Horse Charmer

Horse Charmer - Chapter One - Part Two

Cassia jerked out of sleep. Rising up on her knees to escape the nightmare, she glanced around her room wildly as her breathing slowed and she dropped her head into her hands. She was safe and in her own bed. The nightmare tickled the back of her mind and she shoved it aside not wanting to see the few scattered images that stayed with her.

A soft snore interrupted her and she looked up at her handmaid Yaffa sleeping in a chair. Where was her other handmaiden? She would have expected Ula, the older and senior handmaiden, to be watching over her. Ula rarely let Yaffa do anything beyond assisting her. But Ula was no where in her large bedchamber. It jarred her to see her room looking the way it should look. With the world ending, her room shouldn't remain the same.

Careful not to make any noise, she slid out of bed and pulled on her robe over her sleeping gown and slipped her feet into her boots. She tiptoed across the wooden floor and around the sitting chairs to get to the door. Glancing back, she made sure Yaffa hadn't woken up before tiptoeing past her dressing room which doubled as a small bedchamber for her two handmaidens. Ula had to be in there.

She eased her door open. The horses beckoned to her. She glanced about her and ran down the empty hallway to a back staircase. Stopping at the large wood door at the bottom of the stairs, she cautiously opened it to peek out the crack into the stable yard. She sighed in relief when she saw it was still early and there wasn't much activity. Just a few stable lads going about their chores. Careful to keep to the shadows, she worked her way to the main barn at the other end of the yard.

The barn was quiet and empty of people as she hurried down the long aisle of stalls. The presence of the horses worked its way through her like a soothing balm. The stallion she'd been riding earlier nickered as soon as he spotted her. Cassia patted his head and reached to unlatch his stall. She stopped. Someone was watching her. She turned to the stall across from him.

The petite mare Luki had given her looked back at her. Even in the dim light, the mare was achingly beautiful compared to the bulky mountain horses around her. Cassia slowly approached her and opened the stall door. The mare pawed and huffed at her, but stepped back as Cassia entered. She shut the door behind her and sat in the corner of the stall. The mare eyed her a moment before walking over and blowing hot air across her face. Cassia smiled slightly as she reached up to pet the mare's soft nose.

"He picked a beauty," she whispered. "But he usually does. Father," her breath hitched, "always said Luki had a good eye when it came to horses."

Resting her forehead on her knees, she cried quietly. The mare stood silently over her washing Cassia with her calm presence. A connection pulsed between her and the mare, and if she wasn't so focused on her grief, she would have explored it.

A soft crunch outside the stall was the first warning she had that she was no longer alone. The mare lifted her head in challenge to the intruder. Cassia pushed back and winced at the rustle of hay. The footsteps stopped, the unmistakable sound of a short sword sliding from a leather sheath echoed in the quiet.

"Whoever's in the stall better step out," Luki demanded.

She wiped the tears from her face and slowly stood up. The mare nuzzled her and she gave her a final pat before stepping out of the stall.

"Cassia." He dropped the sword down to his thigh and turned red. "I mean, Princess Cassia, I apologize. If I'd known it was you, I wouldn't have…I'm sorry about your father."

She'd been sobbing against his shoulder not too long ago. A blush crept up her cheeks at the memory. In fact, that was the last thing she remembered. She had no idea how she'd gotten from the stable yard to her room. Had he carried her?