Read Hinterlands Book II: The Stables for Free Online

even perhaps because of it.   She herself
felt a sense of elation as the food warmed her soul and she considered that her
plight here in the stables was perhaps not so bad as she had initially
feared.   Poor Kitt had been
mistakenly frightened, she reasoned.   There was no danger thus far, unless one considered immodesty a danger,
and indeed many did.   The notion of
walking around unclothed in this place leant a certain pervasive awkwardness
for sure, at least for the time being.   Regrettably, there simply was nothing they could do about that.
    They emerged once again into the sunlight, only this time
they were outside the stables. A vast green field stretched out before them
hundreds of yards in each direction. They could see luxuriantly tended green
lawns, fading into rolling green hills far in the distance that were dappled
with patches of forest and rocky outcrops.   Amelia couldn’t imagine a more beautiful vista.   It was something out of a painting.
    Ms. Farstone emerged from the door behind them and called
out nonchalantly. “What a lovely morning!   The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and I can’t think of anything
that would be nicer than a little run?   Can you Mr. Stephen?
    “Indeed I cannot Ms. Farstone!”   Mr. Stephen’s voice shocked a number of
them.   No one had expected him to be
here.   Some of the girls covered
their nakedness instinctively.   The
graying old man had been standing by the corner of the building languidly
smoking his tobacco pipe.   Taking a
long slow drag and blowing the smoke up into the air he continued
speaking.   “I think no less than 20
laps are in order, don’t you?”
    “Certainly!   And the chamber for the winner then?” She asked grinning.
    “Oh, I’d say the chamber for the first two Ms.
Farstone.   It’s such a beautiful
morning.”
    “Okay then.   Mr. Stephen has set the rules.   20 laps girls.   Don’t be
shy.   Let’s put you through your
paces.”
    With this, the vast majority of the young women bolted
off into the open field settling into a long easy gait.   Amelia’s group of seven stood around
momentarily, disoriented before they realized they had been left behind and
were meant to follow the others. Amelia started jogging along then, deciding
she had better not stay behind.   The
initial sensation was thrilling, and she found herself enjoying the feeling of
the soft green lawn on her feet, the soft breeze blowing, and the sun shining
down on her oiled skin.
    The other girls were far ahead and running fast, some
were very tanned and seemed natural in their step, while others were paler and
not so fast. Amelia could see Ms. Eleros, the girl from the courtyard, easily
leading the pack by twenty yards.   Her lithe form was running smoothly and she climbed the first grass hill
as if it were nothing and began to descend the other side out of sight.   The rest of them followed suit and
Amelia trailed behind. She knew that she would have to pace herself or she
would tire soon.   She glanced over
her shoulder to see the others bringing up the rear, jogging along as fast as
their legs would carry them.   For
some reason she knew it wasn’t going to be a good thing to finish last, so she
pushed forward, struggling to catch the main group.  
    She could see they were on a well-worn path through the
grass.   It looked as though it
received daily use. Amelia was mystified by this.   Did they run every day?   As she rounded the top of the modest
grass hill she realized that she had made up significant ground on the others
and now was only 20 or 30 yards behind them.   They were heading down the slope toward
a small distant group of trees and as they arrived were rounding them quickly,
tearing off back toward the stables.   It was a small patch of Oaks, and Amelia turned round them in a flash,
sprinting hard back into the other direction.  
    She actually was beginning to feel comfortable and
natural without any skirts to