Read Sunbolt (The Sunbolt Chronicles) for Free Online

 
    There are three horses left in the stables, though there are stalls for six. Upon inspection, one of them seems much finer than the other two. He stands a couple hands taller at the shoulder, his coat gleaming in the shadows. Probably a riding horse, I decide. I bring out the other two, leaving one tied to a ring just within the door. They stand of a height, and their builds are similar. I have no doubt they’re the horses I need. Now comes the hard part.  
    “Work with me on this, okay?” I whisper to the chestnut gelding. He swivels an ear towards me. “Quick and quiet, that’s what I need.”
    There’s no telling what he thinks of me.  
    I push the door open gently and lead the horse out to the carriage, acting as if I’m only doing my job. The whole time I’m harnessing him, I expect to hear shouts erupt from behind my back. But there’s nothing. As I walk back to the stable, I discreetly glance over my shoulder. There’s movement inside the kitchen, but that’s all I can tell. Either they’re so used to the horses being taken out that they haven’t even bothered to look, or they’re smart enough to know they’ve got time to catch me if they’re quiet about it. I sincerely hope they’re not that smart.
    The second gelding, a bay, appears as disinterested in me as he is in pulling the carriage. Once I get him outside, he stands there, unwilling to move an inch, while I yank at the straps and try to get him to move over just a little.  
    “Come on, mud-brain,” I say, almost done with the buckle. “Just shift a little.”  
    He huffs and holds his ground.  
    “Hey! Hey, you!”  
    I don’t look up. Instead, I smack the gelding’s side with my palm and, when he steps sideways, jerk the strap with all my strength. The gelding twists his head around to snap his teeth at me, but he’s buckled in now.
    “You—with the horses! What are you doing?”
    I look up with a smile. A man steps out of the kitchen door, crossing the dirt yard with long strides. Two more men spill out of the door behind him, followed by three young girls. The whole kitchen crew, it would seem.  
    “Just getting them harnessed,” I call, throwing the reins up to the driver’s bench.  
    The man hesitates, taken aback. “I don’t know you.”
    “I’m Hamidi,” which is not at all what he meant. I clamber up to the driver’s bench. “Master Khalid knows I’m taking the carriage out.”  
    He stands in the middle of the yard, frowning slightly. The rest of the workers stand about at his back. “He normally has—”
    “You!” Master Khalid roars from the window above the kitchen. “Stop that boy! Stop him! Thief!”
    I shout to the horses, snapping the reins. The chestnut gelding leaps forward, dragging the bay after him. I keep a tight hold on the reins, letting the gelding do the work to turn the carriage while the bay dithers. The man from the kitchen sprints towards the carriage. He’s moving a lot faster than the horses.  
    The carriage lurches forward as I shout again, the bay clearly uninterested in breaking into a trot let alone a gallop. If only I had a whip, a stick, anything to prod him with! The man leaps for the driver’s bench, his hands closing on the edge as he tries to pull himself up.
    “Sorry,” I say, and stamp on his fingers with all my might.  
    He drops down with a shout as the carriage swings out, making the turn onto the road with barely a hand span to spare. Snapping the reins again, I shout at the horses, and spot a whip lying by my feet. I’ve never been so grateful to see one before. I stoop to grab it, nearly losing my balance as the carriage rattles and jerks over the ruts. Behind me, I can hear the shouts of the kitchen staff giving chase, but the alley is too narrow to allow them to run up alongside the carriage. What I need is to get far enough ahead of them that they won’t be able to catch up once the carriage leaves the back road.
    I brace myself in the seat and