Fort
The mood in Sweetwater that night was one of sobriety and more than a little shame as villagers made their way back to their cottages from hiding in the forest. The Lord’s House continued to blaze. As it was some distance from the trees, it was decided to let it burn out rather than risking any lives trying to put it out. Pender and Walt were given the onerous task of keeping an eye on the fire during the night and to give warning should begin to spread.
Jalia and Daniel collected their horses and possessions from where they had left them and spent the night in Donal’s barn. Donal invited them to sleep in the house, but Jalia decided she had lost her possessions once that day and she was going to take no chances that night. She wanted to be close to the horses. It was late in the night before they got to sleep.
Jalia heard Daniel rise with the crowing of the cock. It was lucky for the Drenal’s rooster that Jalia was once again knifeless. As it was, she rolled over and tried to ignore the crowing and get back to sleep. There was plenty of time to begin chasing their missing possessions as they had horses and Jalia was tired out.
It was only when Daniel entered the barn with Donal and began to saddle up Jet and Mallon’s horse that Jalia was forced to stir her bones.
“Are we taking Mallon’s horse? I thought that was Donal’s now.” Jalia asked, stifling a yawn in her open palm.
“It is,” Daniel replied. “There is somewhere Donal and I have to go before we can begin chasing your knives.”
Jalia chucked the blanket off and staggered to her feet. She slept fully clothed, something which was not unusual when they were traveling on the road.
“And where exactly are We going?”
“If you are determined to come then you had better saddle up Swift,” Daniel replied, deliberately ignoring Jalia’s question. “There are others coming with us and we need to start soon, because they can’t travel all that fast.”
Jalia made a ‘harrumphing’ sound, not dissimilar to that of a horse. She grabbed hold of the edge of the water trough and plunged her head deep into its cold water. She came up for air and swung her hair from side to side to shake the water from it, soaking Daniel in the process.
“There’s food waiting for you in the house. Kayla has prepared cooked meat and bread,” Daniel told her, ignoring his unplanned shower. Kayla was Donal’s wife. She and her daughter, Attala, had been up since Daniel woke Donal that morning.
“Don’t you dare try and leave without me,” Jalia warned as she left the barn to break her fast.
“Do I look as if I want to be castrated?” Daniel shouted after her.
“I thought that you didn’t want Jalia coming with us?” Donal enquired. He didn’t understand Daniel and Jalia’s relationship at all.
“There was never any possibility of Jalia staying behind,” Daniel explained as he tightened the cinch on Jet and moved over to begin saddling Jalia’s horse. “But by doing it this way, she won’t grumble too much when she discovers Dell will be coming with us.”
When Jalia walked out of the Donal’s cottage, she found a small wagon waiting. It was pulled by one of the Taldon horses they had captured. Jalia frowned when she saw it was being driven by Malda and that her son Dell sat alongside her with his left leg in tied up in splints.
“Thank you for sparing my life, Lady Jalia,” Dell said humbly before Jalia could utter a word. “I will not let you down again.”
“You’d better not,” Jalia grumbled, speaking more to herself than to the boy. She ignored the two of them and walked into the barn, planning to have an important word with Daniel, perhaps even four important words.
“What is going on?” Jalia demanded. He turned to her and found her standing, legs apart, blocking his path.
“We have to go to Taldon’s Fort and free the slaves there. Not to mention deciding what to do about the Taldon children.”
“And why
The mood in Sweetwater that night was one of sobriety and more than a little shame as villagers made their way back to their cottages from hiding in the forest. The Lord’s House continued to blaze. As it was some distance from the trees, it was decided to let it burn out rather than risking any lives trying to put it out. Pender and Walt were given the onerous task of keeping an eye on the fire during the night and to give warning should begin to spread.
Jalia and Daniel collected their horses and possessions from where they had left them and spent the night in Donal’s barn. Donal invited them to sleep in the house, but Jalia decided she had lost her possessions once that day and she was going to take no chances that night. She wanted to be close to the horses. It was late in the night before they got to sleep.
Jalia heard Daniel rise with the crowing of the cock. It was lucky for the Drenal’s rooster that Jalia was once again knifeless. As it was, she rolled over and tried to ignore the crowing and get back to sleep. There was plenty of time to begin chasing their missing possessions as they had horses and Jalia was tired out.
It was only when Daniel entered the barn with Donal and began to saddle up Jet and Mallon’s horse that Jalia was forced to stir her bones.
“Are we taking Mallon’s horse? I thought that was Donal’s now.” Jalia asked, stifling a yawn in her open palm.
“It is,” Daniel replied. “There is somewhere Donal and I have to go before we can begin chasing your knives.”
Jalia chucked the blanket off and staggered to her feet. She slept fully clothed, something which was not unusual when they were traveling on the road.
“And where exactly are We going?”
“If you are determined to come then you had better saddle up Swift,” Daniel replied, deliberately ignoring Jalia’s question. “There are others coming with us and we need to start soon, because they can’t travel all that fast.”
Jalia made a ‘harrumphing’ sound, not dissimilar to that of a horse. She grabbed hold of the edge of the water trough and plunged her head deep into its cold water. She came up for air and swung her hair from side to side to shake the water from it, soaking Daniel in the process.
“There’s food waiting for you in the house. Kayla has prepared cooked meat and bread,” Daniel told her, ignoring his unplanned shower. Kayla was Donal’s wife. She and her daughter, Attala, had been up since Daniel woke Donal that morning.
“Don’t you dare try and leave without me,” Jalia warned as she left the barn to break her fast.
“Do I look as if I want to be castrated?” Daniel shouted after her.
“I thought that you didn’t want Jalia coming with us?” Donal enquired. He didn’t understand Daniel and Jalia’s relationship at all.
“There was never any possibility of Jalia staying behind,” Daniel explained as he tightened the cinch on Jet and moved over to begin saddling Jalia’s horse. “But by doing it this way, she won’t grumble too much when she discovers Dell will be coming with us.”
When Jalia walked out of the Donal’s cottage, she found a small wagon waiting. It was pulled by one of the Taldon horses they had captured. Jalia frowned when she saw it was being driven by Malda and that her son Dell sat alongside her with his left leg in tied up in splints.
“Thank you for sparing my life, Lady Jalia,” Dell said humbly before Jalia could utter a word. “I will not let you down again.”
“You’d better not,” Jalia grumbled, speaking more to herself than to the boy. She ignored the two of them and walked into the barn, planning to have an important word with Daniel, perhaps even four important words.
“What is going on?” Jalia demanded. He turned to her and found her standing, legs apart, blocking his path.
“We have to go to Taldon’s Fort and free the slaves there. Not to mention deciding what to do about the Taldon children.”
“And why
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