Rocking Horse War by Lari Don Read Free Book Online

exploring the deer forest. I’ll look after him, so you can go home now, you don’t need to worry.”
    “Of course I need to worry. You’re filling his head with nonsense about wars and destiny. We’ve had enough of that in our family. It’s not Jasper’s destiny to fight anyone else’s war. There’s no such thing as destiny. He can make his own decisions.”
    The tall boy was now staring at Pearl. Not at her dirty hands, or lumpy pinafore, but at her eyes. His stick swung faster.
    “What did you hear me say?” he asked sharply. “Before you tried to run off with Jasper, what did you hear?”
    Pearl shrugged. “I hardly heard anything. I couldn’t get much closer than this.”
    “But you heard us talk about the war and Jasper’s destiny. What else did you hear?”
    Though she hadn’t understood or believed most of what he’d said in the gully, it didn’t seem sensible to admit she’d heard his silly secrets. So instead she turned to Jasper.
    “Come on, let’s leave this boy and his daft wargames. Mother’s probably got elevenses ready now, so come home, and we’ll find Emmie and Ruby later.”
    Jasper glanced at the tall boy, who smiled. “So, Jasper, do you want to go home with your big sister for tea and toast, or do you want to come with me and fulfil your destiny?”
    Pearl’s brother hesitated, then took a deliberate step towards the tall boy, who immediately slowed the moving stick so it didn’t hit Jasper.
    The moment the stick stopped creating its pattern, Pearl heard the crashing and scrambling of hooves. The palomino leapt over the edge of the gully and galloped straight at her, with teeth bared, ears flat back and white-rimmed eyes looking for revenge.

Chapter 7
    The huge rocking horse hurtled towards Pearl, heavy wooden hooves hammering on the ground.
    Pearl forced herself to stand still. There was no point in running away. She waited until the horse was nearly on top of her, then flung herself to the right, as the massive hooves rushed past her.
    She jumped up as the mare skidded to a halt on the heather and swerved back round.
    Pearl was trembling. Would the horse charge again? Could she clamber up the Twa Corbies before the horse reached her?
    Suddenly the tall boy stepped forward. He stood between Pearl and the horse, his back to Pearl, his left hand out towards the mare. “Whoa, girl. Calm down, calm down. Leave her alone. I’ll deal with her. Whoa, my beauty, whoa.”
    The mare obeyed. Her hooves didn’t move, but she was still breathing hard, her wooden ribcage creaking. The boy kept speaking soothingly until her eyes lost their white rims, until her ears moved forward again.
    Pearl had time to slow her own breathing before he turned back to her. “My horse doesn’t like you. I wonder why?”
    “I’ve no idea,” lied Pearl, ignoring the tattered bridle on the horse’s neck.
    “So you’ve not seen this horse before?”
    It was tempting to say, “Of course, lots of times, in the schoolroom.” But she didn’t want this boy to realise how much she suspected, so Pearl simply said, “No.”
    “And you don’t know where either of your sisters are?”
    “No.”
    “We need to talk. Jasper, lead your sister down to your blaeberries and your stallion, while I coax the mare back down.”
    Jasper slithered down the gully to the stones by the burn. Pearl zigzagged after him.
    When they reached the bottom, Jasper asked angrily, “Why are you interfering? I’m having an adventure all of my own and I don’t need you.”
    “I don’t think you’re safe with that boy. I don’t like these impossible horses and I don’t trust his talk about destiny. People told our big brother it was his destiny to defend his country, and look what happened to him.”
    “That won’t happen to me.” Jasper jumped onto a rock. “I’m special. He says so. I will be very important and very powerful. That is my destiny.”
    “Jasper, you fool, there’s no such thing as destiny. He’s