The Dark Horse by Marcus Sedgwick Read Free Book Online

winced and put her head back on her pillow.
    “That’s right?” she pressed.
    “Yes,” said Mouse. She could not see any harm in admitting it.
    “You don’t trust me because I have Horn’s confidence,” Gudrun stated. She knew it was true, and Mouse didn’t bother denying it.
    “Well,” Gudrun continued, “let me tell you. If you’re the Wisewoman to a tribe, it’s pretty important that the Lawspeaker trust you.”
    Mouse nodded, but she wasn’t sure what Gudrun was getting at. She waited.
    “I know you have powers,” said Gudrun. She watched Mouse to see if her words had any effect.
    “I... I can do things,” said Mouse, struggling a little for words. “Some things other people can’t.”
    “Yes,” said Gudrun. “Exactly.”
    She paused again, to wait for the pain to pass. “That’s why you’re here. You’re the one person in this whole . . . this tribe that might be able to save me.”
    Mouse said nothing.
    “When was the last time anyone died during childbirth?” Gudrun went on. “When was the last time anyone died because of a wound going bad? You can’t remember because it hasn’t happened in a long, long time. I’m very good at what I do, with my herbs and powders. So listen. It’s a long time, but unless you do what I tell you, I’ll be the next. See?”
    Mouse nodded. She stared at the mess that was Gudrun’s stomach.

22

    So, like I say, Mouse grew up into the life of the village, though maybe there were some who never fully accepted her. Horn and Sif, obviously, but I think there were others, too.
    Even when she made Gudrun well again, there were still some who feared Mouse. I suppose they had good reason to fear her, in a way.
    That time with the fish, when Mouse told us where the fish were, and she was right.
    There were other things, too, like her sleeping with the hounds, and I remember a time once when I surprised her accidentally. I was sleeping in our broch one afternoon when she came in. I woke slowly and got up. She hadn’t heard me, I suppose, because as I sat down next to her she leaped to her feet, snarling. Like, I can only say, like a wolf; lips drawn back, teeth showing. In an instant the look slipped from her face and she was a normal girl again.
    That kind of thing happened on other occasions, and it was disturbing if you thought about it that way. But we could have used her, used her skills, to help us through the tough times.
    Tough times! At least then it was only that food was hard to come by. The Dark Horse were no more than an old legend to us then. But it wouldn’t be long.

23

    Mouse had done everything Gudrun had asked of her, and it had taken a long time.
    Gudrun’s fire had gone out. That was the first thing. Mouse fetched a brand from the fire pit in the great broch to get it going again. Back in the hut she put her worries about Sigurd in the back of her mind and started the healing magic.
    Under Gudrun’s instruction from the bed, Mouse took a branch of one of Gudrun’s herbs—sea rose, she called it. She chopped its tiny fingers of leaves and shoots until there was no piece larger than an ant. She did the same with a plant Gudrun called groundsel. Then she set the leaves to boil in a small pot in the fire. While that was stewing, she cleaned Gudrun’s wound. It had gone very bad very quickly.
    “Dirty blade,” said Gudrun, trying to ignore the pain as Mouse pulled the sodden cloth from the wound.
    “Dirty?” asked Mouse.
    “That slob! Horn,” said Gudrun. “It’s dirty blades that make wounds fester this quick.”
    Mouse stared at her.
    “No, not evil magic. Dirt. That slob can’t even keep the Lawspeaker’s sword clean. Now look what he’s done to me!”
    Mouse trotted down to the sea to fetch a bowl of water. With this she cleaned the wound. Not deep, but messy. That was the trouble.
    “Lots of nasty corners for the dirt to hide in,” said Gudrun.
    Then, again doing just what Gudrun told her, Mouse made a small amount of