Free The Call of the Crown (Book 1) by T.J. Garrett

right?”
    The driver shook his head. “The cotter pin is split. Nothing I can do here. I’ll just shore it up. I will have to go back and fetch Gobin to fix it.”
    “He was at the canal half an hour ago, shoeing one of the pit ponies.”
    “Oh, thank you … Daric, is it?”
    “Yes, Daric Re’adh.” Daric gave a shallow nodding bow.
    “Harnon Gaulman.” He put his hand to his chest and returned Daric’s nod. “The canal, you say. Good, at least I do not have to walk all the way back to Alber.”
    Daric nodded again before continuing on to where Grady stood. “And what is all this?” Daric asked, pointing at the pack resting against the back of Grady’s legs. He, too, realised what was going on. “Are you coming all the way to Bailryn?”
    Grady tittered. “Ah, so you figured me out. Well, you didn’t think I was going to let you have all the fun, did you?”
    Daric’s mind spun . For three days, he had considered how he was going to handle three youngsters by himself on such a long trip. It had not been an easy thought. A flash of relief sparked in his eyes when Grady confirmed he was joining them for the entire journey. Nevertheless, he was still puzzled. “You can’t just pick up and leave. What about work? Your home! What abo—”
    Grady interrupted. “Slow down. I have it all under control. The new man, Arlen, is staying at my house and taking on some of my shifts at the canal. He was more than happy to help. Good man that Arlen.”
    Daric still looked unconvinced.
    “I have cleared it with Tanner,” Grady said. “He was more than happy. ‘An extra escort cannot hurt.’” Grady did a fair impression of the emissary . “He even called me by name, and he’s paying me, too. It is all arranged, Daric. Don’t you go worrying about it.” Grady folded his arms and waited for a response.
    “If you ’re sure,” Daric said.
    Grady stilted his smile; his expression became serious. “To be honest, friend, I need a change. Things have gone a bit … stale… of late, too much like one long day running into another. Why not take a trip, get away for a few months?” Again, he waited. Daric wondered why. He didn’t need his permission to join them. Nevertheless… “It is all right with you, isn’t it?”
    “Are you joking? I would have paid you myself if I had the money.” Daric leaned forward and shook Grady by his shoulders. The wide grin on his face told all how happy he was at the idea. “I think it wi—”
    CRACK!
    Daric and Grady spun round towards the noise.
    SNAP!
    The cart began to list to the right. Harnon slipped on the incline, almost falling into the river. He gathered himself and ran to the front. Frantically, he tried to loosen the harness before the cart slipped down the bank and took the horse with it into the river.
    “Help! Help me!”
    Daric, Grady, and Gialyn were already halfway there. Daric pointed to the horse. “Help him with the strapping, Gialyn.”
    Gialyn joined Harnon. The horse was panicking. Its eyes bulged. It whickered frantically, pulling its harness tighter and tighter. Gialyn couldn’t get a finger under it, never mind undoing the buckles.
    “With any luck, he’ll snap it,” Harnon said. “It’s too bloody tight to undo, and I cannot get close enough to calm him.”
    The horse whickered frantically and kicked out at Harnon. Panic flashed in its eyes. Every kick of its hind legs scraped the broken wheel against the hard ground. The spokes shattered and splintered, and with each snap of a spoke, it tilted more towards the steep bank and the rushing weir of the Geddy River.
    Daric and Grady braced up against the cart, one on either side of the broken wheel. “You get ready to jump,” Daric shouted. Grady just nodded. Both men had shoulders pushed hard against the cart rail. Daric could see what was happening . If the horse didn’t calm down, the poor thing would follow the cart down the bank. “Gods, why haven’t you got that bloody horse free