My fears are quelled when the mare nudges my arm. She seems harmless.
“Alright,” says Major Kilkenny when I turn to him again. “Let’s get you in the saddle.”
My chest tightens. “I’m afraid of heights.”
He pauses, brows lowered, dark eyes brooding. “Going to Barr na Cahar on foot will take the entire morning. We’re already running behind schedule.”
Sorry, I was busy recuperating from being arrested, forced to sit in filthy conditions for days, manhandled, and thrown in jail before being unexpectedly assigned to Princess Carys’s service.I press my tongue against the roof of my mouth to keep the words from flying out. “How do I… ?” I gesture to Mirren.
Major Kilkenny instructs me to slip one boot into the stirrup and push myself up. My muscles are still sore and stiff, my arms trembling slightly as I maintain the position. My other leg still dangles, and for a moment, I fear I’ll be stuck awkwardly half standing in the stirrup, my arms grasping the saddle like a lifeline. Major Kilkenny appears on the other side of the horse and places a steady hand atop mine.
After my experience with Mainlanders in the past few days, my heart quickens with apprehension, but there is no ill intent on Major Kilkenny’s face. Only mild annoyance.
“Get your other leg over before Mirren loses her patience,” he says.
Alright, maybe more thanmildannoyance. Is it truly the horse he’s concerned will lose patience?
I fully hoist myself up, swinging my leg over the horse. Major Kilkenny dodges my foot, barely evading a boot to the face. I’m fully seated now, but my other leg dangles, my vision swimming before me. Major Kilkenny firmly grasps my ankle and slides my foot into the stirrup for me. There’s a tug on my dress and my eyes fly open as hesmooths the material down over the side of Mirren, ensuring I retain my modesty.
The gesture is so… unexpected.
“Let’s get going,” he says. “Try to look ahead instead of down.” He hands me the reins and quickly instructs me on some basics.
I am going to fall off this horse. Great Mother, help me.
Major Kilkenny mounts Ghendor, and the horse sets off at a walk. As Mirren follows, I grab on to the reins a little too hard and she reels back. My heart leaps.
I’m going to fall, I’m going to fall, I’m going?—
Major Kilkenny shouts something beside me. He says something else and I just gawk at him, beyond flustered. He gestures with the reins in his hand, telling me to let up on them.
I immediately drop the reins and he presses his lips together and turns his face to the sky for a second as if praying for patience.
My heart is racing, and my palms are sweating. I take a deep breath and slowly exhale as Major Kilkenny takes Mirren’s reins along with Ghendor’s. Mirren resumes walking as Ghendor does, and I hold on to the pommel with all my might. Major Kilkenny observes me for a while, then says, “Eyes ahead of you.”
I can say the same to you, I want to tell him.
Eventually, we graduate to a trot, then a canter. I adjust. Slowly, as always, but I do adjust. A while later, I no longer have to grip the pommel like my life depends on it, and I even manage to hold the reins on my own. Mirren veers off course a couple of times thanks to my shoddy leading skills, but I successfully steer her back each time.
We trot through cobblestone streets, passing houses far larger than any homes in the Grounds. There isn’t a lot of open land, but there are statues of the old deities and fountains scattered among the grand two-story homes of refined stone. We pass a circle of carved bouldersin an overgrown field, moss and vines creeping up the stony altar at the center. Even in Mainland the temples have been forsaken. Interesting.
At some point, the residential area falls behind, paving the way for small shops with breathtaking dresses, jewelry, and pottery displayed in their windows. I stare at every storefront we pass, amazed that the citizens of Mainland can just walk into any shop and purchase things rather than laboring for them. No, that’s the job of my people across the bridge.
Out of the shop runs a little girl with rich brown skin and curly black hair piled atop her head. Her gown of ivory and gold shimmers in the sunlight as she pouts and folds her arms across her chest.
I can’t make out what she’s saying, but her mother exits the shop right after her, trying to reason with her. The little girl points to a necklace in the shop window and stomps. The sight is so unbelievable that I almost laugh. I try to imagine being upset because I couldn’t getjewelry. Half the time I can’t even get food on our table.
Gods, I hope Taig is eating well.
I swallow and turn my attention to the road ahead, but Major Kilkenny is staring at me. I face him fully.
“Let’s pick up the pace,” he says. “We can’t be away all day.”
As if any of this is my choice.
“We’re nearly there.”
“Great,” I say, forcing a smile onto my face.
