DragonKnight - Donita K. Paul [20]
Mig danced in a circle, bouncing on all four legs one minute and heaving her hind legs into the air the next. She bounded sideways and reared so that Bardon had to throw himself forward to keep from sliding off her back. She then spun in a crazy circle, switching directions so that Bardon’s head snapped.
The agility and stamina that would serve the beast well when she raced over countless miles of desolate territory kept her moving for more than two hours. Bardon clung to the saddle with his legs and eventually threw his arms around Mig’s neck to keep from being hurled to the ground. After a grueling campaign to rid herself of her rider, the beast stood still, flesh quivering, chest heaving, nostrils flared and blowing, but still.
Bardon knew better than to loosen his hold or try to get off. He had not won the battle yet. Instead, he crooned to the wild kindia, stroking her neck, and even scratching the top of her head right behind each ear. Fifteen minutes later, Mig kicked up her hind legs. When the nuisance on her back did not sail into the air, she commenced another round of gyrations designed to destroy the rider. The second wild dance lasted just over an hour.
A row of men lined the fence closest to the barn. After a brief interlude where she regained her breath, Mig lowered her head and charged them. They scrambled up to safety, but the maneuver had apparently given Mig an idea. She proceeded to try to scrape Bardon from her back by running into the fence at an angle.
Bardon’s body felt like scrambled eggs. Now Mig seemed intent on crushing him. First one leg and then the other took a beating against the wooden slats. Bardon held on.
The contest lasted until dusk. Mig’s bouts of fury shortened in length, but never in ferocity. When at last she’d been calm for an hour, Bardon used the reins to direct her. She responded sluggishly at first and then caught on to the gentle pressure he used to guide her. He brought her up to the fence, and Ilex handed him a bottle of drink. He downed it gratefully, then rode the newly broken kindia around the circumference of the field. As they passed the rest of her herd, the kindias turned their backs and ignored the two, rider and mount.
Bardon again went to the fence by the barn, and Ilex passed him a sandwich.
Ilex looked grim. “You be sure to get your pay tonight. Hoddack might just be counting on you being too sore to come back for your money tomorrow. Then again, he may take a likin’ to you and treat you fair. Hard to tell with that man.”
Bardon bit into the sandwich. “Thanks for the warning.”
As he ate, he circled the field again on Mig. When he got back to Ilex, he asked, “What do we do with her now?”
Ilex grinned. “I’ll take over from here. I’ll bed her in the barn and treat her like royalty all night. She’ll get groomed and fed. I’ll do everything but rockaby her till morning. By dawn she’ll be convinced it was her idea to enter this life of luxury. Funny thing about kindias, once they is broke, there ain’t no better mount.”
Bardon shook his head. “I ride a dragon. Believe me, Greer is the best.”
Ilex led the way to the barn and opened the door. Bardon rode inside, and the worker closed the door behind him. He dismounted.
“Lead her in here.” Ilex opened a stall.
Bardon found his legs wobbled a bit, and he laughed at himself. Grinning at him, the worker took the reins and escorted Mig into her new home.
“You coming back tomorrow?” Ilex called from the stall.
“If I can walk,” answered Bardon.
“Go up to the main barn. There’s an office in the southwest corner. Hoddack will still be there. Get your money and go home. Soak in hot water, but don’t drown. Have somebody wake you up should you doze off. I’d like to see you tackle the other five.”
Bardon groaned as he turned and headed out the door. He looked through the twilight