DunLadysJessCH1

Copyright © 1994 Dorann a Dur gin D i st r i b u t e f r e el y i n i t s en t i r e t y DUN LADY'S J ESS Chap ter On e by Doran na Durgin Th e odor of sin ged her bs filled the s ton e sta ir way , and Car ey sm iled to him self. He knew th at once again , Arlen had imm ersed h imself so deeply in his stu dies th at h e eluded th e out side wor ld. He rea ched th e wizar d's cham ber an d hooked h is ha nd on the h eavy door fram e to swing casua lly into the well-lit room . Arlen did n ot n otice. His wr itin g table wa s clear ed down to seldom seen wo od , a n d h e s a t b efor e i t, s ta r in g in te n tl y a t t h e on e ob jec t g r a ci n g it s s u r fac e. His h a ir , s t il l fu ll a n d sh a ggy des pit e s om e g r ey , fe ll for w a r d t o h id e h is fea t u r es : da r k, k in d ey es a n d a lon g n ose o ver a m u st ac h e wh ich alm ost h id h is s ligh t overb ite. Ca r ey ta pp ed th e t h ic k m et a l of h is co u r ie r r in g a ga in st th e s to n e o f th e wall, int rod ucin g soun d in to th e qu iet r oom. Ar len's hea d jerk ed u p, then ar oun d; when he d iscover ed Car ey, his on e cocked eyeb row formed an un spok en qu esti on . "You ca lled, remem ber ?" Car ey ta pped t he r in g again , which still tin gled i n s u m m o n s . W it h e a s y f a m i li a r i t y , h e m o v e d i n t o t h e r o o m a n d p u l le d u p t h e sto ol th at sa t em pt y b efore Ar len 's spell t ab le. "You 've been u p h er e too lo n g. I'll bet y ou h av en 't been ou t si n ce you first sen t m e ou t to Sh er ra 's." He r each ed for th e s pu tt er in g s im m er in g p ot a n d r em ov ed th e b u r n in g h er bs fr om th e fr a m e th at h eld it over its low m age-flam e. "Losin g tr ack of your fra gra n ce h er bs...not a goo d s ign , Ar len ." A r l en leaned back in his c ha ir a n d r a ise d a n off ende d e ye br ow. "I c a lle d , Dun Lady's Jess, Chapter One--p.2 a ll r igh t, b u t i t w a sn 't t o s u bje ct m ys elf t o a lec tu r e." "You need one," Carey replied, un pertu rbed. "If you h adn 't kept m e so b u s y r u n n i n g b e t w ee n w i z a r d s la t e l y , I 'd h a v e m a d e s u r e y o u r e m e m b e r e d t o ta k e ca r e of y ou r se lf." "Tha t's th e pr oblem exact ly," Ar len s aid . "Th at 's wh y I called . I've got a n ot h er r u n for yo u --bu t t h is ti m e w e n eed to ta lk ." Car ey ab an don ed th e stool an d wa nd ered to one of th e four u ns hu tter ed wind ows of the h old's upper most r oom. Built along a hillside, the dwelling aba nd oned an y pr eten se at sym met ri cal ar chit ectu re a nd in stea d in sin ua ted itself into th e nooks an d cran nies of the steep rocky grou nd. The r esult was th is five-walled r oom, of which no w all equ alled th e length of anoth er. A good place for th e crea tive p ur su its of a wiza rd , Carey h ad d ecided lon g ago. He hu ng over th e w in do w si ll t o ge t a n u n fet te r ed loo k a t t h e h il ly fie ld s a n d p a st u r es of t h e ar ea, wh ile th e br isk spr in g air m ad e a p leasa n t cou n ter poin t to t h e su n sh in e on h is fac e. "So t a lk ." "Carey," A rlen said firm ly, "I r e c ogniz e the ha bits of your pr ofe ssion do n ' t encou ra ge ina ctivit y. But d o you t hi nk you could b e still for just a few m om en t s, a n d a pply you r en t ir e c on ce n t r a t io n t o w h a t I h a ve t o s a y?" S u r p r i s e d b u t u n s t u n g b y t h e w i za r d ' s a d m o n i t i o n , C a r e y r e t u r n e d t o th e st ool a n d s h ook h is h ai r --da r k b lon d i n st ea d of gr ey, b u t ju st as sh aggy as Ar len 's--ou t of h is e yes . "All ri gh t," he sa id . "I'm list en in g." And th en , seei n g th e sm ud ges of fati gue a rou nd Arlen 's eyes, and fu lly recogni zing th eir s omb er e x p r e ssi on, he w as indeed tru ly a ler t to wha t his f r ie nd a nd e m ployer h a d to s a y . "I 'v e fo u n d s o m e t h i n g n e w , Ca r e y , s om e t h i n g n o n e o f u s h a v e s u s p e ct e d ev en ex is te d." N on e of u s--w izards, he mea nt. Ca r e y n odde d. "Tha t e xpla ins why you 'v e been sen din g every th in g thr ough me i ns tead of poppin g it ar oun d." Magica l m i s s i v e s co u l d b e i n t e r c e p t e d , b u t a l o n e r i d e r w a s m o s t d i ffi c u l t t o d e t e ct -except th rou gh t h e m u n da n e m ean s of tr ack er s an d gu essw ork . "How Dun Lady's Jess, Chapter One--p.3 d a n g e r o u s i s i t ?" Ar len n odded , abse n tly s m ooth in g a fra yed s pot on h is sh ir t. "Dan gerou s a ll t h e w a y a r ou n d--bu t w on dr ou s, a s w ell . Th er e a r e ot h er wo r ld s, Ca r ey . Oth er dim en sion s. Oth er peoples ...people w h o, I migh t a dd, don 't seem to h av e a n y n o t i on w e e x i s t ." "T hen w h at' s the dan ger?" Ca r e y fr owne d. "A t t h i s p o i n t , t h e d a n g e r i s t o t h e m . " Ca r ey sh oo k h is h ea d on ce t o s h ow h e w a sn 't fol lo w in g, a n d Ar le n 's expr ession grew i nt ens e. "Yo u k n o w w e w i z a r d s h a v e c h e c k s p el ls i n p l a c e, t o p r e v e n t t h e un au thor ized use of dan gerous m agics. What you m ay n ot realize is the time it takes to cr eate one of those spells--the m ost inh erent ly dangerou s mom ent in the life of an y h azar dou s n ew spell is th e tim e between wh ich i t is di scover ed an d th e ti m e th e ch eck spe ll is i n pla ce. Th er e's m or e th an on e per son in th is la n d wh o wou ld us e th is pa rt icula r k now ledge for t heir own gain --an d th ose oth er wo r ld s c a n 't k n ow h ow to de a l w it h a m a gic th ey m a y n ot po ss es s." Ca r ey ga ve a sk ep ti ca l sn or t. "I d ou bt th ey 'r e a s h elp les s a s a ll t h a t. Be si d es , w h a t 's t o g a in ?" "E n t i r e w o r l d s ." A r l e n s a i d w i t h c er t a i n t y . "A s fa r a s I 'v e b e en a b l e t o det er m in e, on ce a tr av eler is s pelled to on e of th ese w or lds, t h er e r em ai n s on ly the th read of a conn ection between th e two places. Tha t gives the person in qu estion all th e ma gic th ey car e to dr aw on --even in th e wor lds wit hou t m agic-with non e of the in conv enien ces of the Coun cil's r estr ain t." Arlen lean ed f or w a r d , his dark eyes sparkin g with inte nsity. "Think pa st the e ve r yda y m agi cs of n igh t glow s a n d cle an sin g sp ells, Ca r ey. T h in k a bou t t h ose t h in gs t h a t a r e u s e d o n ly w h e n o n e o f u s w i t h o u t s c r u p l es m a n a g e s t o c ir c u m v e n t a ch ec k sp el l, a n d h ow qu ick ly t h ey ga in pow er . T h e b lo od y t im es in Ca m ol en 's h i st o r y . " Th e s k ep ti ci sm fad ed ; Car ey st a r ed a t t h e w iza r d w it h wi de n ed ey es . Dun Lady's Jess, Chapter One--p.4 "Da m n ." Ar len lea n ed b ac k, t ak in g a d eep br ea th th at h e r elea sed slow ly t h r ou gh h i s l o n g, st r a i g h t n o s e . "T h e r e 's m o r e . Th e s e o t h e r s h a v e d e v el op e d d e vi c es t h a t accom plish som e of the sam e th in gs we ca n do wi th m agic, in clud in g wea pon s th at will wor k a s well in ou r w orld as t h eir s. We've got to get t h is u n der con tr ol before on e of the less con scien tiou s am on g us figur es ou t wh at we've got a n d h ow t o u se i t. I h ope you r h or ses ar e we ll r est ed, Ca r ey, b eca u se y ou 're goi n g to b e b u sy . " Ca r ey sh r u gged st u r dy sh ou ld er s set a t op a w ir y fr a m e. "Th a t 's w h a t I'm h er e for ." "T r u e e n o u g h . " A r l e n r e a c h e d b e h i n d t o s co o p t h e l on e o b je c t fr o m t h e t o p of his wr itin g desk , an d h eld it ou t to Ca re y, wh o ros e on ly lon g enou gh t o ta ke it. He settled b ack on t he s tool an d stu died t he s ma ll blue cr ysta l for a mom ent be for e gla n ci n g b a ck u p a t A r len . "I t 's protection," A rlen said. "S p el ls t o n e ?" C a r e y a s k e d . "P r o t e c t io n f r o m w h a t ? " H e r e a c h e d i n t o t h e neck of his tu ni c an d br ough t ou t a h eavy silver cha in , upon wh ich h un g severa l colorful spellstones, and compar ed the new on e to its fellows. "We've been car eful, but--" Arlen sh ook his h ead, his lips thin nin g in a n n oy a n ce . "Wor d i s o u t, I'm a fr a id . At th e v er y l ea st , Ca la n dr e k n ow s o f th e n ew sp ell--Calan dr e, an d wh oever else sh e's told. She's bee n too good for too l o n g . Yo u're bound t o be a target, Ca r e y." Ca r ey set t h e s m a ll cr yst a l c a r efu ll y on t h e t a ble , t h in k in g a bou t Ar le n 's form er stu den t. A wom an h is ow n age, Cala n dr e h ad ar ri ved w ith an en orm ou s am oun t of talent an d n ot a w hi t of patien ce. Her ba rely s cru pu lous m agical sh ort cut s h ad k ept h er off the Wizar d's Counci l year after y ear , and as h er fr u s t r a t i o n gr e w , s o d id h e r r a t i o n a l i ze d , b a r e l y sa n c t i o n e d m e t h o ds . F o r sever al yea rs sh e ha d been in her own hold--obta in ed from a a ging wiza rd un der qu est ion ab le cir cu m sta n ces--an d h ad n ot b oth er ed t o in ter act wi th th e Cou n cil, Dun Lady's Jess, Chapter One--p.5 sav e for res pon se to th e occasion al su mm ons. To a ll appea ra nces, sh e was op er a t in g w it h in t h e C ou n ci l gu id el in es , b u t .... "W h a t a bou t t h e s h ie ld st on e?" h e a sk e d . "Still holds," Arlen a ssu red hi m. "As long as you wear th e ston e, the on ly m agic t h at affects you will be t h e spells y ou re lease y ou rs elf. But you kn ow a s we ll a s I t h a t t h er e a r e ot h er wa ys ." Unclasp in g the s ilver ch ain , Carey st ru ng th e new spellston e an d r eplaced the collection ar oun d his n eck. "No one's going to outr un me," he said c o n fi d e n t ly. "Let's preten d tha t th ey do," Arlen said , a hin t of exasperat ion in his voice. "That's wh at t hi s cr ysta l is for. I'm n ot su re ju st wh at effect it'll ha ve--" Carey looked at him in su rpr ise. "You wa nt m e to fool ar oun d with an u n te st ed sp ell ? I'll r ely on m y h or se s, I t h in k ." "Did you hear noth ing of wha t I have said?" Arlen said, anger flashing just b r i g h t e n o ugh to r emind C arey wh o a nd wh a t his e mploye r wa s. "You'll be carr ying in form ation t oo crucial to lose! Everyt hin g I know of this n ew spell is in m y h ea d, Ca r ey--exce pt for t h e m an u scr ip t y ou 'll be ta ki n g to Sh er r a. In th at is ev er yth in g I kn ow a bou t th e n ew d im en sion s, an d a ll my explor at ion s in to a ch ecks pell. If an yon e--an d I m ean an yon e, from th e lowest roa d pi ra te to t h e Pr ecin ct G u ar d--tr ies to t ak e it from you , you in vok e th at cr yst al. It w ill ta ke yo u to th e on ly pl a ce y ou ca n 't b e r ea ch ed ." Ye a r s o f w o r k i n g w i t h t h e w i z a r d a s f r i en d a n d c o u r i e r a l e r t e d Ca r e y t o th e wor ds th at w ere n ot sai d. "Wher e?" he a sked war ily, then didn 't give Arlen a cha nce t o an swer . "To one of th ose oth er w orlds. You're sen din g me to a place t h a t m ig h t n ot ev en k n ow m a gi c--ho w t h e h el l a m I s u ppos ed t o g et ba ck ?" "It's a two-fold spell," Arlen said steadily. "It's tied to this wor ld; it'll brin g yo u ba ck wh en yo u in vo k e i t a ga in , a n d r ev er se a n y o f th e r es u lt s." "Wha t ab out th e reca ll? Why don 't I jus t u se th at i n t he fir st pla ce?" "N o ! I f y o u 'r e t o o cl os e t o t h e m , a n d y o u ' r e r u n n i n g fr o m s o m e o n e w i t h Dun Lady's Jess, Chapter One--p.6 m a gi c, t h ey 'll t a p in a n d fol lo w you r igh t ba ck h er e. " Ar le n sigh ed a t Ca r ey 's frustr ation. "Norm ally that's not a pr oblem--not with the sh ielded receiving r o o m i n t h e stable. But w e can' t ta ke a c ha n c e . The r e we 'd be --the ma nu sc r ipt an d m e, in th e sa m e h old w ith wh oeve r 's th r eat en in g u s bo th . Th ey'd get it a ll, an d tha t would leave Sherr a with no cha nce of form ulatin g a checkspell in time to st op th e t r ou bl e t h a t w ou ld in ev it a bl y fo llow ." Carey frowned as th e importa nce of this r un --and its dangers--sank in past hi s pr otests. "All ri ght, Ar len," he said slowly. "I un der sta nd ." In th e silence tha t followed, he put a ha nd to h is chest, and felt the sma ll lum p of crysta ls. The ru n t o Sher ra 's was long, a tw istin g rou te th rou gh th ick w oods an d a d eep r iver gully. Plenty of places for an amb ush . "I see that you do," A rlen s a id in r e lie f. "I 'm sor r y, Ca r e y. I wouldn't ch oos e t o p u t y ou in th is da n ger , bu t I n eed so m eon e I c a n tr u st a bs olu te ly ." Car ey r ais ed h is h ead , a sh ar p m otion th at wa s th e pr eam ble of defens e for h is cou r ie r s. Ar len fore st alle d h im wi th a r ai sed h an d. "You'r e th e on ly on e wh o I k n o w wi ll i n vo k e t h a t n ew cr ys ta l," h e s pe ci fie d. E v en t h o u gh i t m a y t ak e yo u in t o ev en worse danger, u n s p o k en w o r d s t h e y b o t h k n e w . "I'll take Lady," Carey said, a n on-sequitu r th at spoke of his capitu lation, a n d a c l a i m o f A r l e n 's t r u s t . "Not the Dun?" Arlen, too, retreated to un spoken words. Carey shook h is head. "The Dun's fast--but h er dau ghter can pivot so qu ic k it 's a wo n de r sh e d oes n 't t u r n u s b ot h in si de ou t." "Get her re ad y, th en ," Ar len s aid . "I'll be dow n to see y ou off." <<<<< >>>>> La dy dr op pe d h er w ei gh t t o h er h a u n ch es , sl id in g i n th e lo os e d ir t o f th e steep slope w her e her Car ey h ad gu ided h er. Fr iction skin ned th e hid e off her Dun Lady's Jess, Chapter One--p.7 hocks a s Carey leaned ba ck in t he sadd le, his h an ds a lifeline to her mou th in a ba lan ce of fre edom an d su ppor t--all th e en cou ra geme n t h e cou ld give h er . But Lady n eeded no mor e encour agement , for Carey w as scar ed. She felt it in t he ten sion of his legs, hea rd it in h is voi ce. She k n ew it from th e desp er at e ploy th at h ad s ent th em d own th e dan gerou s slope in th e first p lace. To her left flashed a su dden falling tan gle of ar ms an d legs, hooves an d soft y ield in g flesh , dr iv in g h er a s tep close r to e qu in e pa n ic; sh e lu r ch ed r igh t t o e s c a p e fr o m t h e n e w t h r e a t . "Easy, Lady," Carey pan ted as h is legs closed again st her sides, giving h er r e a s s u r a n c e a n d g u i d a n c e . Sh e t o o k h e a r t a n d a s t h e y g a i n e d t h e b ot t o m o f t h e st ee p h il l s h e ga th er ed h er se lf a n d b ou n de d o ve r th e i n te r m in gle d b od ie s o f m a n a n d h o r s e . S h e la n d e d h a r d , fe lt C a r e y t a k e u p t h e r e i n s a n d l ea n f o r w a r d i n t h e saddle. "Go, Lady," he wh ispered, and h er ear s flicked back to scoop up h is words. She forgot a bou t th e tr ee-dodgin g cha se in th e forest , wh er e th ey'd lost on e pu rs uer to a t hi ck tr un k. She forgot a bou t th e ma d scr am ble th rou gh th e kn eeh igh cr eek; even th e da n gerou s slope d isa ppea re d from m em ory in th e dept h of h er con cen tr at ion . It was on ly th e h er e an d n ow, th e r u n , th e gru n t of exh ala tion forced fr om h er lun gs at ever y st ri de sh e took . Foam dr ipp ed from th e si des of her m ou th an d t h e r ein s la th er ed a gai n st h er du n n eck an d st ill Car ey wh isper ed in her ear , guidin g her as t hou gh h e kn ew sh e lived on ly in her in n er wor ld of effort , with n o car e for wh at h er eyes m igh t see. Th en th e grou n d u n der h er h ooves t u rn ed h ar d a n d peb bly, an d wh en Car ey a sk ed h er for a h ar d left , sh e s u dd en ly k n ew wh er e t h ey we r e, a n d w h a t h e w ou ld a sk of h er n ex t. W i t h r o c k to her left and on ly a n a r r ow r im of a pa th be ne a th h e r , she liste ne d to th e car ess of his legs, th e sh ift of hi s weigh t, an d piv oted in a r ollback t ha t sen t h e r c h e st and h ead over empty air , high a bove the dr y r ive r be d the y'd p a r a l le l ed. "G o od j ob , br a v e h e a r t , " C a r e y w o oe d h e r , h i s v oi c e h a r s h i n a d r y t h r o a t . Dun Lady's Jess, Chapter One--p.8 In s econ ds t h ey m et on e of the ir pu rs u er s, an d La dy, followin g th e pa tter n of e n d l e ss d r i l ls , p u t h e r n o s e t o t h e i n s i d e o f t h e p a t h a n d s h o u l d e r e d a s i d e t h e oth er h orse. Th en a not her --bay flesh th at d rop ped a side wi th an equ in e screa m o f fe a r --a n d t h e p a t h w a s c l ea r , c le a r u n t i l t h e n a r r o w f oo t h o ld w i d e n e d , t o wh ere a not her ma n s tood h is grou nd on a flamin g chest nu t h orse. He dr opped hi s r eins , one ar m cock ed beh in d, the ot her clutch in g a str ain in g cur ved st ick. T h ere w as a su dden odd thu mp just be hin d he r e a r s a nd Ca r e y's body sh ifted wildly, slidin g from th e sadd le, skewin g Lady's bala nce. Her hea d yan ked far to h er left with a br ut al jerk on t he r ein, a nd her body followed. Fear dr ov e h er fla ili n g leg s b u t t h er e w a s n o lo n ger a n y g r ou n d b en ea th th em , a n d t h e y h u r t led tow ard the death w a iting in th e ha r d r oc ky r ive r be d. T he world stopped aroun d them . Arr ested in mi d-air , they w ere sn atch ed by an oth er force alt ogeth er , one th at h eld La dy in a s m oth er in g gri p a n d w ou ld not yield to h er m ent al th ra sh in g. She n o longer felt Car ey's failin g grip on her black ma ne, n or h is legs slippin g off her swea t-dar ken ed sides . Instea d, her min d was twisted; her body kn otted up, disappeared, reformed, and a t last aban doned her , along with Car ey and h er senses. <<<<< >>>>> Ea r ly sp r in g in th e pa r k, a n d n ot w ar m en ou gh b y Da yn a's st an da r ds. Sh e forged ah ead of Eric, who'd been distra cted by a sm all, busy flock of kin glets in th e un der br us h. Wh en h e sh owed n o sign of losing in ter est, sh e stopped , put h er ha nd s on n ar row hi ps, an d called ba ck to h im , "Comin g? I thou ght y ou w an ted to get th os e b lu eb ir d b ox es ch eck ed ou t." He un coiled his lan ky body from h is crouch , looking at h er with the per petu ally bem us ed look h e wor e. "Th ey'll still be th ere in an oth er fifteen m i n u t e s, " he said mildly, pulling a t the ye llow a r mba n d tha t la be le d him a pa r k vo lu n te er . Dun Lady's Jess, Chapter One--p.9 Da y n a m e r ely r a n a h a n d th r ou gh h e r sh or t , w ed ge d s an d y h a ir a n d waited for him . "You d idn 't hav e to come," he sai d wh en h e cau ght u p. "If you ha d oth er thin gs to do today, you sh ould ha ve done th em. You kn ow you don't enjoy this st u ff if y ou h a ve so m et h in g els e on yo u r m in d. I do ." "Have somethin g else on your m ind?" she respond ed, distraction so sh e w o u l d n 't h a v e t o a d m i t h e w a s r i g h t . Er ic didn 't miss a beat . "Know t ha t you don 't enjoy. Anyw ay, you 're her e n o w . Yo u m i g h t a s w e l l a p p r e c i a t e i t ." She looked up th e signi ficant dista nce b etween th eir h eight s an d m ade a dist in ct effort t o forget a bou t th e lau n dr y pi led on h er bed, th e bills w ait in g on her desk , the--no, forget it. "O kay," she sa id. "Saw a weas el her e last m ont h," he comm ent ed. "You sh ould h ave h ear d t h e c h i p m u n k s c u r s i n g h i m o u t !" "Give me an example of a chipmu nk cur se," she cha llenged him . "Greedy cheeks!" "N u t -w a s t e r !" D a y n a s a i d . "F o x -b a i t !" "Good one," Eric ap plauded. The br ight, shar p chir p of the cr eatu re in q u e st i o n greeted them from the tr e e s bor de r ing the me a dow th e y a ppr oa c he d ; a j a y ec h o e d w i th i t s o w n h a r s h w a r n i n g , a n d t h e w o o d s r u s t l ed w i t h t h e movemen t of small creatu res. "O o ps," D ayna said. "I guess we got a little loud." E r ic s h oo k h is h ea d, c u r ios it y li gh t in g h is fea t u r es . "Uh -uh . T h ey 'r e lea vi n g th e m ea dow , n ot r u n n in g fro m u s." He le n gth en ed h is st eps an d Da yn a was forced to jog to keep u p. They rea ched th e edge of the m eadow togeth er a nd st op pe d, l is te n in g, w a tc h in g. Th e m ea do w w a s s ti ll i n th e ca lm of sp r in g, w it h sh or t g r een sp ik es of gr a ss ju st r ea ch in g t h r ou gh th e d ea d t h a tc h of w in te r . Th r ee po le-m ou n ted blu ebi r d h ou ses dot ted th e exp an se, wh ich r em ai n ed a s st ill as t he s light b reeze allowed. Dayn a ca ugh t Er ic's eye an d sh ru gged. Dun Lady's Jess, Chapter One--p.10 He lifted on e sh ou lder in re ply a n d left th e pa th to wa lk t h e per im eter of th e clear in g. Dayn a fell in beh in d wi th a si gh, bu t h e did n 't go far before stopping short. "Holy shit," he br eathed, and sta red int o the woods. "W h a t , w hat ?" D a y n a a s k e d i m p a t i e n t l y , a n d b u m p e d h i m w i t h h e r h i p t o m ov e h im ov er so s h e co u ld s ee t h r ou gh th e sm al l ga p i n th e b r u sh . Her jaw lit er a lly dr op pe d a t t h e s igh t o f du sk y l im bs a n d a ta n gle o f lea th er eq u ip m en t. After a m om en t t h e det ai ls sor ted th em selv es ou t in h er m in d a n d sh e wa s a ble to discern th at th e limbs belonged to a young woma n an d the leather was a sad dle an d its a ccout rem ent s. Althou gh h er m in d r aced, it cou ld pr ovide n o plausible reas on a you ng woma n wou ld be lying in the woods clothed only in a sa dd le. "Yea h ," sh e s a id fin a lly . "Holy sh it ." At th e wor ds, th e you ng wom an stir red . With a groan sh e sh ook h er face free of the odd color ed, ra gged ha ir th at h ad cover ed it; she op ened her eyes an d r e a c t e d with a str ange, frightene d h u f f th a t c a m e fr om de ep wi th in h er ch es t. Sh e pu lle d h e r se lf a w kw a r dly for w a r d, ou t fr om b en e at h th e sa d dle an d th e lath er en cru sted b lan ket, an d Er ic m oved forwa rd to h elp her . S h e s a w t h e m f or t h e fi r s t t i m e . He r d a r k e y e s w i d e n e d w i t h fr i g h t a n d her nost ri ls flar ed; she lu rch ed to h er feet an d tr ied to r un , but on ly got a few st eps befor e sh e tr ip ped , fallin g wi th a gr u n t. Er ic fr oze, d is m a ye d, a n d Da yn a tu gged h is a r m . "Let m e," sh e w h is pe r ed . "Ther e's no t ellin g wh at sh e's been th rou gh." Wor dl es sly , h e m ov ed ba ck a n d c r ou ch ed do wn , h a lv in g h is h ei gh t. Da yn a to ok a st ep a n d s a id , "It's a ll r igh t. W e'll h elp yo u ." Th e you ng wom an scr abb led back war ds, pay in g mor e att ent ion t o her ow n clu m si n es s t h a n to ei th er Da yn a or E r ic . Sh e lo ok ed do w n a t h er se lf a n d wh im per ed, an d h er ey es wer e hu ge an d ter ri fied. She t hr ash ed to h er feet again, just long enough to ru n h eadlong into a tr ee, after wh ich sh e fell in a tan gle of long limbs a nd cu rled ar oun d her self, trembling too ha rd to tr y again . Da yn a ex ch a n ged a di sm a ye d g la n ce w it h Er ic ; h e s h ook h is h ea d. Dun Lady's Jess, Chapter One--p.11 "M a y b e she's on something," he sa id. "I 'll go ge t he lp." "N o !" D ayna said emph atic a lly. "I 'm a f r a id sh e might hu r t h e r se lf, a nd I ca n 't h a n dle h er a lo n e. W a it u n t il w e g et h er ca lm ed dow n a li t t le , ok a y?" He loo k ed a t t h e s ti ll q u iv er in g h u dd le o f wo m a n a n d n od de d r elu ct a n tl y. Th en h e slipped off his loose light weigh t jack et an d sa id, "See if you can 't get her cov er ed u p. S h e m u st be col d." Dayna took th e jacket and pu shed h er way th rough the twiggy brush b e t w e e n t h e meadow an d the w o ods. The woma n didn't r e a c t to he r , a nd Da y n a g la n c e d b a c k u n c e r t a i n l y ; E r i c n o d d e d en c o u r a g e m e n t . Anot her step, n o rea ction . Dayna qu ietly m ade h er w ay t o with in a few feet of t h e wo m an , th en wen t d own on h er kn ees a n d s pok e qu iet ly. "I wa n t t o help y ou," she sa id, bu t alth ough sh e could see t he d ar k eyes wer e open, th ey d i d n ' t see m to see her. Hesitantly, Da yna str e tc he d out h e r ha nd. "Be careful," E ric w hispere d. D a y n a n o d d e d w i t h o u t t a k i n g h e r e y e s fr o m t h e w i t h d r a w n c r e a t u r e be for e h er . He r u n st ea dy h a n d b r u sh ed th e n a k ed sh ou ld er wi th ou t r ea ct io n . "I wan t to h elp you ," sh e rep eated softly. Her finger s str oked t he coa rs ely textu red ha ir, smoothed it in a cau tious pettin g motion. "See, it's all right n ow." Was it her ima gination , or h ad th e trem bling abated a lmost imper ceptibly? "Take it e a s y , n o w ." Th e w om a n st iffen ed , a n d Da yn a fr oze, n o le ss flig h ty th a n sh e. "Ea sy ," Da yn a r ep ea te d e xp er im en ta lly . "Ta k e i t e a sy ." To h er a st on is h m en t, t h e wom an , st ill h u dd led in on h er self, sh ifte d h er we igh t t o lea n aga in st Day n a, pr essin g close. "O h , good, D ayna!" E ric enc our a ge d, r u stling in the br u sh be hin d he r . "S t a y w h e r e y o u a r e , " D a y n a w a r n e d , h e r i n f l ec t i on s t i l l p a t t e r n e d t o sooth . She sm ooth ed ba ck t h e odd h air an d pet ted a n d con soled t h e wom an , u si n g t h e m agic w ord easy libera lly wh ile she t ri ed to ta ke st ock of wha t sh e an d Er ic h ad foun d. Lon g limb ed a n d m u scled lik e an at h lete, th e wom an wa s Dun Lady's Jess, Chapter One--p.12 b r u i se d a nd scratched, both ach illes te ndons sc r a pe d r a w a nd bloody. He r bo d y b o r e n o signs of abuse, but she wa s c la mm y with dr ie d swe a t a nd e xude d a n o d d m u s k y o d o r o f e ffo r t . Er ic r u stled beh in d th em aga in , an d Day n a b it h er ton gue on ad m on ition wh en th e wom an did n 't rea ct--an d wh en Er ic seem ed con ten t, from th e n oises of it , t o e xa m in e t h e s a ddle . "I don 't ge t t h is," h e s a id, a fr ow n in h is voi ce . "T h is bl a n k et 's s oa k in g w et --sm ell s li k e h or se . Wei r d. I do n 't s ee a n y h oofp r in ts .... Ma yb e t h er e's s om et h in g in th e s a dd leb a gs...." Dayna didn't an swer. She kept u p her soothing pat ter of reassur ing non sen se an d th ough t, perh aps , tha t th e wom an wh o lean ed aga in st h er n o longer qu iver ed qu ite as m uch , was possib ly even b eginn ing to r elax. Aft er a n ex ces si ve ly lon g p a u se , Er ic r ep or te d, "N ot m u ch in h er e. A ha mm er, couple of na ils, a h orseshoe...it doesn't..." he tr ailed off into pensive silen ce, th en pick ed u p h is t h ou ght . "Th ese th in gs don 't look r ig h t. Li k e i f I we n t i n to a st or e a fte r th em , th ey wo u ld n 't lo ok lik e t h is ." Da yn a sm ile d t igh tl y. "T h a t's u se fu l," sh e s a id , k eep in g h er vo ic e lo w. Her cha rge wa s definit ely rela xin g, unb oth ered by h er con ver sat ion. "Isn't ther e any thin g that m ight tell us wh o she is?" "W ell, there' s a packet of p a per s, but it's se a led." "O p en it," D ayna suggested. Er ic hes ita ted, th en s aid, "I don't thin k I can do it w ith out tear in g them u p. B es id es , it loo k s p r et ty offic ia l, a n d i t's got so m eon e's n a m e on it ." "Wha t's the n am e?" Dayn a sa id, rollin g her eyes. She h ad n o pat ience for dr agging a ns wer s out of Eric, a pr ocess im posed on her an y tim e he w as in deep thought. Aft er a n ot h er h es it a ti on , h e s a id , "I do n 't k n ow . It 's i n a st r a n ge s cr ip t. I su ppose it mi ght n ot be a nam e at all." After m ore ru stling durin g which sh e supposed he was r eplacing the packet, he sighed h eavily and said, "This just doesn 't mak e an y sen se. How is sh e?" Dun Lady's Jess, Chapter One--p.13 "Better, I thin k. Maybe good enough so you can leave us, go get some h elp ." "I 'v e been th inkin g about tha t," he told he r . Uh -oh. "Eric, thi s isn 't one of your orp ha ned bu nn ies to ta ke h ome a nd ra ise," she said, almost sh ar ply. "Somethin g's ha ppened to th is woma n, an d it ou gh t t o b e r ep or te d." He c r aw led u p b esi de h er an d look ed i n to t h e wo m an 's face. T h e la r ge da rk eyes w er e on ly h alf open , an d th ey n oted h im wit h ou t a lar m or a n y appar ent car e for h er n udity in h is presen ce. He took his jacket from wh ere it lay n ext to Day na an d car efully offered it to h er. Her eyes did open all t h e wa y, th en , an d sh e dr ew b ack from Day n a, on ly enou gh to su ppor t h ers elf in depen den tly. She cocked her hea d an d lean ed fo r w a r d a n d s n i f fe d t h e ja c k e t . An ot h er in cr ed u lo u s gl a n ce fla sh ed bet w ee n Da yn a a n d E r ic. "We ir d," h e wh isp er ed, a s sh e dr ew b ac k a gai n , cock ed h er h ea d t h e ot h er wa y, a n d b r ou gh t th e oth er s ide of her face up t o th e ma ter ial. Appa ren tly sa tisfied, she ga ve a sm all hu ff an d sa t aw kw ar dly ba ck on her ha un ches. Sh e took n o noti ce of her com pletely expose d br eas ts, bu t Er ic cou ldn 't be so bla se. Pin ki n g sligh tly on hi s h igh, tigh tly dr awn cheek bon es, he slowly set tled th e jacket ov er h er sh oulder s. She m ade n o move t o th rea d h er a rm s in to th e sleeves an d after a mom ent , Dayna took h er u nr esistin g ha nd an d gui ded it in to th e gar men t. Eri c, on her other side, did the same, then fastened the zipper for her . It was an exercis e in s low mot ion t ha t seem ed to both er t he w oma n less t ha n i t both ered th e two of them . She du cked h er h ead d own to r ub her nose on th e ins ide of her w r i st a n d regarded them pa tiently, wa iting f or wh a te ve r the y m ight c hoose t o d o next. "D a y n a . .. if w e c a ll t h e p ol i ce , w h a t ' s go i n g t o h a p p e n t o h er?" "S he'll get help," D ayna an swe r e d pr omptly. "W h a t , t h e y 'l l p u t h e r i n s o m e s t a t e h o s p it a l ? L o se h e r i n t h e s y s t em ? " Dun Lady's Jess, Chapter One--p.14 "And wh at d o you p rop ose to do, tak e car e of her for t he r est of her life? Sh e ob vi ou sly ca n 't t a k e ca r e of h er se lf." "You d on't kn ow th at. I th in k sh e deser ves a ch an ce to get over wh atev er s h o c k s h e 's h a d . P u t t i n g h e r i n t o a n i m p e r s o n a l s y s t em w o n ' t gi v e h e r t h a t cha nce," Eric sa id, a fam iliar stu bbor n n ote creep in g int o his voice. "S o y ou j u s t w a n t t o w a lk h e r o u t of h e r e , s t u ff h e r i n t o y ou r c a r , a n d t a k e h e r h o m e fo r a f ew d a y s , " D a y n a s a i d w i t h s a r c a s m , h o p i n g i t w ou l d r a m t h e absur dity thr ough h is stubborn ness. He w a s t a k en a ba ck on ly for a m om en t . "I w a n t t o h el p h er , Da yn a . Do n 't you ?" Dayn a gav e an exasp era ted sigh . "And wh at i f we tak e her hom e an d th ree d a y s la t er w e d isco ver t h e p ol ice h a ve b ee n lo ok in g fo r h er , a n d t h a t h er fa m ily 's f r a n t i c , a nd that w e' ve done mor e ha r m th a n good?" Eric r ubbed h is nose an d said fran kly, "I know th ere's a good chan ce this isn't the r ight th ing to do. But I th ink it's about even with the ch an ce that t akin g h er to so m e a u th or it y i s e xa ct ly th e w r on g t h in g t o d o." Dayna said n othin g, lost in the su rpr ise that he wa s an ywh ere nea r bein g pr act ica l. "How about th is," Eric suggested. "Twenty-four hour s of TLC. If she does n 't str ai gh ten ou t b y t h en , well," he s h r u gged, "I gues s w e ca n call t h e po lic e." "R ig h t ," D ay n a g r u m b le d . "A n d ex p la i n t o t h e m w h y w e d i dn 't c a ll ear lier." "D ay n a --" "A l l right," she interr upte d him , looking a t the tr u sting woma n be f or e h e r . Ther e was someth ing abou t th e quality of that t ru st, especially in contr ast with h e r e a r l i e r e x t r e m e fe a r , t h a t m a d e h e r f e e l j u s t a s E r i c d i d --m a d e h e r w a n t t o ta k e t h e p oor cr ea tu r e h om e a n d g iv e h er te a a n d a so ft b la n k et to cu r l u p w it h . H e r m i n d r e p la c e d t h e t ea a n d b l a n k e t w i t h h a r s h s t e r i l e sh e e t s a n d h o s p i t a l Dun Lady's Jess, Chapter One--p.15 food , a n d s h e k n ew sh e'd l os t c om pl et ely . "We'll t a k e h er to m y p la ce, n ot yo u r s." <<<<< >>>>> Lad y w as r elu cta n t t o m ove a gai n . Th at h er fall h ad en ded in a gen tle thu mp on fairly soft groun d was n ot so hard t o accept; it was almost insignificant b eside the other thin gs that flooded her senses. Merely opening h e r e y e s h a d i n v i t e d a n a s s a u l t of t h i n g s o u t s i d e h e r e x p er i e n c e : c o lo r s t h a t h ad n 't existe d, a field of view th at wa s all w ron g, an d a n ab ility to focus wit h ou t m o v i n g h e r h e a d t o s i g h t i n o n a n o b j ec t . Th en s he'd tr ied to m ove. Nothi ng wor ked r ight , her bala nce w as gon e, h e r s e n s e o f s e lf w a s s k e w e d . T h e s i gh t o f t h e t w o s t r a n g e r s h a d d r i v e n a w a y t h e last r emn an ts of san ity, m erely b ecau se th ey, too, were u nk now ns . She wa s sin ki n g deep i n to sh ock w h en a q u iet v oice h ad u sed on e of her Wor ds. On e of Ca r ey 's Wo r ds . Easy , the voice h ad s aid, a nd th en gen tle ha nd s h ad p etted h er, had let her lean an d seek the safety of touch. Once she'd trusted th e stran gers, h a d b eli ev ed th e Wo r d t h a t m ea n t t h ey wo u ld ta k e ca r e of t h in gs fo r h er , th e u n u s u a l b la n k e t w a s a l m o s t of n o c on s e q u e n c e . S h e w a s u s e d t o p eo p le w h o han dled her hooves and body, and she was u sed to complying with their w ishes. Bu t sh e did n 't wa n t t o m ove a gain . Her bod y w as n 't ri ght yet . She list en ed t o th e m an an d w om an qu iet ly a r gu e an d b eca m e aw ar e it wa sn 't on ly h e r b o d y th at w as different. Wor ds, wor ds tha t sh e 'd he a r d ove r a nd ove r bu t n e v e r a ssigned any significance to, sudde nly f ell into pa tte r n s. The y still ha d n o m e a n i n g for her, but sh e w as sud de nly a wa r e tha t th e y coul d. She flared h er nostrils in irritation and tr ied to un derstand wh at had cha nged, and wh at had been differen t befor e. She b ecam e su dden ly con fused ab ou t wh at sh e h ad --or h a d n 't --b e e n a b l e t o c om p r e h e n d b e fo r e , a n d s h e w h i m p e r e d , a n o i s e t h a t sta rt led h er just as m u ch as h er str an ge new visi on . "E asy," the w oman said, and e ve n tha t wa s e nough to ma k e he r wonde r Dun Lady's Jess, Chapter One--p.16 h ow s h e cou ld st ill di scer n th is p er son as a w om an , wh en h er sen se of sm ell h ad dimin ished so. But th e deeply ingra ined ha bit of response to her Words was so strong th at, even so, she felt her self relax. Relax, and go along with it, and th ese people would m ake every thin g right again . "Come with us," the m an su ggested, and almost against h er will, she m oved for wa rd , for com e trigger e d a n othe r r e sponse . She move d a wkwa r dly , not su re w ha t to do a bou t th e extr a len gth i n h er h in d legs un til th e ma n su dden ly took h er b y th e front legs an d pu lled her up to a r ear . Rea r in g w a s for bi dd en . Bu t.... It felt com pl et ely n a tu r a l. Th ey en cou r a ged h er , th ey to ld h er it wa s go od . Haltin gly, she wa lked th e few steps to t he m eadow , then th e yar ds to t he h ar d d i r t p a t h . T he man w a lked behind the m , the sa ddle br a c e d a ga inst his h ip, C a r e y 's saddlebags slung over the wor n le a the r se a t. The woma n ha d th e blan ket, an d before th ey'd gone far, sh e ginger ly sh ook it ou t an d offered to dr ape t he clea nes t side a rou nd Lady 's shou lders . The m an 's stra nge bla nk et came only just below her hips, an d Lady was glad to have someth ing else against th e chill. Almost b y accid ent , she dis covered sh e could h old th e blan ket i n p lace with wh at sh ould have been h er front h ooves. Gettin g int o th e sm all met al sta ll proved to be a little aw kw ar d, an d wh en it began to m ove sh e froze with fear. But by n ow th e wom an was mor e assu red in h and ling her, and qu ickly soothed h er, even as Lady her self realized she wa sn 't bei n g h u r t a n d p er h ap s th er e wa s n oth in g to fea r afte r all. Once s he r each ed th at p oint , she wa s ab le to recogn ize tha t th e ma n w as con tr ollin g th e m ovem en ts o f th e st all, a n d t h at th er e we r e m an y m or e si m ila r sta lls m ovi n g all a r ou n d t h em . She h eav ed a big s igh for t h e per plexi ty of it a ll an d r etr eat ed to h er in n er wor ld, leavi n g lar ge un blin ki n g eyes b eh in d. Fr om th ere sh e listen ed to th e conver sat ion b etween th e ma n a nd wom an an d let h er bod y sw ay wi th th e m ovem en t of th eir tr av el. When th ey stopp ed, she focused her eyes an d foun d th em s ittin g before a Dun Lady's Jess, Chapter One--p.17 barn , one of many in a long line of barns. A barn mean t food and r est and sh e willingly followed them into it. Inside, it looked like no bar n sh e'd ever been in , a n d sh e sp ent a long time checking it, a ppr oa c hing its c lutte r c a r e fully a nd sniffing with a nose tha t no longer provided her the in form ation th at sh e need ed. She let th e blan ket d rop an d discov ered th at h er odd new hooves wer e se n si t i v e to texture an d shape--almost a s se nsitive a s he r mu z zle should ha ve been . With a var iety of snor ts a nd in vestiga tive h uffing, Lady sa tisfied h er n a t u r a l c ur iosity. After offerin g her a soft ba ggy coverin g for h er lower ha lf, th e ma n a nd w o m a n f ollow ed her at a distan c e , a nd le t he r e xplor e . W he n h e r c ur iosity wa s slak ed, th e m an flopped d own on a soft low str u ctu re an d h eav ed a big si gh of fa t igu e . T h at wa s a la n gu a ge sh e cou ld u n de r st a n d a n d sy m pa t h ize wi th . "D a y n a , " he said, and added some thing she c ouldn't unde r sta n d. Da yn a . Th a t h a d t o b e t h e w om a n 's n a m e; sh e ce r ta in ly r es po n de d t o i t. A n d t h e m an, she w as almost su r e , wa s c a lle d Er ic . Knowing the ir na me s ma d e th em sa fer for h er , bu t it wa sn 't eno u gh t o m ak e h er as secu r e as Car ey d id. Sh e wan ted Car ey h ere, wa nt ed h im bad ly, and her th roa t began an un accu stom ed ach e. Dayn a sa id t h e on ly th in g th at cou ld h av e dis tr act ed h er . "Ar e you hu ngry?" Lad y's wh ole body str aigh ten ed in at ten tion . She k n ew a ll th e va ri at ion s of words t ha t h ad t o do with food, an d sh e wen t r ight up to Dayn a a nd wat ched her w ith expectant eyes. B o th D ayna an d E ric laug he d, a nd the n, whe n the y we r e se a te d a r oun d a r ou n d p lat form an d La dy tr ied to s u ck u p t h e liq u id o ffered h er in a s tu pid ly long cylin der an d it w ent up her nose, th ey lau ghed a gain ; after clear in g her nose, sh e felt a s tr an ge bub blin g in h er ch est a nd it tu rn ed ir rep res sible an d c a m e o u t i n a fu n n y l it t l e l a u g h o f h e r o w n . And th en s he s topped sh ort , and dr opped t he liq ui d, an d froze in fear , Dun Lady's Jess, Chapter One--p.18 h ar dly n otici n g as t h e dr in k d ri bbled over th e edge of th e pla tform an d on to th e soft ma terial th at n ow covered her stron g dusky legs. It was th at lau gh, comin g f r o m h e r ow n ch anged body, tha t su dde nly a llowe d he r to unde r sta nd. S h e had turned into one of Carey 's k ind. Wit h tr em blin g fin ger s, sh e felt for h er long, refined mu zzle and discovered only a flat face with a r idiculously sm a ll n os e. T h er e w er e n on e of t h e s en si ti ve wh is k er s s h e r eli ed so m u ch on . Una ble to b elieve or accep t, sh e r each ed for Da yn a, bu t th e sm aller wom an stiffened, for th e first t im e sh owin g signs of her own fear. Er ic's gentle wor d r elaxed h er a nd Dayn a a llowed Lady to tou ch h er face, wh ile one h an d alm ost fra nt ically com par ed th e feel of her ow n. An d th en t he ach e cam e back to h er t hr oat, an d sh e wh im per ed, an d, sud den ly, she wa s cr yi n g, n ot k n ow in g w h a t i t w a s, b u t o n ly th a t s h e c ou ld n 't h elp h er se lf. <<<<< >>>>> Copyright © 1994 Dorann a Dur gin DUN LADY'S J E SS, I SBN 0-671-87617-1 Compt on Cr ook Awa rd Winn er