To Ride the Gods’ Own Stallion Read Online Free Page A

of Lake Urmia. And this bit of braided leather is all that’s harnessing his power.”
    Soulai nodded uncertainly.
    The charioteer cast an exasperated look heavenward, then continued in a clipped tone. “Parti-color horses—especially those with odd eyes”—he was grasping the halter with both hands now and studying Ti’s face—“are prized for their rarity and their bravery. You’ll find no horse more ready for the hunt, boy. With some training, not even the roar of a lion will frighten one such as this.” He placed his hands behind Ti’s withers and leaned his weight on them. “Well-knit,” he said, nodding. Then he slid an expert hand along Ti’s shoulder and down his near foreleg. “Clean bones, sloping pastern.” He traced his hand lightly up the leg and, stepping back, whistled in surprise. “Look here!” His fingers reverently outlined a large white patch upon Ti’s shoulder. “It’s a bird of some sort…a hawk, I think. Why, Ninurta, god of the hunt himself, has branded this colt with his own image.” The man let out another low whistle and shook his head in admiration. The look changed to worry when it returned to Soulai. “You take care of this one, boy,” he admonished, clapping Soulai sharply on the back. “The gods have important plans for him.”
    The memory of the charioteer’s magical words had lulled Soulai into a trance. It took the sharp crack of Ti’s hoof striking the stone trough to jolt him back to his chores. The stallion’s ears were pinned back and he was tossing his head with growing anger. Soulai quickly scooped out two handfuls of grain and then added a third that he’d managed to skim from the rations of the other horses. He didn’t dare push his nose-to-nose greeting on Ti. He had tried only once and been punished with a stinging, bare-toothed snap. Gingerly he touched the bruises on his cheekbone and longed more strongly than ever to befriend this stallion.
    Ti continued to ignore him, however. So while the horse ate, Soulai skimmed his fingers along the sleek hide and down the left shoulder. Slowly he traced the image of the bird with outstretched wings. He could almost smell the crisp mountain air, could almost feel the hawk’s wild freedom. A shiver of excitement rippled through him. The gods had plans for Ti. Maybe if I bind myself to him, he thought, an animal so brave that he can’t be frightened even by a lion, maybe I can share his fate. That was it! Astride a stallion such as Ti, he’d escape this underworld; he’d find some way to prove that it was better he had been born.

4
    Horses and Masters
    Lazy sons of a skinny she-bitch, all of you! Light a fire under your worthless feet before I grind you into dog meal!” The thundering command made Soulai jump. “There’s an oxload of barley to be carried in, a mountain of manure to be carried out, and Shamash already shows his face in the sky.”
    Like a hundred other boys, Soulai scurried. Darting round a corner post, he unexpectedly stumbled face first into the royal stable master, Mousidnou, who had stopped his bellowing long enough to bite into an orange. Juice and seeds trickled through his long beard, and, as Soulai pulled himself away, a stickiness clung to his skin. He backed one cautious step, ducked his head respectfully, and tried to pick a careful path around the man’s protruding belly. Before he could escape, however, a bear-sized paw of a hand smacked his buttocks.
    â€œPick up your ass and move it, boy! You want to wiggle it like that, I’ll send you to dance in the harem.”
    A group of stableboys nearby snickered. Soulai flushed as he trotted on toward the hay storage. There, shoulder to shoulder, he fought his way to the front, absently counting the rhythmic pings and rushing sighs as the great sheaves of barley hay were slashed open to spill over the