ANGRY-MAD

Anna gazed at the homely, one-eyed horse, and then back at Master Riggs. “Is there a reason she’s called Angry-Mad?”

Master Riggs leaned against the door of an empty stall. “I’ll be truthful with you, Anna. She’s got attitude and you’ve got to be careful around her. I don’t know the exact circumstances of her life, but she wasn’t treated well by her previous owners. So, it’s going to take time to build trust. I think with patience and care she will turn out to be as fine a horse as any.”

Angry-Mad watched them with her one eye, and it was not a friendly regard. The mare was thin, hips and ribs protruding. There were scars on her bay hide from ill-fitted saddles, ropes, whips, and who knew what else. Horse Master Riggs had rescued her from the knacker.

Anna had looked forward to the day she got her own messenger horse, but of course, because she possessed no special ability, she wasn’t a full Green Rider, and as such, she was not paired with a true messenger horse. There was some sort of magic that drew a particular Rider and horse together. Without a special ability, Anna would never know what that bond was like. She couldn’t even ride a retired cavalry horse like the ones they’d been using for lessons, including dear old Lion, because every sound horse was being called back into service for the military. Some hauled supplies, others were noncombat remounts for officers. Master Riggs had to go to the very dregs just to find her a sound horse.

The mare’s missing eye reminded Anna of Sir Karigan, who remained unaccounted for. She glanced down the aisle where Condor poked his head out. He’d been slightly off his feed since returning, and sometimes he worried around his stall, but he did not act overly distressed. If he did, Anna had been told, they’d know something was terribly amiss with Sir Karigan. That’s how closely they were bonded. Fergal’s palomino, still too young for long errands, behaved similarly. Fergal also remained overdue.

“We’ll try to get to know Angry-Mad slowly,” Master Riggs said. “We need to gain her trust.”

“What about her missing eye?” Anna asked. “Won’t that be a problem?”

“As she begins to trust you, you will become her other eye.”

“Oh.”

Anna must have sounded underwhelmed enough that Master Riggs said, “I’m sorry she’s not like the other messenger horses, Anna, but despite her challenges, or maybe because of them, I think she’ll do much better than we expect. As for her appearance? Besides being thin and missing one eye, she is in decent health. She’ll fill out with the good feed she’s getting now, and her coat will improve, too. With you taking care of her, I’ve no doubt she’ll shine.”

The mare did have a nice star beneath her forelock, and some good grooming would make her less rangey. Still, it was something of a disappointment as much as she’d come to accept that she’d never be like the other Riders with their special abilities and special horses.

“Where do we start?” she asked.

“The same as when you met Mallard for your very first lesson.”

Anna frowned at the mention of friendly Mallard, who had been her first lesson horse, but had since been claimed by Hoff, a new Rider.

“Go ahead and introduce yourself to her,” the horse master continued. “Do so confidently, but not aggressively. No quick moves, and stay on her sighted side. Be wary, she might try to bite.”

The last did not instill in Anna the confidence that the horse master said she should project. Nevertheless she approached the stall staying in the mare’s line of sight.

“Hello, I’m Anna.”

At first the mare just watched, then blew through her nose. It did not sound like the friendly chuff Anna was accustomed to from the other horses. The closer she got, the more the mare’s ears lowered.

“Keep it slow,” Master Riggs reminded her. “No sudden movements.”

Anna tried talking nonsense in a low voice. When she got within reach, the mare seemed to retract her head.

“Watch out, she’s gonna—” Master Riggs started.

Angry-Mad lunged and Anna leaped back, the mare’s teeth snapping just inches from her arm. The mare then whirled and kicked the stall door for good measure. Anna’s heart pounded wildly.

Master Riggs placed her hand on Anna’s shoulder. “That was close, but you’ve good reflexes. It will take a while, it appears, before you can do a whole lot with her. Visit her as much as you can. Let her get used to you, your scent, the sight of you, the sound of your voice.”

“I don’t know,” Anna replied, “but I am thinking I might be better off going back to cleaning hearths. I don’t think I am ready for this.”

“No? Maybe that’s so, but you’ve faced worse. Give it time. I think you both deserve a chance.”

Anna wondered what would happen if the king needed all his Riders ready to ride, even the new ones like her. She and Angry-Mad would have to come to some understanding quickly.

“Remember, all she knows is that people are cruel,” Master Riggs continued. “We’ll show her otherwise. In the meantime, I’d better put a warning sign on her stall. You Riders are so used to good-natured horses that no one will be expecting her behavior.”

They were heading for the exit when Master Riggs paused and peered out the door into daylight. “What’s this?” she murmured.

Anna looked out and saw a Rider slumped over the neck of a tall horse she did not recognize.

“That’s Crane,” Master Riggs said, and she trotted outside with Anna on her heels.

The horse was huffing as he circled in the stable yard. The Rider appeared to be unconscious. His face was swollen and bloody.

“HEP!” Master Riggs yelled.

The stablemaster emerged from behind the manure pile and charged toward them.

“Anna,” Master Riggs said, “run to the mending wing and tell them to prepare for an injured Rider. Then locate your captain and colonel and tell them Rider Newland is back and injured.”

Anna obeyed. Even as she sprinted off, Hep and Master Riggs were pulling the Rider off his horse.

Rider Newland, Anna thought as she raced toward the castle. That would be Ty, who had been off to the east coast over much of the winter, probably in Coutre Province or some such. They had not met since he’d been gone before she became a Rider, though chances were she and he had crossed paths in the Rider wing when she was on hearth duty.

What could have happened to him? The colonel had spoken to them about the Darrow Raiders and how terrible they’d been in the past, and now they were back. Had Rider Newland encountered them?

She hurried her steps thinking that this, along with Angry-Mad, were good reasons to resume her status as a servant and forego the green uniform. She was not fit, hadn’t the courage, but she’d entered into this aware of the dangers. She just had not expected them to present themselves with such immediacy.

She leaped a puddle and dodged between two porters and hurried to the castle entrance to herald the news of Rider Newland’s arrival.