Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey Read Free Book Online Page B

said to the pommel of the saddle. “I don’t understand what’s been happening to me. The—the Guard in Sweetsprings said other Guards could help me—”
    â€œSweetsprings!” the woman was plainly surprised. “You’re a long way from home, childing!”
    â€œI—guess I am,” Talia replied faintly, watching the Guard out of the corner of her eye.
    The Guard studied Talia as well, and the girl thought she must be appraising what she saw. Talia was wearing her original clothing, after doing her best to wash the worst of the travel stains from it, and keep it from drying with too many wrinkles in it. The loaned outfits had been of a heavier weight than was comfortable, riding all day in the sun—and at any rate, she hadn’t felt quite at ease in them. Once everything had been worn once, it had seemed better to try and clean her own gear and return to it. Now she was glad she had; the Guard seemed to recognize exactly what she was just by the cut of it.
    â€œHolderfolk, aren’t you?” there was ready sympathy in her voice. “Huh. I’ve heard a bit about them—I’ll bet you are confused, you poor thing. You must feel all adrift. Well, you’ll find out what this is all about soon enough—trust me, they’ll set you right at the Collegium. I’d try and explain, but it’s against the rules for me to tell you if you don’t already know, which is probably just as well—you’d probably end up more confused than ever. As to how I knew this was Rolan, well everybody on Roadguard duty knew he’d gone out; all his tack’s marked with his sigil, just like every Companion—see?” She pointed to the marks she’d looked at, carved into the leather of the saddle skirting. Now that Talia knew what those marks meant, she could see they were a contracted version of Rolan’s name. “Now, how can I serve you?”
    â€œI’m afraid I need some provisioning.” Talia said apologetically, half expecting a reproof. “They gave me some lovely meat pies—I did try to make them last, but—”
    â€œHow long ago was that?” the woman interrupted.
    â€œFour days—” Talia replied, shrinking away a little.
    â€œFour days? Hellfire! You mean you’ve been stretching your food for that long? What’ve you been eating, that dried horsecrap they keep in the Waystations?”
    Talia’s expression must have said plainly that that was exactly what she’d been doing, as the Guard’s mouth twisted a little, and she tightened her lips in annoyance.
    â€œRolan,” she said sternly, a no-nonsense tone in her voice. “You are letting this poor childing off your back for an hour, you hear me? You know damn well you can make up the time, and she needs a decent meal inside her before she comes down with flux, or something worse! Then where would you be?”
    Rolan snorted and laid his ears back, but he didn’t move off when the woman reached up to hand Talia out of the saddle. Talia slid down, feeling awkward under the eyes of the Guard, gawky and untidy—and once off Rolan, uneasy. Rolan followed close on their heels as the Guard led Talia by the hand to the Inn at the center of the village.
    â€œI suppose the Guard back at Sweetsprings was a male, hm?” she asked wryly, and the woman nodded a bit at Talia’s shy assent. “Just like a man! Never once thinks you might be more frightened by all this than excited, never once thinks you might not know the rules. Totally forgets that you may be Chosen but you’re also just a child. And you’re no better, Rolan!” she added over her shoulder, “Men!”
    The Companion only tossed his head and made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.
    The inn was a prosperous place, with tables placed outside in the shade of a huge goldenoak that grew in the very center of its courtyard.