This is where it switches to a different time line.









Chapter 2



She walked into the well-lit stable with Juan Mortente right behind her. "Buenas dias, senorita Pelioso," the stable boy greeted her.
He walked into a stall and when he came back, he was leading a pretty bay mare with white stockings on both of her hind legs. She took the reins and spoke softly to the horse. Her ears pricked at the sound of the voice.
She led the horse out into the sunlit street. Juan stepped forward and helped her into the saddle. He could be irritating with the way he followed her everywhere, but she knew it was on her uncle's orders. And sometimes it could be beneficial.
Alandra Pelioso had been living with her uncle, Keneth Ruiz, since her father died when she was very small. Juan Mortente had come to live with him around the same time. He carried out every order given to him, never disobeying.
The story she had always heard was that Juan was an orphan who her uncle had taken in to raise as his son. If the way he had always treated Juan, however, was the way sons were raised, then she was glad she had been a daughter. He was treated as more of a servant than a part of the family.

"Gracias, Miguel," she told the stable boy as they were leaving.
He nodded his head and walked back into the stable.
They rode in silence until they arrived at the hacienda. Juan was leading the horse she had rode on the way into town. When they reached the main stable at the hacienda, Alandra's uncle was waiting for them. "How is she?" he asked as he took the reins from her.
"Wonderful."
"I'm glad you like her."
Juan came over and helped her from the saddle. As her feet touched the ground, she saw a young man standing in the doorway of the stable. She waved at him and his face widened with a large grin.
Her uncle had started back to the house, so she headed for the stable. "Gabriel," she greeted him. "Have you seen Brigid today?" She asked with a knowing smile.
A blush was starting to rise in his cheeks. His usually unruly hair was neatly combed today. He had brushed most of the dust from his best clothes. "I'm going to ride into town to see her now."
"Hasta luego then," she said, turning away.
He just nodded his head, then turned and walked to a smaller stable a little way away from the main one. Walking to a stall at the other end of the stable, he led a gray gelding out. He slipped the bit into the horse's mouth and slid the bridle over his head. Then he threw a blanket and saddle on his back. He tightened the girth, then led the gelding outside into the yard. He mounted and turned the horse toward the road.
Riding down the main street of the town, he nodded in greeting to the people whom he passed by. He was known in town as a very bright young man. Everyone knew he worked as a gaucho on senor Ruiz's ranch. The little boys looked up to him and all the girls had eyes for him. But everyone knew he could be more than that. If only he wasn't a mestizo.
He rode up to one of the nicer houses. Stepping down from the saddle, he walked up to the house and knocked twice. Just as he was about to knock a third time, the door swung open.
"Hello, Gabriel," the man standing in the doorway said warmly.
"Buenos tardes, Senor Mackenzie. Is Brigid home? I told her I would be coming to see her."

"She's in the parlor. Reading, of course."
Gabriel grinned at this. Brigid was always reading. Her father had made sure she had gotten a good education.
He walked through the house to the parlor and stood in the entrance to it. After a couple of minutes, she sensed his presence and looked up. Her face lit up with a smile.
"Gabriel, it's good to see you again," she said as she closed the book.
A couple of minutes later, Brigid's father came into the room, carrying a tray. He set it down on a table and poured tea into three small cups. He handed one to Brigid and another to Gabriel. Taking the third cup, he sat in a chair to watch over them as they talked.
After talking about many other, unimportant things, they got back onto a topic they had discussed many other times. "If you hate the way he treats everyone, why do you continue to work for him?" She asked him.

"I can't just leave." The same answer to the same question. "That's not a solution. And it would only make things worse for the rest of them."
"You could come work for my father. He could use your help." She quickly glanced at her father and he gave her an encouraging nod. "We have plenty of room here. You could stay with us."
He shook his head. "No, Brigid, I can't. I can't just leave all of them. They're my friends. If I left, where would that leave them?"
She let out a sigh of frustration. "Gabriel, your loyalty will get you killed one day."
"And your stubbornness will get you into trouble many times over," he told her affectionately.
They talked for another hour, then he stood up to leave. Brigid walked with him to the door. Her father stood in the hall watching them. "You'll come back again?" She asked anxiously. She didn't know why she asked him every time. She knew what his answer would be.
"Of course. As soon as I can." He kissed her hand, then turned around and leaped onto his horse. He reined him around and rode away.
*******

Alandra was sitting in the parlor, looking out the window, when she saw Gabriel ride up. her uncle was standing by the stables with a riding crop in his hand. As he dismounted and headed into the stable, Keneth walked over to him. She felt a pang of dread as Gabriel handed the reins to a stable boy and walked away with Keneth. I hope he hasn't been stirring up trouble, she thought to herself. That would be just like him. And she knew how her uncle reacted to that.
She turned away from the window, putting these thoughts out of her mind for the moment. She went to her room and started to get ready for dinner.
*******
"Gabriel." Senor Ruiz said his name in a deceptively gentle voice, but he was tapping his leg with the riding crop, a sure sign of irritation.
"Si?" He asked nervously. He was quite sure he knew what this was about.
"Are you unhappy with your work here?"
"No, Senor," he replied quickly.
"Then why is it that I hear you want to leave? Is that true?"

"No, Senor," he replied nervously.
"Then someone is lying to me."
Gabriel just stared at the ground. Senor Ruiz used the handle of the crop to raise his chin "I will not be hearing any more of these rumors, comprende?"
"Si, Senor."
Keneth Ruiz walked away, leaving Gabriel standing there, shaking with relief. After a couple of minutes, he walked back to the stable to make sure the boy had taken good care of the horse. Then, he went back to the bunkhouse and laid down for a while before going to eat.
*******
Alandra desperately wanted to ask her uncle about what he had talked to Gabriel about, but knew she would never get a straight answer from him. They ate their dinner in strained silence. When she had finished, she asked to be excused, then went to the sanctuary of her room.
Once it was dark, she tiptoed to the door and opened it a crack. She closed it again when she saw the lamp light flooding from her uncle's room down the hall. She slipped back into bed and after tossing and turning for what seemed like hours, she finally fell into a fitful sleep.
*******

Gabriel woke up to the sound of the dinner bell. He swung his feet to the floor and stood up. Walking into the dining hall, he realized he was the last one to arrive. The cook put some food on his plate and he sat down at an empty spot at the table. As he ate, he looked around at all the faces around him, wondering who could have betrayed him. All of the faces were friendly. He was liked and trusted by many because of his loyalty.
He finished eating and left, headed back to his bed, planning to sleep until morning. As he was walking past the stables, he thought he heard something off to his left and behind him. He knew that was where senor Ruiz kept his prized mares.
His curiousity soon overcame his sense of caution. He turned in the direction of the noise and started toward it. The grass whispered under his boots as he moved forward. Gabriel had only taken a few steps when he felt something hit him from behind. he fell to the ground, but before the darkness of unconsciousness surrounded him, he felt someone grab his arms and start to lift him. Then everything around him went black.
*******
Alandra had just finished dressing when she heard a commotion outside. She went to the window and looked down. There was a circle of men by the paddock where her uncle kept his prized mares. She spotted him by his white hair. He was in the middle of the crowd.
She looked around for Gabriel, but couldn't find his face among all the others. She glanced at the bracelet on her wrist and saw that it was glowing. Then, the visions that plagued her came back. A couple of men driving some horses in front of them. A limp body on a horse with its hands tied to a saddle.
She turned quickly from the window, lifted her skirts, and ran to the stairs, then down them. Stepping out onto the porch, she paused long enough to let her eyes adjust to the sun light, then continued to the main stable. The path she took was out of sight of the area where the crowd was gathered.

She walked quickly to the stall of her new horse and led her out. She slipped a bridle on, climbed up on her, and turned her toward the rear door. "We have to hurry, Carolita," she whispered to the horse as they emerged from the stable.
Alandra walked her until she thought they were far enough away, then asked her to trot. Once they were a little further away, she urged her into a cantar. With the combination of the skirts and no saddle, she found it a struggle to stay in the middle of the mare.
Carolita stumbled once and Alandra slid off to give her a rest. After a couple of minutes, she started forward, leading the mare.
It was quite tiring walking in the skirts and the slipper-like shoes she had on. After about fifteen minutes, she mounted again. She asked the mare to trot, who obeyed readily.
When she reached the edge of town, she stopped. Then, she started the mare into a walk again, not wanting anyone to suspect that something was wrong. She rode straight to the Mackenzie's house.
Once she had slid off of the mare's back, she walked up onto the porch. She knocked lightly on the door, then waited. When no one answered, she knocked again, harder this time.

The door opened and Brigid stood there. "Alandra," she greeted her happily. "What are you doing here?"
"Brigid," the anxious sound in her voice wiped the smile from the other girl's face.
"What is it? Is it Gabriel? Is he okay?" She was extremely worried now.
"Something has happened," she replied and Brigid opened the door so she could come in.