Fire Maiden Read Online Free

Hoku’s corral, the two dogs fell in on each side of her. Jill, usually the least affectionate of the dogs, leaned her head against Darby’s knee, making her wobble as they walked.
    Even though it had been less than an hour since she’d touched her horse, Darby felt the same wonder she did each time she looked at Hoku. The filly’s image always went straight from Darby’s eyes to her heart.
    Backlit by the sunset, the filly’s mane shone yellow gold and her coat was coppery, but she looked as nervous as a zoo animal as she paced, halting at each fence as if she’d never seen it before.
    Hoku greeted Darby with a worried whinny. Sassclosed his eyes and sniffed, and the horse snapped her teeth on the fleeting breeze.
    What did the animals sense?
    Darby stayed quiet, trying to read her filly’s body language, but Hoku felt her watching. For the first time in weeks, the mustang was unsettled by Darby’s stare.
    â€œDo you blame me for all that stuff?” Darby asked, nodding toward the round pen.
    Hoku licked her lips and champed her jaws. She looked young and a bit frightened.
    â€œI don’t get it,” Darby told her horse. Then she released a heavy sigh. “But I’m not helping, am I?”
    Darby took a few experimental steps away from her horse. Hoku lowered her head and blew through her lips, relaxing as Darby moved away.
    She didn’t have to be a horse charmer to see that Hoku didn’t want anyone around.
    As she walked away, Darby heard Hoku pacing again. The filly moved as if she had no choice, as if her hooves had to measure off the minutes to something she dreaded.
    Although she heard birds chirping good night to the setting sun, and knew she should rush to wash the dirt and horse hair off her hands before helping with dinner, Darby made one more quick detour.
    She wanted to talk to her friend Megan.
    Darby didn’t know when Megan and Aunty Cathy had stopped watching at the round pen fence,but they’d seen part of what had happened. Maybe Megan, who’d grown up with horses, would have some insight into Navigator’s meltdown.
    Darby was climbing the steps up to Megan’s apartment, which had been built atop Sun House, when a step seemed to bow away from her boot. Darby grabbed the handrail for balance and wished her stomach would rejoin the rest of her.
    What was that?
    Feeling dizzy, Darby looked across the ranch yard. The bird on Judge’s withers flew away. The dogs began barking. Then Aunty Cathy burst out of the house yelling.
    â€œMegan! Help me catch the goat!”
    Darby jumped back as the apartment door opened. Megan gasped in surprise at Darby’s nearness, said hi, and laughed as Darby flattened herself to one side to keep the other girl from running her down.
    A trim athlete who smelled of coconut suntan lotion, Megan was a head taller than Darby and usually pretty sensible. Because Aunty Cathy was shouting for Megan to hurry, Darby didn’t grill her friend about Navigator, but she couldn’t help asking, “Did you feel anything just now?”
    â€œJust the earth moving—”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œâ€”from my mom screaming for me,” Megan finished as Aunty Cathy started up again.
    â€œMegan! I need you down here!” Aunty Cathy sounded sharp and impatient. The stairs rocked beneath Darby as Megan pounded down the steps to join her mother.
    â€œDo you want me to help?” Darby called after them.
    â€œWatch dinner,” Aunty Cathy said, pointing toward the house, and then she and Megan were running.

Chapter 3
    D arby burned the rice, but she didn’t feel too bad, because Jonah shook extra soy sauce on the pork he was frying. It tasted almost too salty to eat.
    As they cooked, side by side, Darby could tell Jonah wasn’t angry with her. He was disappointed, though, and that was worse.
    â€œI wasn’t blaming anything on Navigator,” she told him. “I really