Free Dark Rider by Iris Johansen Page B

added caustically, “And this is the terrible man you wish to kill.” She watched Jared move to stand before the stallion. “You’re too close. I told you—” She broke off and stared in astonishment when Jared reached up and stroked the stallion’s muzzle. Kapu nickered softly and pushed against his hand. “Magic.”
    “No.” Jared gazed into the stallion’s eyes. “We just understand each other.”
    “Jared is very good with horses,” Bradford said.
    “Kahuna,” Lani muttered.
    It was what Cassie had said on the shore, Jared remembered. She had looked at him with that expression of desperation and fear, and he had felt as if he had been cruel to a helpless child. The abrasive memory roughened his voice. “Nonsense.”
    Bradford chuckled. “He’s definitely no priest. Though I’ve often thought he delves in sorcery when dealing with horses … and the gaming tables.”
    Jared shot him an amused glance. “Intelligence.”
    “Luck,” Bradford replied.
    Lani looked from one to the other and then shrugged. “Neither will do you any good here. This is a bad thing you seek to do to Charles, and God will not be with you.” She moved toward the door. “Test how far your good fortune lasts, Your Grace. Let the drunken one stroke Kapu.”
    Bradford watched her leave the stable. “Unusual woman. I feel quite intoxicated.” He laughed. “But then I felt intoxicated before I met her, so it’s difficult to judge.” He turned back to the stallion. “Magnificent.”
    “Yes.”
    “You want him.”
    “Oh, yes.” Now that he had a closer look in full daylight, he wasn’t sure even his Morgana could compare to the stallion. Another frustration to add to the mix.
    “A difficult situation.”
    “Without the slightest doubt.” He gave the stallion a final pat and backed away. “And probably going to grow more difficult as time goes on. I want you to go to the king and make discreet inquiries regarding Deville. Make sure the king knows we’re staying here at Deville’s cottage.”
    “If Deville is under his protection, then I may get a blow instead of an answer. He’ll know by now that your intentions aren’t friendly.”
    “I don’t think there’s any danger. He won’t want to jeopardize the possibility of persuading me to furnish him weapons. Would you rather I go?”
    “No, I’ll do it. Braving the savages will make a fine story when we return to England. You’re staying here to watch the girl?”
    Jared nodded. “If Deville went to the trouble of pleading for that horse for his daughter, he must have some feeling for her. If he thinks she may be in danger, then he might come here.”
    “You’re beginning to speak of him as if he possesses a few human qualities.”
    “I always knew he was human. There’s usually a balance of good and evil in every man. When I was a boy, I found Deville quite amusing.” A sudden memory of Charles Deville sprawled in the chair in that hidden little room at Danjuet came back to him, Deville’s pencil moving rapidly on a sketch pad, his bearded face alive with humor as he joked with Jared. “That doesn’t mean I don’t realize what he is.”
    “But it makes it harder to execute a man who isn’t a complete villain.”
    He smiled thinly. “Try me.” He turned away and moved toward the door. “If you find out anything, let me know. Otherwise I’ll expect you back here tomorrow evening.”

Three
    “ D anemount was down at the stable looking at Kapu,” Lani said as she brushed Cassie’s hair. “He has quite an amazing way with horses.”
    Cassie stiffened. “He didn’t try to ride him?”
    “No, I said he was looking.” She paused in midmotion to meet Cassie’s gaze in the mirror. “You should not care for Kapu this much. He’s only an animal. You cannot expect total loyalty from him.”
    “He
is
loyal. He knows he belongs to me.”
    “But he won’t—” She broke off and shrugged. “Why should I argue? I’m wasting my