The King's Horse (Shioni of Sheba Book 2) (14 page)

T
alaku set Shioni down
gently on the cliff top. He had been carrying her like a baby in his arms, uncomplaining, for over three hours, and with no apparent effort. When she started to mention how embarrassed she was at her constant blubbering, Talaku said, “Cry as much as you need,” and nothing more.

“We’ll find a place to make camp here,” said Tariku, who was
leading Hoplite and the King’s horse on a rope each. “But first, let’s throw a flower for the pony.”

He handed Shioni and Talaku a red-hot-poker each, and kept one for himself.
Shioni took her flower. A simple ceremony to remember the dead. It felt so final. She supposed ponies did not need prayers said, unlike people.

Tariku stepped up to the edge.
“I remember Star. She always carried her rider well.” After a moment, he tossed the flower away into the wind.

Talaku said, “
I remember Star. She was a good and faithful beast, and nobler than her stature.” And he flicked his flower down into the gorge.

Shioni stepped up in turn.
For a long moment she did not know what to say. The wind ruffled her hair, playing with the thin strands across her forehead and around her ears. She looked unseeing into the distance. “She never complained. She was always pleased to see me.” Her voice cracked, “She ran with the wind, and there she runs now.” And she threw her flower over the edge. The scrap of red tumbled out of sight.

It struck her then. This was Kalcha’s work, plain and simple. She did not know how it might be connected to her so-called gift, but the coincidence was impossible to ignore.
A curse, an accident, a death. Could a witch truly wield such power? Could any person?

She was so cold.

A heavy hand engulfed her shoulder. “She never felt a thing.”

“She saved you,” said Tariku.
“You’d be down in that gorge had she not held you up.”

Shioni nodded.
“Thanks. And thank you, Talaku, for, er–”

“Makes us even.”

“You couldn’t have grabbed her shirt or trousers?” Tariku elbowed him in the ribs. “I’ll never forget the sight of you lifting Shioni by her hair.”

“Only thing I could reach,” he chuckled.
“Worked, didn’t it?”

“You might
say you’re even, but I think Shioni still owes you for beautifying your backside.”

Talaku twisted around, t
rying to examine the spot. “Still bleeding, is it?”

Shioni looked away
, wiping her eyes bitterly. How could they crack jokes at a time like this? Or did the jokes serve to push away their feelings?

They
made a simple camp in a sandy spot sheltered by a trio of boulders. A light wind had whisked away the clouds, leaving a sky well-salted with stars. With her belly full of wood pigeon, Shioni tucked herself into her bedroll and tried to muffle her sobs. It took her an awfully long time to fall asleep.

Yet i
t seemed she had only just closed her eyes before a nose snuffling at her neck made her sit up with a fright. “Huh–oh, what are you doing here?”

The King’s horse took a half-
step backward and inclined his head. “I would speak with you.”

Shioni looked about
the moonlit campsite. A warthog would have taken pride in Tariku’s snoring. Talaku’s bedroll was empty.

“Your companion has gone hunting.
He should be keeping watch, no?”

She crossed her arms.
“I’m getting tired of being frightened out of my sleep. And I thought you weren’t in a talkative mood.”

“
If it weren’t for you, I’d be hyena-meat right now,” he nickered softly. “For that, you can call me an old nag whenever you want. Even now.”

So it was a joke?
A stab of fury faded as Shioni thought his response through a second time. “I wouldn’t call that my proudest moment.”

“Mine neither.”

She lifted her misted eyes to the full moon. “Look, I’m not going to make cheerful company tonight. You understand. But thank you for… for…”

“Being a rude, arrogant, biting, mad horse?”

“For apologising.” She hugged her knees to her chest. “I just can’t believe Star is gone. If I hadn’t been sleeping on her back, if only I’d seen the lioness earlier–”

“
The lioness leaped from a boulder above the trail. None of us could have seen it. And once the pony was bitten, she was already dead. Perhaps that is the end the witch envisioned for you.” In the brightness of the full moon, Shioni had the impression that his eyes seemed clear of the dullness that had afflicted them before–almost as though his inner self had been reborn during his journey into the mountains. “As you put it so eloquently, Star’s spirit is free at last to run with the wind. Her body rests and rots, and returns to the earth its goodness to nourish those who come after. That is what we horses believe.”

When
she made no comment to this, he added, “I’m a very poor substitute, I know–but I would be honoured if you would ride me instead.”

Shioni shook her head
like a donkey with a flea in its ear. “What?”

The stallion
stamped his fore hoof as if to demand she pay attention. “You have a bad foot. I’ve a bare back. Look, I know I’m no sweet-tempered old pony–”

“Wait.”
She scratched her chin, acutely aware of the strangeness of their midnight discussion. Life and death with a horse, anyone? “I mean, I don’t understand. No–er, no golden stables and perfumed water? No harps and whatever else you said?”

The King’s horse harrumphed and drew himself up to his full height.
Despite his scrawny rack of ribs and unkempt coat, he managed to retain a touch of his former majesty. “My truename is Thunderhoof Stormrunner, son of Northern Jewel, son of Quickstep Windrider, pureblood Arabian of the Karim Plains clans,” he declared. “What I told you of my life before was true. But it is true no longer. And I have been blind, I realise now. My sojourn in these mountains has taught me a great deal. You loved Star. You risked your life for your companions and for me. I was wrong to look down on you as a mere slave-girl.”

Shioni looked up at him, nodding slowly.
She might have to see how it went with him, if this change of heart was real or not. “I’d like that. As long as you let me brush your poor coat, have the farrier check your hooves, and treat whatever is wrong with you.”

“Worms,”
he said, and then snickered at her expression. “When I was a foal, I learned from the wise ones of my clan of a certain type of worm which can affect the brain. I think that might be the source of my temper and my biting. I can’t seem to help myself–not that I’m making excuses. But I used to be more even-tempered. I have some ideas, herbs that we could use–garlic, peppermint, nettle, cinnamon, quassia–you don’t know all of those?”

“I don’t
. I’ll have to find someone to help. But–what shall I call you? I can’t call you by your truename, can I?”

“
Declaring my truename shows a trust between us,” he said. “No, I will answer to Thunder. And what is your truename?”

An answer popped into her head.
“My truename is ‘Graceful Strength of the Dawn’, given to me by Anbessa, Lord of all Lions. But please call me Shioni.”

“
Such a name for a human foal!” said Thunder, prancing a little in surprise. “A name of real power–well may you grow into it.”

‘Thunder’ suited him
too, Shioni decided, looking up at the tall horse. He was so tall she didn’t know if she could even get onto his back. Oh, the indignity of mounting from a boulder! Thunder had the long, graceful Arabian lines so praised by those who knew horses, the noble arch of the neck… and a rack of ribs she could have played with drumsticks. She needed to consult Mama Nomuula. Tariku had once said he knew a herbalist who was good with animals.

Thunder was drifting off, cropping a patch of grass peaceably,
taking mincing steps because of the hobbles between his forelegs.

From the east, a dark bank of cloud was eating up the stars.
Tariku had predicted more rain for the morning. And where on earth was Talaku? Hunting… eating? Rising silently, Shioni wrapped herself in her blanket and found a place to keep watch until the giant’s return. She’d rather meet a lion than face the Wasabi again!

Or would she? Oh, Star…

A
week’s complete rest,
and three weeks of light work beyond that. Shioni could hardly believe her good fortune. She would gladly have swigged a dozen of Mama’s restorative medicines for that price! A comfortable chair beneath the baobab, a stool for her ankle with its torn ligaments, and bright sunshine to warm her after three days of torrential rains whistling in on frisky winds. Annakiya sat to her left, reading aloud from a scroll, and General Getu to her right, listening with perhaps half an ear. His ‘bad’ leg was propped up too. But he was doing a poor job of looking ill–the enforced rest was making him daily more cantankerous, and he was a prickly pear’s best friend to start with, Shioni thought.

Ah,
and here was another pleasure: Yeshi, her arch-tormentor, appeared in the kitchen doorway bearing a tray of Mama’s baked goodies and some drinks. Shioni tried not to purr like a cat as her fellow-slave approached the trio, knelt, and offered Getu a snack and a drink.

“Hmm.
I will write to Prince Bekele with your request,” said Getu, who had evidently been listening to Princess Annakiya all along. “I have never liked ‘Castle Asmat’ for a name–have you, Princess?”

“No,
it means ‘black magic castle’. I think many people regard the name as unlucky.”

“
Hiwot for life. Castle Hiwot. Yes, I like it. Reflects what seems to be going on underneath everyone’s noses.” He took a scandalously large bite out of one of the honeyed cakes. “Mmm, you have to try the honey ones, Shioni. And as there’s precedent in the records…”

Annakiya flicked the scroll tucked next to her leg with her forefinger. “Hiwot Valley it was, before the Wasabi came up here.
Why not Castle Hiwot?”

Shioni
helped herself too. The delicious smell was making her mouth water. “Thanks, Yeshi.”

Yeshi’s smile looked as
though it had been pasted on with a particularly strong glue. She served the Princess and then dragged her feet back to the kitchens. Shioni could only imagine what was being said about her in there.

“Hsst!
Pass me some honey!”

“Shh, stay out of sight, Zi!”

“You get to have all the fun. Now pass it over before I turn you into a frog.”

While Annakiya and Azurelle argued in heated whispers,
Shioni noticed the slight figure of Tensi, Tariku’s daughter, appear in the gateway of the castle. She waved shyly. Shioni beckoned her over, even though she knew it would be hard for her to approach the Princess and the General.

General Getu broke off from issuing instructions to his head mason, to greet her:
“Ah, Tensi! Come to keep your old man out of trouble, eh? Hope you do a better job than Shioni here!”

Tensi giggled behind her hand.
“My Lord! Princess. I’m overjoyed my father returned safely, no small thanks to you.”

“I blame her for everything,” said the General, pointing at Shioni with his chin.

Shioni gave Annakiya a sharp look as she caught some kind of muttered agreement from her side. But her best friend was hiding her face behind a scroll. Typical!

Getu returned at once
to his discussion with the mason. It appeared the rains had created a drainage problem at the lower part of the rebuilt defensive wall and there was disagreement as to how best to resolve the problem.

“How’s Thunder?” Shioni asked eagerly.

“I’m sorry you’ve been sick,” Tensi said. “Father said you had some problems getting back? He’s got a nasty cough too. But he’s back at work somewhere down-valley.”

Shioni
had liked Tensi right away. Her mother was a healer, and Tensi was following in her footsteps, only she preferred working with animals. That was an instant bond. Thunder’s request for deworming had been passed to her, and she had been working with the farrier all week while Shioni lay in bed with a fever, fretting and asking about the King’s horse every time she woke up. The Princess declared she would toss Shioni out for the hyenas if she complained even one more time!

“We got a little wet,” said Shioni.
“We had to swim two rivers. And the mountain pass took three days. How’s–”

“Shioni, you haven’t introduced us.”

“Sorry.” Shioni introduced her to Princess Annakiya while Zi hid in the Princess’ headscarf and made silly faces at everyone. They had decided not to make the Fiuri’s presence public for the time being–Zi was vocally unhappy about that! Perhaps because it restricted the number of her potential admirers?

Tensi seemed overawed by the Princess.
But at a further prompt, she explained: “Well there was some hoof-rot and a problem with his teeth, but the worms were the worst. You should have seen what came out of him, Shioni; it was this
huge
, fat clump of wriggling white–”

“Ew!” said Annakiya.
“No more detail, please.”

Tensi giggled behind her hand again.
“Well, since you are the very soul of patience, Shioni–” Annakiya snorted at this, “–I thought we’d bring Thunder up for you to see for yourself. His new stable is ready. And the stable hands keep asking me if you cast a spell on him. He wasn’t the nicest horse before, was he?”

“The mad biter?
He was awful!” But Shioni could hear hooves clip-clopping through the entrance to the keep now. She straightened up on her stool. When he appeared, her mouth opened and then shut again. Was this the same animal?

“I know, I know!” Tensi laughed.
“He’s changed colour, hasn’t he?”

“
Colour, yes… but he’s
gleaming
.”

Tensi
kept her eyes shyly downcast, but she was hopping from one foot to the other with pent-up excitement. Thunder, well aware of the impression he was creating, did a showy little prance as he approached, making the stable hand on his lead rein cry out in fright.

Shioni sent him a
fierce wave of admiration, together with wonder at his magnificence and a dash of reproach at the showing off. He was not perfect–his bones were still showing far too much for her liking–but still, the transformation was nothing short of miraculous.

“Where did you get that horse?” asked Getu.

“This is the King’s horse, General,” said Princess Annakiya. “He is called Thunder.”

“The mad Arabian?”
His brow lowered like a passing storm cloud. “Don’t be silly. Shioni, tell me the truth. This isn’t the same animal you rode back, surely? I saw… no, we have but one horse of his standing. Such royal bearing…”

“Sixteen and a half hands
of him,” said Annakiya. “I looked it up in the records.”

“He’s a beauty.”

Thunder snorted and pawed the flagstones restively. Shioni nodded. Just as soon as she was better, she’d give him a ride–if she was allowed. All the oats and mash and whatever else Tensi had been feeding him up with was making him eager for a gallop. But no-one else dared ride him. And no amount of walking in circles with the stable hands would satisfy a horse of his breeding.

“He needs exercise,
my Lady,” said Tensi, still addressing the Princess’ feet. “I’ve been feeding him with every good thing I could lay my hands on. And hasn’t he responded well?”

“You’re
a genius!”

“Thank you, my Lady.”

Getu smiled his wolfish smile. “So… it’s you who has been raiding my stores, young lady?”

“With Mama’s permission,
my Lord,” Shioni put in quickly.

“Oh,
and that makes it alright, does it? Prince Bekele was questioning some of our replenishment needs this week… no, no, girl!” He burst out laughing now. “Tensi, look at me. If we are to work together, you need to learn when my bark means I’ll bite, and when it’s just a bark. If you can do this to one horse, I want you to work your magic on our other animals too. We’ve five unhappy elephants out there and I want to know why. I’ve injured and sick horses to be cared for. And there are hunting falcons to be trained, since I dismissed our last falconer for stealing.”

Tensi seemed overwhelmed. She ducked her head, cheeks flaming, and muttered something in agreement with the General’s wishes.

Annakiya tapped Shioni on the arm. “Just what did you do to Thunder out there?”

“I think it was the threat of becoming a hyena’s breakfast,” said Shioni, wishing she could have said more. “He had a change of heart.”

General Getu chuckled, probably assuming that Shioni had threatened the horse somehow. Far from it!

“And how do you mount up?”

“With difficulty,” Shioni admitted. “Talaku had to lift me. He’s so tall.”

“Ooh, that reminds me
,” said Annakiya. “When can I go see that stele and take drawings and copy the inscriptions, General?”

“The day Shioni becomes Queen of Sheba,” he growled.
“It’s wet and dangerous! Full of wolves, lions and Wasabi. And you are not taking that cliff path or the King would have my head on a platter!”

“Well,” said the Princess
, sounding slightly put out and amused all at once. “That’ll be the day the hippos sing, Shioni!”

“Maybe I’
ll just go teach them then,” Shioni muttered, sounding unreasonably miffed, even to her own ears.

“You do that and I’ll crown you myself.”

“You’ll do no such thing, Princess Annakiya!” snapped General Getu. “You are the Princess of West Sheba! Giving up your crown indeed; I’ve never heard such a nonsense. And you, Shioni of Sheba–you are a slave-girl! Don’t you speak treason in my hearing.”

It did not help that Azurelle was making hippo-wallowing signs
–hidden from the General, of course–from next to Annakiya’s ear. Shioni did not know where to look and her cheeks developed high pink spots as she tried to swallow a giggle. She had to settle on a fake cough that earned her a severe frown from the General.