Call of the Herald Read Online Free Page A

right," Osbourne said as he
mounted. Patches, who was a well-mannered mare, must have sensed
Osbourne's nervousness, for she danced around the stable, her ears
twitching as she spun. Osbourne soothed her with a hand on her
neck, and she trotted away with her tail tucked. "I'll see you
tomorrow," Osbourne said with a wave.
    "Be careful," Chase said, betraying his own
fears, and Osbourne rode away looking more nervous than ever.
    Checking around every corner as he went,
Chase made his way to the mill. At each turn he expected to find
the townies waiting, and their absence only increased his anxiety.
"I wish they would just get on with it," he mumbled to himself as
he passed the market.
    When he saw his father waiting with the wagon
already loaded, though, he forgot his fears. They had enough work
to keep them until nightfall, and he would have time to think of
little else.
     
    * * *
     
    After sitting far longer than needed to make
up the time she had missed, Catrin began to wonder if Master Edling
had forgotten she was there. He was completely engrossed in his
text, and she was hesitant to interrupt. She tried to be patient,
but she desperately wanted to talk to Chase, and she shifted in her
seat constantly.
    "You are dismissed," he said suddenly without
looking up.
    "Thank you, Master Edling; it won't happen
again, sir," Catrin said as she rose to leave.
    "It had better not. And do not think for a
moment that I'm unaware of your involvement in today's disruption;
you can pass that along to your cousin as well," he said, and
Catrin did not bother to deny it, knowing it would do no good.
    She walked quickly to the Watering Hole,
arriving to find Strom busy with the mounts of two nobles. She
waited in the shadows, not wanting the nobles to complain about
riffraff hanging around the stables; it had happened before, and
she didn't want to impose on Strom. Once the nobles made their
instructions abundantly clear, they strolled into the Watering
Hole, and Catrin emerged from her hiding place.
    "Thanks for keeping out of sight," Strom
said. "Salty's in the last stall. You can saddle him yourself,
can't you?" he asked with a smirk.
    "I think I can manage, though the task is
beneath me," Catrin replied, and her sarcasm brought a chuckle from
Strom. Her tack had been cleaned and hung neatly outside the stall;
he had treated her horse and gear as if they were his own, and she
appreciated the gesture. Salty gave her no trouble, being aware he
was on his way home, where his feed bucket waited. Strom was still
attending to the nobles' horses and tack when she mounted.
    "Thank you, Strom. I appreciate your help,"
she said, waving as she left.
    "Don't mention it, Cat; just try not to make
a habit of it," he replied with a wink and returned to his
work.
    Salty needed little prompting, and he broke
into a trot as soon as they left town. Catrin turned him onto the
wagon trail that meandered toward her home, hoping Chase would meet
her there. She had expected to find him waiting at the Watering
Hole, and his absence concerned her. She was tempted to push Salty
to a gallop but resisted the urge. The trail was muddy and slick,
and speed would only put her and Salty at risk. Her father and
Benjin had warned her about such behavior, and she heeded their
advice.
    Engrossed in her thoughts, she let Salty
cover the familiar distance without her input, but as she
approached the woods, she heard someone cry out. Urging Salty
forward, she scanned the trees for signs of trouble. Through the
foliage, she saw flashes of movement in a clearing, and harsh
laughter echoed around her. When she saw Patches, Osbourne's mare,
wandering through the trees, still saddled and bridled, she nearly
panicked. Osbourne would never leave his horse in such a state, and
she knew he was in trouble.
    After jumping from the saddle, she tied Salty
to a nearby tree and approached Patches, who recognized her and
cooperated as Catrin tied her to another tree. Meanwhile, she heard
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