Wine of the Gods 08: Dark Lady by Pam Uphoff Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Pam Uphoff
less than nine months after a wedding."
" But he implied that Da wasn't my father."
" He was drunk. Good grief. No one would pay any attention to that."
" Ha!" Liz winced and sat down carefully.
Quail was on the floor beside her mother, working diligently to get a foot in her mouth.
"She's so beautiful. What does her father look like?"
" Umm, brown hair, darker than mine, and brown eyes so dark they're nearly black, but warm, reddish brown around the rim. And he's very tall. And . . . I can't even remember his name. Maybe I'm just a madwoman, and I'm making it all up."
" Oh, I don't think so, M'lady."
She snorted in a very unladylike fashion and grabbed her head. "Ooo. I underestimated the tavernmaster's brew badly."
Liz moan ed agreement.
The day passed. They survived. They even ate dinner, trading polite nods with the pale Captain Alpha across the room.
Chapter Nine
Wednesday , February 25, 3493 AD
Jeramtown, Arrival
There were enough men in uniform to look like an invasion.
Liz steered Phantom out to the field designated the Central Courier's Post for the all day drill.
P retty much the entire town took the day off their regular work and turned out, to participate, to sell food and drinks, or just to watch and enjoy a break in their routine.
The courier group split up and they were assigned to the northeast, southeast, or west routes. Liz was southeast this year, her favorite, with the most woods, streams and even crossed the river. They all jumped, forded or scrambled through the obstacles from both directions, then spread out to relay message packets.
Liz scowled as her little brother got the tag end and rod e off with Master Jeremy. The "emergency dispatch" would be started from there, and they'd relay it all the way to the Post as fast as possible, and then the "emergency orders" would come flying back.
She watched her brother, blonde hai r shining in the sun . . . All her brothers and sisters were blonde. She alone had this red brown hair. Damn, damn, damn.
She slid off Phantom and loosened the girth. Her assigned spot was here. To relay dispatches either direction as they came in. They started at random times, and wanted the riders dismounted and resting their mounts . . . Phantom pricked his ears to the south and she heard pounding hooves
"Well, they're not wasting any time, are they?" She retightened the cinch, grabbed the saddle and jumped and pulled herself up enough to get a foot in the stirrup.
Lonnie blasted out of the trees, his chestnut running flat out. He was yelling, but too far away to hear. Probably wanted to do a fancy galloping hand-off. Idiot.
Master Jeremy's bay galloped out of the woods, reins flapping, saddle empty.
Lonnie didn't have a dispatch bag.
Liz turned Phantom north and held his speed down so Lonnie could catch up. Suddenly his yelling started making sense. "They killed Master Jeremy."
" Bandits?" she yelled back.
" Uniforms, tan with floppy hats." He panted. "Go ahead, warn them."
Phantom flattened out and left him behind. As they approached the next wooded stretch, she looked back. Horses were coming from the woods behind them, and Lonnie was veering off for a lesser track where he might be able to lose them in the woods. Smart boy. Then she paid attention to her own route, slowing Phantom as the track wound and dropped down to the river. Phantom galloped out of the trees, slid down the steep bank and trotted across the ford, high stepping out of the knee deep water. As he headed up the opposite bank, Liz looked back and counted eight horses before she was back in the trees. She suggested a trot, and Phantom supplied a long ground covering one.
The next post was just ahead. If she could get the other rider off quickly, God it was Kyle, what a joke. He was so slow . . . but as soon as she was in sight, he scrambled up off his butt and tightened his horse's cinch.
"Where's the bag? Did you drop the bag?" Kyle yelled as he tried to get his foot into the
" But he implied that Da wasn't my father."
" He was drunk. Good grief. No one would pay any attention to that."
" Ha!" Liz winced and sat down carefully.
Quail was on the floor beside her mother, working diligently to get a foot in her mouth.
"She's so beautiful. What does her father look like?"
" Umm, brown hair, darker than mine, and brown eyes so dark they're nearly black, but warm, reddish brown around the rim. And he's very tall. And . . . I can't even remember his name. Maybe I'm just a madwoman, and I'm making it all up."
" Oh, I don't think so, M'lady."
She snorted in a very unladylike fashion and grabbed her head. "Ooo. I underestimated the tavernmaster's brew badly."
Liz moan ed agreement.
The day passed. They survived. They even ate dinner, trading polite nods with the pale Captain Alpha across the room.
Chapter Nine
Wednesday , February 25, 3493 AD
Jeramtown, Arrival
There were enough men in uniform to look like an invasion.
Liz steered Phantom out to the field designated the Central Courier's Post for the all day drill.
P retty much the entire town took the day off their regular work and turned out, to participate, to sell food and drinks, or just to watch and enjoy a break in their routine.
The courier group split up and they were assigned to the northeast, southeast, or west routes. Liz was southeast this year, her favorite, with the most woods, streams and even crossed the river. They all jumped, forded or scrambled through the obstacles from both directions, then spread out to relay message packets.
Liz scowled as her little brother got the tag end and rod e off with Master Jeremy. The "emergency dispatch" would be started from there, and they'd relay it all the way to the Post as fast as possible, and then the "emergency orders" would come flying back.
She watched her brother, blonde hai r shining in the sun . . . All her brothers and sisters were blonde. She alone had this red brown hair. Damn, damn, damn.
She slid off Phantom and loosened the girth. Her assigned spot was here. To relay dispatches either direction as they came in. They started at random times, and wanted the riders dismounted and resting their mounts . . . Phantom pricked his ears to the south and she heard pounding hooves
"Well, they're not wasting any time, are they?" She retightened the cinch, grabbed the saddle and jumped and pulled herself up enough to get a foot in the stirrup.
Lonnie blasted out of the trees, his chestnut running flat out. He was yelling, but too far away to hear. Probably wanted to do a fancy galloping hand-off. Idiot.
Master Jeremy's bay galloped out of the woods, reins flapping, saddle empty.
Lonnie didn't have a dispatch bag.
Liz turned Phantom north and held his speed down so Lonnie could catch up. Suddenly his yelling started making sense. "They killed Master Jeremy."
" Bandits?" she yelled back.
" Uniforms, tan with floppy hats." He panted. "Go ahead, warn them."
Phantom flattened out and left him behind. As they approached the next wooded stretch, she looked back. Horses were coming from the woods behind them, and Lonnie was veering off for a lesser track where he might be able to lose them in the woods. Smart boy. Then she paid attention to her own route, slowing Phantom as the track wound and dropped down to the river. Phantom galloped out of the trees, slid down the steep bank and trotted across the ford, high stepping out of the knee deep water. As he headed up the opposite bank, Liz looked back and counted eight horses before she was back in the trees. She suggested a trot, and Phantom supplied a long ground covering one.
The next post was just ahead. If she could get the other rider off quickly, God it was Kyle, what a joke. He was so slow . . . but as soon as she was in sight, he scrambled up off his butt and tightened his horse's cinch.
"Where's the bag? Did you drop the bag?" Kyle yelled as he tried to get his foot into the
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