Chapter Sixteen

I was right in the middle of a brainstorm when I got home. George had been quiet enough for me to think and unfortunately he was so quiet, I didn't want to ask him if he could help me on my mission.
My mission is to go, tonight after Elenni has gone to sleep, back to Mr. Dugal's stable and steal the horse from him. I will write later. My plan has been activated as of now...
I'll write later if I'm alive to tell what happened.

As I said, I had a plan and I was going to follow it. Obviously I'm alive and I can't sleep. There is too much adrenaline pumping through my veins, so I'll tell you what happened right now.
Getting out of the house was easy. I walked out of the front door. ( Yeah, that was hard, huh?) I walked over to Mr. Dugal stables, armed with a kitchen knife just incase I ran into trouble. There was none going there, and I was hoping for it to be the same way back.
I had to hop a small fence, maybe up to my chest to reach the stables. There was a boy on watch, but he was fast asleep and I started to ponder my magic. If I could make my will power make a candle light, could it put a boy into a deep unawakenable sleep for an hour or less? I was going to try it.
I did the same as I would to a candle, but changed the thought. I want this boy in front of me to sleep a deep sleep. I ask you, Goddess, who I know is helping me to grant this favor. The thought accrued to me that if she was helping me, she was only helping me with things that only do good. Please, Goddess, I need your aid to help me put this boy to a slumber that will keep him sleeping for an hour at most. That is all I will need so that I can take this horse and take him to safety. I don't know why I care for this beast like I do, but I do and I need your aid, Great Mother.
I didn't know what to expect, or when I would know if it had worked or not. My questions were answered when the room got darker,( if you could call a stick with cloth around it ablaze light) and all around me I saw stars. Not the shape of a star, but twinkles of light. When the darkness had gone away, the torch light again filled the room, and the boy shifted, some how I knew he was sleeping, thinking nothing of horses or robbers, just his dreams, or of nothing at all.
I stepped into the stable and jogged to the last stale with the Black and white horse in it. And, sure enough, there he was looking as sick as ever.
There was a stack of hay in the stale next to him, so grabbed a hand full of it and fed the horse. With in minutes I was scrambling for a saddle. I found a decorative one on the wall and decided it would have to do. I grabbed a blanket and entered the cage to saddle him up.
Some time during me tightening the saddle, the name Ayden struck a cord in my head. "Ayden. Do you like that name? Ayden?" The horse seemed to nod in agreement by tossing his head. "Ayden it is, then. That is, if we make it out of here alive".

I hadn't though of how to get out. Surly this horse was too sick to jump the fence outside. I would have to... I didn't know yet. I never planed on any of this. What I was doing was a spur of the moment thing and I never thought of anything else. But I couldn't just leave Ayden to be dog chow.
It pained me to put the bit in his mouth, but I had to. I didn't know how to ride otherwise. I said an apology to Ayden and I led him past the sleeping boy and out of the stable. I clumsily mounted (Did I say that I put my britches on before I left home? Well, I did.) but didn't move the horse. I knew he would make nose when he moved and I didn't want that yet. I was simply on the horse to look around.
I found what I wanted, but it to would make noise. It was an axe. I was going to chop as much of the fence down as fast as I could and hope Ayden can jump it. Otherwise, well, I didn't want to think of the punishment.
I set my plan in action. I put Ayden about twenty feet way from the fence and I grabbed the axe. The house was behind me so I would have a little bit of an advantage, but not much.
I walked up to the fence, asking again for help from the gods. I know I couldn't ask for another miracle from the Goddess, like making the Dugal family sleep, but I asked for strength to chop the fence down and for speed in the sickly horse.
I raised the axe and began to put all my strength and weight into the first chop. Right before my stroke fell, I thought, this is crazy. I'll never be able to do this. I'll certainly be decapitated for this. But my stroke had already fell, and I automatically raised my arms for another chop.
I could hear dogs starting to bark and Mr. Dugal yelling, "What in the name of the Horse Lords was that?" But I kept going, and going. I put all my fear into my chops. The first beam broke and I kicked it to move it out of the way. That took about ten seconds. I hadn't planed on that.
I had started on the next beam when I heard the door fly open and hit the wall behind it, followed by, "Who the hell are you? Get outta here before I kill ya." I could hear him start running. He was probably carrying a hatchet or a pitch fork or something farmer-like, but I had no time to really look. He was close and if I was to get to Ayden in time, I had to accept only getting one beam down.
I ran as fast as I could; like a pack of wolves were after me. (Which, according to Daine and all the documentaries I've watched, wolves are actually kinda friendly, but for dramatics sake...) When I reached Ayden, I mounded as best I could, but I slipped and twisted my ankle, I think. I couldn't feel it much at the time because of the adrenaline rush I was going through, so I saddled again, this time making it into the saddle and kicked the horse into motion.
I could still hear Mr. Dugal yelling in the background, but everything became like a movie. Everything went into slow motion, sort of. I knew that this horse was too weak to build up enough energy to jump the fence and I didn't even know if he could jump anything at all. I knew I was doomed and it all sunk in. I could see my death already, and I could see the dogs who would eat Ayden grinning at me.
I laid down my head on the horses neck and said a good-bye to him. Then something magical happened. Okay, maybe not magical, but what ever happened, the horse ran faster.

I pulled my head up just in time to see the front legs of the horse lift off the ground and over the fence. When we landed, I looked back to see an astonished Dugal. I felt relieve, but the fight wasn't over yet. Not only did I see Dugal, but I saw a man on a horse ridding towards the fence about to jump it in pursuit of me. And he had a stronger, faster, better horse then I did.

I stopped looking back and looked strait forward. I was thinking of a way to loose this man in the woods without losing my self. This would prove to be a difficult task.

Ayden was a big help. He actually was. He was faster then I had imagined and I can't believe that Dugal was about to waste his talent. But no matter how fast we rode, or what turns we made, I couldn't get this guy off my back. ( Not to mention I can't ride very well and I was sore and stiff. This probably made it harder for Ayden to move.)

Soon enough, the man was neck and neck with me, and I had to repeatedly duck to avoid his swings at me ( making me put all my trust in Ayden to keep me from falling or running us both into a tree). After about thirty seconds of playing Try To Hit Gwen On The Head, I had a brilliant thought. Slow down your horse and turn around. It worked and I was out of the man's grasps, but stupid me, I made Ayden jerk to far to the right and we both fell. My leg just missed being crushed by Ayden's body by inches, but I fell on my already sprained ankle and got the air knocked out of my chest. But I wasn't going to let this pain slow me down much.

I started to crawl to Ayden. ( I think he had the air knocked out of him too, because he just laid on the ground for a moment before he tried to get up.) Unfortunately, Ayden was no Zenith, and he couldn't get up in time to kick my pursuer before he got to me. He jumped off of his horse and right next to me, then rolled over, and on to me. I fought for a few seconds but I was quickly proved the weaker of us. ( I was at a disadvantage. Give me a break. I had a possibly broken ankle and not enough air in my lungs.)

I was pinned down by my chest. But on a turn of events, the man quickly jumped off of me, leaving me to lay alone in the dirt, staring up at the stars, wondering what had just happened. The mans voice came raspy at first, "I'm sorry mistress. I had no idea. Please, leave and forget I ever offended you." I hadn't the slightest idea what he was talking about. It was more then just trying to get back a stolen horse, that's for sure.

I tried to speak, but I couldn't make words. I cleared my throat and tried again. "What do you mean, 'offend me'?" I was quickly trying to help Ayden up and mount him so that I could leave with my life.

"Not with that." He grabbed the reins before I could kick Ayden into motion. "This is not your horse. No matter how much you were offended, you can not have this horse." He looked me in the eyes. Even though there was no moon tonight, I could feel his gaze on me. "I won't let go." He had a sternness in his voice.

"Fine, have it your way." I tried to kick Ayden in to motion, but he wouldn't move. "Come on Ayden, move." I whispered to him.

"He won't move. He knows me. He trusts me. I'm surprised you're on him." He voice was calm now and I got the full effect of it. It had a worm honey sort of feel, if a sound could be put into a texture.

I was angry with my self now. Scared for my life, sure, but I was very angry. Don't know why really. Maybe I hate to lose. But the next thing I knew, a white light appeared and I could see the mans face, as I'm sure he could see mine. ( I think that was actually the point. For him to be able to see my face.)

He was sort of, well... I don't know. He had black hair and honey eyes with lightning kisses of gold reaching from his pupil outward. He was tall, I guess. Not quiet six feet. He had a nice build. No Leo, but it was nice. He was probably woken by his father, and as a result he only had a sweat stained white chemise and faded black britches on with his black hair rustled just past his shoulder, maybe to the separation of the chest and the arm. I couldn't help but wonder if his hair was just rustled or if it was slightly wavy.

I stopped being distracted and remembered what I was doing when Ayden whinnied. "I'm not going to let you take this horse with out a fight." I said as I hoped down from Ayden, careful of my ankle.

"I think I have already won." He smiled, sort of. (The light was coming from him, to let you know. I guess he has the gift also.) I put my fists up in a block position and adjusted my feet, ready to fight him.

He chuckled. (That made me mad, too. He thought I wasn't a worthy opponent, which I probably wasn't, but it was still insulting.) "Why are you doing this, woman? I will easily dominate you. You don't stand a chance against me."

"Don't I?" I was trying to play mind games. "Besides, I won't see this horse go to waste because your father thinks he's 'bad luck'."

The man dropped his smile when I said that. "First of all, he's not my father. That mans son should have never been born, ever. Secondly, what do you mean, ' go to waste'?"

"I mean, I won't let him sell this horse for food." I dropped my fists, but remained in a fighting stand. "You obviously have a bond with this horse, because I think I do too, and he listened to you instead of me, if that made any sense at all. But that would lead me to believe that you know this horse and, honestly, would you put this horse to his death by keeping him in that stable?"

The man looked troubled. Finally, after a few moments of silence, he looked at me for a brief amount of time, then at Ayden. "You can give this horse a better home?"

"If I can't, I'll find someone who can." I said assuredly. There was another pause.

"Dugal isn't going to be happy with this. It will cost me a few days of food."

I was so happy that this man, who was my enemy a moment ago, was now giving me a Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card.

"You don't have to. Come to the Dancing Dove. I'll feed you. I'll take it out of my own money if I have to." I went to lean on my other leg and instantly collapsed in pain.

I had forgotten about my ankle. It hurt for a moment, and the man joined me on the ground. I wasn't paying attention to him though, I was looking at my ankle that was sparkling. He didn't seem to notice so much, he just kept asking if I was alright. I finally realized he was talking to me and asked him to help me.

"Why? You are already helping yourself." Then I remembered that when I did magic, I glowed black with white sparkles in the black. I noticed that my magic had gotten a gray color and started to wonder what happened, but realized that the man was helping me.

"There, that should numb it for a while, but I can't guaranty anything." I thanked him.

"By the way, my name is Doyle Dugal." He extended his hand.

"I'm Gwen, Uh, Gweniver Collins. But please call me Gwen." I shook his hand.

"Then Gwen it is."

I started to ponder, "But I thought you said you weren't Dugal's kid. What's with the last name?" ( now that I think of it, it was a stupid idea to give him my real name, but I wasn't thinking right. I was tired and I don't function well when I'm tired.)

"He adopted me. He's the only family I have. I've been here for, jeez, uhh, what, five years."

"We're in the same boat then. But I've only been here a little over a week." That brought on silence. I guess we weren't acquainted enough to say much more.

"So, umm..." I said. "What did you mean by ' offending me' earlier?"

"Never mind." He said quickly.

"No, tell me." I really wanted to know.

His light started to fade. "I, umm, well, I uhh, when I tried to pin you down, I wasn't aware you were a woman and I tried to pin you down by the …chest. My hands kind of..." I wasn't going to make him explain any more.

"Oh, I understand. If it makes you feel better, I didn't know about it until now, so..." I paused. We were sitting in pitch-blackness and the conversation wasn't that trust worthy. Not to mention I am afraid of the dark and noises in the woods weren't very reassuring. At every rustle of leaves in the tree my head would jerk one way, then the other.

His light flared back to life. "Don't tell me your afraid of the dark? A big tough girl like you, ready to take on any man who stands in her way." He was mocking me.

"No I'm not! I just don't know the territory and..."

"And you're afraid of the dark."

"Go away! I have to go home now. You go home too."

"Not a chance. I have to make it seem like I was out for a while looking for you. What about I take you out of the woods?"

"Fine, but only because I'm a nice person." ( And I'm lost, and afraid of the dark...to much T.V.) He gave a little chuckle and helped me mount Ayden. I kicked him into motion with my good leg before Doyle could mount his horse.

When he caught up he said, "So, are you really going to feed me?"

"I have to." I said.

"Well, you don't have to..."

"I am a woman of my word." My voice softened. "Besides, I have to show my gratitude some how." Another pause. "So you know how to use the gift?"

"Yeah, why? And if you want to teach me how to further my gift, forget it. I don't need it." He said it like he had gotten plenty of offers.

"Actually, it's quiet the opposite. I need a teacher. You see, I work with a natural healer and I just realized I have the gift..." He looked over at me with a look that said 'how did you NOT know?' So I just said, "Don't ask. Anyway, I need someone to show me how."

"It looks like you already know how. I mean, I saw you heal yourself earlier."

"That was on accident. I think my gift is different. Please." I said the last like a child, dragging out the -ea sound.

He sighed. "I don't know how I'll pull it off, but sure, why not? But it's only because you said please."

We reached the outskirts of the woods and I knew where we were. We were by Leo house.

"Okay. I know where I am now. Should I be expecting you tomorrow night?"

"Yes." He said gratefully.

"Okay. Bye."

"Take care of that horse!" He called to me.

"I will. Now, go away!" And Ayden and I trotted away.

I did it. I have Ayden. I have my own horse. I stole my own horse, well, kinda. I wonder what Elenni will think when she seen a horse in the back yard? Just to let you know, I tied him up so he wouldn't eat the flowers. Instead, I dug up some carrots and got some apples and fed him those along with a head of lettuce. I hope he will be okay tonight. Okay, I have to get some sleep sooner or later. I'll write tomorrow.

Hey, I forgot that I didn't upload this...sorry. It's just that every time i write a chapter, everything gets blocked together and i have to reread everything and separate the paragraph every time. It gets boring and tiring. So i just uploaded it and would have done it the next day, but i forgot. sorry. And if you had trouble finding my friend it's because i messed up her name. It's LeaderOfGeorgeCult Its all one word. I separated it last time. Bad me Slaps her hand

OOO guess what. I have a new favorite song. It's " You will be my ain true love" From the movie "Cold mountain". It's sad but not at the same time. yea its a good song. go buy it or download it.