Read Online Eochaidh - Legend of the Horsemen (Book One) by Terri Reid - Free Book Online

down.   The path she had chosen was actually the
sewage canal for the village, a small creek that carried waste from the village
to a pond just outside of town.   The
putrid smells were nearly enough to make her sick.   But because of the odor, the villagers had
planted lilac bushes between the creek and the backs of their homes.   The large, lush vegetation seemed to thrive
on the unique fertilizer provided by the creek and not only masked the odor,
but also concealed Meaghan’s progress to the Magistrate’s Office at the far end
of the village.
    Guiding her horse through a break in the bushes, she peered
out into the clearing, making sure she was still unnoticed.   Then, with a quick flick of the reins, she
hurried the horse past the building and into a small copse of trees
nearby.   She slid off the saddle and
jumped the final inches to the ground quietly, then led her horse behind the
trees and tied her to a small limb.
    “I’ll be back directly,” she whispered.
    Pulling her sword from the sheath, she hid it in the folds
of her habit and rushed to the back of the building. The building was
constructed of grey stone and thick off-white mortar cementing the stone securely.   The doors were heavy oak with wrought iron
hinges and latches, and the windows were barred with iron. The building had
three distinct sections: a center portion that was two stories in height and
held the living quarters for the magistrate, a long rectangular one-story wing
that housed the cells for the prisoners and, finally, a smaller, square
one-story wing that was used for trials.
    Meaghan ducked beneath the window ledges and slipped along
to the prisoners’ wing. It was there she was sure she’d find Jepson.   The heavy oak door was slightly ajar, and
Meaghan stopped and listened.
    “Damn Gypsy,” Murphy yelled, and Meaghan heard the sound of
whip slapping against something. “You will answer me now.”
    “I do not believe Lord John would wish me to disclose such
information to you,” Jepson said, and although his voice was soft, Meaghan
could hear the steel in it.
    “I don’t care what Lord John wants,” Murphy spat. “You ain’t going to be alive when he gets here.   So, you can tell me what I want, and I will make
your death quick and easy. Or I can beat the information from you.”
    Meaghan had heard enough. She pushed the door forward with
all the anger she was feeling in her heart, and it smacked up against the stone
wall, the sound reverberating throughout the room. Stepping forward, she noted
the initial shock on Murphy’s face, and then she saw Jepson, tied to the cell
bars with leather, stripped down to his breaches and angry red welts on his
back.   “Perhaps you would like to ask me
your question, Mr. Murphy,” she said, her voice cold with authority as she
stepped forward. “Or perhaps you only question people who are tied up and
defenseless.”
    “Miss Meaghan, no,” Jepson yelled, pulling on the leather
bindings to try and face her. “Run. Get out of here now.”
    “I’m not leaving you, Jepson,” she said with determination.
“You would never think to leave me.”
    “ Ahh , little
Miss Meaghan,” Murphy taunted with a wicked smile as he turned toward her. “You weren’t on my list, but I don’t mind taking care of a haughty shrew such
as yourself. Who knows? Maybe there’ll be a bonus in it for me.”
    Ignoring Jepson’s pleas, Meaghan moved forward into the room
where she would have enough room to maneuver her sword. “Not on your list?” she
asked, as she stepped sideways into the room, leading him away from Jepson.
“And what list might that be?”
    “Well, see now, that’s a secret,” he said, spitting a stream
of black tobacco out of the side of his mouth into a dark puddle on the floor.
“But seeing as you ain’t going to live to tell no one
about it, I shall satisfy your curiosity.”
    “How kind of you,” she replied.
    “There’s those who’ve sworn an oath to protect