“Yes, I feel certain she could easily make that transport,” Kaevin assured his father.
“Excellent,” Graely said, “I’ll tell—”
“Excuse me!” Alora said, angrily. “I’m sitting right here, while you’re talking about me in third person. I’d like to have a little say in what I do around here.”
Kaevin stiffened behind her, and Graely raised his eyebrows in surprise. “We only want to protect you.” Graely’s voice sounded like he was speaking to a child.
“I have no problem with taking Beth and Arista to a safe place. But if I understand correctly, Vindrake’s men outnumber you. So I have no intention of hiding in Laegenshire when I could be useful in the battle. Surely there’s something I could do to help. What does a bearer usually do?”
“Alora, with the pressure of the battle, it might be difficult to do your transports. You haven’t had a great deal of practice.” Kaevin argued.
“I get it—you think I’ll make a mess of things.”
“That’s not what I said.” But Alora could hear the doubt in his voice. He didn’t believe in her. She felt an overwhelming sense of insecurity. When had she let this happen? She’d always been independent and fairly self-confident, except maybe about her appearance. When had she become dependent on Kaevin’s approval for her own sense of self-worth? She tried to edge forward, away from Kaevin’s touch, but he held her firmly. “Alora... please,” he said. “I’m simply trying to be practical. You don’t understand the pressures of battle.” But she resisted his entreaty, wishing fervently she didn’t have to ride pressed against him. She wished she had her own horse to ride.
“Brightness!” yelled Graely. “Where did that come from?”
Kaevin halted their horse at the sudden appearance of a large paint-colored horse directly in their path.
“Willow!” cried Alora. “That’s my horse from home. Now, I don’t need to ride with Kaevin,” she told Graely as she quickly dismounted and moved to the waiting horse that seemed somehow unaffected by the sudden transport.
“Alora, wait,” Kaevin said.
She ignored him and looked up toward Graely. “Mind giving me an arm up?” Graely moved alongside Willow and obligingly boosted her onto the horse’s back. She wound her fingers into the mane, trying to hide her nervousness at her first attempt to ride without a bridle.
Kaevin scowled. “Did you bring Willow here on purpose, or was it another accident?”
“I called Willow here on purpose,” she spat back, hoping no one could detect her lie.
“But you don’t know how to ride without a bridle.”
“I think I’ve got it figured out after riding with you. I’m sure I’ll be fine,” she said with a confidence she didn’t feel. She had to act more self-assured than she really was. She couldn’t let anyone know she was afraid.
Graely wore a broad smile. “That’s amazing! I’m certain transporting a horse is quite difficult. Perhaps you could do more for us than we originally thought. Let me consult with Nordamen and Morvaen.” He held up his palm toward Kavein. “Don’t worry. We’ll still send her to a safe place before her life is in danger.”
*****
“Willow is missing,” Charles told Raelene when he came inside from tending the horses. “Didn’t Alora ride to Beth’s house in Wesley’s truck?”
“Yes, I’m certain of it. Wesley was taking Alora to Beth’s home, and then he and Kaevin were going to his home, so they could leave before dawn on their hunting trip.”
“I was so glad Alora and Kaevin were going to have a few days without being joined at the hip I didn’t ask a lot of questions. Maybe she and Beth rode over together and picked up Willow.”
“But wouldn’t she come in and tell you?” asked Raelene. Then her eyes narrowed. “Was Willow’s bridle gone?”
“I don’t know.”
Donning their coats, they went out to check the stable. Charles found Willow’s stall empty, the door closed and locked. Her bridle was hanging neatly in its normal place. Further investigation revealed a distinct lack of hoof prints in the fresh snow outside the stable.
“She’s transported her somewhere,” said Raelene. She raised her eyebrows. “Impressive, but worrisome. That’s a lot of mass and it takes considerable power, depending on how long the transport was. We need to warn her to get plenty of food and drink. Sometimes the fatigue comes upon you suddenly. As a young bearer I fainted often, until I became accustomed to the amount of food needed to sustain my transports.”
Charles pulled out his cell phone to call Alora. “Hmmm. No answer. She might be out of range somewhere.” He left a message on her phone, and tried Beth’s number. With no answer on either girl’s phone, he decided to call Beth’s mother.
“Yes, Janice. I was just calling to leave a message for Alora. What? Isn’t she staying with Beth at your house this weekend? They said what?” His face was stormy. “Yes, I think I know what this means. It means they went on a camping/hunting trip with the boys. I can’t believe she lied to me! She’s never done anything like this before. What? Yes, Janice. I’ll let you know if I hear from them, but I think we won’t see them until Sunday. I have no idea where they were going to go. Obviously, somewhere out of cell phone range. Yes, please call me if you hear anything.”
He hung up, fuming, with his blood pressure rising by the second. “I can’t believe her! She never did anything like this before she met Kaevin. I’m gonna lock her in her room and throw away the key!”
“You feel certain they went camping?” asked Raelene.