Read Online All the King's Horses by Laura C Stevenson - Free Book Online
Authors: Laura C Stevenson
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show visions like hers to beginners. We’re going upstairs. Slowly, now.’
He led the way, and we followed. About halfway up, we saw the man standing in an open doorway, huge and black against the light that came from inside.
‘Now, look,’ he said. ‘We talked it over. We agreed. Supper, homework, bed. No reading on school nights – right?’
If there was an answer, we couldn’t hear it.
‘So what are you doing?’ he demanded.
This time, I was sure there was no answer. How could there be? Questions like that aren’t really questions; they’re accusations with a question-mark at the end.
The man took a step further into the room and held out his hand. Somebody I couldn’t see slowly held out a book and whispered, ‘Don’t tear it up. Please. It’s from the library.’
The man looked at it foggily, then threw it on the floor and stumbled forward, grabbing for something. There was a yanking noise, and the light went out. A moment later, the man came out, carrying a bedside lamp.
‘There,’ he said. ‘That takes care of it.’ He stood there a minute longer with his free hand on the jamb and his head hanging down; then he shuffled through another door, and we heard the sort of muffled thump a bed makes when somebody lands on it hard.
Hob listened for a couple of minutes, then led the way up the rest of the stairs and into the little room. There wasn’t much in it: a bed, a little table (probably for the lamp), and a desk and chair under the dirty window. I expected the kid in there to be under the covers, crying, but the bed was empty. A girl was sitting cross-legged on the desk, shivering. Something about the way she looked out at the clouds that were blowing across the half-moon – watching them, but not seeing them – seemed awfully familiar.
‘Oh!’ I whispered suddenly. ‘It’s Tiffany!’ And I was just thinking, poor Tiffany – she lives
here
? when the elves each took our right hands in their right hands and touched Tiffany with their lefts. Suddenly there was light everywhere, as late afternoon sun shone on a deep green field with ancient trees standing here and there. The field was filled with horses – chestnuts, greys, blacks, bays – all with perfectly groomed, shining coats. In the middle of the herd stood Tiffany, patting mares, stroking little foals, talking, talking, talking to them all in the kind of murmur Grandpa used to use. They nuzzled her dark, curly hair and rubbed their heads against her shoulder, looking perfectly happy. As Tiffany patted them, I caught a glimpse of her face, and I thought, that’s funny, I never noticed Tiffany was so pretty …
Wham
. I was back in the room again, with lights blinking dizzily in my head the way they do when you stand up too fast. For a second, I couldn’t figure out what had happened; then I felt cheated, because Tiffany was still in her wonderful daydream, and Colin was there, too, because Lob was still connecting him, but Hob had dropped me. I was just about to grab his hand – I really wanted to know where Tiffany was – when he raised it and shook his fist.
‘Daydreams!’ he hissed. ‘Completely out of our area! And on top of it all –
us
, missing the ceremony!’
‘Outrageous, that’s what it is,’ said Lob, dropping Colin’s hand and raising both his fists. ‘Treat us like dogs, They do.’
Next to me, Colin shook his head, and I steadied him as he staggered. ‘Hey,’ he muttered, ‘it’s that mousy girl in your class, isn’t it? I didn’t know she liked horses!’
‘Sh!’ I whispered, pointing to the elves. ‘Something’s up. Look zonked and listen.’
That wasn’t hard; the elves were so excited it surprised me that Tiffany couldn’t feel them.
‘But the little ones?’ said Hob. ‘We can’t
leave
them. And mortals at a ceremony—!’
‘—They’re under Protection. Doesn’t that mean they’re safe in Faerie, for as long as their mission lasts?’
‘Surely. But remember what
He led the way, and we followed. About halfway up, we saw the man standing in an open doorway, huge and black against the light that came from inside.
‘Now, look,’ he said. ‘We talked it over. We agreed. Supper, homework, bed. No reading on school nights – right?’
If there was an answer, we couldn’t hear it.
‘So what are you doing?’ he demanded.
This time, I was sure there was no answer. How could there be? Questions like that aren’t really questions; they’re accusations with a question-mark at the end.
The man took a step further into the room and held out his hand. Somebody I couldn’t see slowly held out a book and whispered, ‘Don’t tear it up. Please. It’s from the library.’
The man looked at it foggily, then threw it on the floor and stumbled forward, grabbing for something. There was a yanking noise, and the light went out. A moment later, the man came out, carrying a bedside lamp.
‘There,’ he said. ‘That takes care of it.’ He stood there a minute longer with his free hand on the jamb and his head hanging down; then he shuffled through another door, and we heard the sort of muffled thump a bed makes when somebody lands on it hard.
Hob listened for a couple of minutes, then led the way up the rest of the stairs and into the little room. There wasn’t much in it: a bed, a little table (probably for the lamp), and a desk and chair under the dirty window. I expected the kid in there to be under the covers, crying, but the bed was empty. A girl was sitting cross-legged on the desk, shivering. Something about the way she looked out at the clouds that were blowing across the half-moon – watching them, but not seeing them – seemed awfully familiar.
‘Oh!’ I whispered suddenly. ‘It’s Tiffany!’ And I was just thinking, poor Tiffany – she lives
here
? when the elves each took our right hands in their right hands and touched Tiffany with their lefts. Suddenly there was light everywhere, as late afternoon sun shone on a deep green field with ancient trees standing here and there. The field was filled with horses – chestnuts, greys, blacks, bays – all with perfectly groomed, shining coats. In the middle of the herd stood Tiffany, patting mares, stroking little foals, talking, talking, talking to them all in the kind of murmur Grandpa used to use. They nuzzled her dark, curly hair and rubbed their heads against her shoulder, looking perfectly happy. As Tiffany patted them, I caught a glimpse of her face, and I thought, that’s funny, I never noticed Tiffany was so pretty …
Wham
. I was back in the room again, with lights blinking dizzily in my head the way they do when you stand up too fast. For a second, I couldn’t figure out what had happened; then I felt cheated, because Tiffany was still in her wonderful daydream, and Colin was there, too, because Lob was still connecting him, but Hob had dropped me. I was just about to grab his hand – I really wanted to know where Tiffany was – when he raised it and shook his fist.
‘Daydreams!’ he hissed. ‘Completely out of our area! And on top of it all –
us
, missing the ceremony!’
‘Outrageous, that’s what it is,’ said Lob, dropping Colin’s hand and raising both his fists. ‘Treat us like dogs, They do.’
Next to me, Colin shook his head, and I steadied him as he staggered. ‘Hey,’ he muttered, ‘it’s that mousy girl in your class, isn’t it? I didn’t know she liked horses!’
‘Sh!’ I whispered, pointing to the elves. ‘Something’s up. Look zonked and listen.’
That wasn’t hard; the elves were so excited it surprised me that Tiffany couldn’t feel them.
‘But the little ones?’ said Hob. ‘We can’t
leave
them. And mortals at a ceremony—!’
‘—They’re under Protection. Doesn’t that mean they’re safe in Faerie, for as long as their mission lasts?’
‘Surely. But remember what
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