When the older boy finally crawled up onto Saorla, the young heir flashed him a smile. “Go on. Why dinnae you do a trick?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” said the older boy.
“I’m not. Give it a walk, or she’ll give you one. Go for it, Saorla!” He gave the filly’s hind a hard slap and it reared in response, causing Niall to jerk back on the reins. That frightened the animal further and it darted off at such a pace that the other boys howled.
“Look at it go!”
“Go on, Niall! Faster!”
They watched from the fence as the filly galloped about the camp, nearly knocking over the máraigh as it went. Skyre laughed, but the horse didn’t stop, even as Niall started to shout.
“Stop! Slow down, you terrible thing!”
Rask and Medhin rushed over, and the Aard called to the horse to get it to slow. But it wouldn’t. With each passing second, Skyre’s smile faltered more. The boys beside him were in fits of giggles, making fun of the awful way Niall screeched. Saorla seemed panicked, and that panic dripped into his elders, and now… now into Skyre himself.
He hurried up beside the Sun Matron and said, “Máta, have them stop it. It’s getting too nervous now.” Medhin’s eyes darkened upon the scene, but she was quiet. “Máta?”
Rask became more desperate, trying to corner the filly out, but to no avail. Its speed was commendable… if not for the precarious circumstance. It barreled sharply towards the wood lot at the edge of the camp, and only there did it stop, coming to an abrupt halt. The motion jerked the boy forwards, sending Niall tumbling over the front of its neck. His grip on the reins held and both boy and horse fell amongst the piles.
A hush fell over the crowd.
Rask ran forwards, Medhin sharp at his heels.
But Skyre… Skyre remained.
The adults knelt around Niall’s crumpled form. He could hear them muttering, but no cry came from Niall’s mouth. The filly had risen and staggered off, trotting aimlessly about the lot. Skyre wanted to go too, but his feet felt stuck to the ground. Only when Medhin returned to him, ushering him towards their hut, did he move.
“That will be enough,” she muttered to the priestesses. “Send the boys back home.”
“But they just got here—” Skyre started but she steered him sharply inside. Once there, he spun to her. “Niall is always such a lump! Tell him to come over and stop messing things up!”
The Sun Matron knelt before him, cupping his face. “I’m afraid, Mirín, it won’t be so simple.”
“Just tell him to get up!”
She held him, and he didn’t know what that meant. His body shook, and he didn’t know why.
He shivered in her grasp, his eyes filled with tears, till the hide door pulled back and Rask entered. His face was grim, as it always was, but there was something there the boy hated to see. He gripped Skyre’s arm in a harsh hold.
“Aard—”
“Dinnae speak, woman, this isn’t your province. Go out and let me have him.”
The Sun Matron bristled, but relented, and silently went out.
The boy’s teeth chattered as Rask forced him to sit.
“Niall… he’ll get better, won’t he?” The words felt weak. Sounded afraid. He looked desperately up at his mentor. “Won’t he?”
Rask stared at him with those hard, stony eyes. “The boy has broken his neck.”
“But he’ll…”
“He is dead.”
Skyre shook his head. “No… he can’t be.” Tears welled, clogging his golden eyes, and he was up instantly, rushing for the door. “That pony… the brute! I’ll have them kill it! We’ll break its neck, too!” Rask grabbed him, dragging him backwards, and the boy collapsed at his feet, weeping. “Put it down Rask… make them put it down…”
“You willnae sentence that creature for your crime,” the man growled.
