The Stolen Herd Read online

  The Stolen Herd by K. Madill

  Copyright ©2013 by K. Madill

  All Rights Reserved

  Published December 17, 2013

  2nd Edition Published October 31, 2018

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  This book is licenced for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Edited by Chelsey Nichola

  Cover Art created by Fiona Jayde Media

  Formatted by The Deliberate Page

  Images in Manuscript from Canstock Photos: http://www.canstockphoto.com

  For my mother, the original Mareva

  Contents

  Part One

  The Alsvid and The Army

  Unwelcome Visitors

  Maruska and the Mares

  Mareva’s Confession

  The Trial

  A Herdless Horse

  Luco

  The Dragolotl

  The River of Lethe

  A Visit from Grandpa

  Part Two

  The Snowbreth, the General, and His Wife

  Luco and the River Hag

  The King and the Queen

  Roseneath

  Saddles, Bridles, and Bits

  The Blue Bottle

  Learning to Ride

  Gideon

  A Last Minute Present

  Part One

  He who rides a white-eyed steed

  will see a kingdom ruled with greed

  A golden river flows nearby

  a note of song, a forgetful sigh

  It is for him

  to become crowned

  before the blood of many

  soaks the ground

  but only with the help of friends

  can he who was born to

  bring the end

  Those who are caged

  shall be set free

  But the one who is meant

  Will not be

  Chapter One

  The Alsvid and The Army

  It was a pale spring morning when a butterfly failed to save the Alsvid herd.

  The butterfly, named Gideon, had flown all night until the bustle of the Silver City’s traffic and people faded and the chirps and chatters of the Deep Forest began.

  Here, at the furthest reaches of the Silver Kingdom, he pulled out of the breeze and landed on a fat coneflower. An inky black bat with large eyes and a fox-like face crashed into the ground beside him.

  Gideon took a sip of nectar then turned to the bat. “Well, Arkas,” he said gloomily, “we tried.”

  Arkas gave a sad sounding chirp as he nosed through the grass in search of something tasty.

  “I should have put an arrow through Arion’s heart,” Gideon murmured, plucking half-heartedly at a petal. “His heart and the rest of the horses too. Killing them would have been merciful compared to what Queen Asura’s going to do.”

  Arkas had found a patch of strawberries and was cramming a handful of them into his mouth when a rumble of thunder shook the sky and the grass surrounding them swayed from a sudden, howling wind.

  “They’re coming!” yelled Gideon. He jumped as a fork of lightning stabbed the ground inches from him. “Hurry, we have to find Daleth and Mareva.” He dove into the wind, letting the current speed him towards the beach and Arkas followed swiftly behind.

  Mareva, a chestnut colored mare, woke with a jolt.

  “Fire,” her senses warned.

  She raised her head to let out a whinny of alarm that would wake her herd, the Harena, but she caught herself, mid-scream, realizing that she had only been dreaming.

  Her mate, Hengist, flicked one grey ear at her movement but did not wake as the queen mare drew a deep breath, testing the air. “There is a fire,” she thought as the tangy scent of smoke reached her nose. Her heart thudded. Fire meant trouble.

  With a shake of her coat, she stepped carefully through her band of tall, large-boned horses towards the moon-shaped exit of their cave where the Harena sheltered at night. She peeked out and scanned the long beach that bordered the heaving sea they lived by. It was deserted

  “No fires here,” she thought, turning her ears in all directions as quickly as she could. “Alright, if not here, then where?”

  As she listened to the rush of the surf, her instinct whispered that whatever was happening, it was taking place at the edge of the woods. She crept from of the cave, struck by an unusually cold wind that whirled around her legs and bent the long sea grass in her path.

  Shielding herself behind a thick, ancient oak tree, she peeked down the well-trodden trail that led between the forest and ocean and with her acute horse’s eyesight, was shocked to see men and horses barely visible through a towering ring of black flames.

  “Humans?” she thought, drawing back in surprise. “What are humans doing down here and who are those horses?”

  “Do you smell that?” asked a voice from behind. Mareva jumped. Her younger sister, Daleth, a golden mare with amber eyes, had snuck up behind her.

  “I do,” Mareva nodded “It’s fire and man but not regular fire, this is strange. The flames are black and its scent is rancid, almost like spoiled meat. What could be going on down there?”

  Daleth studied the clearing through narrowed eyes. With a strong sniff, she tested the air for herself.

  “I’ll tell you what’s going on down there,” she said grimly. “That dark blaze smells like an animal that has lain dead in the sun and there is only one scoundrel I know who can produce it and that is Asura’s pet wizard, Dazra. Those men down there are the Rakhana army, led by that traitor, General Caucus. That’s him there, the tall one.” Daleth stared hatefully at the largest soldier. His wide shoulders were covered with shimmering, scaly armour while his mouth and chin were concealed by a gleaming, silver mask.

  Daleth gave Mareva a hard shove with her muzzle. “We should wake the others and flee into the Deep Forest until they’re gone. We’ll go around the other side of the caves and—”

  “Not yet,” Mareva interrupted, for her instinct had begun to whisper again, this time, urging her to wait or she would miss it. “Miss what?” she wondered fighting to still her pounding heart as she peered between the flames at the horses and men.

  Whips snapped, splitting the horse’s backs and leaving bloody welts in their wake. Caucus cornered the large, lead stallion against a wall of fire and lashed him. Throwing down his whip, he pulled a long rod from his belt and held it out. The stallion reared, striking out, but was sent reeling by a streak of blue lightning that shot out from the end of Caucus’ weapon. The horse crumpled to the ground with a cry.

  The other soldiers swarmed the fallen stallion, tying ropes around his head and muzzle. The stallion’s mate, a grey mare with a scarred coat, lunged at Caucus who nimbly moved aside and struck
her in the face with his weapon. She crashed to the ground. He stood over the mare and watched her flail, wailing in agony.

  “Oh, no,” Daleth whispered, her eyes full of horror. “Her leg is broken, look at it.” The mare’s foreleg was bent at an impossible angle.

  Caucus pulled a silver ball from his belt and aimed it at the mare.

  BOOM.

  A wave of cold blue light streamed out of the orb and slammed into her. The mare’s terrified eyes found Mareva’s in her hiding place and, for a moment, the two horses, one dying and one terrified, locked gazes. Mareva felt a pang in her gut as the mare’s head dropped heavily onto the ground. The general prodded her limp form with the tip of his boot, then marched over to where the stallion lay struggling against tightly knotted ropes.

  Mareva strained her ears to hear what the man was saying, but his words were lost under the stallion’s desperate whinnies and just as she was trying to out figure how to get closer without being caught herself, Gideon landed on her muzzle.

  “What lovely green wings,” Daleth smirked when she spotted him. “Flying around as a butterfly now are you, Gideon Wanderer?” Arkas squealed and zoomed over to Daleth, crashing into her mane. Intertwining himself in her thick hair, he began nuzzling her neck.

  “Daleth,” Gideon said between breaths. He flitted from Mareva’s nose and rested softly on the ground. “It is good to see you, old friend; you too, Mareva.”

  “Never mind that,” said Daleth, shaking Arkas out of her mane. “What do you want? Only humans think it is good luck to catch a glimpse of a Forest Man. Anytime I see you, it usually means bad news.” She gave him an expectant stare.

  “Gideon, what is going on down there?” Mareva asked, anxiously peering down at him. “Who is that herd?”

  “It’s the Alsvid. That fool of a stallion, Arion, came here to meet Queen Asura. Apparently, she promised him and the rest of his herd immortality if they Bonded with humans.”

  “What?” Daleth shrieked, slapping her tail. “Has Arion been bitten by a rabid fox? How ridiculous!”

  “I thought the Alsvid herd were dead against human Bonds?” Mareva wondered. “From what I remember being told, they were very hard on my ancestors when we first decided to let members of our herd join humans.”

  “You’re right. Alsvids have never allowed themselves to be ridden,” answered Gideon. “But it seems the lure of living forever was strong and Asura along with her wizard, Dazra, made Arion an offer he couldn’t refuse”

  “Oh, Dazra, that creep. I knew he had a hand in this as soon as I saw that black fire,” Daleth grumbled. “So, he’s still hanging around, stinking up the castle, is he? How is it that he and Asura haven’t been beheaded for killing King Prester by now? They’re murderers!”

  “They weren’t beheaded because Asura is Queen and Dazra is her advisor,” Gideon said. “And most people believed their lies about King Prester dying in a riding accident. An accident that happened while atop your back.”

  “Hmpf,” Daleth snorted. “Liars. I see nothing has changed since I left the castle.”

  “It’s gotten worse,” Gideon answered grimly. “Thank Epona you escaped when you did.”

  “Did you not tell Arion what that usurper, Asura, has been doing to the animals in the Silver City?” Daleth asked as she flicked her tail in frustration. “About the experiments?”

  “Of course, I told him,” Gideon said and there was a soft pop.

  Where a butterfly had been only moments before, now stood a tall, lean man. His stern, weathered face was made softer by his friendly green eyes and his long, tangled hair was the color of tree bark.

  Arkas flapped up to Gideon’s chest and crawled into his bushy beard.

  “You’re getting old, Gideon,” Daleth remarked, studying the lines around his mouth.

  “If Arion was coming to make a deal with the queen, then why are the Rakhana rounding them up?” asked Mareva, tears springing to her eyes. “If he’s willing to go, why those whips?”

  “Because she’s not making any deals to give them anything,” Gideon answered angrily. “She plans on turning them all into warhorses and there is no way Arion would agree to that, so she lured him out here with lies.”

  “She tricked them,” Mareva said, her voice breaking.

  Gideon clenched his fists as he watched the army with a look of helpless fury. “She needed a ruse. There’s no way Arion would have gone to the city to meet with her—immortality or not. The army certainly can’t catch the Alsvid herd, those horses can outrun anything. I came to warn Arion about her plan, but he didn’t believe me. What a fool.”

  “Oh, no,” Mareva whispered, hanging her head. “The entire Alsvid herd—finished.”

  “Not the entire herd,” said Gideon pointedly, “and that’s why I’ve come to see you two. I need your help.”

  “What do you mean?” Daleth asked, narrowing her eyes.

  “I took Arion’s foal.”

  “You did what?” Mareva gasped.

  “I took his foal,” Gideon repeated. “I argued with Arion as the minutes ticked by and with each passing moment, the Rakhana grew closer. Finally, he refused to speak to me anymore, so, I changed into a butterfly and teased his foal into following me. I could not let him take his young with him on his stupid, pride-filled journey into darkness.”

  “Where is this foal?” Daleth asked as she scanned the edge of the forest. The strong breeze swayed the grass and littered the air with leaves.

  “I hid him in that brush, just over there.” Gideon pointed to a patch of overgrown weeds at the end of the trail.

  “Gideon, how could you? That’s someone’s son!” Mareva admonished, flicking her tail in indignation.

  “He’s your son now,” Gideon told her. “I want you to keep him here at the beaches and raise him as your own.”

  “Wait a minute, you mean you want us to-” Daleth began.

  “Of course, we’ll take him,” Mareva cut her off. “We can’t leave him out here with no herd and no protection.”

  Gideon’s face sagged with relief as he pulled Arkas out of his beard and hung him off his shoulder.

  “Listen carefully,” he, beckoned the horses to come closer. “Make him think he’s a Harena, don’t tell him he’s an Alsvid. Say nothing to anyone about his existence, not a soul and make the animals who live in your woods promise not to gossip. I’ll be back to check on you all as soon as I can.”

  Without waiting for their answer, Gideon popped back into a butterfly and jetted off with Arkas in tow.

  “Good old Gideon,” Daleth said with gruff affection, watching he and Arkas fly away. “Always running around sticking his nose in everyone’s business. Ah, well. Turns out it was a good thing, this time.” She pushed past Mareva and started down the path towards the tangle of weeds that Gideon had pointed out. “You stay behind me and if I tell you to run, you do it, no matter what. Let’s go find that foal.”

  Daleth quickly led the way, pausing every few steps to swivel her ears in the direction of the men and horses. As they reached the overgrown grass, Mareva caught the fresh-morning scent of a baby horse. She shoved past Daleth and poked her face into the shaggy foliage.

  Huddled in the brush was a small horse. His coat was pure black, aside from a patch of white fur that grew in the shape of a round spiral on his left flank. His hooves looked strong and his mane, although short because he was young, was thick and glossy.

  He would have looked like a perfectly ordinary foal if it wasn’t for his eyes that were pure white and glowed like two full moons. He turned these strange eyes up at Mareva’s looming figure and bleated.

  “Daleth, would you look at this,” Mareva whispered in amazement, reaching down to give the young horse a sniff. “An Alsvid foal.”

  “Let me see him,” said Daleth, pushing Mareva aside. She eyed the white fur on his flan
k. “There is his mark,” she muttered. “The shape of the galaxy on their hindquarters. Every Alsvid is born with it.” She glanced around worriedly for here, at the edge of the treeline, they were exposed. “We should get him to the cave,” she said as she stared glumly back out at the army and the foal’s herd

  The Alsvid were grouped miserably under a tiny storm cloud that hovered just over them, following their movements as if it had a mind of its own. Under the shroud of pounding rain, the soldiers bound the horses into a long line. Caucus led the limping king stallion to the front of the row and began leading him away.

  “That is not a fight we can win,” Mareva said warningly, seeing the blazing look on Daleth’s face. “And if the Rakhana see you, they will take you too. How large is the bounty on your head in the Silver City? Come, Sister, we have to get this foal to safety.”

  Mareva nudged the foal to his feet, and he followed the sisters as they hurried back to the thick, ancient oak. Here, they looked him over.

  “An Alsvid,” Daleth murmured, nibbling his mane. “Strange eyes.” She peered miserably at the soldiers and horses making their way into the woods. “Again, Asura. Yet another reason for me to hate you so,” she whispered.

  The foal sank to his knees and lay down between the sisters. Mareva began washing his coat with gentle licks. Comforted, he closed his eyes and with a deep sigh, fell fast asleep.

  “Would you look at that,” Daleth remarked. “He’s settled right in already, hasn’t he? How lucky for us, since no one foaled this year.” She swished her tail and grazed the small horse with her muzzle.

  “What will Hengist say about this, I wonder?” Mareva murmured. She straightened the foal’s mane and smoothed his tail. “Bringing a strange male into the herd will seem like a challenge to him, don’t you think? He won’t like it at all.”

  “Well, that’s too bad for Hengist, isn’t it?” Daleth snorted. “You are the Queen of the Harena herd and your stallion will do as you say. Besides,” she added, “Gideon told us to take him and, trust me, you do not want to go against his wishes.”