The Horsehearted

Chapter 4: The Plot Encounters a Mild Twist

"Three YEARS! You said a year and a half of training just two days ago!" the normally soft-spoken Jo shouted at Linus.
"Most people take three years because they have to learn two new languages, and how to fight. Since the Gallan Plains are not exactly a citadel of learning, I believe that would be the approximate time that your training ends." Linus retorted.
A small smile seemed to creep over her face. "Linus, it seems to me that the Gallan Plains lend themselves to education much more than you know, for I can fluently speak two languages and I have a basic understanding of another. I can read and write and do some basic mathematics."
Linus raised his eyebrows and inquired with great sarcasm, "What languages do you speak, Professor Falconsri?"
"Scanran, the language shared by the K'miri and the natives of the Gallan Plains as well as a touch of Old Thak."
"Speak some Scanran for me then."
Jo recited a long Scanran poem that she had always liked. Without losing a beat, she told Linus an old K'mir incantation. She then hesitated and haltingly told him the ancient story of The Greatest of the Horsehearted in Old Thak, missing several pronunciations.
"...And Druscilla created the healing opal with the power to heal an entire army. It is said that some day the greatest of The Horsehearted, one who could surpass even Druscilla's power will salvage it and return the healing opal to the glory of their home country."
Linus was amazed. With a very gentlemanly air he gallantly apologized, "Sorry, Jo. I forget that I shouldn't be judging people. You have already proved me wrong once in the wings of the palace. Who taught you those languages, anyway?"
"I picked up the Scanran from the cook 'cause he couldn't speak anything else and I learned the K'miri from everyone. In order to work for the Falcon, you had to speak the native's language, just because I was young didn't mean I was exempt from that rule." Jo replied tugging absently at the tips of her shoulder length hair, "And then I learned Old Thak because I wanted to read the books in the library, but most of them were in Old Thak, so I made Fredrick teach me. I can't pronounce many of the words because I learned it by reading it, but I can speak some."
She had barely finished talking when Hunter dashed into the room. "Hey, Josie, Onua, Mom...er. Daine and some other people want to have a talk with you about some... stuff tonight after dinner."
She shot him a suspicious look. "Sure Hunter, where?"
"His Majesty's council chambers. I'll show you." He replied.
The noon bell rang. She would have to hurry if she wanted to get back to work on time. "I'll see y'all this evening she said hurriedly and took off.
When she arrived at the stable Jo noticed that she was more tired than usual. It was a short run downhill, she was in great shape and she shouldn't have been winded. I'm turning into a regular noble lady she thought and entered the barn to bridle Ferdinand.
On the first day of training Onua had insisted that she work on foot but Jo had adamantly refused, stating loftily that only farmers worked on foot and that she was NOT a lowly sod-buster and she would work on horseback or not at all.
Onua had been humored by the girl's outburst and had gotten all of the officers to call her farmer girl.
She led Ferdinand out of the barn and into the paddock where she mounted him and walked, trotted, and cantered around the field to warm Ferdinand up.
After Ferdinand had warmed up it was Jo's turn. She stood up for eight circles and broke to a posting trot and posted ten. When she felt her leg muscles were stretched, she sat down, picked up a canter and took off toward the officers. For some reason, her legs were trembling with exhaustion, very strange.
"Hullo." She said cheerfully to the officers and Daine.
"How is our farmer girl?" Buri asked with a grin.
"If you ever go the Gallan Plains and call a Plainsman a farmer, he will probably hunt you down and kill you. Consider yourself lucky that I ignore your petty comments." Jo said in a prissy imitation of a lady.
"I would consider myself lucky if you would keep all your comments to yourself. I don't know how Linus can stand you." Buri retorted.
Hunter trotted up to the group on Sunsinger, "He doesn't," he interrupted with a grin, "Just this morning they were screaming at each other."
"Why am I not surprised." Onua said with a mirthful grin. The officers burst into laughter. Jo glowered at Hunter, thinking of all of the squishy things she could adorn that slimy little eavesdropper's bed with.
She was debating spiders and slugs when she felt Daine give her the soul piercing look. It had happened so many times that she built the wall in her mind without a second thought.

Daine frowned in frustration. If she looked at the girl through the corner of her eye, she could see her aura, but the moment that she tried to get a closer look the aura disappeared. It had taken a week just to determine that the girl had wild magic, however slippery it may have been to see Daine would have found it. She was a great wild mage and didn't need to see an aura to feel the power coming from this young woman. She frowned at Jo again. The girl must have a lot of power if both Onua and Hunter could feel her, but she didn't see very much of an aura in the little glimpses she had of her.

Definitely slugs, Jo thought, they are very squishy and stayed in one spot better than spiders. She determined that after the mystery meeting with Hunter, she would go to the woods and dig some up. Maybe she would add a couple of spiders for good measure.
"HEELS DOWN!" she barked at a passing trainee.

"I demand you to tell me where we are going." Jo said imperatively as Hunter dragged her through the palace
"To the council chambers." He replied doggedly.
"Why, though."
"Because we have something to tell you."
"What? Spit it out." She wrenched free and held her knife hilt, ready to draw it, "Tell me now." She said evenly.
"Just stuff." He mumbled, trying to grab her arm.
Jo skipped away and snapped, "I won't come if you don't tell me. You can't make me come with you."
"Do you want me to use magic on you?" he demanded, almost losing his temper.
"Go ahead." She said recklessly.
Rose-colored fire spilled out of his hands and locked on her wrists, drawing them in front of her and tugging her forward.
She fought the tugging with all her might. She bit back a scream and built a wall between her emotions and her physical being. To her surprise, she was free of the spell.
Hunter was sapped by the enchantment. "Please come." He said, sounding exhausted, "I can't fight with you right now."
She gave in at his begging. There was some sort of instinct in her that always wanted to win, but when she won, the victory wasn't so sweet. She had beaten Hunter and now that she had proven that she didn't have to go, she wanted to.
"Alright." She said agreeably.
They walked down the hall in an awkward silence.
When they arrived at the door, Hunter opened it for her. "Thank you." She said politely.
"You're welcome." he replied amiably, closing the door and taking a seat.
She turned around to survey the other inhabitants of the room. A tall man with dark hair and eyes gave her the soul-piercing look. She tried to build a wall in her head, but the man kept on knocking it down. Jo strained against the hold he had on her mind. She fought with all her might. Sweat beaded on her forehead. She relented a second, then surged every resource of strength against the tie. It broke. Jo collapsed onto the ground with exhaustion. The little battle she fought had cost her much of her strength. Hunter was standing over her, offering his hand and giving her an odd look. The tall man was looking at her, impressed. She scrambled to her feet quickly and mumbled feebly about this darned slick floor.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" She said briskly, sitting down in the only free seat. She had already met the other inhabitants in the room, Linus, Onua, and Daine. The others weren't very reverent toward the tall man, so Jo figured that he likely wasn't a noble or was one of the nobles-that-didn't-act-like-nobles.
"Actually, Jo, we'd like to talk about a power or a gift that you have." Daine said.
"Oh?" she said curiously.
"Yes," Daine continued nervously, "we think you have one of the exotic magics. Wild magic to be exact."
"Really." Jo replied automatically. This was crazy, there was no way she had magic. Wouldn't Fredrick have checked?
"We could teach you to do many things with horses." The tall man said.
"Hmm, excuse me, I didn't catch your name." She was starting to be annoyed by these people who were wasting her time.
"Master Numair Salmalin." He replied.
"Forgive my asking, Master Salmalin, but what could you teach me about horses I don't already know."
"Well, how to heal for instance or take on their form."
She bit her lip. This man was mad she decided, "Give me a few days to come to a decision."
"There is no decision." Linus broke in, "You are going to learn to use your magic whether you like it or not."
"I beg your pardon?" her hands were trembling with anger now. This man had already crossed her once today.
Hunter knew that tone of voice and before Linus could answer and begin a tidal wave, he said, "If you don't learn to use it, it could get out of control. You could harm yourself and the people around you if you don't learn to control it."
She thought a second; "I'll learn about your wild magic but don't be surprised if I don't really have any."
"Great!" Master Salmalin replied enthusiastically, "We'll start after Onua leaves with the trainees."
"One more thing." Daine demanded as everyone rose to leave, "Jo, have you ever lost hold of yourself and thought yourself an animal?"
"Why, no." Jo replied. Daine was definitely one strange woman.
She left and acted like he was walking to her rooms, then doubled back and sneaked out through the kitchen door. She trotted through the horse meadow and into the royal forest. Jo walked about two hundred yards and found several large rocks that stood beside a deadfall. After finding various squishy and gross-looking insects under the deadfall and rocks and placing them all in a small water-skin, she started back to the palace.
Jo was walking swiftly when she saw a shadow separate from the trees. She whirled around to face the shapeless shadow. She drew a knife and placed her right hand on the hilt of another.
The shadow approached her fast-too fast. He circled her like a cat and with a move as quick as lightning, he grabbed her right arm and had her in a position where she couldn't counter him. She wriggled and fought.
"Now see here, young man." Said a voice with a peasant's broad vowels, "What are you doing in the woods at this ungodly hour."
The man must be poor and uneducated she thought, best to let him think her a noble, "I was gathering some roots for a spell I must complete, however, the roots can only be collected by night to be effective." She put on her best superior tone.
"What kind of spell?" He asked. He let go and stepped aside.
Smooth move, she thought, he wasn't a peasant, but a noble. Who else would wear such fine clothing? Jo caught a twinkle of humor in his eyes and decided to let him in on the joke. "Actually, it is quite a funny spell, because it is not roots I'm gathering, but insects to place in a dear friend's bed for the sake of revenge."
He chuckled. "Where are your insects then?"
She handed him the water skin and looked at him oddly when he leaped back and dropped it. "What's wrong." Jo demanded.
He turned red and mumbled; "I'm not a big spider fan."
"You aren't?" she asked incredulously, "but they are wonderful and useful creatures. They kill flies."
He shrugged.
"Well, if you aren't going to introduce yourself then I guess I'll be leaving."
"Oh, sorry," he mumbled, "I'm George the younger of Pirates Swoop."
"It's nice to meet you milord." She bowed. "I am Josana Falconsri. Now, if you don't mind, I have a friend to terrorize."
He grinned at her small joke, "Well, please, young maiden, let me accompany you."
She smiled politely and sheathed her knife, but did not take her hand off of the hilt.
He looked at her hand and said thoughtfully, "It is not often I find a left handed fighter."
Jo instinctively hid her right hand in the folds of her shirt before she replied, "I wasn't left-handed to begin with, I just had to learn it."
"Whatever for?" George the younger inquired.
"I got bit by a snake when I was itty-bitty and it made my right hand so I couldn't extend my fingers very well."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault and I don't think that you are a very sorry person so why are you apologizing?"
"Well, um, it's just the polite thing to say when you've asked a personal question."
"Well, that is quite silly, now, if you don't mind, I am going to release these beasties before they eat each other." And she trotted through the trees so quickly and silently that George had difficulty keeping up.
"Gods, girl, give a guy a chance to escort you." He muttered under his breath at the barely noticeable shadow darting through the trees.
She slowed and allowed him to catch up. "So, who are you going to torment?" George inquired.
"Hunter Salmalin." Jo replied, watching his face carefully.
George grinned hugely, and chuckled. "Well, add a grub for me then."
"Will a worm do?" she asked as she reached down and pulled a few worms out from under a few damp leaves.
He laughed again. "A worm will serve beautifully."
She chuckled herself, but the chuckle swelled into a laugh and turned into deep, gut wrenching coughs that erupted from somewhere deep in her chest and gathered power through her trachea before becoming loud, wet, coughs. Jo bent over onto her knees as the coughs wracked her body. Finally, after several minutes, she had exerted herself.
"Oh, Chavi, don't let me do that again." She mumbled ignoring George's offered hand and concerned look.
"Maybe I should take you to a healer." He said worriedly, "You should have that cough checked out."
She shrugged nonchalantly, "I just had a tickle in my throat." She bit her lip and suffocated another round of coughs. As long as she wasn't caught unawares she could control her coughing, "Besides, I don't want to wake a healer over something so miniscule as a common cold."
George frowned and replied firmly, "You had better go to a healer in the morning and have it checked out. Common colds don't bring people to their knees."
She gave a noncommittal 'hmm' and they continued in silence. Finally, the pair emerged from the woods and Jo trotted to the palace and to George's amazement, clambered right up the wall, gripping the cracks between the stones. At one time she was hanging by only her fingertips. Jo swung herself over the ledge and nimbly stood on the two-inch width while she applied oil to the hinges of Hunter's shutters to make sure they wouldn't squeak. When they were thoroughly squeak-proof she picked the lock on them and slid into the room.
As sure as young George knew his name, he knew that this girl had to be a thief. Only a thief would have known to oil the hinges or how to pick the lock. Jo clambered out of the room by way of the shutters and left them open. She leaped back and for a second George feared she would fall. To his relief, she caught hold of the ledge with her fingers and with a wink at him she dropped one hand, put it to her lips and uttered an ear-piercing whistle.
Hunter heard the whistle and awakened. Judging from the profusion of curses and dismayed cries, she assumed that he had discovered the creepy-crawlies in his bed. She peeked at him by pulling her body up to eye level to the ledge. He was storming to the open window. Immediately she popped down.
Salmalin cast his eyes about the courtyard and fastened them on George the younger. "Curse you, George! You are going to be sorry for this! I am going to make you regret this night!"
George was scandalized. The girl had framed him. She was looking at him fiercely as if daring him to rat her out, instead he laughed and said, "You look a sight, all got up in your loincloth. What would Aphelia say?"
Hunter turned red and smashed his shutters closed. Jo scrambled down the wall, grinning famously. "I do apologize for making you take the heat for my prank. I should have told you to get your tail out of sight when I deposited my critters."
George shrugged, "I did contribute to your trick and I have done plenty of pranks and not gotten blamed for it."
She looked at him to make sure he hadn't gone mad. "Are you alright? Maybe you should go to the healers."
He grinned. "You are the one who needs to go to the healers. If I don't see you there tomorrow, you may find some insects in your own bed."
"If I'm sick in the morning, I'll go, if I feel good, I'll go back to work"
"What do you do?"
"Assistant Horse Mistress, I'll be a palace horse trader when the trainees head for their summer training grounds."
"Already working your way up the ladder are you? I'm not surprised. A little cut throat like you will have all our jobs in a year."
"I am not a cut throat!" she cried indignantly, "I have yet to cut anyone's throat."
"Oh, no, how awful, you must be terribly behind."
"I am. I've gotten a heart and a lung, but I've yet to cut a throat."
George looked at her in astonishment, she just shrugged and grinned, "Oh, this is my room, bye, good luck. May the Goddess smile upon you and Mynoss bestow mercy and all that parting protocol nonsense."
"Good bye." He called.
She arrived in her room and made sure he was well down the path before breaking into chest racking coughs. She coughed so hard that she threw up. Jo heaved hacked all night long. She only dozed for a few minutes before waking again, coughing. By morning, green phlegm was pouring out of her lungs with every heave. I'm alright, she told herself, its just a cold, I'll shake it.
That morning she got up early to tend Ferdinand. It was a relief not to have to concentrate on the cold. Jo brushed him until his coat was a sheet of silk and automatically started on the officer's horses. When she was done, she was exhausted. She coughed up more green stuff and sat down to rest. Her nose was streaming. The trainees were entering. Jo would rather die than look weak in front of them. She bridled Ferdinand and led him out of the barn before climbing aboard. You feel hot and weak, and you've been coughing. Are you okay? Ferdinand asked. "I'm fine, just a cold." She whispered. You don't feel cold. You feel hot. He argued. Jo smiled and suppressed a cough.
The morning was miserable. She couldn't focus. It was all she could do to stay aboard Ferdinand. Onua and the other officers were concerned but when they ventured to inquire what was wrong, she would reply that she was fine, healthy as a horse in fact.
At lunch, matters came to a climax. Jo had gotten her tray of food and was listening politely to Hunter's account of George's prank on him, when she noticed that there were black flowers blooming all over the room. The flowers gained size and spread until they met each other they continued to spread until they blocked her vision. Hunter barely caught her as she fell from the table in a dead faint.