Free Eochaidh - Legend of the Horsemen (Book One) by Terri Reid Page A

safe place to hide,” he
answered honestly. “We do not know who our enemies are.”
    “Daisy has probably reached home by now,” she said. “And
Father is probably on the way.   So, let’s
stay to the main road, so we can meet up with him.”
    “That is a wise plan,” he agreed. “But perhaps, at first,
when we are so close to the village, we can stay just off the road and hidden?”
    “In case the reinforcements arrive?” she asked.
    He smiled at her. “Exactly so,” he said. “Exactly so.”
    “Thank you, Jepson,” she said. “A very wise plan.”
    Meaghan turned, ready to urge her
horse forward, when Jepson’s hand on her shoulder stopped her. She twisted in
the saddle, concerned that something was wrong.
    “This is the second time a member of the Herdin family has
saved my life,” he said solemnly. “I once pledged to your father that I would
protect you with my life, should the need arise, because of what he did for
me.   Now he no longer needs to hold me to
that pledge because I now owe my life to you.”
    “No, Jepson, you don’t owe me anything,” Meaghan insisted.
“You are my family. That is what family does; we protect each other.”
    He smiled. “I am honored to be considered your family, Miss
Meaghan. But nonetheless, it is the Gypsy way.   When you saved my life, you gained not only a protector but a friend for
life.”
    She put her hand on top of his and returned his smile. “I
will gladly accept a friend,” she said, widening her smile. “And if the
situation warrants, having a protector like you is not a bad thing either.”
    He nodded. “You accept my pledge then?” he asked.
    Meaghan could sense the importance of the words to him.   She met his eyes and nodded slowly. “Yes, I
do,” she agreed, noting the tightness of his lips and the pain in his eyes.
“And now, we need to get you home to set your ribs so you are up to the job of
protecting me.”
    He laughed, then winced at the pain in his side and nodded.
“Now that is the wisest decision.”
    Finding a narrow portion of the creek, they crossed over and
headed into the woods beyond the village.   These woods were well used for hunting and fishing, being a strip of
forest about a mile wide and extending from the village to the hill just before
the estate.    The trees were lush with
leaves, and errant vines had already begun working their way up their trunks,
helping to hide them from riders on the main road.
    Meaghan looked around at the quiet beauty of the woods;
wildflowers grew on either side of the trail, their bright specks of color
interspersed in the high grass. The sun was lower in the sky, so it shone
through the tops of the trees, glowing on the leaves and warming the ground
below. It seemed so incongruent to what had just happened in the Magistrate’s
office.
    They initially rode in silence, listening for any signs of
approaching riders, but hearing nothing but the skittering of woodland
creatures ahead of them on the path.   Finally, after a few minutes they felt safe enough to converse.
    “I still cannot believe he swore an oath to protect an enchantment
that doesn’t exist,” Meaghan said, her voice still a whisper. “He’s a grown
man.”
    Jepson studied her for a moment without saying
anything.   Finally, he spoke. “What do
you know about the Eochaidh?” he asked.
    “Are you quizzing me, like my tutor?” she asked with a
smile. “Very well, I shall respond in like manner. Well, I know it’s where we
get the word jockey, except we actually pronounce the j-sound. And when we use
it, we mean a man riding a horse, not a man who is a horse.”
    “So, an Eochaidh is a man who is a horse, like a centaur?”
Jepson questioned her.
    “No, he’s a knight who’s a horse,” she replied. “If you
believe the fairy tales.”
    “Tell me,” he encouraged. “Tell me the fairy tale.”
    Meaghan leaned back in her saddle, thought for a moment and
then nodded. “I’ll tell you what I