ribbons in your hair.”
“Okay.” Sandra shook her head, then checked her horse. He was standing still and calm despite all of the extra weight she’d just added to him. She wasn’t particularly equestrian, but even she could tell that he was extremely well-behaved. “Are you ready?”
“Yup!” Sandra slung a couple of bags off her back and set about tying them to her nag’s saddle. Her horse was less well-behaved and danced back and forth as Mira fought to get her heavy packs attached. One of them clanked and banged with such a racket that distant stable hands turned around to see what was happening.
“What have you got in there?” Sandra walked over and helped Mira balance the bag, then get it secured to the horse. Once they’d tied the top and bottom down it stopped making quite so much noise.
“My gear!”
“Your gear?”
“You get gear…”
“For killing dragons.” Sandra motioned her head toward her horse, which was now carrying enough steel to outfit a small company. “I don’t see you as being the type to have a lot of daggers stashed in her room.”
“Look. Gear!” Mira undid the buckle on a side pouch and produced a small, cast-iron pan from inside it.
“Oh!”
“Yeah. Didn’t think of that, did you miss dragon-killer?” Mira stuck out her tongue.
“No. No, I didn’t.” Sandra stuck hers out, too. “Maybe you will be useful after all.”
“Oh, I will. I will. Jury’s still out on you, though.”
“You wound me.”
“I’ve got something for that too!” Mira pulled a rolled-up bandage out of the pack and winked saucily. Sandra laughed and shook her head.
“Where did you learn to be so prepared?” Sandra headed over to her horse and slung herself easily up and onto his back. With the doctor’s potion having worked its magic, she felt better than she had in a long time. Her muscles were supple and limber, all of the fatigue from the day’s activities was gone, and she felt like she could bench-press a thousand pounds.
“Wasn’t always a maid.” Mira had a little more trouble with her nag.
While she clearly knew what she was doing when packing for a trip, she just as clearly did not know what she was doing when it came to horses. Her first two attempts ended up with her on her butt in a pile of hay, and the third would have too if a stable hand hadn’t hustled over and helped boost her up. Once in the saddle, she settled down alright.
“You keep saying that.”
“It isn’t getting less true.” Mira reached out gingerly and patted her horse on the back of the neck. The nag whinnied and started to back up out of the stall. “Whoa! What did I do?”
Sandra burst out laughing. The stable hand was more useful and grabbed Mira’s horse’s reins to steady her.
“I guess in this mysterious past life of yours, you never handled horses very much?”
“No. Not very much.” Mira was about to pat her horse again, then thought better of it. “How do I do it?”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure she will enjoy following mine around just fine. Hey, boy.” Sandra leaned over and tapped the stable hand's shoulder before he could go back to what he was doing. He turned around, looking startled.
“Ma’am?”
“What are their names?”
“Oh… oh! You’re riding Lightning, and Mira has Annie.”
“You know Mira?”
“Everyone knows Mira!”
“Hey now!” Mira pouted from on top of Annie. “When you say it like that…”
The boy blushed fiercely, turning away from the two women instinctively.
“I didn’t mean…”
“I know what you meant.” Sandra nodded. He was right, most people knew and adored Mira. She had a way about her that could make you immediately at ease.
The boy nodded seriously, then hustled off. Sandra made a ‘click’ with her tongue and maneuvered Lightning out of the stable and into the bright, late-morning light. Everything seemed
“Okay.” Sandra shook her head, then checked her horse. He was standing still and calm despite all of the extra weight she’d just added to him. She wasn’t particularly equestrian, but even she could tell that he was extremely well-behaved. “Are you ready?”
“Yup!” Sandra slung a couple of bags off her back and set about tying them to her nag’s saddle. Her horse was less well-behaved and danced back and forth as Mira fought to get her heavy packs attached. One of them clanked and banged with such a racket that distant stable hands turned around to see what was happening.
“What have you got in there?” Sandra walked over and helped Mira balance the bag, then get it secured to the horse. Once they’d tied the top and bottom down it stopped making quite so much noise.
“My gear!”
“Your gear?”
“You get gear…”
“For killing dragons.” Sandra motioned her head toward her horse, which was now carrying enough steel to outfit a small company. “I don’t see you as being the type to have a lot of daggers stashed in her room.”
“Look. Gear!” Mira undid the buckle on a side pouch and produced a small, cast-iron pan from inside it.
“Oh!”
“Yeah. Didn’t think of that, did you miss dragon-killer?” Mira stuck out her tongue.
“No. No, I didn’t.” Sandra stuck hers out, too. “Maybe you will be useful after all.”
“Oh, I will. I will. Jury’s still out on you, though.”
“You wound me.”
“I’ve got something for that too!” Mira pulled a rolled-up bandage out of the pack and winked saucily. Sandra laughed and shook her head.
“Where did you learn to be so prepared?” Sandra headed over to her horse and slung herself easily up and onto his back. With the doctor’s potion having worked its magic, she felt better than she had in a long time. Her muscles were supple and limber, all of the fatigue from the day’s activities was gone, and she felt like she could bench-press a thousand pounds.
“Wasn’t always a maid.” Mira had a little more trouble with her nag.
While she clearly knew what she was doing when packing for a trip, she just as clearly did not know what she was doing when it came to horses. Her first two attempts ended up with her on her butt in a pile of hay, and the third would have too if a stable hand hadn’t hustled over and helped boost her up. Once in the saddle, she settled down alright.
“You keep saying that.”
“It isn’t getting less true.” Mira reached out gingerly and patted her horse on the back of the neck. The nag whinnied and started to back up out of the stall. “Whoa! What did I do?”
Sandra burst out laughing. The stable hand was more useful and grabbed Mira’s horse’s reins to steady her.
“I guess in this mysterious past life of yours, you never handled horses very much?”
“No. Not very much.” Mira was about to pat her horse again, then thought better of it. “How do I do it?”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure she will enjoy following mine around just fine. Hey, boy.” Sandra leaned over and tapped the stable hand's shoulder before he could go back to what he was doing. He turned around, looking startled.
“Ma’am?”
“What are their names?”
“Oh… oh! You’re riding Lightning, and Mira has Annie.”
“You know Mira?”
“Everyone knows Mira!”
“Hey now!” Mira pouted from on top of Annie. “When you say it like that…”
The boy blushed fiercely, turning away from the two women instinctively.
“I didn’t mean…”
“I know what you meant.” Sandra nodded. He was right, most people knew and adored Mira. She had a way about her that could make you immediately at ease.
The boy nodded seriously, then hustled off. Sandra made a ‘click’ with her tongue and maneuvered Lightning out of the stable and into the bright, late-morning light. Everything seemed
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