Read First Of Her Kind (Book 1) for Free Online Page B

Stubborn, just like his rider.
    "That’s it." She backed slowly away, taking Fane by the bridle and leading him toward the door. "Back to sleep, now."
    Outside the barn, Ciara double-checked Fane’s girth, and climbed into the saddle. With one last look over her shoulder at the flames of the pyre still visible through the trees, Ciara turned her back on it and coaxed Fane into a trot.
    She planned to ride east in the hope Bolin might consider the direction of Dryw Hrine to be the last one she would take. There had to be some village along the Eastern Road, one that could use a skilled healer. Of course, Ciara had to find the road in the first place. Which had nothing to due with lack of light. Even edging toward the horizon, the moon provided a pale compromise to daylight. Unfortunately, Ciara had never journeyed towards the east. The nearest village, Harradell, took no more than an hour's walk south. Guldarech, to the west, meant a half day's ride. Those were the extent of her travels but Findley's dinner time tales led Ciara to believe if she headed mostly east, with a slight bend to the south, she would find the road in less than a day. So, she put the moon over her right shoulder, and guided Fane across the open fields.
     
    * * *
     
    Ciara jerked her head up and blinked, surprised to find herself still in the saddle. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. The first blush of dawn touched the sky, casting an eerie half-light on the low shrubs and clusters of trees surrounding them which, given Fane's high-headed appraisal, held every scary creature imaginable. He shied suddenly, and Ciara grabbed at the pommel to keep her seat.
    "Unholies!" she cursed. She patted Fane's neck, and jumped when he twitched. His nerves were contagious. "I think we need a rest."
    A narrow creek wound between the trees to their right, and Ciara turned Fane towards it. She found a spot where the bank melted into a small, gravel landing, and climbed out of the saddle with a groan. Fane dipped his head to get a drink, slurping noisily while Ciara worked the stiffness out of her limbs before kneeling beside him to splash cold water on her face. She sat back on her heels, shivering as the water trickled under her tunic.
    Fane lifted his head, and flicked his ears forward, his attention on the opposite side of the creek. The bushes swayed though no breeze touched them. Ciara stood slowly. She reached over for the reins without taking her eyes off the far bank. Fane snorted and tossed his head, backing out of her reach.
    "Goddess’s light!" Ciara cooed nonsense to the gelding who stood, quivering, just out of her reach, his head high, and the whites of his eyes showing. "Come now, silly one, it’s probably just a rabbit. Easy now . . ."
    Rabbit or feral beast, it crashed out of the brush behind her and Fane reared. Ciara dodged out of the way of his hooves as he spun on his haunches and bolted.
    "Fane, no! Wait!" Ciara lunged, but the gelding ran as if all the demons of the underworld were after him.
    Gravel crunched behind her, and Ciara froze. It definitely sounded larger than a rabbit. She pivoted slowly, ready to light out after Fane should it prove to be something with fangs. Her pulse pounded in her ears, and her mouth had gone dry -- went even drier when she slid her hand to her belt and realized that her knife, along with her pack, had left with the crazed gelding.
    A form coalesced out of the shadows -- all long, spindly legs, and huge eyes. Ciara’s relief came out in a short laugh, and the fawn startled, then flipped its tail up and dove back into the underbrush with a scrambling of tiny hooves.
    Relief, however, proved short-lived. Fane had vanished from sight, and Ciara had a good idea where he'd head:  Straight for home and the safety of his stall, with all her earthly possessions tied to his back.
    "Argh!" She kicked at a rock, balled her fists on her hips and glared -- first in the direction Fane had gone, then across the creek