Sahar bristled.“Why?”
“I do not trust him.”
“Do you trust me?My judgment?”
Asim shook his head.“Not when it comes tomen.”
Sahar was speechless.
“You do not know men—”
“I do not know men?”she seethed.“I havelived my entire life amongst a palace full of men.I spent ninemoons sharing my mother’s womb with you, a man.How can you standthere and tell me I do not know men?”
“Not like him.”
“What do you mean, not like him?”
“He is an actor playing a part.To what end,I can’t say.But an actor he is, and a bad one.I see it.”
Much as Halah had inherited her mother’s keenhearing, Asim had inherited their mother’s gift of sight.He hadthe ability with most people to see what was in their hearts, butnot with all people.He’d been prejudiced against Yago the Wolfsince Asim first heard the story of his parents, the Lion and theSwan.
Still, he was her brother, and he truly caredfor her.
“I will promise you what I promised ourfather,” she told him.“I will keep my guard up against Yago theWolf, and any other man bold or foolish enough to brave the men inmy family and show any interest in me.”
“Sasa.”
She waved him off.“Go see to your wife,brother,” she said, walking around him and heading once more forthe stables.“May she give you ten daughters,” she called back overher shoulder.“All exactly like their Auntie Sasa.”
She found Ratter in the tack room of thestables set aside for those horses competing in the races, figuringout who would be situated where.The stables were built to housethirty horses, each with their own stall, and each stall with asmall antechamber attached to it, large enough to contain a cot, awash basin, and a chest or two, along with space to store a saddleand riding tack.The wealthier riders brought their own help withthem, but for those who had not, the palace provided well-trainedstable hands, if they chose to use them.
“Who is Lasair getting?”Sahar asked as shehanded Ratter the tub of liniment from her sack.
“Me.”
“Why would you live in a cramped little roomfor a fortnight?”Ratter had his own roomy, comfortable livingchambers in the main stables, built for him where he ruled his ownlittle kingdom.“There must be others willing to take care ofher.”
Or were they all too embarrassed to watchover a mare ridden by a woman?
“All my top ‘ands wanted Lasair as theircharge,” he said, twisting open the tub and sniffing the stringentbalm.He wrinkled his nose and set the tub aside.“But I’m nottrustin’ anyone sides meself to watch over ‘er.”He beaded his gazeon Sahar.“I’m not takin’ any chances with a certain someoneroamin’ round all free an important like, an’ neither should you.I’ll niver forget how yer poor mother looked after ‘at bastard Oxgot ahold o’ ‘er, her eyes all bloodshot an’ her throat allbruised.”
Sahar had heard the story, of course.She hadseen the rage still simmering in her father’s eyes whenever hespoke of it, and the pain in her mother’s, not only at the memoryof her physical wounds, but at the knowledge that someone had hatedher enough to try to put her in an early grave.Twice.But still.It was bad enough that her father and brother had thought itnecessary to warn her about the Wolf.Now Ratter too.
“Yago the Wolf is not his father,” shesaid.
“No, ‘e’s not.But I don’t trust ‘im just thesame.”
“Fine.”Sahar was not going to argue thepoint with him.Ratter had helped foal Lasair.She knew him and wascomfortable with him.If he wanted to sleep on a cot in a crampedlittle room beside her, let him.“Who will be in the stables nextto her?”
“Munir an’ ‘is gelding’ll be on ‘er right,and Maksimillian’s young bastard an’ ‘is stallion’ll be on ‘erleft.”
“Aleksandr?”
“Aye, ‘at’s ‘is name.”
“Why would you do that?”
“I likes ‘is gold stallion.”
