Bayard[Bedtime stories 3] by Joyee Flynn Read Free Book Online Page B

worth.” Ethan searched Ansel’s face, having realized he was the eldest. “I’ll split what I get for the horse. He’s worth at least a thousand gold pieces.”
“He’s just a horse and you’re nuts,” Ansel growled as he used his height to loom over the man. Ethan was about Dromio’s height so I could see that intimidating him. “We don’t have time to go searching for another horse and you’re crazy so I don’t want you choosing another horse for us. You’ll get us some lame horse saying it’s part fairy or some shit.”
“I’ll tell people what you have here if you don’t sell it to me,” Ethan threatened.
“You’ll tell people we have a magical, mythical horse? Yeah, and they’ll lock you up in a straightjacket for life,” Dromio drawled.
“I can prove it’s a bayard,” Ethan threw right back and pulled something out of his pocket. “I have a spell here that will reveal a bayard to be a man.” I saw Dromio and Callum go pale before they schooled their features. Ansel and Brix didn’t even flinch.
I knew the spell was bullshit but I didn’t know how to let them know that. I quickly undid the latch of the door as if it had been left open and walked right out of my stall. Doing my best to chuckle in horseform to show I wasn’t scared, I walked right up to Ethan. It was Ansel who got what I was saying.
“Fine, say your spell. But if he doesn’t change and you see he’s not a bayard will you leave us be and take your nonsense somewhere else?”
“Yes, if it’s not this horse then my mother thought it was the wrong one. I know she had one though. She described the change and she’d see a man at night tending to the horses.”
“Could she describe this man?” Dromio asked as he eyed over Ethan. “Maybe it changed forms and lives in the village so it didn’t have to be sold again.”
“Don’t tell me you believe in bayards, baby brother,” Brix chuckled, shaking his head as if Dromio was just as crazy. They were putting on a good act.
“I’ve never seen one but I know a guy who’s met fairies so maybe bayards are real too. I know that our horse isn’t one though. If he shifted into a man, one of the four of us would have seen it by now. I mean, if you were part man could you really stand to eat hay and the crap we feed the horses?”
“Oh yuck,” Callum agreed, spitting on the ground. “Or walking in your own shit? Gross.”
“Fine, I see your point,” Ethan grumbled and looked at the paper in his hand. “Just let me read the spell and if it doesn’t work I’ll be on my way.”
“Read away then,” Ansel taunted, crossing his arms over his chest as he smirked at Ethan. The man read something that seriously sounded like made-up drunken talk. He frowned when he was done and I was still in horse form. “And now the crazy man leaves our property and doesn’t come back.”
“Maybe I said it wrong,” Ethan mumbled as Callum grabbed the guy’s arm and growled. “Okay, I can take a hint. I’ve wasted enough of your time.” All four of them nodded and Ethan scurried off to his own tied-up horse, mounted, and rode off. There were several moments of complete silence before they all deeply exhaled almost as if one person.
“I think it’s safe to shift back, baby,” Ansel said gently as he reached out and rubbed my nose. I did as he said, curling into a ball and crying right there infront of the barn. “He’s gone now, sweetie. Everything’s okay.”
“No it’s not. He won’t stop until he’s found me,” I blubbered as he lifted me into his arms. “If you didn’t know me and heard there was some magical creature around that you could get your hands on that was worth over a thousand gold pieces, you’d do the same!”
“I’m sorry you think that,” he said quietly as he set me on my feet. I glanced at him and saw sadness in his eyes as he backed away from me, shaking his head. My gaze darted to the others and they shared the same expression… Sadness and regret