In The Beginning Gail Daley (best books to read all time TXT) 📖

"We can still do that," Rebecca said, half hysterically.

"No, child we can't. It would be murder. Owen, go and get Trade Master Jordan."

When Catrin started to take Rebecca inside the wagon, Lewys stopped her. "Better he sees her just like she is, so he knows this was justified," Lewys said.

The Trade Master arrived in Owen's wake, puffing. He was a round man, no longer made for running.

"Oh, no, Oh, no," he kept repeating, wringing his hands. "This is bad."

"It was self defense," Lewys reminded him. "Look at my granddaughter. Since when is it bad to stop a man from raping her?"

"Since the man is John Thomas Lazarus!" Jordan snapped. "You don't live here. He is the most powerful man in this county. He owns half the farms around here and at least a third owe him money. He pretty much does as he pleases."

"Including rape?" demanded Lewys.

"I've heard rumors," Jordan said. "Well, the first thing is to get you out of here. You boy," he pointed at Owen. "Get those unicorns harnessed. I'm going to the village to round up a few men to help me collect Lazarus and take him back into town to a healer. You need to be on the road by the time I return from town. I can give you about an hour. Who knows? Maybe he'll die in the meantime and solve both our problems."

While Lewys and Owen harnessed the unicorns to the wagons, Rebecca threw off her torn blouse and put on a loose comfortable shirt. She mounted the wagon box and took her place to drive.

"Are you able to do this, girl?" her grandfather looked up at her from the back of his golden unicorn.

She set her hat firmly on her head and nodded. "Yes, let's just go away from here."

They camped by a small creek deep in the black leaf forest, Lewys having decided it would be wiser to avoid the Trade Stations until they were a long way from Joppa. Spring had brought out a few fresh grasses in the glade next to the stream for the animals to feed on.

Rebecca woke several times in the night, shaking with terror. After the third time, Catrin, whose skill lay in healing prepared a sleeping draught for her. Gradually the night terrors eased. To avoid thinking about what happened during the day, she kept herself as busy as possible.

The morning after they left Joppa Trade Station, Lewys ordered the sides of the wagons whitewashed, so they would appear a different color. Catrin was told to prepare a concoction he said would dye the unicorn's coats a different color. It turned Sunrise and the mares' golden coats to a dull brown.

To make Owen appear older, he brought out a fake beard for him to put on each morning, and told him to stop shaving. He would do the same.

While they were dyeing the unicorns, Rebecca found the three hungry kittens near the body of their mother. They were only a few weeks old, and hadn't yet grown the white manes they would have as adults. Gathering up the kits in her arms, she brought them back to camp. Milking one of the nursing unicorns, she mixed the rich milk into a feed for them.

For several weeks, the family continued to travel north and west avoiding any villages and Trade Stations. Spring was in full bloom, when they camped in a clearing outside the village of Duranga. Duranga had no proper Trade Station, but the town had designated the clearing as common ground where Travelers or Trade Caravans could stop over.

A Spell Is Cast

HARRY SIMS, THE PROPRIETOR of the Glass Slipper Tavern, was an unhappy man on this fine spring evening. He should have been happy. The Glass Slipper was full. The Spring Jamborees for local stock collection and sale had just finished, and all the holdings, small and large were in town and spending coin freely.

The chief cause of his unhappiness was not the rowdiness of the crowd; he was long accustomed to it. No, the cause of his worry was the five-man dice game going on in the corner. Harry knew four of the five players well. Leej Jonsyn, the rug merchant, was losing and was going to be in trouble with his wife. Ruddy Tyer, a long, skinny kid from Gryphon’s Nest, was still reasonably sober but he would lose his Jamboree bonus before the end of the night. Charger French, a squatty rider from back in the badlands with, it was said—but not where he could hear it—a reputation for shady deals. The fourth player was Jajson Buttersnake the son of old ‘Rock’ Buttersnake, the biggest cattle breeder around. Jajson figured he was top dog in the town of Duranga because no one dared challenge the son of old Rock. Rock ran a tough, salty crew of drovers. They didn’t much like the boss's son, but they would take his side in a fight.

It was the fifth dice thrower who worried Harry. Harry had seen him ride into town earlier in the day on the highbred, dapple war unicorn presently taking up space at Harry’s hitching rail. The stranger wasn’t a big man; he stood around five-eight with a short, neatly trimmed black beard and cold green eyes. To Harry, who as a young man had seen quite of few of his kind, the stranger had ‘Merc’ written all over him. His clothes were of too good quality and too clean, his thigh-high boots too new and shiny, and the saddle on that fancy unicorn stud was too pricey for a coin-a-day drover. His needle-gun was tied low on his leg in a well-worn holster, and unless Harry was mistaken, in addition to the knife on his belt, he had a blade down his back, one in his boot, and a second gun hidden in his other boot.

Absently, Harry polished a glass while he tried to place the man. He didn’t look familiar,