Chapter 3 Alexios
ALEXIOS
Desperation had an odor stronger than horseshit, and I was covered in it.
Not the shit—not yet, anyway. But I was only a few paces away from steaming piles of that and already hip-deep in desperation.
“Just one horse then,” I begged the barrel-chested stable hand, whose hairy nostrils flared as he stared at me.
“Even a pony will do. How much would you charge for a pony?” I glanced desperately around the stable again, specifically at the dappled gray pony in the back stall.
It was swaybacked and gray-whiskered, and if it hadn’t moved its tail to sweep away a fly, I might’ve thought it was dead.
But it was the only mount left, besides an enormous coal-black warhorse standing by the back gate, obviously belonging to some warrior or nobleman.
It had to be the pony I was meant to buy.
This stable was the only one that hadn’t shut its doors for the impromptu celebration in the palace square.
More importantly, this was the place that had drawn me like a lodestone when I rose from my prayers that morning, seeking a way out of the unfolding nightmare.
A way to save my mistress. The only one I would serve, other than the Goddess, to the end of my days. Or possibly hers. From the sound of the crowd and scent of the smoke, she was moments from death.
I had no idea how she would get free. All I had was an unshakable faith that the Goddess would provide and a divine message that this was the place I needed to be.
Unfortunately, the fellow running the stable was an Alpha with a familiar attitude. He sneered at my narrow Beta frame and flexed his own muscles in a silent show of aggression, then spat out a wad of chewing herb.
I jumped back, so it wouldn’t stain the hem of the gray cloak I had on.
My boots were already ruined from all the running I’d done to find and pack up our supplies, get the women we’d left in charge of the secret apothecary settled with enough funds to keep them going for at least a few years, and find this stable.
I sniffed the air, uneasy at the smell of smoke that wafted down the alley, cutting through all the other odors. “How much, please? I’m in a hurry.”
“So I see. You’d fit on a pony, Beta. Little fella, ain’t ya?
” The Alpha puffed up his chest. “As to what a fine pony like little Betsy over there would cost, what with her bein’ your only hope of a mount on a feast day like today, I’ll have to think on it.
Seems like a little Beta like you don’t need all those things you’ve got on you, if you’re traveling fast.” His eyes moved to the saddlebags I’d dropped by the gate post, then back to me.
“Nice cloak you got there. Bit long on you.” He reached out with one hand to grab the edge of it, and I almost didn’t duck back in time.
His brows lowered. “Maybe I’ll just take it. ”
“It would be very dangerous for you if you did.” Of course, he didn’t give me time to explain that this particular cloak was filled with vials and packets of deadly poisons.
I was only safe because I knew which ones were which.
Well, and because my mistress had been feeding me small quantities of quite a few of them for the past few years, along with antidotes, to help me build up an immunity.
I pressed a hand to my stomach, my gut clenching as the memory of how sick I’d been the week before came roaring back. She’d been protecting me from Starlakian poisons before our journey north.
“Give it,” the stable hand demanded as he reached for me, his meaty hand swinging over my head as I ducked smoothly and spun.
“I can’t. It’s not mine to give.” I twisted away again.
“Fast little shit, ain’t ya? Gimme that cloak, Beta, and I’ll forgive ya for threatenin’ me.”
“I wasn’t,” I gasped out, ducking under another swinging fist, my heel slipping on a pile of horseshit as I backed away. My other shoe nudged the saddlebags filled with our supplies. I leaned to pick them up. “I’ll leave peacefully, if you let me. I’ll find another stable.”
He snarled. “Funny. You look like a man, but you act like a scared little girl, dancin’ around.”
Brutes like him always said something like that. “I’ve taken a vow of peace. I’ve sworn to the Goddess not to bring harm to any of Her creations.”
His lip curled up, revealing red gums above his yellowed teeth. “A priest?”
“A valet,” I answered. He didn’t need to know anything about me.
“A pussy.” He spat again, then barked out, using his Alpha command, “Give me that damned cloak!”
Most Betas would have obeyed instantly, as an Alpha’s bark was as effective as a whip. But I was not like most Betas. The command dissolved like salt in a rainstorm, gone before I even noticed it.
Without dropping my gaze, I grabbed a handful of coins out of one of the saddlebag pockets. “Sir, just take my goldani and give me the gray pony in the back stall. This doesn’t have to get unpleasant.”
He blinked at me, his thoughts churning sluggishly in his dull eyes. I blinked back, my patience evaporating as the smell of burning wood grew stronger.
Greed won out over curiosity. He grabbed the coins, his thick lips moving as he counted them out. There was more than enough for a half-dozen horses. It should have been plenty.
I should’ve known better. An avaricious smile curled on his face as he straightened. “Give me them bags, too, or I’ll knock out your fucking teeth.”
“You can’t have them,” I warned. “They belong to my mistress. I’ve been charged with protecting them.”
“Fuck your mistress. Better yet, I’ll fuck her and make ya watch.” He lunged for the saddlebags with his right hand, but when I moved smoothly away, he aimed his left fist for my face. I let the blow land, though I tilted my head so it only grazed my cheek lightly.
I had to. I’d taken a vow, and that was the only way I could be released from it. In my next movement, I slid the bags across the alleyway, out of the way.
The fight, if you could call it that, didn’t take long. His blows were slow and clumsy, though if even one had connected, I might have been knocked off my feet.
The priests who’d taught me this dance had trained me well. I slid under the Alpha’s swinging arms and twisted around his feet, maneuvering him until I had him where I wanted. Then it was his foot by the pile of horse dung and his back that landed in it, followed by his head bashing the gate post.
But my hand that struck the nerves in his shoulder just so, sending him to sleep. He collapsed with an odd, muffled groan, his eyes rolling back in his head.
I bowed, muttering a prayer to protect him while he lay unconscious. Then I grabbed the bags, slipped enough coins into his pocket to cover the pony, and turned to the back paddock.
A distant cry went up from the square, and my blood ran cold. I ran, too, grabbing a halter and slinging it over the old pony’s back. I was only three steps out of the stable when the animal pulled hard on the leading ropes.
No. She wasn’t pulling. She’d fallen, foundering on the stones.
“Lame?” I half-shouted, as she made the most pathetic sounds of distress. The pony’s sides heaved, her legs kicking in the air.
The pitiful thing wasn’t dead, but so close that it made no difference.
Heart racing, I closed my eyes for a second, praying harder than I ever had. When I opened them, the heavy gray clouds above parted, allowing a single sunbeam to descend, landing on the back of…
“Thank you,” I whispered, making the sign of peaceful passing over the old pony, then running to the warhorse.
The monster drew back his teeth at my approach.
I stopped just out of range of his bite, and bowed.
“Please, noble steed. My mistress is dying. In the name of the Goddess, I ask you to carry me to her.” I stood still as the beast’s nostrils flared, neck extending to sniff at the cloak I wore.
His warm, hay-scented breath covered me as he nickered twice.
Then, to my shock, he bent his neck down, obviously waiting for me.
I blinked. The saddle and reins rested on the nearby gate, but I didn’t have time to tack the beast. Instead, I grabbed a rope hackamore from the stable wall, sliding it gently over the horse’s lowered head, though he was still far taller than I was.
I had very little experience riding, as my island home had only deer, sheep, and goats.
Since meeting my mistress, I’d only ridden with her, on one horse.
I slung the saddlebags over the horse’s neck, gathered my courage and my strength, and leaped up.
I pressed in with my knees, moving the ropes of the hackamore slightly to one side.
It was a good thing I was so flexible from all my training; I was close to doing a full split on the creature’s wide back.
What man rode a horse this size? I was sure I didn’t want to find out, and equally certain I would if I didn’t steal the beast more quickly. “To the fire!” I urged.
The creature didn’t move.
“Go, I beg you,” I muttered, louder. “She’s being burned alive.”
The beast swung his head back, eyes rolling to look at me.
I wasn’t sure if a horse could feel such things, but I thought I saw disbelief and condescension in his gaze.
A waft of smoke, smelling oddly of roasted tomatoes and burning flesh, swirled around me.
Then her distant voice cried out, screaming obscenities.
The sunlight dimmed. The crowd roared. I wanted to jump down from the horse and run to save her, but I knew I couldn’t do it alone.
“To my mistress!” I shouted, driving my heels in as best I could. “In the name of the Goddess, I beg you, take me to her.” He shivered all over. “Take me to Rada!”