Read The Innocent Mage for Free Online Page B

and mind he doesn’t kick you when you turn him loose.’
    The lad bobbed his head. ‘Aye, Meister Matt,’ he said, eyes aglow with respectful worship, and led the grey horse away. Matt watched them for a moment, eyes warm, then stuck his hammer through his belt and crossed the yard to Dathne and Asher.
    As he opened his mouth to speak, Dathne said brightly, ‘Matt, this is Asher of Restharven. His Highness has hired him to replace Tolliver.’
    Matt looked at her. ‘Oh he has, has he?’
    ‘There was an incident in town, you see. Ballodair —’
    ‘Ballodair!’ Matt exclaimed. ‘Dathne, if you —’
    She clapped her hands under his nose. ‘The horse is fine, Matt! Stop fussing!’ She rolled her eyes at Asher. ‘Now do you believe me?’
    Matt took a deep, steadying breath. ‘Just tell me what happened,’ he said with gritty patience.
    Asher decided he’d had enough of other people speaking for him and deciding his fate. ‘Some fireworks went off, the horse took fright, tipped the prince onto his arse and tried to bolt. I caught it, and the prince offered me a job.’
    Matt was staring at Dathne, the warmth in his eyes chilled now. ‘Fireworks?’ His voice was ominously quiet.
    ‘One or two rockets,’ she told him, equally ominous. ‘No harm done.’
    ‘This time.’
    Asher scowled. From the looks of them, these two were set to start brangling like cats any tick of the clock. Something was going on here, some kind of lovers’ spat,
    most like, and he wanted no part of it. Let ‘em tussle on; their own time. ‘Who do I see about recording my Twenty-five trins a week I’m to get.’
    ‘Twenty-five?’ Startled, Matt turned. ‘That’s —’
    ‘What the prince said he’d pay me,’ said Ashq truculent.
    ‘He did,’ agreed Dathne.
    ‘That’s as may be,’ said Matt, still glowering, ‘but is k worth twenty-five trins a week?’
    ‘Why should you care?’ Dathne replied. ‘It’s not your; money, is it?’
    ‘No,’ said Matt, ‘but it’s my yard and my headache if the other lads hear —’
    Her hand lifted, silencing him midsentence. Turning to Asher she said, ‘Are you going to blab to the other lads how much you’re being paid?’
    Asher snorted. ‘Course not. What kind of a fool d’you take me for?’
    She turned back to Matt. ‘There. You see? He’s the soul of discretion.’
    Matt gaped at her for a moment, then closed his mouth with a snap of teeth and glared at Asher. ‘What do you know of horsekeeping, any road? You’ve not the look of a horseman, that much I can tell.’
    Asher glared right back. ‘Reckon I know enough. His Highness went and hired me, didn’t he? Don’t reckon I need to give you more of a recommendation than that. Why don’t y’wait and see what kind of a fist I make on the job afore you count me no good, eh? Mayhap you’ll get yourself a pleasant surprise.’
    Matt shook his head. ‘Oh, I’m already surprised, Asher of Restharven.’ His scowling gaze snapped sideways to Dathne, and the air fairly sizzled between them. ‘Whether or not it’s pleasant remains to be seen.’
    Definitely, something was going on there. Asher took a small step to one side, putting distance between himself and the bookseller. ‘Y’won’t regret hirin’ me on,’ he said. ‘I ain’t a wastrel, nor a shimshammery tyke neither. If I take a man’s money, I give ‘im proper weight for it.’
    Matt looked at him then, really looked at him. In his piercing regard there was a strange echo of the way Dathne had stared at him earlier. After a long moment, the stable meister nodded. ‘So you say. But words are cheap. I’ll judge you on deeds, if I judge you at all.’
    ‘And I’m sure nobody could ask for better than that,’ said Dathne briskly. ‘Now, Matt, once Asher’s settled in His Highness wants Nix to have a look at that cut on his head. Your precious Ballodair did that, so probably you owe Asher an apology. I must be off, I’ve to go see the queen, and