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Goshen was trying to sound furious but it
was clear to Declan that he was only going through the motions of
outrage.
    “ We had no coin.” Declan
replied flatly. “I think we lost them, but we shouldn’t stay
here.”
    “ I’m going to fall off
this damn beast.” Goshen was desperately trying to situate himself
on the horse. The animal could tell he wasn’t a competent rider.
Declan reached out grabbing Goshen by the upper arm to help
straighten him.
    “ There’s no real trick,
just hold the mane and the damn rope and use your legs like you
would in a saddle.”
    “ I’m not in a saddle.”
Goshen protested.
    Declan scowled, “You need to get better at
this.”
    “ Do I?”
    “ Don’t get snippy. I doubt
this will be the last time we might need to pinch a few
items.”
    “ These aren’t items. These
are horses.” Goshen righted himself seeming for a moment to have
stabilized.
    “ Of the two of us, it’s
clear I’m the one that most knows just what they are.”
    “ Only just barely escaping
farmers,” Goshen muttered.
    “ You think you’re better
than that?” Declan chuckled and Goshen cracked a smile. “Those two
boys nearly overtook you. You’re lucky their steads wouldn’t jump
the fence.”
    “ I think this horse was
just trying to buck me off.” Goshen mumbled.
    “ Most likely.”
    Kira and Fery were just through the woods
behind them camped not three hillsides away. If they road well and
didn’t run into any further difficulties, Declan and Goshen would
arrive within about a half hour. The four of them had left the
ternary headwaters weeks ago. They’d moved slowly at first allowing
Declan to heal more from the wound he had endured at the battle at
the Cruor. Their trek had been a quiet up until this point. The
current drama was due to Declan’s own impatience.
    The two moved out of the glade into the next
thicket of woods. They had taken drays with the belief that two
workhorses would better carry the four of them. Goshen refused to
let Declan steal four riding ponies, reasoning two would be an
easier loss for the rancher. Declan had conceded simply because he
was sick of walking, something being better than nothing. The pair
made their way through the forest without any subtlety. Goshen was
dreadful on horseback and the dense understory made egging on the
thick, heavy steads less than easy.
    “ What do you reckon? A day
with these two?”
    Declan scoffed at Goshen’s suggestion,
“Well, we won’t be galloping. I’d hate to see you fall and crack
your head open.”
    “ I’m not so bad,” Goshen’s
grip on his horses mane tightened and horse winced as his legs dug
in, “At least, I can get better.”
    Declan halted raising his fist up to signal
Goshen to stop and be silent. Goshen scanned the woods, looking for
movement. Declan turned to him and gestured up ahead to the right.
In a fluid motion, Declan dismounted and tied this horse to nearby
tree. Goshen watched as Declan disappeared into the thick woods
crouched and moving with astonishing silent speed. Goshen still
couldn’t see or hear anything.
    A few interminable moments passed as he
tried to spy through the trees. He heard birds, and for an instant,
he thought he heard movement but it was just a couple of squirrels
leaping about. Suddenly, Declan was at his side. It startled him so
much he almost fell off the horse.
    Grabbing him and keeping him upright, Declan
whispered, “There are three men just ahead; they’re on a rise a bit
above us.”
    “ How do you
know?”
    “ C’mon,” Declan scowled,
“Stay here and keep the horses as still and quiet as you can.”
Before Goshen could reply, Declan was off again.
    His footfalls were
shockingly silent. Goshen debated staying on the mount or not.
Getting back on would be a headache but it’d be easier for him to
keep the animals at heel if he were on the ground. Or maybe not , he
thought, as the two drays simply stood bored and
unmoving.
    Declan moved with pace as the