In For A Penny, In For A Pound

"Funny thing, that. I did not think that he was especially valuable when I got him. My escort knew somebody in Corona who had the horse. He said something about him being a good horse, but not a good horse for the owner, so he had to sell. But he has been a wonderful horse for me. He is rock solid, and rides as smoothly as one would sail across a lake on a beautiful day. I guess that the horses that associate with Mercury are funny that way."

"Does he have a name?"

"Yes, it is an odd one. Folly. Is that a word that has a meaning amongst the Hespaniards that I do not know?"

"No. It means the same here as it does everywhere else - an error. The man may have overpaid and received a balky horse, and named him that."

"I like him just fine."

Asib came in with some blankets, a harness, and a white saddle. Gorbeh said, "Why are you giving her that one? I thought that you were attached to it."

"I am. My grandfather made it as his masterwork. But it was never used. It was too large, and too richly carved to risk putting to the use for which it was intended. But somehow, it feels right that this horse should have it. Astra, could you do the honours?"

"Zari suggested that I should be an actress. I may take her up on it one day. I certainly feel like one, with all the tall tales that I am spinning. Well, I cannot turn back now."

"Well, boy," she said softly. "I hope you do not mind this."

Astra placed the blanket over Folly's back, and he did not even twitch a muscle. She was able to place the saddle on Folly's back and cinch it easily. Within five minutes, Gilder's Folly was ready to ride.

Asib nodded appreciatively. Gorbeh had drifted over to another stall, where his own horse was being prepared for the journey to the border.

Asib, seeing that Gorbeh was occupied, grabbed Astra by the wrist. She froze, and then he leaned over and whispered to her.

"You are not telling the whole truth, but that does not matter. Mercury sent this horse here. I can tell. That's good enough for me."

"How do you know?" asked Astra, startled at the words of this seemingly quiet, dull groomsman.

"I couldn't tell you. I just know. Don't tell Gorbeh I told you about this - it wouldn't do you any good. He will just say that I have spent too much time on the job, and I start talking to the horses. They can't talk, of course, but they let you know. Also, if the horse does not want to go somewhere, trust him. Horses in general are not smart, but Mercury is something special, and some of it rubs off on his 'boys.'"

Astra whispered back, "Thank you, Asib. May you and Zari be blessed for your generosity. And I will trust the horse."

Asib winked. "You will do well if you do."

Asib helped Astra mount the horse. Astra noticed that she and Gorbeh were not going to be alone. One of the reeves was going to join them on the journey. "Bad luck. I might have tried bolting, or knocking out Gorbeh, but with two of them this will be nearly impossible."She thought that she might take a quick turn at the border to the north, just after crossing it.

The trip passed uneventfully, except for Gorbeh's fretting with the reeve about the lack of a post from Corona. The silence was unusual. It was probably nothing ominous, but Gorbeh definitely wanted to check with the tavern keeper at the last building before the border - a building which Astra had passed this morning.

Astra had now had freedom for fifteen crowded hours, expecting, over most of that time, to be caught and handed back to Gilder. She was dreading the post, or worse, a posse from Corona. She daydreamed about running off, but Folly seemed to be leading her back to Corona. It was natural, though - Corona was the horse's home. With that in mind, suddenly Asib's advice did not look good.

They were now within view of the tavern nearest the border. It looked much as it did in the morning, except that there was nobody on the road, and that two yellow flags were flying from a single flagpole in the courtyard. The reeve's eyes widened at the site of the flags and exclaimed, "God have mercy."

Gorbeh nodded his head slowly. "What does it mean?" asked Astra.

1. Plague had broken out in Corona.
2. The King of Hespan was mobilizing the levies of the kingdom for a war.
3. The flags were a signal that there was an infamous criminal at large.

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