Treachery: Day 1

Word Count: 6,039

Summary of Events:

Adeline endured a final dinner with her stepfather and mother before making her escape. Edward watched his latest employer run the filly they'd worked with through her paces before being paid and leaving. Adeline lay awake and shivering in the night, trying to sleep. Edward had breakfast in town and was going to leave when he was told a boy wanted to see him . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

""Y-you need to come with me," the boy said quickly. "Pa sent me to fetch you."

Edward snatched his arm out of the woman's hold and opened the door. The boy fairly flew out and Edward followed him with his brisk, long stride.

The boy slowed down once they were out of sight of the house and Edward was able to shorten his stride. The boy took him to a small house on the edge of town where Edward could see already why he'd been summoned.

There was a horse in the pasture galloping madly and bucking viciously, a saddle hanging off of its side. A man stood by the fence, holding an arm and looking anxiously in their direction.

"Thank God," the man whispered as they approached. "I thought I'd seen you in town yesterday. I'd try and get him myself but he kicked my arm and I think it's broke."

Edward nodded and swung over the fence. He uttered a low whistle. He could see the horse had heard him, but the out of place saddle was still a fright. As he walked toward the barn he continued to utter low, soft whistles.

The ferocity with which the horse bucked lessened, becoming more of an odd and brisk trot. Edward heard a nicker from the barn and slipped inside, where he found a draft horse's great head looking over a stall door.

Haltering the horse, Edward then fed the rope through one of the rings by the mouth, into the mouth, through the other ring, and tossed it over the horse's back. He managed to haul himself up onto the high back with a good push.

He then leaned forward and fed the end of the rope through where it came up from under the chin and knotted it.

The draft horse was a little surprised, but responded well to Edward's light cues as he got the horse to walk out of the barn towards its panicking mate. He resumed his regular low whistling.

As they approached the panicking horse it slowed, but wouldn't stop. Edward tried to reach down from the draft to the cinch, but it was too low for him without saddle on, so he grabbed the loose reins of the panicking horse, and a handful of mane, and slid over.

For an instant the horse froze. Then, in a renewed wave of panic, started bucking viciously.

Edward hung on fast to the mane until the horse finally slowed enough that he dared let go with one hand and pull at the cinch belt. He managed to undo it singlehandedly and the saddle hit the ground.

The horse shot away from it, but soon slowed. Edward rubbed the horse's neck until the lathered, trembling creature came to a stop, sides heaving."