Read Online The Dark Horse by Marcus Sedgwick - Free Book Online Page B

asked. I swear I had completely forgotten that we knew it was empty. That was just one more of Ragnald’s games.
    “The powerful sort,” he said. He turned to Sif. “Give me the box.”
    She did as he told her.
    “Now sit with your backs to the pole,” he said, nodding at the tree trunk that ran to the center of the roof.
    And we did.
    “Now shut your eyes,” he said.
    And we did.
    And the next thing I felt was a cord pulled hard around my throat. I jerked my head forward, but he was too quick. We sat back to back, with the cord round our throats and the pole, so tight we could not squeak, let alone speak. In the time it took us to try to pull the cord away with our hands, he had our arms tied fast by the elbows.
    He took a long, double-edged knife from his bag.
    I remember—how could I forget? I will remember the words he said next till the day I die.
    “A single word from either of you and I’ll slit your throats.”

38

    Mouse ran, not knowing what was wrong, what was happening, nor who was in danger. But she knew there was danger right in the very heart of the Storn.
    She headed for the great broch; she could see lights burning inside in spite of the late hour. Her eyes were wide, but in fear she saw nothing and ran straight into someone in the dark.
    She lost her footing and fell on the ground wildly.
    “Princess?” said a voice.
    “Who is it?” cried Mouse. “Who are you?”
    “Are you hurt?”
    “No,” said Mouse. “Who is it?”
    “Ragnald, my lady,” said the voice. “Shall I help you to your feet?”
    Mouse tried to stand and found herself pulled upright by a large, powerful hand.
    “You are in a hurry, Lady?”
    The tone of Ragnald’s voice slowed Mouse. She could see him now, set against the silver moonlit sky.
    “Yes,” she said. She paused. “No, I . . .”
    “Would you have a moment?” said Ragnald. “I have something to show you.”
    “No,” said Mouse. “I mean, there is something—”
    “It will take but a moment,” said Ragnald. “And there is no one else. It is just for you, this thing.”
    “For me?” asked Mouse, and for a moment she forgot about finding Sigurd. “Are you sure?”
    “Yes,” said Ragnald, and he pulled the box from under his arm.

39

    Oh, what fools we were!
    I think something changed between us then.
    As Sif and I sat, struggling for air because of the cord around our throats, unable to speak, I think we realized that no matter how much we disliked each other, we were going to have to think quickly if we wanted to live.
    And then! What was he doing? The stranger . . . out in the darkness of the village, reunited with his magic.
    Sif made a noise; I could tell only the emotion, not the meaning.
    Fear. She was scared, and so was I.
    The air was harder to pull into our lungs; the cord bit like fire into our throats.
    Fire! A small chance, but it worked. With my left foot I was able to scrape a burning branch from Horn’s fire. It went out as it rolled onto the earth floor, but the tip was still smoldering hot. I pulled it over to where we sat tied against the roof tree.
    I could not pick it up, my hands were too tightly bound, but Sif, craning her head around, saw what I was trying to do. She picked the branch up with just her fingertips and managed to raise the other end of it, red-hot, into the air. The point wavered for a moment as she tried to steady the branch, but it was hard to hold. In desperation she let the smoldering point fall against the cord around our necks. It fell at a point midway between us, by the pole, and began to burn the cord, but instantly our skin began to burn, too.
    We both screamed silently against the tightness of the cord, but in a few seconds the rope had weakened, and our jerks of pain snapped us free. With one end of the cord broken, we were able to wriggle free of our bonds quickly.
    We both pressed our hands to the burns already seeping on our necks.
    “Come on,” I said, trying to get off my knees.
    “I