Dark Horse Read Free Page A

her rival clan, the Geldring. The land rose again beyond the river's domain into the Himachal Mountains. The smal range of rugged peaks sat like an afterthought in the midst of the grasslands. From their feet the vast steppeland of Ramtharin flowed for leagues to the seas of the eastern kings. This was the land of the twelve clans of Valorian and the realm of the Harachan horses, the fleet, smal er cousins of the Hunnuli. The steppes were hot in the summer, cold in the winter, dry most of the year, and merciless to those who did not respect them. They offered little to a people beyond the wind and the immense solitude of their rolling hills, but their grass was rich and the polished dome of the sky was a greater treasure to the clans than all the palaces of the east.

    Behind Gabria, the mountains of Darkhorn marched south, then bent away to the west.
    Somewhere beyond the curve was the val ey of the Goldrine River and the Khulinin clan's winter encampment. She looked southward, hoping to see something that would encourage her, but the landmarks she knew were lost in the purple haze. She bit her lip, thinking of the miles she still had to travel, and bent to her task.
    Gabria soon had a pack full of dried grass for the mare and a few half-frozen winterberries for herself. Although the fare was meager for a horse of that size, the old prairie grass was well cured by last year's summer sun and was rich enough. The Hunnuli would survive for a while.
    The horse was watching intently for the girl to return and greeted Gabria with a resounding neigh.
    "This is all I have for now," Gabria told her. "I will bring more later." Cautiously she laid the grass within reach of the horse. The mare tore voraciously at the proffered food, bobbing her head in her efforts to swallow quickly.
    Meanwhile, Gabria tried to decide what to do next. She examined every possibility that came to mind no matter how ridiculous, but there seemed to be only one hopeful course---and the very idea of that nearly defeated her. She would have to dig the mare out.

    Fortunately, the standing water had run off during the night, leaving only the deep, thick mire. The properties that made the mud so treacherous might help her in its removal. It was so thick, it stuck everywhere. Nevertheless, if the Hunnuli thrashed about or tried to fight her off, it would be impossible to get close enough to do anything.
    Gabria shrugged and picked up her empty pack. She could only hope the mare would understand her attempts to help.
    She walked up one of the eroded stream beds that ran into the gul y and soon found what she needed. There was an abundance of loose gravel and broken shale lying in bars along the dry bed.
    quickly the girl filled her pack and returned to the pool. After several trips, she had a large pile of rock close to the mud hole.
    Next, she went to col ect broken branches, fal en logs, twigs, dead scrub, and anything that would suit her plan. In a nearby stand of pine, she cut boughs of springy needles and hauled them to the growing heap. Finally, she was ready.
    Panting slightly, she spoke to the mare. "I know I have not earned the privilege to be your friend,"
    she said. "But you must trust me. I am going to dig you out and I cannot spend my time avoiding your teeth."
    The Hunnuli dipped her head and snorted. Taking that as a positive sign, Gabria eased to the mare's front legs and watched the ears that flicked toward her. The mare remained still; her ears stayed perked.
    Gabria knelt in front of the horse. With a long, flat rock, she began scraping the mud away from the mare's legs. The muck was not deep by the edge and Gabria was able to reach frozen earth in several places.
    "I'm going to make a ramp here for you," she said to the horse. "So you can stand without slipping."
    The Hunnuli remained still, apparently waiting.

    By late morning, Gabria was drenched with sweat, and mud covered her like a second layer of clothes. She stood up, wiped her hands on