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because he’d done it in such a matter-of-fact, commonplace way.
    Today she’d dealt with two men who took her on her own terms. Thank you, Mithros, for this gift, she thought to the god of war and law. Then she remembered that she was at her window, grinning foolishly. Shaking her head at her own folly, she got back to work.
    It was nearly suppertime when Kel finished putting everything away. She had one more thing to do concerning Peachblossom. She had thought to go to Daine - the Wildmage was home, Kel knew - but she chose to talk to the gelding on her own first. She didn’t know if this was because she respected Peachblossom so much that she thought he might listen, or because she resented the idea that he would listen to Daine and not his rider. Whatever the reason, she prayed this would work Like other palace animals, Peachblossom had grown more intelligent in human terms over the years. By this point, surely, Kel didn’t need Daine to translate.
    The stable was deserted. No one was there to snicker at her. “Uhm, Peachblossom? Could I have a word?” she asked the gelding. She hadn’t brought any treats. This was too important for bribes.
    He walked to the front of the stall and, in a rare gesture of affection, thrust his long brown muzzle against Kel’s chest. He snorted at the smell of old iron left by chain mail but didn’t move away.

Protector of the Small 3 - Squire
    Kel stroked him. “We’re going to be with plenty of other horses,” she told him. “Hoshi’s just the start.”
    Peachblossom threw up his head to eye Hoshi. The mare, quietly eating hay next door, switched her tail as if to say, Go away, boy.
    “Nobody will be able to work if you’re forever biting them,” Kel said. “We could get in trouble if you start fights. They might make me leave you behind.”
    Peachblossom fixed her squarely with one eye.
    “I don’t know if they will,” she amended, scrupulously honest. “But it seems likely. We’ll always be together when I’m a knight - surely you know that. But consider getting along here? You don’t have to be friendly. Just don’t make trouble.”
    The thought of having to leave him made her eyes sting. She loved every scarred, irritable inch of Peachblossom. She knew she would like Hoshi: she was a gift from Lord Raoul. She also seemed like a horse who could view disaster with a calm eye. But Peachblossom was the friend of Kel’s heart, her staunch ally. She hugged him fiercely around the neck.
    “Think about it,” she told him, and left him to it.
    Kel, Lalasa, Jump, and the sparrows were asleep in Kel’s old rooms when thunder broke through Kel’s dreams. Sitting up in bed, she realized what she heard was not thunder, but someone pounding on her door.
    She leaped to answer it without pulling on her robe. Qasim almost rapped her nose when she yanked the door open. “We are called away tonight,” he said. “When you are dressed, go to the stable and ready your mounts. I will pack the gear you will need.”
    “But my lord’s armor, his gear and horses - that’s my job,” she protested.
    “Another time,” Qasim ordered. Kel was about to close the door when he stopped her. “It will be bad,” he said. “Haresfield village in the Royal Forest was attacked by robbers. The messengers say it is a bloody mess. Be ready.”
    Is anyone ever ready for such things? Kel wondered as he left. She took a breath and concentrated on what had to be done. Lalasa was placing a basin full of water and a towel on the desk. As Kel washed her face, cleaned her teeth, and combed her hair, Lalasa put out her clothes, including a fresh breastband and loincloth, and one of the cloth pads Kel wore during her monthly bleeding. It had begun the day before.
    “I’ll need more pads,” Kel said, fastening her breastband and hitching her shoulders until it fit properly. “And three days’ worth of clothes - how much do I have here?”
    “More than that,” Lalasa said. Kel glanced at her.