“There’s some horses,” Vigholf offered while he chewed on more dried beef. At this rate, she’d have to find a vendor soon to replenish their supplies. If she were alone, she’d have enough beef to last her for at least a week. Maybe two. But with Sir Eats-a-Lot, she stood no chance that would happen.
“Those are wild horses. We’re better off buying tame ones,” she suggested.
“Buying them? Why?”
“They’l be more docile, less chance of skittering off at the first scent of you.”
“But I’ve got this thing that Princess Morfyd gave me.”
“True, but I’m sure that can only do so—”
“And I doubt your docile horses can carry me. I’m not exactly light.”
“So I’ve noticed.”
“We should try.” And off he went.
Gods! Dealing with the Lightning was like herding rats. A useless enterprise that would do nothing but make her annoyed.
“Wait,” Rhona cal ed out while running to catch up.
“Shhhh. You’l spook them.”
“I’ll spook them?”
“You stay back there.”
“You don’t know anything about horses except how to turn them on a spit.”
“But I have this talisman thing,” he boasted, suddenly fal ing in love with that bloody necklace. “It’l lure the horses right to—” Rhona stopped in her tracks, eyes wide, watching the enormous chestnut-colored stal ion run right into and right over Vigholf.
Vigholf hit the ground hard, startled and clearly hurt.
“Gods-dammit! Demon beast!”
Rhona slapped her hand over her mouth to keep her laughter in. Especial y when the stal ion came charging back, knocking Vigholf back to the ground before he’d managed to get off his knees.
“Aaaaaargh!”
The horse came back again, but this time he began to pummel Vigholf with his hooves, pushing and shoving the Lightning away from the other horses.
“I don’t think he likes you,” Rhona informed her traveling companion, something that got her a lovely glare.
Final y getting his bearings, Vigholf knelt on one knee. The stal ion turned, moments from raising himself up on his hind legs so he could pummel Vigholf some more with his front. But Vigholf slammed his hand against the horse’s chest.
“If you kil him,” she warned, “no horse wil ever come near you again.”
“I’m not going to kil him,” Vigholf snarled. “I’m just going to teach the bastard a lesson.” Vigholf shoved the horse back and final y got to his feet.
There were cuts on his face and bruises on his neck, and he briefly rubbed his chest, which made her worry some of his human ribs may be broken.
Vigholf raised his fists and Rhona wondered if the dragon had any sense at al .
“You can’t fistfight him!”
“He started it!”
To ensure that Rhona understood that, the horse slammed his hoof into Vigholf’s head. The Lightning snarled and punched back with a double tap, striking the beast in the snout and throat. Unlike the Tribesman’s smal er horse, however, this one wasn’t knocked unconscious, but he was definitely more irritated.
“By the gods of forge fires,” Rhona laughed. “Do we real y have time for this?”
“If you want us to ride horses.”
“He’s never going to let you ride him now, you idiot!”
Vigholf lowered his bruised hands. “Why not?”
“Because he doesn’t like you. Can’t you tel ?” She held up her hand before he could answer. “You’re a hardheaded Lightning male. Of course you can’t tel .”
“What does that mean?”
A tal white mare stood by Rhona’s side now and the two females looked at each other, shook their heads.
“I know,” Rhona told her. “Pathetic.”
Vigholf’s eyes narrowed when he saw that damn stal ion sneer at him. He was sneering at him! At Vigholf ! A true Northlander and a commander of the Olgeirsson Horde Armies was being sneered at by a prey animal! The damn thing should be roasted by Vigholf’s lightning and torn to pieces by his comrades.
And what was the She-dragon doing? Chatting with the bloody stal ion’s female!
“I don’t know what you expect,” Rhona told Vigholf. “You’ve probably terrified the poor thing.”
“He ran me over! How terrified could he be?”
“Wel , you can stay here and fight if you like. I’ve got a ride.” She easily mounted the mare, using the mane as reins, and headed off.
“Can you believe those two?” Vigholf asked the stal ion. “It’s like we don’t even exist.” The horse shook his head, long mane tossed about.
“I’d let the ungrateful wench go off on her own, but she’s female and inherently weak. Who knows what wil happen to her if I’m not there to protect her. And we can’t expect that mare to watch out for her either. Two females together? Could anything be so useless?” Vigholf shrugged, sighed. “Guess we better fol ow them.”
The stal ion nodded and took off.
“Wait! This would be much easier if you let me ride on your back, you difficult bastard!” Once they had the horses, they made excel ent time. Cutting fast across the Western Plains and reaching the forests that would lead them to the Western Mountains.
It was late when they final y decided to stop by a freshwater stream. And while Vigholf built a smal pit fire and hunted down something to eat for dinner, Rhona found an apple tree and was able to feed the horses. When she returned to their campsite, Vigholf had already eaten his portion of the wild boar he’d slaughtered, but he’d left half of it for Rhona.