Serenity Valley (10 page)

The stable was bustling with activity.
The range riders were bringing in mares ready to foal. Stalls were
being prepared with water, fresh straw, and feed from the great
storage buildings near the stables.

Fulk was helping to settle the mares
in their stalls and get them fed. The range riders were reporting
in to Sayer in the office so records could be updated. Slates were
marked in front of each stall, containing the mare and sire's name,
and also which pasture they were from. Often, several pastures were
serviced by the same stud. Demon continued to be a focus of
curiosity, with the riders stopping by to see the new colt and ask
questions. I have yet to find an employee of the stable operation
who was not dedicated to the horses. Everyone involved loved the
horses and their home in Serenity Valley.

Several mares were brought in
separately, with their foals already in tow. They were early
arrivals, and a much slower pace was exercised bringing them in.
Once stalled, the slate was prepared with additional notice of foal
and the sex. Although things were very busy, everyone knew what to
do, and things ran smoothly. I fetched the feed and water for my
charges and gave a hand to the other stable staff. As the sun
approached its noon aperture, I saw Basilea approaching with midday
tidings. We set up our worktable for the meal, and I signaled to
Fulk, who joined us shortly. We enjoyed our meal of pulled pork
with white bread, tubers, cider, and fruit.

Fulk sat back on his cask and rubbed
his belly. “One thing that has changed is, I eat better since I was
volunteered for this assignment. I never ate this good at mess!” he
said.

“Just consider it one of the many
benefits of the job, Fulk!”

Basilea started to chuckle. “Sir Rogue
here is endeared to the entire kitchen staff. When I prepare a
basket, contributions are made from various stations. Items make it
to the basket that are normally destined for the lord’s table. If
Gamel isn’t sucking up to the staff, he is entertaining
us.”

Basilea went on to tell Fulk about the
morning’s adventure with Demon and his presentation of flowers, and
of course, also the crapper door fatality. We all had a good laugh,
and I told Basilea and Fulk of my observations of how Demon was so
smart and tried to mimic my actions, sometimes to a sorrowful
outcome. I told them about my training with the lady, scheduled to
start this afternoon, and numerous questions resulted. When they
asked, I said that I was not privileged to tell them why I was
being trained. I just wanted them to know what I was doing when
absent for afternoons.

“By the way, Fulk, could you repair
the crapper door while I’m training this afternoon?” I said as an
aside.

“Sure, why not! I spend a good deal of
my time repairing things the Demon destroys; another, less
desirable, duty of my new position.”

Basilea and I giggled, and she said,
“Sir Fulk, you must take steps to guard yourself.”

“Guard myself from what?”

“Why, good sir, from developing a
sense of humor, of course!” Basilea’s jibe gave pause for us all to
laugh again. Once the laughter subsided, she said, “Oh, I almost
forgot. Ada slipped something in the basket.” Basilea withdrew a
linen-wrapped package and put it on the table. Within the folds
were five peach pies for dessert.

The aroma must have been overpowering,
as Mildred and Demon’s heads appeared over the stall door. Both
horses were staring at us. Demon made a sort of low, guttural
bellow in the form of a demand and Mildred a high-pitched whinny. I
said, “You, young man, should learn from your stepmother. She has
enough manners to ask.” Demon pinned his ears back, bellowed again,
and bobbed his head up and down. “Why don’t you two give the pie to
the horses. I want Demon to get used to accepting food from both of
you.” They took turns feeding Mildred and Demon, then we enjoyed
our own pies.

With the meal complete, we broke and
went to our individual tasks. I tethered Demon and started for the
turnout at the southeastern side of the main house.

This turnout is used for the main
house riding and carriage horses. When visitors and customers stay
for any length of time, their horses are allowed access to the
turnout versus being stalled for days at a time. It is of good
size, almost sixty acres, and has its own pond. About half of the
turnout is heavily forested woods, and the rest is gentle, rolling
hills of prime grass. Turnout fencing consists of ancient stone
pillars with wood planks and poles between the separations. It was
said that the fencing is some of the very original construction,
dating back hundreds of years to the original land grant. Along
with the other turnout and pasture fences, the grounds crew kept
the ancient fence in good repair.

I pushed back and dropped the gate
poles that had recently been replaced. Pitch still ran from the
knots, and the pine aroma was most pleasing. Once inside, I
released Demon. He immediately lay down in the tall grass and began
to roll. After his grass bath, he proceeded to run this way and
that on his gangly legs. Mildred was always watching and moved to
keep him within short distance, but took advantage of the supple
grass and grazed. The rich spring grass would be good for her and
milk production. I surveyed the pasture for any sign of Lady Bella
but did not locate her. I was determined I wouldn’t allow her to
sneak up on me this afternoon, now that I knew some of her
peculiarities.

In the distance, I saw something out
of place. A large fallen log at the treeline had some unusual
object lying on it. I headed in that direction, allowing the horses
to explore on their own. Upon reaching the log, I quickly stopped
and observed my surroundings. The log rested in tall grass and was
backstopped against a huge tree. Well, there was no way she could
surprise me from that direction. I quickly turned on my heel to see
if there was anything unusual behind me. Convinced that I was safe
from one of her surprise attacks, I sat on the log next to the
out-of-place package. It was a medium-sized leather bag and
contained several scrolls. I opened one of the scrolls and
recognized a star chart with several ledgers along the border.
Examination of another revealed writing in a language I had never
seen before. Its strange symbols sometimes looked like pictures of
various animals and objects. Next to the objects were words written
in the common tongue. I replaced the scroll and was reaching for
another when something grabbed my ankle and pulled my leg straight.
My heart almost burst with fear, and I yelled out, “SNAKE!” I
pulled my leg back and jumped on top of the log. I held the
parchment scroll in my hand as if it were a sword as I searched the
tall grass at the base of the fallen log, but I couldn’t see
anything. I heard someone laughing and could just make out some of
the grass moving strangely. In a sudden movement, the grass turned
over and sat up. There Lady Bella sat, whooping and holding her
side with one hand.

She could not compose herself for some
time, still laughing uproariously while she rose and came to sit on
the log. I realized I was still standing wielding the scroll and
felt quite foolish. I sat down next to Lady Bella while she calmed
herself. She said, “Tell me, Master Gamel, were you going to fight
the snake with the scroll? Perhaps you were meaning to read to
him?”

“It’s not funny, my lady. I could have
expired from fright,” I said grumpily.

“Oh, I doubt that, Gamel, but it was
the most fun I’ve had in a long while!”

“What is that you are wearing, my
lady?”

She stood up and pulled a hood back,
unbuttoned a couple toggles, and pulled the entire affair over her
head. It was then that I could see what she was wearing. Her
long-sleeved shirt and britches were a patchwork of green and light
and dark tan colors, and they were fitted very loose to her frame.
A number of good-sized pockets were sewn into the shirt and
britches. A pair of boots painted in the same colors finished her
outfit. Her hair was still braided in a ponytail. The more I looked
at the clothing, the more confused my eyes became. She handed me
the cloak so I could examine it. She explained how it was made
using fine fishing net and how grasses and sticks could be woven
into it from the immediate surroundings.

“Gamel, I have another of these
invisible suits for you, but you must locate it to win
it.”

“It is here, my lady?”

“It is not twenty feet from where we
sit now.” I panned the area but saw nothing. “I will help you
locate it. Look to the grass, Gamel. Look for something that
doesn’t belong or doesn’t fit in. It may be simply some grass bent
in the wrong direction.”

I panned the grass in front of us. I
squinted a bit surveying the area for something different,
something out of place. There seemed to be an area of grass that
was higher than the rest. I stood up and walked to the area,
kicking at the grass. Lady Bella smiled and watched as I
investigated. I finally kicked a spot that moved differently. I
reached down and picked up the invisible cloak.

Lady Bella clapped her hands. “Very
good, Gamel! With time, you will be able to locate such
abnormalities quickly and from distance.”

Under the cloak was a large bag.
Opening the flap revealed a shirt and britches like Lady Bella’s.
“This is all for me my Lady?” I asked.

“Yes, Gamel. You will need these
things for your exercises, so wear them when you come to train.” I
returned to the log and sat next to the lady. “Gamel, one of the
weapons you will be learning is medium range, for snake attacks and
such.” Chuckling, she made a flicking motion with her wrist, and a
star-shaped object was embedded in a tree about twenty feet from
us. I walked to the tree and noticed a line had been drawn where
the star had embedded. “The line I drew on the tree represents the
throat of an adversary.”

I thought about that for a moment. I
pictured a most grisly sight. The star was deep in the tree, but I
finally managed to retrieve it. I handed it back to the lady, and
it quickly disappeared somewhere in her clothing. “Sit, I want to
show you something,” she instructed. Lady Bella produced the scroll
that I recognized as a star chart. “You will learn about the stars
and their location in the sky. I will teach you how to use
instruments to plot a course on land and sea. You will also be able
to navigate on land using maps, landmarks, and surroundings when
stars are hidden. Many things in the forest and plains can
determine direction. Moss on sides of trees and rocks, which way
leaves turn to capture the sun, even which side of a tree contains
more limbs, all aid with navigation. You will be able to read sign
for tracking, as well as how to hide your own sign and scent. You
will become as aware of your surroundings as a wolf in the forest.”
She replaced the scroll and produced another one. “This chart is
one of many to teach you my language. As you can see, it is very
descriptive. The proper pronunciation of various words takes much
time and patience to perfect.” I looked at Lady Bella very
differently now. She contained so much knowledge and skill that it
was hard to believe and still harder to understand. “Now, Gamel,
before we can progress with your physical training, we must retrain
your body to move differently. The way you walk, run, and even hold
your arms will alter. Let us go into the forest for a
walk.”

We had proceeded into the forest
several hundred feet when Bella stopped and said, “Gamel, you sound
like a draft horse smashing through the forest. Stand and watch my
movements. Listen for any sounds I make.” She then walked away from
me some one hundred feet, and it was as if she floated over the
ground. I couldn’t make out any sounds that couldn’t be explained
by normal forest noise. She then turned and walked back to
me.

“My lady,” I said in awe, “it’s as if
you float over the ground.”

“You will learn this also, Gamel.
Someday, you will be able to sneak up on me!”

I grinned. “I find that possibility
remote, my lady. Your beauty can only be matched by your
exceptional skills and talents.”

Bella chuckled, “Ah, Master Rogue, you
flatter me, but remember two important things I tell you now. Every
instructor desires that their student should surpass their skill,
and you will not find it easy to best me, even when you have the
skills.” I found that to be rather contradictory, but then again,
the lady seemed full of contradiction. She continued, “Now let us
move to the pasture and begin teaching you to run.”

“With all respect, my lady, running is
one thing I do well.”

“Gamel, I have seen you run. You pound
the ground like a wounded cow. After a day of continuous running,
your spine would snap.”

“My lady, you can’t be serious. No one
can run for a full day!”

“Some people from my country can run
for two days if necessary. They eat while they run and only stop to
sleep when the mind starts to play tricks on them. I am not that
good. I have only been able to run for a day and a half. You will
at least be able to run for a full day when your training is
complete.”

Without further talk, we made our way
to the open pasture, and I started to learn to run.

A routine was established after this
day. I slept in the stall next to Demon. After chores and breaking
fast with Basilea and Fulk in the morning, we went to our duties.
Some mornings Fulk handled Demon on the walk as I thought it
important he be able to control him also. We always made a round by
the kitchen, where Demon would beg for the pastry of the day. I
taught him to carry a flower or two and drop them on the ledge
before taking the pie. Mildred was getting into the act also, and
it wouldn’t be long before she would be delivering her own flowers.
Mildred was a smart horse also, but had never spent much time
around humans. The kitchen staff enjoyed the flowers for pastry
trick and always came to the window to cackle about the horses. Of
course, Demon thought this a great game and enjoyed the attention
bestowed upon his royal personage. After the mid-day meal at our
worktable, I changed into my training clothes and took the horses
to the main house turnout. I improved greatly in the first month of
training with my lady. We always started by me trying to find her,
and usually, I could not. She continued to terrorize me. One day, I
had given up locating her and sat down on the log to wait. She
appeared in front of me upside down, hanging from a rope. She
announced, “You did everything right, but you forgot to look
upward, Gamel.” In the evenings, we practiced locating stars and
studied the star chart.