Chap. 160 Swiftsure's testimony

Chap. 160 Swiftsure's testimony

"Didn't bet on Swiftsure?" the stallion's handler asked K'ndar. They watched as the victorious Swiftsure trotted towards the Ruathan viewing platform.

"No, sir, I was absolutely convinced he was going to win, and from what little I know of betting, I wouldn't have won very much money," K'ndar replied. "Besides, I didn't want to tempt fate!"

The handler laughed. "Aye, well, you're right, and he ran exactly the way we've trained him to," he said. He stepped off the platform, heading for the paddock.

Glyena piped up, "He was out in front the whole way!"

Lord Jaxom turned and looked at her.

"Now that I have time, Miss Glyena, I'd like to thank you for alerting us to Swiftsure's having been tampered with," he said. He was grateful that he actually got to see his horse race, rather than listen to complaints from residents of his hold. "Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't had the courage to bring it to our attention?"

She nodded her head in respect. "You're welcome, my lord," she said, in her most proper voice. K'ndar felt proud of her deportment. Sometimes kids didn't listen when taught protocol, failing to understand its importance.

"Where is she going?" Rhian said. Ursula, on the stallion, had stopped. Then she spun the horse around, putting him into a fast trot and then a gallop.

She shouted, "Stop! Stop them!" She approached the railing at the far end of the track. "Hoka hey! Out of my way!" she cried. The people on the other side scattered.

"By the egg," Rhian said, "she's going to JUMP it?" and indeed, the chestnut rose and arced gracefully over the railing with plenty of room to spare.

One of the outriders galloped up to the platform. "My lord, Swiftsure's rider is chasing two men, she wanted me to tell you she recognized them!"

Rhian cursed. "And me without a horse!"

"Go after them," Jaxom cried, "have security grab them."


The outrider galloped after the stallion.

The crowds split in two as the girl on the horse hurried through them. It swirled around behind her, and they could hear confused shouting. Ursula was shrieking at the top of her voice. "Those men!" she cried, "stop them!"

Suddenly the pitch of the crowd's cries changed to one of victory.

"Come on, it sounds as if they've been caught," Jaxom said, leaping from the platform.
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"Sorriest looking pair I've ever seen," Rhian said.

K'ndar had pulled Glyena behind him and the other Ruathans. Several men had the two between them. A crowd was on the other side of the railing, curious. The outrider had opened a gate to allow the stallion back onto the track. Ursula halted the stallion a little way from the group. His handler immediately came out and took the bridle.

"My lord," Ursula said, a wicked grin on her face, "these are the men who knocked me down, before the race," she said. The horse tossed his head up and down.

Jaxom nodded, and gave the two men an icy glare.

"He needs a cooling out and a nice dinner, ma'am," the handler said, wanting to care for the stallion. Still wet from the race, the horse rubbed his head against the man. "Get by, you daft beast," he said, smiling.

"Not yet, sir," Rhian said, "he'll be our witness."

K'ndar bent down and whispered into Glyena's ear, "Now, listen to them, with your eyes closed, okay? And be sure. If you're not, that's okay. Don't make it up, or pretend. Either they're the ones, or they're not." Glyena nodded and shut her eyes, tight.

Jaxom and Rhian looked at the men.

"Who are you? Where are you from?" Jaxom said, angrily.

"No one in particular," said one, smirking, and the other added, "Around."

"You knocked my rider over, purposefully, in order to sponge my horse," he said.

"No, my lord," they both said, their eyes wide.

"You most definitely are the same two who knocked me over," Ursula cried.

"What? What? I apologized, couldn't help it, this lout bumped into me," said one.

"I didn't even see him, it were an accident," said the other.

Glyena searched her memory as they spoke. She wanted them to be the ones who'd she'd heard. But she also wanted to be sure.

Rhian glanced at her. It was smart of K'ndar to bring her with, he thought, if Ursula's visual ID and Glyena's supporting voice recognition coincided, the men were about to find out what the inside of a cell looked like. Thank the egg I had the brains to invite them to the platform, otherwise, they'd have vanished in the crowds.

"I need more," she said, softly, her eyes still shut. Jaxom heard it.

"You're the two who stuffed a sponge up my horse's nose," Lord Jaxom said, "I don't appreciate that. That's not only cheating, which I do not condone, it's also cruelty to an animal."

"Nay! No, it wasn't me, it wasn't us," said one. The other one flinched. Everyone saw it.

The flincher shook his head. "I never touched him. Not once."

"Touched who? Convince me you're not the ones who tried to rig the race," Rhian said.

K'ndar could see Glyena's expression begin to change from uncertainty to conviction.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't touch this horse, Swiftsure, no, I didn't. I wasn't paying no mind where I was going, walked right into this man, here, don't know him from the moons, and he knocked the girl over. It were an accident, that's all, my lord, I swear," said the flincher.

Jaxom sounded cold. "And yet you're still walking around like best of mates, at my Gather, even though you're strangers?"

"My lord, it isn't what it looks like, it isn't," said the one.

Yes. Yes. Glyena was nodding her head. It was the same voices, the same odd accent.

She opened her eyes and caught Rhian's. She nodded, hard. Yes. He smiled, then turned his attention back to the two miscreants.

"Well, then, I have two witnesses who can attest to your plans, and by far the most important one is the horse himself. Why don't you let my stallion tell us which one of you sponged him?" Rhian said, getting angry.

"Yes, let's," said Ursula, "I've been holding him back. He's angry, you know, horses never forget someone who hurts them purposefully."

The handler jumped into the game.

"Last time someone tampered with him, he bit the man's nose off. Which of you wants to go first?"

"He bit a nose off?" one of them said, aghast.

"Oh, aye. The man who hurt him was lucky to not have lost the whole side of his face. Horses have strong jaws, you know. Here, lad, take a good whiff of this lout," the handler said to Swiftsure. He brought the stallion's head next to that of the man.

"No! I just did the bumping, it weren't me, I swear, no, it..."

"Quiet, you arse, if you're telling the truth, the horse will tell us," Rhian snapped.

The man struggled but the men holding him had iron grips.

"Give him a good sniff, there, that's my lad," the handler said to the horse. The man's eyes bugged out in terror, but the horse merely sniffed and then lifted his head. The man sagged in relief.

"You, you're next," the handler said.

The sponger quailed. He writhed in his captor's grip, helpless to escape.

"No, I swear, I didn't do it, it weren't me," he cried, his eyes nailed on the horse. The stallion was very near.

"Stand still, then, if you're innocent, he won't hurt you," Rhian said.

The stallion looked hard at the man, then sniffed him. His breath was hot on the man's cheek.

Swiftsure suddenly pinned his ears flat and squealed in anger. The handler cried, "Oh! He's pulling!"

The man collapsed, wailing in terror.

"No, please, don't let him bite me, please, I didn't mean no harm, I didn't, it were just a little sponge, I just wanted to make some money on a bet," he sobbed.

"But you DID mean to harm him. He's been injured, and you're responsible. I don't know a soul who goes about stuffing sponges up horse's noses just on a whim," Jaxom snarled.

"My lord, I think Swiftsure should bite him, just to settle matters," one of the men holding the man said, making the others laugh.

"Aye, perhaps on the bollocks as well, my lord?"

Jaxom laughed, then said, "And poison a good horse? I'm of the same mind, but I've a better idea for these louts."

"Thank you, Swiftsure," Rhian said, and to the handler, "Now, sir, he needs a good rubdown and a good dinner. He did very well today, he did," he said, patting the chestnut's neck. Ursula turned the stallion and headed for the paddock, the handler right alongside the horse, crooning to him.

"Seems as if you've done it before, eh? To other horses? At MY Gather?" Jaxom said, even more angry, now.

The one shook his head, looking up at Jaxom.

"Stand up, you pig. You were brave enough to hurt him, now you're not?" Jaxom snarled. Without waiting for a response, he said, "I find you guilty as charged. Your names and Hold?"

They were silent, looking down at their feet.

Lord Jaxom crossed his arms.

"I thought as much. No matter. I'll have you as my guests, in a deep, dark cell, until I talk to other horsemen and lords. I might even have you fed, now and then, that is, if the pigs leave anything"

He smiled.

"Sirs, if you would, please, take these louts to the cells. You know which ones I mean."

"Aye, my lord," said one, smugly, "the ones the tunnel snakes live in?"

"Aye. The very same ones," Jaxom grinned. "Outrider, follow them, if they break loose, run 'em down."

"My pleasure, my lord!" the rider said, grinning. The louts were manhandled away.

Before they could ask her, Glyena said, "That was them, my lord, on my honor."

He looked down at her, smiling. "Thank you, my little lady, for telling us. Thank you so much. Between Ursula seeing them, and you hearing them, we got them, didn't we?"

Glyena nodded, scowling. "I didn't think it was nice. It was wrong. And I don't like it when mean people hurt animals. Or people."

"I don't either," Lord Jaxom said. Rhian nodded in agreement.

Jaxom looked up at K'ndar. "You and your sister both have good minds and grand hearts. You both are always welcome here at Ruatha," he said.


"Thank you, my lord," K'ndar said. Glyena nodded.

"Maybe someday, if I can pull myself away from my duties, we'll go flying. It took me a while to realize who you are by your name. I've heard of some your discoveries from the folks at Landing. You'll have to show me around your weyr. You're from Kahrain, yes? I'm sorry if I've forgotten," he said.

"No need to apologize, my lord, and I would be honored, sir, to take you out onto the steppe, the weyr, anytime you like," K'ndar said, awed.

"And you can meet Jordan! He's little, but he's fast and I won a race on him at our Gather last summer," Glyena said. Everyone laughed. She suddenly turned serious.

"Would…did Swiftsure really bite someone's nose off?" Glyena said, awed.

The Ruathans laughed.

"No," the Ruathans chimed, and Rhian said, "No, Miss, he's mannerly. But yon criminal, he didn't know that!"