Arrows of Time - Kim Falconer [58]
Shane struggled onto his horse, a toddler climbing steps for the first time.
‘Demons! You can’t ride?’ Rosette frowned at his awkward seat, one hand clutching the uneven reins and the other gripping the pommel of the saddle. His boots couldn’t find the stirrups, and his attempts inadvertently poked the mare, sending her in jerky circles as he bounced up and down.
‘I’ve seen others do it, since coming here…’
‘You’re a bard, for demon’s sake. Why can’t you sit a horse?’
‘It’s a long story.’
‘Goddess help us! Hold still.’ She snatched the reins and drew them over the horse’s head. ‘Get your feet in those stirrups, and be still. Sit deep. Stop kicking her sides!’ She waited a second for him to adjust himself then led his mount along like a baggage pony. ‘Relax. Let your legs be easy, Shane. You’re sending her a hundred different messages all at once.’
‘Like this?’
She shook her head. ‘Heels down, toes parallel.’
He grimaced.
‘That’s better. Now lean forward, just slightly, and hang on.’
‘That’s it?’
‘For now.’ She levelled her eyes at him. ‘Whatever you do, don’t fall off, and don’t draw your sword!’ Run, Drayco!
I’m way ahead of you, Maudi. Me and this ridiculous beast you encouraged.
What beast?
Some goofy pup. Says his name is Fynn.
She groaned. White with grey speckles? Thin tail, always wagging? Great mind speech?
I wouldn’t call it ‘great’ mind speech, though I suppose for a dog it’s above average. Mostly he’s enthusiasm and legs.
Ignore him. Run!
They left Treeon’s temple guards behind, stumbling and groping like blind men without canes.
‘It shouldn’t have been this easy,’ Rosette said, looking over her shoulder.
‘You call that easy?’ Shane asked. ‘Where have you been?’
‘If you only knew,’ she answered. She urged his mare on, clucking to both horses. They moved into an easy lope, Shane holding onto the saddle with both hands.
Just be glad it was easy, Maudi, or we’d never get out of here. Come my way, north-east.
I’m thinking we skip this portal and head to Corsanon, Dray. We need distance between us and those guards and we can’t get that by zigzagging through these woods.
My thought too. Follow me, Maudi. I remember a short cut straight to the Corsanon route.
I hope it’s still there.
It is. Run!
TENSAR & GAELA—TIME: FORWARD
CHAPTER 13
Jarrod approached the dais, and the woman at the top of the steps. She was sitting like a lotus flower, hands folded in her lap. Her face, though craggy, was relaxed, her eyes closed. The only discernible movement was behind the lids where her eyes darted, the rapid motion framed by folds of skin, arched by her sparse grey brows. While her body rested in meditative composure, her eyes continued to roll, threatening to escape her face. Was she dreaming? Jarrod rubbed his jaw. Calculating?
Her white hair was cropped close, her body lean and ropy, browned from the sun like dried fruit. She was clothed in colourful material, a flowing curtain wrapped and tied in ways he hadn’t seen before. He checked his database and found a similar style in Earth’s Hindu culture. As the gyrating beneath her lids subsided, her shoulders squared. She smiled and let out a sigh. The expression lit up her face, turning it into an image of welcome and delight. She fluttered her lashes, eyes opening. They were piercing green gems, like freshwater ponds in the springtime. He smiled back.
‘You’ve come,’ she said, her voice surprisingly deep for her size and gender.
‘We followed the thread of your call.’
‘Indeed you did.’
Selene raised her head when the Caller spoke and stepped forward to introduce Jarrod.
‘Where did you find him?’ the older woman asked, her brow lifting.
‘At the foot of Mt Pelt. He sat waiting like a beggar.’
The Caller wrinkled her nose. ‘Came by the back door, did you, Jarrod?’ She laughed. ‘Brave of you.’
He shrugged, still smiling.
‘Noisome swamps, those,’ she said. ‘I don’t know how they tolerate them.’ She