Silver threads, p.8
Silver Threads, page 8
“How can you take care of me? If I go in there now and do what you ask, they’ll kill me. There’s too many of them.”
“No, they won’t.”
“You’re an orphan, aren’t you?” Dunbar asked.
Lee’s hat flopped over his eyes when he bowed his head.
“You’ll come back to Prasa Potama with us. We’ll find a home for you. How many men are in there now?”
“The grooms. You saw them today. They aren’t armed. Please sir, don’t hurt them. They are as poor as I am.”
“Open the door for us.”
Lee nodded and Barin let him go, all the while wondering if the boy’s tears were sincere or if he’d continue on his mission working against him. Barin could help the boy turn a new leaf easily enough by having him work in the castle as a servant. Maybe Lee could become a groom and have one of his own horses if he worked hard. But he’d have to become trustworthy, and for an orphan boy living on the streets, mingling with thieves, Barin wasn’t sure that was possible.
He dusted the dirt off his hands as he watched Lee scale the side of the barn and climb through a window.
“I don’t trust him, Vasil,” Dunbar whispered in his ear. “I’ve seen his kind. They’ll cry in your face and then spit at your back.”
“I’ll follow him, if you like,” Ray said. “Now that I know what wall to scale.”
“Do it,” Barin said.
The wait took more than a few minutes, and it was Ray who opened the gate with a sword in his hand and chaos in the breezeway. Some horses had escaped the corral and were roaming through the stables while men tried to round them up. Barin and Neal immediately went to work, herding the Koladans back into the corral, regardless of what Sylvester’s men were trying to do with them. Talos handed Ray the reins to his horse and when Ray mounted, he joined them, cutting off the grooms and chasing them back to the stalls where they kept the horses that weren’t Koladans.
Clouds of dust filled the barn, men coughed, others called out orders, horses whinnied, but before too long, most of the selected horses were in the corral with the gate shut and Barin, with his sword drawn, threatened Sylvester’s men to stay away.
“There’s forty-two back in the corral,” Talos told him. “Want me to find the others?”
“Yes. We paid for fifty, we’re taking fifty home with us.”
One by one, Talos, Ray, and Dunbar found the others. Neal stayed by Barin, guarding the gate to the corral, a cautious eye on the grooms, though no one tried to stop them. Once they gathered the herd, Barin had the doors to the stables opened wide, and they herded the horses out onto the road.
Lee, meanwhile, had disappeared.
“Go on ahead, Neil.” Barin ordered.
“And what will you be doing?”
Barin caught his gaze, aware of his commander’s suspicions. If anyone knew Barin’s intentions, it was Neil. They were accountable to each other as soldiers, and as friends.
“I’m going to confront Lord Sylvester.”
“Is that a good idea? You’ve already threatened him.”
Barin’s blood rushed to his cheeks. He had not thought out what he’d do, and his temper was running hot.
“Let’s get these horses back to Prasa Potama safely, and return as a unit, Vasil. Your father will know how to manage Lord Sylvester. You’ve done your job, very well considering what we were up against.”
Barin studied him and finally broke a smile. “All right, Commander. I’ve had enough confrontations on this trip.”
They rode on through Kolada, drawing villagers out of their homes to see such a parade, five men herding fifty prize horses along their streets. The man at the portcullis let them through without a word, and before the iron bars closed down behind them, Dunbar let out a holler and pulled off his cap.
“Seems we have visitors, Vasil!” he said.
Galloping in a cloud of dust, a rider had just passed over the bridge in haste to catch up to them. Curious, Barin halted and turned to meet Anna with Lee riding double. Out of breath, she pulled her horse to a stop.
“Vasil, if you would, take the boy.” Anna said. “He’s not safe here.”
“Not safe?” Barin regarded Lee, the boy’s floppy cap hid his bowed face. “I asked him to help us, and he failed. I can’t trust him in Prasa Potama. I can’t trust your father either, milady. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if I can trust you.”
“I did help, Vasil,” Lee mumbled.
“Oh?”
Lee lifted his head, his wide blue eyes met Barin’s.
“I’m the one that let the horses loose into the stables. I saw your man follow me and figured he’d open the gate for you. The only way I could help without being caught would be to turn the horses loose and cause a commotion when your soldier got to the gate. Otherwise, they would have caught me and whipped me and stopped me before I could get you in. As it was, it looked like an accident. You can trust Anna, Vasil. Please take me with you. I can’t go back now.”
Barin’s men were well ahead of him, the horses moving at a walk through the prairie. Even Neal had gone on. The decision was up to Barin alone. The two waited, the dirty, renegade boy, and Anna, the lovely dark-haired daughter of an untrustworthy nobleman. He met her eyes, and a strange feeling rushed through him, a feeling that he would need to see this woman again.
“You’ll be under scrutiny,” Barin told the boy. “You’ll work, and stay out of trouble, and if you steal, you’ll be punished.”
The boy’s face lit up. “Yes, Vasil!” He slid off of Anna’s horse and Barin gave him an arm up onto his.
“Thank you,” Anna said, her soft voice like music. “Vasil.”
Barin nodded, speechless. She turned her horse and rode back to Kolada, and Barin watched her.
“She’s pretty, isn’t she?” Lee asked.
Barin, coming out of his trance, grunted. “Sweet as a rose,” he said, thinking it was a shame such a lovely young lady was the daughter of such a tyrant.
“Hold on,” he told Lee.
Beau took off at a canter toward the cloud of dust ahead of them while in the saddle Barin rode, contemplating his triumph—fifty of the most impressive horses in the land headed for his father’s stables. But the greatest victory was that he saved the boy.
Barin’s eyes had indeed been opened to Lord Sylvester’s tyranny, not only against his father’s kingdom, but against the nobleman’s own people. Poverty plagued Kolada, and the nobleman’s greed and disregard for the citizens was the cause. No matter what village Potamians lived in, they shouldn’t be destitute like Lee. If Lord Sylvester, the keeper of that city wasn’t going to improve the living conditions there, then it was up to the king of Potamia to do so. If his father weren’t healthy enough, Barin would see it done.
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Did you love Silver Threads? Then you should read Sword of Cho Nisi book 1 by D.L. Gardner!
Erika, the youngest daughter of a legendary king, aspires to be a warrior and follows her brother to war against the dark wizard. She accidentally kills a king during her first battle and that mistake costs the allegiance of an island whose magic her father's kingdom needs to win the war. When she attempts to right her wrongs, she instead falls in love with the island's heir. Arell, at first has no idea she killed his father but is thrust upon a throne he never wanted, pitted against an enemy he never asked for and once the truth is revealed, is forced to sentence the only woman he ever loved. Can the two forget their grievances in time to save their kingdoms?
"A masterful painter of words, D.L. Gardner's brushstrokes of prose bring to life a compelling fantasy tale that demonstrates the power of forgiveness and redemption in the aftermath of tragedy." - award-winning author Stephen Zimmer of the Fires In Eden Series
Overall, Rise of the Tobian Princess is a nicely packaged fantasy adventure with a good secondary romance. There's never a dull moment in here; it's jam-packed with monumental events and action to look forward to. Princess Erika is one hero that readers are going to be thrilled to discover. - Independent Book Review
Read more at D.L. Gardner’s site.
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Watch for more at D.L. Gardner’s site.
About the Author
D.L. Gardner is an award-winning author and artist living in the Pacific Northwest. A lover of ocean breeze and mountain wildflowers, her works reflect a love for nature and an understanding of the human condition. Her fantasy works are character driven and classified as noblebright.
All her books are available on her website. Subscribe to her newsletter to keep up with the latest news.
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Read more at D.L. Gardner’s site.
D.L. Gardner, Silver Threads
