Read Online Changespell Legacy by Doranna Durgin - Free Book Online
Authors: Doranna Durgin
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. most of our communication has been handled by chatting to Sherra person to person , for pete's sake. The only thing the couriers handle are the long documents we want her to see."
Suliya appropriated two stalls and went to find cooling blankets, mesh-lined wool that would keep the horses warm but wick the sweat away. Jess dumped the saddlebags over the door of an empty stall and paced down the aisle to the palomino—an end stall with a reinforced wall between it and the neighboring stall. "Light?" she said to Dayna.
Light flared in the corner of the stall in response—a cool, even permalight. Jess hesitated at the stallion's door as she retrieved his halter from the hook there. "Ramble," she said after a moment. "His name is Ramble."
Of course she'd remember.
She lifted the halter from the stallion's door and slipped in the door, closing it most of but not all of the way. Dayna moved closer—cautiously, because she'd already learned the hard way that this one would bite—and got there in time to see the two exchange a greeting, the palomino a little suspicious to be greeted in such a horsey manner as Jess went to his head and exchanged breath with him, first one nostril and then the other.
He didn't let the introduction last long; he swung his head in posturing threat and pushed at her, teeth bared. Jess wheeled and kicked him in the chest. The stallion flung his head back in dramatic alarm, lunging away from her. Jess glanced up at Dayna in embarrassment. "I still forget," she said, chagrined. "I do it the horse way." She looked at the halter hanging on her arm, lifting it slightly. "The human way," she said, "for a horse as rude as this one. I don't think he grew up with mares the way he should have. They would have taught him better than this."
Even as she spoke she had the horse haltered, the chain shank of the lead threaded around the noseband. "You shouldn't need this," she said sternly to the horse, and although Dayna was no horsewoman, she could see that Jess unconsciously matched every body movement the stallion made, all the small gestures he used to claim her body space. When he bobbed his head and snorted in wet disgust, she could only assume that Jess had stood her ground. The stallion made one last halfhearted attempt to close his teeth on Jess's shoulder and she rattled the chain lightly in warning; he turned away, sulking. "Here," Jess said, handing the lead to Dayna through the barely open door. "Hold him. Has anyone checked him since he came without Sherra?"
"Trent rode him back out again," Dayna said, gingerly holding the lead. The stallion eyed her and she knew right then that it had her number. "He likes this horse—don't ask me why—so I figured the horse was okay."
But Jess ran her hands across his back and quarters and then down each leg, following the line of his sloping shoulders across his chest and up his neck. Touching as well as looking, and eventually ruffling her hands through his long pale mane. "Handsome," she said. "And strong. Too big for a courier's horse, but . . . nice."
Dayna snorted. "Says who, Jess or Lady?"
Jess gave her a sly glimmer of a look. "Both of us." But then she frowned, moving around toward the back of the horse. In another moment she'd dug out a small pocket knife, but Dayna didn't see why; she was too busy giving the horse her best evil eye as he opened his mouth in what he must have thought was a cunning manner, his lips twitching toward her hand.
"Stop it," Dayna hissed at him. "You brat." She shoved his head away and he carefully watched something in the corner of the stall a moment, but his lips twitched again, betraying his intent.
Tucking the knife away and preoccupied by whatever she'd gathered, Jess nonetheless gave him a pinch on the neck. He flared his nostrils and flattened his ears and refused to look at either of them.
"Your face is going to freeze that way," Dayna informed him.
"I . . . bit him," Jess said. "He's sulking." She came out
Suliya appropriated two stalls and went to find cooling blankets, mesh-lined wool that would keep the horses warm but wick the sweat away. Jess dumped the saddlebags over the door of an empty stall and paced down the aisle to the palomino—an end stall with a reinforced wall between it and the neighboring stall. "Light?" she said to Dayna.
Light flared in the corner of the stall in response—a cool, even permalight. Jess hesitated at the stallion's door as she retrieved his halter from the hook there. "Ramble," she said after a moment. "His name is Ramble."
Of course she'd remember.
She lifted the halter from the stallion's door and slipped in the door, closing it most of but not all of the way. Dayna moved closer—cautiously, because she'd already learned the hard way that this one would bite—and got there in time to see the two exchange a greeting, the palomino a little suspicious to be greeted in such a horsey manner as Jess went to his head and exchanged breath with him, first one nostril and then the other.
He didn't let the introduction last long; he swung his head in posturing threat and pushed at her, teeth bared. Jess wheeled and kicked him in the chest. The stallion flung his head back in dramatic alarm, lunging away from her. Jess glanced up at Dayna in embarrassment. "I still forget," she said, chagrined. "I do it the horse way." She looked at the halter hanging on her arm, lifting it slightly. "The human way," she said, "for a horse as rude as this one. I don't think he grew up with mares the way he should have. They would have taught him better than this."
Even as she spoke she had the horse haltered, the chain shank of the lead threaded around the noseband. "You shouldn't need this," she said sternly to the horse, and although Dayna was no horsewoman, she could see that Jess unconsciously matched every body movement the stallion made, all the small gestures he used to claim her body space. When he bobbed his head and snorted in wet disgust, she could only assume that Jess had stood her ground. The stallion made one last halfhearted attempt to close his teeth on Jess's shoulder and she rattled the chain lightly in warning; he turned away, sulking. "Here," Jess said, handing the lead to Dayna through the barely open door. "Hold him. Has anyone checked him since he came without Sherra?"
"Trent rode him back out again," Dayna said, gingerly holding the lead. The stallion eyed her and she knew right then that it had her number. "He likes this horse—don't ask me why—so I figured the horse was okay."
But Jess ran her hands across his back and quarters and then down each leg, following the line of his sloping shoulders across his chest and up his neck. Touching as well as looking, and eventually ruffling her hands through his long pale mane. "Handsome," she said. "And strong. Too big for a courier's horse, but . . . nice."
Dayna snorted. "Says who, Jess or Lady?"
Jess gave her a sly glimmer of a look. "Both of us." But then she frowned, moving around toward the back of the horse. In another moment she'd dug out a small pocket knife, but Dayna didn't see why; she was too busy giving the horse her best evil eye as he opened his mouth in what he must have thought was a cunning manner, his lips twitching toward her hand.
"Stop it," Dayna hissed at him. "You brat." She shoved his head away and he carefully watched something in the corner of the stall a moment, but his lips twitched again, betraying his intent.
Tucking the knife away and preoccupied by whatever she'd gathered, Jess nonetheless gave him a pinch on the neck. He flared his nostrils and flattened his ears and refused to look at either of them.
"Your face is going to freeze that way," Dayna informed him.
"I . . . bit him," Jess said. "He's sulking." She came out
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