Rocking Horse War by Lari Don Read Free Book Online Page A

just trying to persuade you to do something you’d refuse to do if it wasn’t dressed up in fancy words. We have to get you out of here. Do exactly as I say, and we’ll be home soon.”
    Pearl looked at the birch trees growing by the water. They were short but sturdy. She tugged at a thin white branch, trying to think of a plan to defeat two wooden horses, an older boy and a petulant little brother.
    Jasper stamped his foot. “I’m not going to do what you say!” His purple-stained mouth opened wide as he shrieked louder. “I’m going to be a power in the land, and you won’t get to boss me around any more!”
    The tall boy and the mare appeared at the top of the gully. The boy strode down the slope towards Pearl, speaking right over the top of Jasper. His voice wasn’t inspiring, or sneering, or amused. It was angry and hard. “I found the flattened heather where you lay, like a sneak, eavesdropping. From there I could hear every word you were saying down here, even before your delightful little brother started having a tantrum.
    “You heard everything I said, didn’t you?”
    He stopped very close to Pearl, the two horses either side of him. She could smell the walnut oil from their shiny flanks.
    Pearl didn’t like lying on principle, and she wasn’t very good at it anyway. So she shrugged. “I did hear some of what you said. But I didn’t understand it.”
    “You heard about the mountains? The jewels? The landlore?”
    She nodded. “You may have convinced Jasper with your fairy tales, but you didn’t convince me.”
    “I didn’t convince you?” He scowled. “But you still heard me!
    “Guard her,” he ordered the horses, then stomped away and kicked out viciously at a stone. It splashed into the burn, getting his perfect boots wet. The drops glistened for a moment on the leather, then slid off.
    Pearl, trying to ignore the two horses staring at her, heard him mutter, “Damn! I’m making a complete mess of this war already. I’ve lost two triplets and I’ve told our secrets to a girl who can’t even hear the land! Damn, damn, damn!”
    He kicked another stone, took a deep breath, then turned back to Pearl and Jasper. He spoke slowly and deliberately. “Alright. This is what we’ll do. Jasper, the horses will take you to my grandfather’s house, and your big sister will come with me to find the girls.”
    He waved the horses away from Pearl and smiled charmingly at her. “We’ll work better as a team, don’t you think?”
    Pearl wasn’t any more impressed by his charm than she had been by his sneers or his threats.
    “No. Jasper will stay with me, and you can take your nasty horses home to Grandpa. I’ll find my sisters myself. I can deal with the Laird.”
    The boy’s smile dropped off his face. “You may not be convinced by me, but if you challenged the Laird he would convince you, just before he crushed you. If you want your sisters, work with me or go straight home.”
    He twisted his fingers swiftly, and the two rocking horses crowded even closer to Pearl. The sun was shining behind the mare and the stallion, casting stark shadows and harsh lines on their carved skulls. The exaggerated sweep of their eyebrows hid their eyes. Their wooden ears pointed straight at Pearl, as sharp as arrowheads. 
    “I’m not scared of them, I’m not scared of the Laird, and I’m not scared of you.” She clenched her fists, so her fingers wouldn’t tremble as the cold golden mare came nearer.
    The boy laughed. “You aren’t scared? Really?”
    He flicked his fingers and the horses moved back again. Pearl’s hands uncurled a little.
    “Sit down.” He waved grandly at the chair-sized rocks. “Sit down. I think we need each other. We shouldn’t fight.”
    Pearl remained standing. “Why do we need each other?”
    “I know how to defeat the Laird, and you know where … you know the girls. They trust you. As you’ve just discovered, it’s hard to rescue someone who doesn’t want to be