The Stolen Herd Read online

  “Whatever, Marushka,” Daleth answered, nudging Mandamus to get him moving. “I won’t lose any sleep over the opinion of a bully like you.”

  “Everyone remembers what you did,” Marushka said abruptly. “Of course, I suppose you’ve tried your best to forget how you killed your Bonded human. That poor creature. Even for a man, I’m sure he deserved a much better mount than you.”

  “He was a fine man,” Daleth said softly and Mandamus caught the briefest flicker of pain cross his aunt’s face. “And you could be right about his deserving better, but as far as I know, there is not a human in all the Silver City who desires a Bond with any member of your herd. So, I will assume your knowledge of humans and their ways is based on gossip and assumption.”

  Marushka looked as though she would like nothing more than to kick Daleth as hard as she could. “Let’s see what the Forest Council has to say about your law-breaking nephew,” she growled. “I’ll have him charged and put on trial and when he’s called before the council, everyone will find out about him.”

  Daleth bared her teeth. Albethia stared at Mandamus with wide, apologetic eyes.

  “Won’t that be interesting?” Marushka carried on smugly. “Why, even the queen who has the rest of his herd might hear.”

  “Threaten all you want, Marushka,” chuckled Daleth. “Mandamus’ marriage to your daughter is never going to happen.”

  “Well, you can’t speak on his behalf,” Marushka said. “Sisters to the queen aren’t allowed to make any herd decisions so I guess I’ll be seeing your lovely sister soon. How humiliating it must be for you, going from the human king’s prized horse to no more than a maid for your older, more powerful sister.”

  Marushka shot Mandamus a look of deep loathing before turning and stalking back towards the Eternal Fountain, followed by her offspring, except Albethia who lingered behind.

  “Don’t worry, Mandamus,” she whispered. “I’ll speak to my mother. We won’t have to get married.” She smiled, showing her sharp teeth. Mandamus’ heart fluttered at the glistening points but managed a weak smile back.

  “Are you insane, filly?” Daleth growled. “Get out of here and never speak to us again. You’re both in enough trouble already.”

  “Albethia, come here, now!” Marushka roared.

  “Bye,” she mouthed and with one last sorry look, she galloped away.

  Mandamus let out a long sigh. He said silent thanks to the horse Spirit Epona, that his aunt had shown up when she did. He gave Daleth a sheepish smile that was quickly smote by her angry glare.

  “We have to hurry back,” she told him. “We have to tell Mareva and Hengist what happened.”

  Daleth charged up the trail. She turned to watch the retreating mares with an anxious look as they passed the Eternal Fountain and disappeared into the forest.

  “Aunt Daleth,” Mandamus began, hoping to make amends. He was so grateful to see her, he wouldn’t even argue with whatever his punishment was going to be. “That wasn’t a lie. I did get startled. There was something, something enormous after me at the watering creek. It knocked over a tree.”

  “And you ran away in panic, like a two-day-old foal,” she said crossly.

  Mandamus flushed with shame. It was the mark of a young, unsteady horse to flee in a moment’s panic. Had he taken an extra minute to smell for danger, none of them would be in this mess. “A bit of an unfair mess,” he thought. What kind of herd makes a law that says you can’t speak to them?

  “Why am I not allowed to talk to Albethia or look at her sisters without an invitation? How come that queen was so mean to us?”

  “That queen is a bitter old goat with nothing better to do than roam the countryside terrorizing everyone. I don’t know why you’re not allowed to speak to them, that crazy old Marushka makes the rules, and she works very hard to enforce them. If you think you’re in trouble, I shudder to think of the suffering that little mare will go through.”

  His stomach went hot with guilt. Albethia had tried to help him and now she was going to be punished.

  “What did you mean when you said to Marushka, ‘Oh, that’s what you’re after’?” he asked. “What’s she after?” He had to trot to keep up to Daleth’s rapid gait.

  “She’s after you.” Daleth smacked him with her tail. Hard.

  “Me?”

  “Marushka is going to try to make you marry that little mare you were talking to.”

  “Marry Albethia?” asked Mandamus, dumbfounded. He stumbled on a tree root. “What for?”

  “Mandamus, keep quiet and hurry up. We have to get back to the herd,” Daleth replied. “I’ve got to reach Mareva before the rumours do, you know how animals love to talk. Your stupidity has probably reached both ends of the kingdom by now.”

  “Those mares called me an Alsvid,” he pressed, knowing he was pushing his luck. “What’s that mean, ‘Alsvid?”

  “Be quiet!” Daleth hissed, her eyes darting nervously around. “That word ‘Alsvid’ is another matter entirely. Don’t yell it out, you don’t know who is listening.”

  “What does it mean?” he persisted.

  His aunt’s eyes bulged with fury. “That doesn’t matter now,” she snarled, poking him in the side with each word. She sighed wearily. “Mandamus, why?” she asked, her voice full of frustration. “Why did you go wandering about when I specifically told you not to, and why in the world were you in the Deep Forest? You know you’re forbidden from going that far on your own.”

  “A tree nearly hit me,” he said, feeling a bit resentful. She didn’t seem to care at all that he’d nearly been crushed. “It could have been a bear or worse.”

  “It was a beaver felling a tree,” she replied tartly. “Those idiots have some plan to dam up the watering creek. I found him chewing the log to bits while I was looking for you. You clearly need to spend more time practising your alertness skills and less time wandering about with your head in the clouds. By now you should have the smarts to know the difference between danger and a beaver. No more questions. We have to get back.”

  Mandamus flushed. A beaver? All of this was over a beaver? “I didn’t realize it was just a beaver,” he said, humiliation making the hair on his neck rise. “And I certainly didn’t mean to run into the Diomedes herd. I thought they were gone.” He shifted some of the blame onto Hengist. Why had Hengist come back to the herd and told everyone the mares were gone if they weren’t? I thought it would be okay to go for a drink on my own.”

  “I know you didn’t mean any harm, but I told you not to go off on your own. Now Marushka’s going to run and blab to the Forest Council, and once they’re involved, who knows what will happen? We need to get out of this forest and home to the herd so stop your dawdling and let’s go!” She reached over and bit him on the hindquarters. Mandamus squealed and dashed ahead.

  “Oh, you think that’s bad, do you?” he heard her shout after him. “That’s nothing compared to what could have happened to you if I hadn’t come along.”

  So, Mandamus galloped home, eager for the safety of his mother, unaware that his disastrous meeting with the mares was only the beginning of the many great and terrible things that followed.

  CHAPTER 4

  Mareva’s Confession

  Mandamus and Daleth plodded in silence through the gloom of the Deep Forest and were soon back in the cheery light of the Green Woods. Mandamus breathed a sigh of relief to be back in a forest he recognized surrounded by familiar trails, bushes, and smells. He stopped off at his favourite apple tree and reached up to tear an apple from a branch when he realized that the forest around him was abuzz with gossip.

  “Did you hear about the Harena prince?” Mandamus heard a lovebird chirp to a crow. “He’s betrothed to Albethia of the Mares of Diomedes,”

  The crow cackled unsympathetically “You don’t say! Well, that will be a short marriage. The Diomedes
husbands never last longer than a day,” the crow drew the tip of his wing across this throat. “Dinner time,” he said to the lovebird whose eyes bulged with fright.

  “Guess what?” a fat bullfrog croaked to a turtle who floated on a log beside his lily pad, “You know that weird-looking, black Harena horse that lives on the beach? I heard that he and a Diomedes mare will be married in the spring and you know what happens to a Diomedes’ mate, don’t you?”

  The turtle quickly retreated into his shell. “It’s too horrible to think about,” he squeaked.

  “It’s been a while since one of the mares took a mate. Do you remember the last one?” a bright-eyed chipmunk asked a raccoon. “He ended up—” but the chipmunk didn’t get to finish for the raccoon scuttled quickly away. He wanted nothing to do with those mares, including talk about them.

  “Nosy blabbermouths,” Daleth grumbled, pausing to listen. “I knew they’d spread this through the forest before we even got home.”

  She snatched a stick up from the forest floor in her mouth and flung it at a tree full of chirping birds. The flock squawked with indignation then zoomed away, shooting furious looks over their shoulders. Mandamus felt horrible. First, his aunt was fighting with other horses and now she was throwing branches at birds and it was all because of him. He dreaded facing his mother but what worried him the most were the musings of the other animals. Why did they sound so grim? What happened to a male who married a Mare of Diomedes?

  After what seemed like the longest walk of his life, Mandamus and Daleth finally reached the stretch of beach they called home. Mandamus could see his mother anxiously watching the tree line.

  “Thank Epona you’re alright,” she cried, racing towards them. She tucked her head over Mandamus drawing him close and he buried his head in her broad, warm chest.

  “What’s this I hear about him meeting the Mares of Diomedes?” Mareva asked Daleth, while nibbling Mandamus’ ears.

  “It’s the truth,” his aunt said, smacking him with her tail. “He wasn’t at the watering hole after all; he spooked, ran into the woods, and ended up with the Diomedes herd. That Marushka had him cornered when I showed up. I was too late. By the time I found him, he was practically engaged to her youngest daughter.” She turned to glare at Mandamus, for what felt like the hundredth time that morning.

  Mandamus pressed closer against Mareva.

  “What do you mean, ‘engaged’?” Mareva asked. She unhooked her neck from Mandamus and examined him all over. Finding a small scratch on his shoulder, she licked it gently.

  “I mean, Marushka’s figured out what he is and is scheming her fool head off. She’s going to the Forest Council to have him charged with spying and for speaking to one of her daughters without invitation. She is going to offer a marriage proposal as a way out for Mandamus,” Daleth snorted. “She’s done this sort of thing before, or so I’ve heard. It seems Queen of the Teeth would like some offspring with Alsvid blood.”

  Mareva looked sharply at her sister.

  “Yes, she knows our secret,” Daleth said with a grim shake of her head. “And if she knows what Mandamus truly is, there’s no telling how far she’ll go to get him as a son in law.”

  “Mandamus, go to the caves and rest,” Mareva said absently. She pushed him away with her muzzle. “Stay there until I come for you.”

  “Okay,” he agreed reluctantly. He didn’t want to leave for his curiosity was about to explode. There was more to this than just his illegal liaison with a Diomedes mare, he was sure of it. What did Daleth mean when she said Marushka figured out what his was? What secret did she know? Did this have something to do with the mares calling him an Alsvid? He stalled, wanting to ask, but after a more forceful shove by Daleth, he turned and hurried away.

  He had reached the old oak that marked the entrance to their cave when he heard his mother’s voice again. Knowing he was disobeying when he’d already caused enough trouble, but unable to help himself, he hid behind the gnarled oak that marked their cave to watch and listen.

  “What do we do now?” Mareva asked.

  “Well, if there is a trial,” Daleth answered rubbing her face on her foreleg, “he could be held under the mare’s law about going there uninvited. He said he was lost and I believe him. I think she did too, only she won’t admit it. If he was still a foal none of this would matter but he’s almost fully grown. One thing is certain, if he’s forced to marry that little mare, then he’s as good as dead.” She snorted in disgust.

  “There must be something I can do,” Mareva murmured, pawing the ground. “I’ll go and speak to Marushka myself.”

  “Don’t you even think about going to see her,” Daleth barked, swatting Mareva lightly with her tail. “What good do you think that’s going to do? Marushka’s probably reached the council already anyway. No, Sister, we wait to hear from them.”

  “Daleth, I am the queen of this herd, not you. If I want to go and speak to Marushka, then I will!”

  “But it’s no use,” Daleth answered calmly. “Don’t you think I would have tried to reason with her if I thought it would make a difference? She saw his mark and his eyes, and she wants his blood in her grandfoal. No amount of peace offerings or negotiating will change that mare’s mind, I can tell you that right now. You can’t reason with someone like her.”

  “There must be something that can be done!” Mareva cried, with a small, frustrated buck. “I swore to Gideon that I’d keep him safe.”

  “What are you talking about?” Daleth asked. “We have kept him safe. This was bad luck.”

  “I’ll destroy her first,” Mareva whispered coldly, and shock washed over Mandamus. His aunt Daleth was the one who usually said things like that, not his mother. “She can’t just come here and decide she’s taking my son.”

  “I don’t think the Harena herd can take on the Diomedes,” Daleth said logically. “The Forest Council wouldn’t abide it anyway. You must remember, he did break one of their rules. Males needing permission to speak to a Diomedes mare is one of the oldest laws in the kingdom and we’re supposed to respect it when they’re in our territory, even if it is stupid.”

  Mandamus’ heart sank. Now his mother was considering starting a herd war.

  “What did the mares say to Mandamus about being an Alsvid?” Mareva asked.

  This was what he was waiting for. Mandamus pricked his ears and listened intently.

  “I’m not sure,” Daleth answered. “I know they called him one. He asked me about it on the way home.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I didn’t tell him anything, I bit him instead.” Daleth lowered her eyes at Mareva’s reproachful stare. “I know how you feel about physical punishment, but I was just so angry. I couldn’t stand any more of his questions. We have even worse trouble than Marushka now, you know that, don’t you? This story will travel through the forest and straight into the Silver City. It will reach the ears of the castle’s animals and someone is bound to tell Asura.”

  “It’s the Alsvid herd that the army rides now though, isn’t it?” Mareva said thoughtfully, staring out at the sea. “Maybe Mandamus should go to them. Being a warhorse for the human army would be better than being eaten alive by those mares, wouldn’t it?”

  Mandamus swallowed hard. Eaten alive?

  “Join the Rakhana?” Daleth said indignantly. “Mareva, where has your common sense galloped off to?” She reached over and gave Mareva a frustrated nip on the shoulder. “That army is the very thing we’ve spent all this time protecting him from.”

  “But you were Bonded to the human king and you trusted him. You were in that army,” Mareva pointed out, though she sounded unconvinced herself.

  “I trusted Prester because he was a good man,” Daleth answered with a pained look. She moved away from Mareva, her mouth pinched. “It wasn’t his fault that he ended up caught in Dazra’s spell and then
killed by that queen. That army isn’t the same outfit it was when I served, Mareva. You don’t know what you’re saying when you talk of sending him there. I fear for any animal Bonded in the Silver City now, for there are fates much worse than death. If I hadn’t escaped the prisons with the help of Gideon’s little fire bat, Arkas, who knows what Queen Asura would have done to me? Besides, Gideon told us to keep him here. He would have sent Mandamus to the city if he thought that was where he belonged.”

  “I suppose,” Mareva answered and Mandamus felt a stab of guilt when he heard the defeat in her voice. Alsvid, Rakhana, these words swirled around in his head, but try as he might, he could not place them. He craned his neck as far as he could eager to hear more but his mother and aunt were silent.

  A large shadow dropped over him and Mandamus looked up to find Hengist frowning down at him.

  “I don’t know why you do the things you do,” Hengist sighed. “Your mother has been sick with worry. You were told not to leave the herd and now you’ve led your aunt and yourself into serious trouble.”

  Mandamus let his head droop. “I’m sorry.”

  Hengist nodded. “I know you are, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that you disobeyed us. Didn’t we tell you not to go wandering on your own?”

  “Yes, but I thought—”

  “I know what you thought,” Hengist interrupted. “Did you give any thought to what will happen now?”

  “A trial?” Mandamus guessed. “But I don’t see why. How can they put me on trial for being lost? I only ended up at the Eternal Fountain because of a beaver.” He prickled with embarrassment. Hengist would never have run from a beaver. “I didn’t go looking for the mares.”

  “Unfortunately, now we are going to have to prove that,” Hengist answered, raising his brow. He nudged Mandamus forward. “Do you know what happens to a male who marries a Diomedes mare?”