Read Online Bastial Sentinels (The Rhythm of Rivalry: Book 5) by B.T. Narro - Free Book Online
Authors: B.T. Narro
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her grip tightening.
She was right. He should’ve taken a moment to let her off first.
“The other horse probably isn’t trained to run as long as Nulya. We should be able to catch up,” he said instead.
Cleve steered his mount through the trees, determined to stay behind the wild horse.
“Duck,” Cleve called as he saw a low branch about to sweep them off the saddle. He could feel Reela leaning down with him.
But when he straightened his back and his eyes found a large, jagged rock in the middle of their path, he froze in fear for a moment. He couldn’t decide whether to halt Nulya or hope she’d see it and jump over.
“Cleve!” Reela screamed, noticing the rock as well.
It was too late to stop by then. Reela’s screams intensified as she squeezed the breath out of Cleve. Nulya took to the air and landed with a thud.
Cleve opened his eyes, not even meaning to close them in the first place. They were gaining ground; the wild horse was tiring faster than Nulya.
“Can you use psyche?”
“We’re going too fast for me to focus.” Panic clung to her voice.
“I need you to try,” he said. The longer they continued, the greater the chances of harm.
Reela cautiously pushed out one hand, the other practically buried in Cleve’s stomach.
“I can’t,” she said. “It’s too frightened to be calmed at this distance.”
“Is there anything you can do to slow it?” Nulya was no longer catching up. She needed to rest after her hard gallop.
“I think I can force it to stop, but it might fall and get hurt,” Reela warned.
“We have to try.”
She grunted and snapped her elbow. The brown horse whinnied loudly and slid across the dirt. A cloud of dust rose behind it. As it cleared, Cleve could see the horse had stopped.
“Get Nulya close and then let me jump off,” Reela said.
They reached the horse quickly, and Cleve gave Nulya a much-needed reprieve. Reela slid off the saddle, holding her hand out at the other horse the whole time. With a complete lack of coordination, she landed hard and fell to her knees with a groan. In that brief moment, the animal reared up and started to flee. But Reela jumped back to her feet and pushed both hands out. Once again, the horse stopped.
Cleve swung quickly out of the saddle and walked with Reela. “Don’t come from directly behind it,” he warned, taking her arm.
She maneuvered, coming from the side instead. “We’re not going to hurt you.” She spoke sweetly, both arms extended. “You can trust me.”
At first Cleve figured Reela had the horse with psyche, but when she was about to touch the animal, it grunted between heavy breaths and twisted away from her.
“No need to worry,” Reela continued to soothe. “We mean no harm.” Carefully, she placed her hand on the horse’s flank. It grunted again in apparent disapproval, its chuffs and Nulya’s labored breaths the only sounds Cleve could hear as he suddenly thought to look at his surroundings. All he could see were trees.
Reela calmly stroked the wild horse’s mane. “It really doesn’t like people,” she whispered. “It might be difficult to ride, even for Vithos.”
“But it’s worth trying, right?”
“Yes, and perhaps he can gain its trust eventually.” Reela bent low to look at the animal’s underside. “ Her trust eventually.”
“Think you can get her to follow us?”
“Shouldn’t be too hard.”
They set back the way they’d come, walking with the horses instead of riding them. By the time they emerged from the trees, evening had set in and clouds covered the sky. They stopped before descending the hills, looking for Vithos while they had a vantage point. He was lost among the wavy terrain.
“He should at least be in view by now,” Cleve said, worried.
“Maybe he got distracted with something he saw.”
“Do you want to try riding?” Cleve asked. “In a few hours, it’ll be dark.”
Reela stopped and considered the horse as if it was an enemy.
She was right. He should’ve taken a moment to let her off first.
“The other horse probably isn’t trained to run as long as Nulya. We should be able to catch up,” he said instead.
Cleve steered his mount through the trees, determined to stay behind the wild horse.
“Duck,” Cleve called as he saw a low branch about to sweep them off the saddle. He could feel Reela leaning down with him.
But when he straightened his back and his eyes found a large, jagged rock in the middle of their path, he froze in fear for a moment. He couldn’t decide whether to halt Nulya or hope she’d see it and jump over.
“Cleve!” Reela screamed, noticing the rock as well.
It was too late to stop by then. Reela’s screams intensified as she squeezed the breath out of Cleve. Nulya took to the air and landed with a thud.
Cleve opened his eyes, not even meaning to close them in the first place. They were gaining ground; the wild horse was tiring faster than Nulya.
“Can you use psyche?”
“We’re going too fast for me to focus.” Panic clung to her voice.
“I need you to try,” he said. The longer they continued, the greater the chances of harm.
Reela cautiously pushed out one hand, the other practically buried in Cleve’s stomach.
“I can’t,” she said. “It’s too frightened to be calmed at this distance.”
“Is there anything you can do to slow it?” Nulya was no longer catching up. She needed to rest after her hard gallop.
“I think I can force it to stop, but it might fall and get hurt,” Reela warned.
“We have to try.”
She grunted and snapped her elbow. The brown horse whinnied loudly and slid across the dirt. A cloud of dust rose behind it. As it cleared, Cleve could see the horse had stopped.
“Get Nulya close and then let me jump off,” Reela said.
They reached the horse quickly, and Cleve gave Nulya a much-needed reprieve. Reela slid off the saddle, holding her hand out at the other horse the whole time. With a complete lack of coordination, she landed hard and fell to her knees with a groan. In that brief moment, the animal reared up and started to flee. But Reela jumped back to her feet and pushed both hands out. Once again, the horse stopped.
Cleve swung quickly out of the saddle and walked with Reela. “Don’t come from directly behind it,” he warned, taking her arm.
She maneuvered, coming from the side instead. “We’re not going to hurt you.” She spoke sweetly, both arms extended. “You can trust me.”
At first Cleve figured Reela had the horse with psyche, but when she was about to touch the animal, it grunted between heavy breaths and twisted away from her.
“No need to worry,” Reela continued to soothe. “We mean no harm.” Carefully, she placed her hand on the horse’s flank. It grunted again in apparent disapproval, its chuffs and Nulya’s labored breaths the only sounds Cleve could hear as he suddenly thought to look at his surroundings. All he could see were trees.
Reela calmly stroked the wild horse’s mane. “It really doesn’t like people,” she whispered. “It might be difficult to ride, even for Vithos.”
“But it’s worth trying, right?”
“Yes, and perhaps he can gain its trust eventually.” Reela bent low to look at the animal’s underside. “ Her trust eventually.”
“Think you can get her to follow us?”
“Shouldn’t be too hard.”
They set back the way they’d come, walking with the horses instead of riding them. By the time they emerged from the trees, evening had set in and clouds covered the sky. They stopped before descending the hills, looking for Vithos while they had a vantage point. He was lost among the wavy terrain.
“He should at least be in view by now,” Cleve said, worried.
“Maybe he got distracted with something he saw.”
“Do you want to try riding?” Cleve asked. “In a few hours, it’ll be dark.”
Reela stopped and considered the horse as if it was an enemy.
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