be a stray cloud, but the possibility of flash flooding caused me to turn and head back to the barn. With Ryn and Mycal both away, I had no reason to linger after I settled Pantheon back in his stall. Instead, a quick Gate to an alley in Elysii and a brisk walk landed me at the Banded Traveler between breakfast and lunch.
The ward tingled as I entered, almost a greeting. By the time I chose a seat, footsteps on the stairs assured me that Eliecha knew I’d arrived. “Snowflake!” She hugged me before sliding in beside me. “I didn’t know you were going to visit.”
The waiter brought me one of the house ales that Triswon commissioned to be brewed specifically for the tavern. The robust flavor made it popular with the locals and tourists alike
. I raised my glass to Eliecha. “It never occurred to me that I could surprise you!” The sad smile she gave me caused me to lean closer and touch her hand. “What’s wrong?”
She covered mine with her other one, patting it gently. “Nothing. I just have this overhanging bad feeling that will not go away, and the Goddess has not seen fit to show me why. Triswon went to the Bhinj Sithen to check on them.”
Unsure how else to help, I paused to think. “Is there anyone you want me to visit for you?”
This time, her smile held more happiness. “Actually, I sent drakyn to find you to make sure you did not need me. Now that you are here, they are probably quite confused.”
“Does this happen often?” Guilt pinged at me that I didn’t know.
Her half-shrug left a lot to be desired. “The Goddess sends me what she wants me to know. Sometimes, like the day we met, I see nothing. She intended for you to become part of my life that day, and if she had warned me in advance, I never would have cut through that alley. Occasionally, my vision is of someone I dearly love desperately grasping a charm I made and saying my name for a Gate to open. Without hesitation or question, I create that charm and gift it to the person, not knowing that it will be to save the life of her human partner. Often, I have a front row seat in the things She sends me, like I am living it myself. Once in a while, the Goddess whispers to me how she wants things handled. Rarely, thank goodness, something is so cataclysmic that she warns me with this terrible foreboding but won’t reveal the source until I cannot get involved.” Her shrug came across as too casual. “Can’t have one of her most obedient handmaidens in danger.”
My brows knit. My Gift had always felt as useless as an afterthought, except the day that I’d rescued Eliecha. However, the Goddess would not have let anything happen to her prophet—even if I’d ignored the vision and kept walking. If my burden were that my Prophecy was basically useless, Elie’s problem was the opposite. Everything she Saw came directly from a higher power.