Read Online Promise the Night by Michaela MacColl - Free Book Online
Authors: Michaela MacColl
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Camiscan charging up on his flank. The pony reared and Arthur slid to the ground like a sack of maize.
Beryl pulled the reins toward the inside of the paddock, dragging Camiscan’s head with all the power in her arms. Furious at such disrespect, the stallion bucked and kicked, doing everything he could to dislodge his rider.
“Arthur!” Emma screamed. She began to scramble through the fence, catching her skirt on a nail.
“Beryl, pull up!” the Captain shouted. “Pull up!”
Camiscan arched his back and kicked out with his rear legs at the same time. Beryl was thrown back and she bit her lip. She tried every trick she knew to keep her seat, but the stallion’s bucking was too violent. She was losing.
“Rein him in, Beryl!”
“I’m trying, Daddy,” she cried. “He’s too strong.”
Arthur lay ominously still on the ground. Emma gathered him in her arms, screaming for the Captain. “Clutt, help him!”
“Beryl, hold on,” the Captain said. He tore his eyes from Camiscan and Beryl and moved quickly to Emma’s side to check on Arthur.
As though he had been showing off for Captain Clutterbuck, Camiscan came to a sudden halt. Beryl heaved a sigh of relief and leaned forward to pat the stallion’s long neck.
“Bad boy. Bad, bad boy,” she whispered. Holding the reins in one hand, she wiped her forehead with the other. She glanced at Arthur, who was sitting up with a dazed look on his face.
That was Camiscan’s chance. Before Beryl knew what had happened, the stallion’s head twisted back toward her. His huge teeth grabbed her shoulder and dragged her off his back. She hung there, suspended between his great jaws, the pain in her shoulder making her head swim. Camiscan threw her in the air like a cat might torment a mouse. She fell to the ground with a thud, still gripping the reins.
“Beru!” Kibii shouted. “Cluttabucki, help her!”
The impact had knocked the breath out of Beryl. Her only reality was the throbbing in her shoulder and the jerking of her whole body as the stallion tossed his head at the other end of the reins. Camiscan neighed loudly, as though to say he was still the king.
From far away, Beryl heard her father snap at Emma to stop caterwauling and be useful. She felt his confident hands as he checked her wound. He pried the rein from her fingers and she heard the soft clopping of Camiscan’s hooves moving away. Hours later—or perhaps it was only moments—her father, with surprisinggentleness, was helping her sit up. Arthur, none the worse for wear, and Kibii stared down at her with something close to awe in their eyes.
“Beryl, talk to me,” the Captain said. “Can you hear me?”
“Daddy,” she croaked. She touched her shoulder. No blood, just a soreness that was bound to be black and blue by evening.
He smiled and lifted her to her feet. “You’re all right?” he asked as he gave her a quick hug.
Beryl staggered for a moment until her natural balance won out over her wobbling legs. She nodded.
“Get back on, then.” The Captain gestured to Camiscan, tied to the fence.
“Clutt, she can’t!” Emma cried.
Kibii muttered something in Swahili, and Arthur looked green. Beryl’s lip throbbed.
“All right,” she said. “Tomorrow.”
“Now.” He was merciless. “You have to show him that he can’t throw you and get away with it.”
“I just have to catch my breath,” she pleaded.
He waited, his gray eyes measuring her courage.
She beckoned him closer. “Daddy, I’m scared,” she whispered, afraid to meet the disapproval in his face. To her surprise, his words were kind, almost gentle.
“Of course you are,” he said. “I would be, too.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “But that doesn’t change what you have to do.”
He made it sound impossibly simple, Beryl thought. But she had trusted him her whole life. She nodded.
“That’s my girl.”
She walked stiffly to Camiscan. Her father
Beryl pulled the reins toward the inside of the paddock, dragging Camiscan’s head with all the power in her arms. Furious at such disrespect, the stallion bucked and kicked, doing everything he could to dislodge his rider.
“Arthur!” Emma screamed. She began to scramble through the fence, catching her skirt on a nail.
“Beryl, pull up!” the Captain shouted. “Pull up!”
Camiscan arched his back and kicked out with his rear legs at the same time. Beryl was thrown back and she bit her lip. She tried every trick she knew to keep her seat, but the stallion’s bucking was too violent. She was losing.
“Rein him in, Beryl!”
“I’m trying, Daddy,” she cried. “He’s too strong.”
Arthur lay ominously still on the ground. Emma gathered him in her arms, screaming for the Captain. “Clutt, help him!”
“Beryl, hold on,” the Captain said. He tore his eyes from Camiscan and Beryl and moved quickly to Emma’s side to check on Arthur.
As though he had been showing off for Captain Clutterbuck, Camiscan came to a sudden halt. Beryl heaved a sigh of relief and leaned forward to pat the stallion’s long neck.
“Bad boy. Bad, bad boy,” she whispered. Holding the reins in one hand, she wiped her forehead with the other. She glanced at Arthur, who was sitting up with a dazed look on his face.
That was Camiscan’s chance. Before Beryl knew what had happened, the stallion’s head twisted back toward her. His huge teeth grabbed her shoulder and dragged her off his back. She hung there, suspended between his great jaws, the pain in her shoulder making her head swim. Camiscan threw her in the air like a cat might torment a mouse. She fell to the ground with a thud, still gripping the reins.
“Beru!” Kibii shouted. “Cluttabucki, help her!”
The impact had knocked the breath out of Beryl. Her only reality was the throbbing in her shoulder and the jerking of her whole body as the stallion tossed his head at the other end of the reins. Camiscan neighed loudly, as though to say he was still the king.
From far away, Beryl heard her father snap at Emma to stop caterwauling and be useful. She felt his confident hands as he checked her wound. He pried the rein from her fingers and she heard the soft clopping of Camiscan’s hooves moving away. Hours later—or perhaps it was only moments—her father, with surprisinggentleness, was helping her sit up. Arthur, none the worse for wear, and Kibii stared down at her with something close to awe in their eyes.
“Beryl, talk to me,” the Captain said. “Can you hear me?”
“Daddy,” she croaked. She touched her shoulder. No blood, just a soreness that was bound to be black and blue by evening.
He smiled and lifted her to her feet. “You’re all right?” he asked as he gave her a quick hug.
Beryl staggered for a moment until her natural balance won out over her wobbling legs. She nodded.
“Get back on, then.” The Captain gestured to Camiscan, tied to the fence.
“Clutt, she can’t!” Emma cried.
Kibii muttered something in Swahili, and Arthur looked green. Beryl’s lip throbbed.
“All right,” she said. “Tomorrow.”
“Now.” He was merciless. “You have to show him that he can’t throw you and get away with it.”
“I just have to catch my breath,” she pleaded.
He waited, his gray eyes measuring her courage.
She beckoned him closer. “Daddy, I’m scared,” she whispered, afraid to meet the disapproval in his face. To her surprise, his words were kind, almost gentle.
“Of course you are,” he said. “I would be, too.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “But that doesn’t change what you have to do.”
He made it sound impossibly simple, Beryl thought. But she had trusted him her whole life. She nodded.
“That’s my girl.”
She walked stiffly to Camiscan. Her father
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