Lone Star Magic Read Online Free Page A

need any help.” She scrunched up her nose in such a way that
he knew instinctively she was about to tell a big, fat, lie. “I
have, er, six strong brothers. Football players, all. They come
over every morning and help me work the ranch. As a matter of fact,
they should be here any minute. You need to leave before they see
you.”
    He smiled. “What happened to the high school
kids?”
    Her mouth fell open and he knew she’d
forgotten her earlier lie. “They are. High school kids. My
brothers, that is.”
    In his stall, TM reacted to the edge of
hysteria he heard in Carly’s voice. He reared up, giving a shrill
whistle, and kicked the padded side of the stall.
    Alrick crossed to the stall door and pulled
it open.
    “Don’t go in there.” Carly actually sounded
worried.
    “He won’t hurt me.” He slipped inside the
stall.
    Showing the whites of his eyes, TM stood
still, sides heaving, nostrils flaring.
    Alrick spoke three short words, all in the
old language, the one still used by animals.
    TM let his breath out in a snort. He lowered
his head, tilting it sideways so Alrick would have better access to
his ears.
    With a soft chuckle, Alrick obliged.
    “I don’t know how you do that.” Carly’s voice
sounded hushed, though he could still detect her simmering anger.
And fear. Though why she would be afraid of him, he couldn’t
fathom. Most women wanted to bed him, not chase him away.
    But then the Mage had revealed Carly was not
like most woman.
    Alrick looked at her over the stallion’s
lowered head. “I’ve spoken nothing but the truth. I told you I am
skilled with horses, didn’t I?”
    She nodded. “Yes, but I still can’t let you
stay.”
    “Why not?”
    “I—.”
    A crash sounded. Thunder in a cloudless sky?
Alrick felt that familiar prickle along his skin that meant
magic.
    Magic? Here, now, again, so soon? Surely the
Warlord realized how careful he had to be not to disturb the
balance of this world. Awful disasters of weather had been known to
occur as the result of misused magic in the human realm. Even
coming from the future, the Warlord would know this as well. Most
likely he simply did not care.
    Carefully, Alrick left the horse’s stall and
closed the door until it clicked.
    “Did you hear—?” Carly pointed up, in the
general direction of the sky.
    Again he felt the hair on his arms raise. He
cursed the Warlord, even as he sensed what was about to happen.
    There was a flash as lightning struck the
roof. A second later, another boom of thunder. The rear of the barn
erupted in flames.
    Alrick spun, pushing Carly away. “Get out,”
he shouted.
    She hesitated, her frantic gaze darting from
TN to him and back again. “TM…”
    “I’ll get the horse.” With another urgent
shove, he pushed her towards the door. “Go. Now.”
    Carly ran.
    The fire spread quickly, devouring the dry
wood like a starving demon.
    TM screamed, panicked. Alrick tore off his
tunic, running to TM’s stall. The stallion reared, the whites of
his eyes and his flared nostrils showing his terror.
    Alrick spoke in the old tongue, swearing to
get the animal out safely. This quieted TM enough for Alrick to
wrap his tunic around the horse’s head. Gripping his mane, Alrick
prodded the stallion forward.
    The roaring fire leapt along the roof,
crackling. Close enough that Alrick felt the heat singe his hair.
Thick black smoke billowed around them, stinging his eyes, tearing
up his throat. Coughing, he tried again to make the stallion move.
TM balked.
    From somewhere outside, Carly screamed his
name. He could hear the dog’s frantic barks.
    No time to think, Alrick brought his hand
down hard across the stallion’s hindquarters.
    Instead of lunging forward, TM struck back
with his hooves. Twisting, Alrick dodged the kick. “Stubborn animal
– you’ll get us both killed.”
    TM reared, as though he believed Alrick was
the threat, not the fire.
    “Damnation.” Alrick used his fistful of mane
to vault himself on to