Highland Stallion (Horsemen, Book Three)

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An Excerpt From: HIGHLAND STALLION

© Copyright
KATE HILL, 2004.

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave, Inc.

Zach drew a deep breath and narrowed his eyes against
the wind as he soared across fields, meadows, rivers, and villages. He
hadn't the words to describe how marvelous it felt to stretch his wings and
truly soar for the first time since childhood. His flying was rusty, but
each day he felt more comfortable with the Horsemen's natural domain, the
sky.

He'd never imagined air could smell so fresh, that water
could feel so clean, and food could taste so delicious. Why had it taken so
long for him and the other miners trapped in the Vertue Mountains to rebel?

"Great day for flying!" shouted Terra, a black-haired,
blue-eyed Horseman who flew in beside him. Being a Fighting Carrier, Terra
was elite among Horsemen. Not only did Fighting Carriers undergo the
treacherous journeys to the frigid Spikelands and the sweltering tropics to
harvest Rock Blood, but they were skilled warriors. Horsemen and humans
alike respected them, and for the first time, Zach shared that respect. If
it hadn't been for his friends Terra, Moor and Moor's wife, Susana, he and
dozens of other slaves would still be suffering in the mines.

"Any day is a great day for flying!" Zach replied. After
so many years harnessed and in chains, breaking his back hauling rock and
metal beneath the lash of slavers' whips, any freedom was priceless, though
somewhat daunting. Now that he was free, how would he blend with society?
While others had learned professions and built families, Zach had nothing. Even the few articles of clothing folded into
the leather bag slung across his bare chest had been supplied by Terra and
Moor. Clothes hadn't been necessary in the mines. Horsemen's wings and
testicles had been pierced with metal hoops attached to short chains that
kept them from flying and shifting shape. During rare occasions when the
weather grew cold, the Horsemen's full-coat kept them warm. Most of the
time they suffered in unbearable heat harmful to humans, let alone Horsemen
with their high body temperature. The slavers stole Horsemen children--or
full-grown Horsemen, if possible--and used them to dig and haul for profit.
With the maze-like structure of the Vertue Mountains, the scattered mines
were nearly impossible to find--not that many people even bothered to look
with the StoneSnakes that crept through the territory. The creatures were
large and strong enough to squeeze the life out of a bull and swallow it
whole. Zach had seen it happen. It had been a favorite punishment of the
slavers when he was a child, to force him to watch a captive StoneSnake
feed on livestock, then threaten to toss him in, should he not conform.
When he was very young, fear had kept him from trying to escape. As years
passed, he grew beyond fear and had taken every chance to flee. He'd torn
his hands bloody breaking chains only to be struck with poison arrows that
rendered him unconscious before he set a hoof out of the mines. Beatings
had followed, so severe he'd often collapsed while hauling loads. Instead
of rest, his lack of strength had brought him more lashings. He'd learned
to bury his spirit and desires and put his mind and back to work.

In truth, he didn't mind the hauling. Part of him almost
liked it. Some of the older miners had often praised his Highland blood.
Highland Horseman were known for their superior size and strength. They
boasted many of the best farmers and builders in the world. Their man-half
was skilled in architecture and excellent with their hands, while their
equine-half was built to haul heavy loads and plow the toughest ground.

Fighting Carriers were known the world over for their
speed and endurance during long flights, but even the strongest Carrier
couldn't haul like a Highlander. Zach kept that thought in mind as he
watched Terra and Moor race ahead and circle back to engage him in some
friendly conversation. There was no way he could fly as fast or as long as
those Carriers, but he knew damn well that neither possessed his brute
strength. Strength was all he had to sustain him in the world he was
entering. He'd get a job on a farm--or maybe in a legitimate mine--and earn
enough for his own home. Maybe he could actually have a life.

Moor, a brown-haired Horseman with a sleek coat a bit
lighter than Zach's, flew to his other side. "Our village is just ahead.
You'll like Hornview."

"I'm sure I will."

"I know there are a few humans who'd love to hire you,"
Moor continued. "Especially now during the summer. There are several farmers
and woodchoppers who can use the extra hands. Most of them would be willing
to board, I'm sure."

"In the meantime, you can stay with me and Inez for as
long as you want," Terra said.

"Had our cottage not been wrecked during the storm while
we were away, you would have been welcome to stay with me and Susana. Right
now we're both stuck in her old room in the Chieftain's longhouse until
repairs can be made on our place." Moor looked disgusted. "As if we haven't
had enough trouble lately."

"At least we're free of the mines," Zach said. "And I
won't stay with you for long, Terra. I don't want to impose." Zach knew
Terra and his wife, Inez, had married less than two years ago and had a
baby. The last thing they needed was a houseguest. Not only that, Zach knew
Terra and Inez, like Moor and his wife, had met through dream sharing--a
magic that had touched his life too closely of late. For the past few
weeks, even during his time in the mines, dreams of Sophia had plagued him,
allowing him neither restful nights nor peace of mind. He thought the mines
had destroyed his emotions, but the love he felt for her was agonizing in
its intensity. The desire to track her down and claim her as his own was
like a fist twisting his gut, but he couldn't. Not now. What did he have to
offer anyone? Even when he
earned enough to provide a decent home, he feared the mines had hardened
him too much to give a woman the caring she deserved. Deep inside, he might
desire and love her, but how could he bring himself to express it?

Terra interrupted his thoughts as he continued, "It'll
be no problem. When I told Inez you were coming, she said she'd be glad to
board the man who headed the rebellion that freed so many miners."

"It was Moor who stirred us up enough to rebel."

"I had to. It was our only way out. If it hadn't been
for you, though, Zach, I'd be dead!" Moor called. "I couldn't believe my
nephew and I got captured in the first place. I'm sure his parents were
thrilled when he arrived at home."

"It's the poison. That's how they get most of their
slaves."

"All that matters is you and the other slaves were
freed," Terra said. "There it is. Home!"