Flame of Sevenwaters Read Online Free PDF Page B

of little lakes that shone under the cloudless sky. Some way farther on we began to pass through stands of beech and birch. I did not know how far away Sevenwaters was, and I wasn’t prepared to ask. I could remember almost nothing of my earlier journey, leaving home as a hurt and frightened little girl. Only Aunt Liadan’s kind voice and the poultices she put on my hands and face, cool and soothing. And her telling me I had beautiful green eyes just like my mother’s. I remembered that.
    “This is so exciting!” Rhian said over her shoulder as we headed down a track under arching trees. The sunlight through the highcanopy cast a dappled light onto the ground; it transformed our horses into fey creatures spangled with gold and silver. “We’re nearly at Sevenwaters—just think of it!”
    “I’m thinking about not falling off,” I told her. “And wondering whether I’ll be able to walk when we get there.”
    “But just think,” my handmaid went on, undeterred, “in these woods all sorts of creatures might be lurking, leprechauns and clurichauns and little fey people, the ones that creep into the barn and drink the cows’ milk!”
    “There might be, I suppose. From what I remember, they don’t show themselves to passersby.”
    She was about to reply when a flock of little birds arose suddenly from the foliage all around us, twittering in chorus. From behind us came Swift’s unmistakable whinny of alarm.
    “Lady Maeve!” I could hear the urgency beneath the careful calm of Emrys’s tone.
    “Stop,” I said. Rhian reined in our mount. The men-at-arms around us halted theirs. I slid off the gelding’s back to the ground—I could get off a horse quite well, if clumsily; it was getting on that was the problem—and walked back down the line. Emrys had dismounted. He still had hold of the leading rein, but Swift stood shivering, quarters bunched and ready for flight. The yearling was strong; if he really put his mind to the task of escaping us he could do so with little difficulty. Then he would indeed run wild. In this unknown place, we’d likely never find him.
    Emrys moved in quietly until he could put a hand on the halter. I walked with practiced slowness to Swift’s other side, where I touched the backs of my hands to his neck and murmured reassuring words to him. We stayed like that awhile, not rushing our nervous charge, and eventually he was calm again. But when I met Emrys’s eye, I knew we shared the same misgiving. The quick movement of birds was not enough to scare a horse to the point of breaking loose, not even a touchy creature like Swift. Had he seen something else?
    I returned to the gelding and Cerball dismounted to give me a lift up. “Well done, my lady,” he said. “I see you know your horses.”
    “Thank you, all of you, for having the good sense to stay back and let us do that. Swift isn’t the calmest creature even at home in his own stable. Cerball, how far do we have to go from here?”
    “When we come over the next rise we’ll be able to see the edge of the Sevenwaters forest and the nearest guard tower. Ready to move on, my lady?”
    I turned my head and saw that Emrys was back on his horse, with Swift under good control. “Yes,” I said, wondering if I’d ever be ready for Sevenwaters and knowing there was no point in such speculation since I would be there soon, whether I wanted it or not.
    “Forward!” Cerball called to his men. I wrapped my arms around Rhian’s waist and we rode on.
    The forest was a massive dark blanket, smothering the hills, obscuring any landmarks. I did not know how far into that seemingly impenetrable wood we would have to ride. As we drew closer to the edge of it, I made out a guard tower—a walled platform atop great poles, as high as the old oaks that grew behind it. A shout of challenge rang out from up there. Shortly afterward, five armed guards emerged from under the trees to stand in a purposeful line, blocking our