Blaze of Silver by K. M. Grant Read Free Book Online Page B

and Gavin were never actually married, but still. If you want her, I suppose you should have her.”
    Something in his voice grated. “Do you think the mare would be too much for me to ride, Will?” Ellie asked, annoyed.
    â€œNo,” said Will carefully, “but I am just wondering if we should give her to Kamil. Look how well they go together.” Ellie turned and she could see that Will was right. Under Kamil’s control, although her head bent unwillingly to the bridle, the silver horse moved with serene grace. She knew she could not get the better of her rider, but he had not broken her spirit. Ellie was transfixed by Kamil’s easy skill and how his handsspoke to the mare’s mouth down the reins. She felt a tightening in her stomach. On the silver horse, Kamil looked different, as if he was set for the desert. “If we give Kamil the silver horse, he’ll leave.” She had not meant to say it, but she suddenly knew it was true.
    Will spoke even more carefully, half hating himself, since when they were out hunting or dealing with the inevitable scuffles between armed knights, Kamil felt more like a brother than a companion in arms. Nevertheless, whenever Ellie spoke about Kamil, Will wanted to kill him. “Maybe it is time,” he said evenly. “He won’t want to live here forever.”
    They both stopped as Kamil drew up to speak to Amal. Their Saracen voices carried and Will found himself disturbed that for the first time since Kamil had come to Hartslove, he could not understand what he was saying. He turned back to Ellie and tried his best to sound reasonable. “Kamil has said that he’ll help deliver Richard’s ransom, but even without the silver horse I’ve a feeling he won’t come back here after that unless—” Will stopped.
    Ellie pressed him. “Unless?”
    â€œUnless you ask him to.” Will colored.
    Ellie stared at him. “Do you want me to?”
    Will stared back at her, unable to answer.
    Hal came past on Hosanna. Brimming with health and eagerness, the horse tossed his head, playfully fighting for his bit. At once the tension dissolved. “He’s so beautiful, Will,” Ellie said. “What a spectacular pair they make, the silver and the red!” Will relaxed just as Ellie frowned. Hosanna, it seemed, was more than happy to stand close to his new equine companion, butwhen Amal approached he moved away. “Hosanna doesn’t like Amal,” she said with some surprise.
    â€œNo,” Will agreed after a minute or two, “he doesn’t. How curious.” He watched a bit longer, then shook his head. “I wonder why. But I can hardly turn the man out just because Hosanna wants to avoid him. Not after he traveled so far to bring the horse here and all he did for Elric.”
    â€œNo, you can’t,” Ellie agreed, but she was disturbed. “It’s just odd. I mean, Amal is a Saracen, but I don’t see how he could really hurt us or why he would want to.” Yet it was unmistakable that every time Amal put up his hand to touch Hosanna’s white star, the horse made sure it was out of reach. “Perhaps Hosanna also thinks Amal will take Kamil from us,” Ellie said a little wistfully, “and he doesn’t want that either.”
    Will again found himself at a loss but then Hosanna whinnied at him. Will’s mood lifted. “I think,” he whispered in Ellie’s ear, “that Hosanna might not like Amal because Old Nurse dropped his clothes in some old fish water when she took them to be washed. They stink. Old Nurse said she did it by mistake, but I wonder. ‘Really, deary,’” he imitated Old Nurse’s voice perfectly, ‘you never know where this foreign cloth has been.’” He harrumphed in true Old Nurse style. Ellie’s eyes crinkled and she wagged her finger. It had been ages since she had seen Will like this. He