The Land Beyond the Sea by Sharon Kay Penman

Author:Sharon Kay Penman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2020-03-02T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 28

September 1180

Jerusalem, Outremer

Asad had begun to nuzzle his master’s tunic and Baldwin pushed him away with a laugh. “Sorry, boy, nothing for you to eat.” Taking the comb from Anselm, he began to untangle the stallion’s mane and Asad reluctantly abandoned his search for treats.

Anselm watched for a while, thinking that the only time the young king seemed at peace was when he was in the stables. What would the lad do when he could no longer ride at all? “Do you think Asad can ever be ridden again, my lord?”

“Not likely. But he is no longer in pain.” For a moment, Baldwin had a vision of the stallion racing the wind. Though the memory hurt, he still found a smile for Anselm. “He will not miss his old life, for he has his own harim now and several of his mares are in foal.” Asad nudged him again and this time he won; Baldwin sent Anselm off to the kitchens to get sugar.

A stable cat sauntered over. This one seemed to have formed a bond with Asad, for Baldwin often found her sleeping in the stallion’s stall. She stretched and then leaped onto the top of the stall door. When Asad snorted, Baldwin leaned for a moment against the Arabian’s withers, inhaling the familiar, comforting smells of the stable. “Was I right, boy?” he murmured. “Are the mares enough for you now?” Yet how could a crippled hawk not yearn for the skies?

His balance had become so unsteady that he could no longer groom Asad properly. He still enjoyed brushing the stallion and thought the Arabian enjoyed the contact, too. He’d forgotten to ask Anselm for a soft cloth to clean Asad’s eyes and nostrils. Seeing some piled on a nearby bench, he opened the stall door; this annoyed the cat, who jumped off with a hiss. He’d only taken a few steps before he stumbled and, unable to catch himself, he went down hard.

For some moments, he lay still, the breath knocked out of him. When he touched his forehead, his fingers came away bloodied and he realized he’d cut himself on the edge of a bucket. Rolling over, he managed to sit up. In the past few years, he’d taken falls beyond counting. It was only recently, though, that he’d found he needed help in getting to his feet. Wiping the blood from his eyes, he saw two grooms standing not far away, staring at him. When neither one moved, he felt a sudden rage, sparing neither himself nor these frightened grooms nor the God who’d brought him to this. He wanted to lash out, to punish them for their fear and for witnessing his humiliation, sprawled in the dirt like a turtle turned on its back. But he held on to the shreds of his self-control. Ordering them to fetch Anselm, he slumped down again and listened to their fleeing footsteps.

His head was still bleeding and his cheek was throbbing. It was the injury to his pride that he found hardest to bear, though.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.