Valorian (17 page)

He stifled a sigh of exasperation and went back to watching the dogs. The three big spotted hounds seemed to be on the trail of something. Their tails were whipping with excitement as their noses swept over the ground.

Suddenly one dog bayed. Al three instantly leaped after the scent of their quarry, drawing the men after them. Whooping with delight, Valorian and Gylden kicked their horses into a full gallop after the dogs just as a large buck sprang up out of his cover. The deer took one look at the dogs coming toward him and leaped away across a broad field. The big, long-eared deer in these hil s were fleet and strong, and the hunters knew the buck could outrun his pursuers given enough lead. The dogs bayed wildly when they saw the deer. They sprang after it, their long, sleek legs bounding over the uneven ground, but they couldn't catch up with the running buck.

Both men drew their bows. It would take extreme skil and luck to shoot a deer from a galloping horse, yet that was half the fun. Valorian was not "Very accurate at such a long distance, so he pressed his heels into Hunnul's sides to urge him a little faster. To his astonishment, the black lunged forward as if he had been catapulted. His stride lengthened into a blistering run that carried him over the ground like a projectile, past the startled dogs and right up beside the buck. Valorian held on with all his strength. The ground was a blur beneath Hunnul's hooves, and the wind of his passing whipped his mane into the man's face. The big stallion came so close to the fleeing deer that Valorian could have reached out and touched it. Instead, he had the presence of mind to draw his bow and fire an arrow.

The deer staggered and fell in the grass with the arrow through his ribs.

Thunderstruck, Valorian eased back in the saddle to slow Hunnul down. The stal ion promptly obeyed. He snorted as if in satisfaction and trotted back to the fallen deer, his neck arched and his tail held high. The clansman slid off, quickly pul ed off the excited dogs, and slit the throat of the dying deer.

When he was finished, he drew a long breath and stood back to stare at his horse.

Gylden came cantering up, his mount in a sweat. "Good gods, Valorian," he shouted as he jumped off. "What have you been feeding that horse?" Valorian threw up his hands. "Grass!" He was as mystified as Gylden. Hunnul was fast, but he had never shown signs of that much speed.

"Look at him! He's not even breathing hard."

Amazed, Valorian ran his hands down Hunnul's long, powerful legs. Gylden was right. Hunnul was breathing normal y, and his legs looked perfectly wel . He hadn't even broken into a sweat. The man studied the black thoughtful y, and his fingers unconsciously traced the white lightning mark on Hunnul's shoulder.

"Valorian."

Gylden's voice startled him out of his reverie.

"I have some mares about to come into season. Would you consider al owing me to breed them to Hunnul?"

Valorian was pleased and a little surprised. Gylden was passionate about his horses and had painstakingly built over the years the largest and finest herd of Harachan horses left in the Clan. It was an honor that he wanted to mingle Hunnul's bloodline with that of his beloved mares. There was only one problem. Valorian rubbed his chin and said apologetically, "You know he's not a full Harachan. I, uh, borrowed Tyrranis's stallion one night."

Gylden burst out laughing. "You mean that big, mean bay he brought from Tarnow? I wondered why your horse was so tall. I don't care if he's half-cow. I've never seen a horse run like that."

The clansman glanced up at the sky as if something had occurred to him. "That trait may not be something he could pass on to his foals."

"I'll take my chances," Gylden replied. "He's a fine horse."

"Then you may breed him to every mare you have. . . on one condition."

"What?"

"Talk to your father. Talk to your family. Be my ally in your camp."

Gylden grinned. He would have done that anyway for Valorian. "Done!"

The two men clasped hands to seal the bargain and went to work butchering their catch.

Later that evening, Valorian brought Hunnul into camp and tethered the stal ion just outside his tent.

"I wish you could have seen him run, Kierla," he said to his wife while he curried the horse's black hide. Hunnul was shedding his winter coat in great handfuls, and he leaned into the scratchy brush with pleasure.

"Could Amara have given him
more
than a white mark?" Kierla asked. She enjoyed watching her husband care for his horses. He took such care to thoroughly clean them, scratch their itchy spots, and treat them like friends. She marveled at how his hands could be so gentle and yet so strong at the same time. .

"That's the only explanation I can think of," Valorian answered. "He's never run like that." He finished his work and leaned thoughtful y against a tent pole. "Gylden wants to breed Hunnul to his mares. We have some in foal heat, so I think 'when ours come into full season, we'll breed them to Hunnul, too."

Kierla chuckled, low and throaty. "He's going to have a busy summer."

The man laughed with her, but his thoughts fol owed another notion that had been growing in his mind all day. Tomorrow he intended to try it out.

After sharing the morning meal with Gylden and his father the next day, Valorian mounted Hunnul and rode into the wooded hil s near the camp. He wanted to find a secluded place where he could use his magic away from prying eyes. Wasn't long before he found what he was looking for in a narrow canyon watered by a shal ow creek. He rode upstream for a time until they came to a wide bend shaded by trees and scented with the smell of honeysuckle.

There Valorian slid off Hunnul's back and left the stallion free to wander while he settled under a tree to think. He knew what he wanted to do, but he wasn't sure how to go I about it or whether he should even attempt it. He had never I used magic on a living creature—except Sergius, and that I had been a disaster—so he didn't know what to expect. The spel he had in mind could easily cause irreparable harm if it went wrong. He would never forgive himself if he injured Hunnul in any way.

Still, there was no other horse he wanted to use. Hunnul was already a highly intelligent animal who had complete trust in and love for his master. He and Valorian had developed a strong rapport in the six years of the stallion's life, and Valorian was counting on that attachment to help his magic complete the transformation he wanted to make.

The clansman sat for a little while longer, with the spel slowly forming in his head, then he cal ed Hunnul.

The big stallion was in the creek, having a luxurious roll in the sandy, cool water when Valorian summoned him. He came willingly to his master's side and promptly shook himself. Water and sand sprayed over the man in a shower, soaking his clothes and covering him with sand and loose horse hair.

The black looked at Valorian through his long forelock, and the clansman swore he saw a glint of laughter in the dark, liquid eyes.

Trying not to laugh or curse, Valorian brushed off his clothes as best he could. He should have known better than to cal Hunnul in the middle of a wet rol . When most of the sand and hair were gone, he led the stallion to a large, flat boulder where he could sit at about eye level with Hunnul while he cal ed forth the magic. He paused a moment and scratched the stal ion's neck, feeling the bone and brawn and silk that formed his magnificent horse. This is going to work, he said firmly to himself. It has to!

With that thought firmly in mind, Valorian sat cross-legged on the rock to begin the spell. He took Hunnul's soft muzzle in his hands, closed his eyes, and reached out with his mind to draw on the magic around him.

The stallion shifted his feet restlessly a time or two at his master's strange behavior, but he trusted Valorian and didn't try to pull away. Gradually, though, a change came over the big horse. He stilled to an unnatural motionless pose, his breathing slowed, and his eyes stared straight into the clansman's face. He didn't make a sound or flicker a muscle, nor did Valorian. They remained locked together by touch, by magic, and by the unseen link of their thoughts as, ever so gently, Valorian probed into the mind of the horse.

The deeper he went, the more he was amazed by the complexity of the stal ion's mind. There was far more to the horse's feelings and awareness than the primal desires for food and self-protection. He also learned for the first time the full extent of the gifts Amara had given Hunnul by the power of the lightning: greater speed, strength, endurance, and, most interesting of all, a heightened desire to learn.

Valorian immediately focused his magic on the last gift.

He wanted to find a way to communicate with Hunnul, to teach the horse a comprehension of human language and a way of transmitting thoughts. Horses obviously couldn't talk like humans, but Valorian thought that, through magic, he could teach Hunnul how to speak to him. He wasn't trying to turn the stal ion's equine intel igence into human intel igence, and yet as he manipulated the magic in Hunnul's mind, he unconsciously imprinted some of his own experiences, thoughts, and his understanding of human emotions Onto Hunnul's brain. In the process, the man and the horse formed an inseparable bond that would never be broken as long as they both survived.

It was dark when Valorian came out of his magic-induced trance. He blinked in surprise and would have fallen off the boulder if he hadn't caught Hunnul's mane. His body seemed petrified from sitting so long in the same position, an h h e was completely and utterly exhausted. Very careful y r; eased himself off the rock and leaned against the stallion for support while he stretched his aching legs and arms.

“By Amara's crown, I'm tired,” he said aloud. Gently he patted Hunnul's neck, wondering if his magic had done any harm or good. The stal ion seemed sluggish, and it was difficult to see his eyes in the darkness to know whether the horse was alert.

He was about to lead Hunnul to the creek for a drink of water when something incredible happened.

The black stallion poked his nose at Valorian's chest, and clear and strong in the man's mind came the words,
I'm hungry.

* * * * *

Kierla knew something extraordinary had happened the moment her husband burst into their tent.

His entire body was tense with excitement; his eyes shone bril iant blue in triumph. Without a word, he took her hands and danced her a few steps around the tent.

"It worked!" he chortled. "The spell worked like a prayer."

"What spell?" she asked, mystified by his boyish behavior. "What have you been doing?"

"Hunnul! He can talk to me!"

She pul ed him to a stop. ''What?''

"Wel , not exactly talk. But he can send his thoughts to me, and I can understand him. He's unsure of his words at the moment, but he'l get better in time, I know it!"

Kierla put her hands on her hips and said, "Valorian, if I didn't know what you'd already been through, I would think you were sunstruck. Can he talk to me?"

"I don't know. Come on. We'l find out." He pul ed her out of the tent to where Hunnul was standing nose deep in a pile of hay. "Hunnul, would you say something to Kierla?' he asked.

The stallion lifted his head, his mouth full of hay. Valorian heard him in his mind say carefully,
Good
evening, Kierla. I like the way you brush my coat.

"Did you hear that?" Valorian demanded excitedly.

Kierla shook her head. "I didn't hear anything. He just looked at me."

"Oh." Valorian's excitement receded a little, and yet he was rather relieved. He didn't really want to share this unique experience for a while or be asked to repeat the spell on other horses. The magic had worked on Hunnul because he and his master were so close. Valorian didn't think he could accurately perform the spell again on a strange animal.

"Perhaps you can hear him because you worked the magic," Kierla suggested.

Valorian grinned again. "Perhaps that's it. He said he likes the way you brush his coat." The woman stepped up to the big horse and threw her arms around his neck. "Take good care of him," she whispered to Hunnul.

In complete understanding, the stal ion curled his neck around and gently embraced her with his head.

* * * * *

Valorian didn't have much time after that to go out alone. Summer was coming to the hills with all its heat and flies, keeping the clanspeople busy fattening their herds and engaging in the daily tasks of survival. The weather grew warmer by the day, and with the afternoon heat came scattered thunderstorms.

Valorian found that his dislike for lightning had deepened to a real fear. He flinched every time lightning crackled and thunder boomed, and it was al he could do to stifle a strong urge to run for cover whenever the thunderheads built up to the West. The damage done by his last encounter with the deadly streaks of energy was still too fresh for comfort. Fortunately the sensation of heat within his body had eased enough so he could tolerate the summer temperatures, but ful feeling had not yet returned to his right hand.

For a while, though, he didn't have to use his hand for dangerous or delicate work. Much of the time he was helping Aiden and Gylden breed Hunnul to many of the mares that came into season. Often a stallion was simply allowed to run with the herd of mares and mate as he desired, but the two families didn't want their herds or some of the Harachan bloodlines mixed, so the men had to supervise every mating. As Valorian watched each mare come to Hunnul, his imagination wondered how many of Hunnul’s traits would be passed on to the foals.

When he wasn't busy with his own family or horse breeding, Valorian took every opportunity to talk to Gylden's father and other family members. Gylden's assessment of their reactions was correct.

Some people could hardly wait to leave, while others couldn't comprehend abandoning their ancestral home of Chadar. Valorian spent days arguing, cajoling, and encouraging everyone who would talk to him until slowly he began to sense they were swaying toward his position. At the first swelling of the summer moon, he knew it was time to move on to another camp. He had said al there was to say to Gylden's people. It would be up to them to make their decision about whether to join his exodus when the time came.