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

Author:Terri Reid [Reid, Terri]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-10-27T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

Nearly to the edge of the preserve, Lord John started when he suddenly heard the sound of a horse crashing through the woods coming toward him. Had he been spotted? Was this one of Murphy’s men to confront him?

He pulled Galahad up and prepared for battle, hesitating to use the blunderbuss because the noise would draw the attention of the other riders, instead he whipped his sword from its sheath. Listening to the approaching horse, he realized the rider was not coming toward him but directly out into the valley. Perhaps he was a signalman, alerting the others to the whereabouts of Meaghan and Jepson. In that case, he had no time to lose. Urging Galahad forward through the dense vegetation, he avoided the lone rider and headed back into the forest.

Not worried about making any noise, considering how loud the other rider had been, Lord John gave Galahad his head and let him charge through the woods. He scanned the trees, trying to pick out any telltale signs of Meaghan or Jepson. The sun was setting and was positioned low in the sky, reflecting off leaves, stones and the narrow creek that ran through the preserve. Between darting birds and scurrying forest creatures, his attention seemed to be drawn in all directions. He pulled Galahad to a stop and listened, trying to separate the various sounds from each other. There were the high-pitched chirps of frogs from the creek bed, the lower-pitched hum of cicadas in the trees, the harsh cry of a pheasant in the brush and finally, he heard the soft clopping of horse’s hooves on soft ground.

Turning in that direction and peering through the trees, he saw a flash of color like Jepson’s jacket. Anxious, he turned Galahad in that direction and began to urge him forward when he saw the rope out of the corner of his eye. Yanking back on the reins, he caused Galahad to whinny in protest and stumble backward on the path. Patting Galahad’s neck to calm the stallion, he leaned forward. “Sorry about that, boy. But I think we might have a problem here.” Slipping from his saddle, he knelt down and carefully removed the brush that had been carefully laid over the rope strung tightly between two trees. It was positioned at a height were it would normally go unnoticed, especially hidden by greenery. It was definitely a trap, created to send a horse faltering to its knees and, depending on the horse’s speed when it tripped, send the animal to its death.

Looking around, he studied the woods, his mind a tangle of thoughts. Who would devise such a ploy? And why would they target horses in the woods? Most of the village used the main path in the valley for transportation. Then a stray notion entered his mind. Eochaidh! Surely someone wouldn’t be setting traps to try and harm them. There had to be another explanation.

Standing, Lord John surveyed the area. There were not too many areas that could be considered trap free.

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