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The excuses feel trite because they are trite in the eyes of this furious court of men, all of whom are looking at me as if I am complete and utter scum.
All except one. The one who has said nothing at all. The king himself.
I risk a glance, hoping he will take mercy on me. What I see does not inspire any confidence in that regard.
King Equs is looking at me with appraising eyes that give absolutely nothing away. I look at him now because I sense that this discussion is coming to a close. It is the king I will have to beg for my life.
He has a mane of hair running down the middle of his head, like a mohawk except wilder, and long. It drapes all the way to his shoulders and below, crimped but not ringleted. It reminds me of a Fresian mane, but even more glorious for being worn on the head of this massive male. His face is handsome. He has large dark eyes, a long nose, and a very broad and powerful jaw. He looks somewhat human because, like the horses who were left here centuries ago, he has humans to thank for a large portion of his DNA.
But he’s not entirely human. Whatever near beasts must have inhabited this planet when the people came are also reflected in his appearance. His skin has the same light furring as his warriors, but it gleams with an iridescence that marks him out from the others. It shimmers from blue to gray and back again with the minor motions he makes, as well as the light breeze which blows steadily from the east.
I lower my gaze and glance sideways. There has to be a way out of this. I can’t end my life here like a thief. I absolutely refuse to have come all this way just to be killed by some men. A tribe of Amazons? That would at least be an interesting way to go. But just more fucking asshole dudes dominating various corners of the universe? No. Fuck that.
I look around, to see if there are any avenues for escape. I see that I am not the only one looking. There’s a pen nearby, and there is a horse inside it, a beautiful bay mare. She is agitated and has been since I was brought in. My guess? She’s still wild, and not content in captivity. She’s been pacing back and forth, whinnying and calling for a herd that isn’t here. I know exactly how she feels.
“Untie her,” the king commands. “I want to see what she looks like unbound.”
Well, that is a bit of luck. The ropes are cut from my hands and legs and I am free to stand up to all of my five foot eight, which is actually tall for a human woman, but very short compared to these massive males, none of which is below seven feet in height, and most of whom are significantly taller.
I am small among them, but being small makes me faster and more nimble.
The second the last rope falls from my body, I run.
I am faster than these massive lumbering horsemen give me credit for. They reach out to grab me as I sprint for the pen, but they think I’m trying to go over the rails. I’m not. I slide under, grab a handful of the mare’s mane, and catapult onto her back. I used to practice trick riding all the time when I was a kid. Never thought it might save my life.
The mare lets out a scream and rears even more aggressively than the stallion did when confronted by the king’s riders. Safe to say, she hasn’t been taught to ride, and this is definitely not the way to do it. She puts in some wild bucks, blasting around the pen with me hanging on for dear life.
I can hear masculine laughter from outside, as the warriors watch the impromptu rodeo. I’m sure they expect me to come off at any moment. But that’s not my plan. This horse is frightened and pissed off, which I get. I feel much the same way myself. What we need to do is channel all that fear and angst into something productive.
“Come on girl! Let’s go!” I put the sides of my legs to her belly as gently as I dare, knowing there’s every chance she’s just going to bronc even more. But she doesn’t. I’ve given her direction, and that’s all she needs. She takes off toward the fence she was pacing a minute ago. On her own, she just went around and around. With me astride, she lifts her front legs high and pushes off with her powerful back end. She jumps like she was born to jump, nice and high, and all the way over that damn fence.
