Chapter Three: SABOTAGE!

"I want Altair to saddle Dreamdancer this morning." Zale's tone was stern as he forced the pony's lead from Rigel's grasp. He walked away from the boy with stiff, angry strides. "You take care of the twins' geldings."

"Why?" Rigel called after his sire, letting his emotions overcome caution. His onyx eyes flared as Zale turned back toward him.

"Stay away from her, Rigel. She's trouble to us."

Rigel paced in agitation in the aisle of the stable, raising a dusty cloud on the earthen floor. "That's ridiculous. You can't just stop our friendship like that."

"Listen, boy," the StableMaster shouted. Dreamdancer startled and reared in fright. Zale yanked her roughly to the ground, and stopped his son with an angry glare when the boy attempted to rush to the confused pony's aid. "I was called before the King this morning. Do you hear me? He summoned me to complain about you. He says you're putting foolish ideas in his daughter's head, and that it's time you got your position straight around here. He recognizes your talents, and doesn't want to have to lose you as my successor, Rigel. He told me that from now on I'm to make sure you stick to your training and your work, and that the only relationship you are to pursue with the young Princess is that of her trainer and stable man."

Rigel fought back the tears of fury that threatened him. So the King did know he had accompanied Aury on the ride to the greenvalley, and was blaming him for the Princess's fears about the shadow. Yrren's objections to their friendship had escalated to outright warnings. Rigel shook with the effort to control an emotional outburst. He raked an unsteady hand through his hair and his voice cracked under the forced restraint. "I can't believe you all are doing this to us. What does the Queen say about this? What did Mother say?"

"The King rules, Rigel," Zale snapped. "Not the Queen and certainly not your mother. You've managed to place us all in an uncomfortable--and threatening--situation. You'll do as the King commands, as we all do. You'll handle the lessons today, with no personal contact with the Princess Auria whatsoever. If I find you disobeying, I'll remove Auria from the regular riding class and tutor her myself. Do you understand?"

Rigel's control shattered, and a furious tear escaped his eye. He swept the traitorous droplet from his cheek. "Yeah. I understand. I understand all too well." The boy's answering growl was black with sarcasm. He turned his back on his father before the man could reprimand him for his insolence or witness the angry tears that continued to betray him.

Working with spiritless accuracy, Rigel groomed and saddled a pair of sturdy geldings for Lilac and Violet. Years of practice muffled the effects of his heartache as his hands moved automatically over their task. The four youngest daughters of Yrren and Aleia took riding lessons together, and for nearly a year Rigel's talents had allowed him to conduct the class himself. Zale had always hovered in the background, observing. On this day the StableMaster scowled at the rail, his unrelenting glare fixed upon his son as the boy led the horses from the stable. Rigel could feel his father's stare like a hot iron branding his soul. Zale had meant it when he'd said he would prevent any contact between the stable boy and the Princess.

The girls were already in the ring. The twins looked sadly into Rigel's face as he handed each her horse's reins and boosted her into the saddle. Lilac, compassion flowing from her periwinkle eyes, whispered, "It'll blow over." He shook his head and shrugged, doubtful, and turned to assist Violet. Rigel wasn't surprised when Vi didn't tease or flirt as usual, but allowed him to adjust her stirrups in silence.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked with uncharacteristic concern. The sisters were blatantly aware of what had transpired between Zale and the King. Worried glances shifted from the stable boy to their little sister and back.

"Honestly? No, I'm not," Rigel said. He could hear Violet's melancholy sigh as he walked away from her. His heart ached with dark longing, and he found himself wishing he could cancel the session and ride off alone on Star for the day. Riding lessons were one of his favorite chores, but today his spirit held no place for the task. Rigel halted in his tracks as he watched Altair give Aury a leg up to Dreamdancer's back. The sight speared his soul and brought a painful lump to his throat.

The Princess turned to him and reached for his mind.

"I can't, Aury. I'm sorry," he cut her off in deep sorrow. "I think we'd better just get through this lesson the way they all want us to. Maybe we should go along with them . . . for now."

Aury's eyes filled with tears. He watched them leave their silvery trails down her cheeks as she moved Dancer into line behind Chartreuse and her golden mare. His heart ached to reach out to her with a comforting hug, but he could find no comfort inside himself to give. With his father as angry as he was, even that simple gesture might put them at risk.

Rigel moved to the center of the large riding ring, and glanced over the four sisters as they walked their mounts clockwise around him. He gave a monotone command. "Posting trot."

The morning's session went on without enthusiasm. Rigel found himself wishing Auria would start making mistakes, so he could talk to her more. The occasional "Well done," he tossed out to compliment the child's skill left him feeling empty and alone. Every once in a while Aury would send a secretive whisper of her heartache. The feathery brush of her sorrow would torment his mind, and he would touch back with brief emotion. They dared risk nothing more, with Zale's angry glare fixed upon the figure of his young son in the center of the ring.

It was Violet that needed tutoring on this awkward morning.

"Vi," Rigel called out, and beckoned the teen to the center. The girl swerved her mint- and-white pinto toward him. "You're doing a lot of sliding around at a canter, Vi. More than usual today." He tempered the instruction with an aura of kindness.

She nodded. "I noticed." Shoulder length purple curls bobbed from under her helmet as she moved, and a blush turned her creamy cheeks to peach.

"When you're cantering, let your spine relax a little more," the youngster advised. "Grip with the knees, and try not to sit so stiff. Try to feel the way Seafoam's body moves . . . let yours melt to it."

"Melt?" she asked, eyebrows raised at the use of the odd term.

"You're way too tense this morning. I guess we all are." The second phrase was added in a solemn whisper, and the boy appreciated the look of sad compassion that softened Violet's expression. "Pretend you're melting into the horse . . . let your body be part of his."

Violet nodded, and understanding flashed like a flicker of sunlight across her pretty face. "I'll try." She turned Seafoam toward the outside of the ring to fall in line behind her sisters. On the next command to canter, the willowy teen sat her mount with more confidence, a pleased smile on her face.

The first half of the morning's class was dedicated to the basics. Changes of gait and direction, figure eights and cavalettis warmed up both horses and riders, and reinforced their skills. Then, as the girls walked their horses around the outskirts of the ring, Altair helped Rigel set up jumps in the center. Show jumping was Rigel's passion--whether training horses in the skill or schooling their riders. Sensations of flight would course through his veins whenever an animal sailed over a jump. This morning even preparing for this did not ease the look of pain that shadowed his sun-bronzed face.

Their horses cool and relaxed, the quartet of princesses headed for the gate as Rigel opened it wide. "Lilac first," he called out, and the lavender-haired teen held Ocean back as her sisters and their ponies exited. Aury, Violet, and Chartreuse sat their mounts at the rail and watched as their sister moved her gelding in a controlled canter around the ring.

At Rigel's instruction, the youngster approached the first of the two low jumps. Lilac's face was taut with concentration as horse and girl rose to clear the rail. She bobbled as the animal's forehooves struck the ground, but regained her balance quickly and returned to the outskirts of the ring.

"Nice, Lilac. Excellent take off," the young trainer called in praise, and the girl beamed with pride. "Once again, but this time try not to worry about the landing so much. I think you're a little afraid of that jolt, and your mind is making it harder for you than it is. You're leaning a little too far forward as Ocean's hooves strike. Relax just a little, and don't try to beat the horse over the jump."

Lilac nodded, and made her second run at the jumps. Rigel motioned her to continue to the second fence and take it in succession. Ocean obeyed his rider without hesitating. She held her balance on the second pass, and was glowing with satisfaction when she returned to canter along the rail.

The sisters took their rounds in age order. Violet was still too tense, and her nerves betrayed her balance and control. Rigel knew she could do better, and was sure to give every accomplishment liberal praise. Chartreuse, a skilled young rider, had little trouble with her pass. She took the jumps methodically on SunGlow, whose bright eyes told Rigel that she enjoyed the task as much as her mistress.

It was the youngest Princess's turn, and Aury walked Dancer through the gate. The rainbow dapples in the little mare's coat sparkled like a precious opal as she moved through the sunlight. Dreamdancer's head was held high, and she pranced in anticipation of her favorite game. The pony's delicate ears swiveled toward Rigel, and soft nostrils quivered as she nickered a greeting. The three sisters, dismounted and holding their horses' reins, gathered at the rail to watch the ballet with a mixture of envy and pride.

Rigel motioned to Aury and his soul reached out of its own accord to brush hers with longing. Her sadness touched Rigel's mind as she signalled her pony to move out. The child and her horse circled the ring with fluid movement, then swerved toward the jumps. Aury's confident expression conveyed her skill as her pony left the ground, sailed over the first jump, and settled gently back to the dirt surface of the riding ring. The girl moved as part of the mare, in a rare union of horse and rider that was thrilling to watch. Even the sour events of the day could not keep the smile off Rigel's handsome face as the boy watched his friend take the second round of jumps with soaring grace.

Applause from the sidelines pulled Rigel's attention to Aury's sisters. Their whole attention was fixed on the baby of the family. Chartreuse, a huge grin on her face, was clapping. "I wish I could ride like that," the boy heard Violet's wistful words, as he returned his gaze to the child on the opal pony.

Then chaos struck.

Dreamdancer was in mid-leap, when Rigel heard a SNAP. The pony's saddle twisted, straps flailing. Aury's body contorted and thrashed the air in a vain attempt to stop her fall. A pain-filled cry sliced through Rigel's soul as the child's helmeted head struck the jump post.

Dancer twisted to avoid a dangerous collision with her mistress. She was out of control-- unable to guide her body to a safe landing. A sickening crack jerked the boy's stomach to his throat as the mare's foreleg slammed the ground. Dreamdancer collapsed with a squeal of agony.

Rigel was at Aury's side before her body hit the surface of the ring. "Starshine! Are you all right?" His mind grabbed hers in a frantic embrace. The girl's stare was unfocused and a feeble moan escaped her throat. She did not respond. Rigel probed gently and felt the stubborn spark of her consciousness latch onto him with desperation.

"Voy!" The dark youngster's mind shouted across the distances.

"I'm coming!" The reply came instantly.

Rigel's arms held Aury in their protective grip as he searched her face. Her delicate features were contorted in pain. "Starshine, can you hear me?" Aury did not reply. Her eyes reached for his in an attempt to focus and Rigel brushed the hair from her face with a trembling hand.

Magic electrified the air as Clairvoyant and Queen Aleia appeared beside them. The Queen knelt in the dirt of the ring. Her soft hands probed her child's injuries, and she gently removed the riding helmet from the girl's head.

"Aury, love, can you hear me?" she asked, her words sparkling with tender emotions, fear on her beautiful face.

The child's gaze shifted from Rigel's face to her mother's. A pink tongue darted out to moisten her lips, and with effort she asked in a raspy voice, "Is Dreamdancer all right?"

Tears of fear, worry, and relief mingled their silvery trails along Rigel's chiseled features. His lock on Aury's mind felt a strengthening of consciousness as the shock from her fall subsided. He probed her spirit gingerly, and she responded by burrowing deep into the security of their bond. "Starshine, you're going to be fine." He breathed a shaky sigh and made an effort to stop his tears.

"Is Dreamdancer okay?" the Princess repeated, and struggled to sit upright. Rigel held her back, his strong young arms wrapped firmly around her. "I have to go to her--she's hurt," Aury argued against the restraint.

"You're hurt too, Aury. Lay still."

Zale pulled himself back from the frightened group that had gathered around the fallen youngster and approached the pony. Dancer lay in a heap, sides heaving with rapid, pain-filled breaths. One foreleg was curled beneath her, the other extended at an awkward angle. Painful swelling had already begun to disfigure the mare's slender limb, and the StableMaster ran skilled hands along the length of it.

"Stars. It's broken." The man's voice cracked and his face went white.

Aury broke into sobs. She struggled again to free herself from Rigel's embrace. "Let me up!"

Zale turned a mournful gaze toward the child. "There's nothing we can do, Princess."

Aury's eyes darted to Rigel's. Her mind seized his in its grasp and a surge of electrical magic pierced him. The Princess's forces swelled inside him and drew strength from the center of his being. A golden aura radiated from the child in his arms, and her forehead furrowed with concentration. The iridescence grew and pulsed, and gathered itself together at a point in space just above Auria's eyes. The magic hummed softly for a moment, then streaked toward Dreamdancer in a brilliant beam of light--and was gone. Aury collapsed against Rigel's chest in exhaustion and pain. He rocked her tenderly, and poured comfort into her weakened soul.

Zale gasped and jerked his hands from the pony's injured leg. "Stars!" he shouted, and spun to spear the Princess with a frightened stare.

Rigel looked up to see Altair and his mother running toward them through the gate. Raven carried a stable medical kit, which she set beside Dreamdancer. She rummaged through its depths for bandaging and poultices while Altair steadied the pony as she struggled to her feet.

"It's broken. . . . " The StableMaster shook his head in disbelief. Dreamdancer took several limping steps. Zale crouched to run his hands along the injured leg. "It was broken. . . . " he whispered. The horseman turned a baffled gaze toward Auria.

"It's not broken now, Pa," Rigel said. His mind still tingled from the force of Aury's magic. He looked down at the Princess and added, "Aury, you could have done real damage to yourself just then. You shouldn't try to do something like that when you're hurt." His tone was scolding, but it did not take the tenderness from his touch. He brushed his cheek against the silky hair of the girl cradled in his arms.

"I had to help her," Aury whispered and took a deep, trembling breath. "You were with me, Rigel. Whenever you're with me, I know I'll be all right."

The StableMaster looked with amazement at the young Princess. A contest of emotions vied for control of Zale's features. He lifted his gaze to the face of his Queen, who smiled with sad understanding. As Aleia held the horseman's eyes, a light went on deep within them, and the confusion in their depths began to fade.

The StableMaster left his wife and son in charge of the mare, and crouched before the bondchildren. "I've never seen anything like that." The shock and fear were gone from his expression, and as Zale gazed into the child's face, he smiled. "You really love that little pony, don't you, Princess?"

"Pa?" Rigel's single word conveyed a host of unasked questions.

Intense emotions passed between father and son. "I may be an old fool, boy, but I do have a heart." He shifted his gaze from Rigel to Auria and back. "I guess I just didn't understand. My instincts to protect my family . . . well . . . I'm sorry." The phrase came forth from the man's throat with difficulty, and he turned aside in shame.

A comforting hand rested on his father's shoulder. Rigel looked up into the elegant face of the Queen of Chimopotamia.

"It's not your fault, Zale," she said softly. "Very few people understand."

The man nodded and his gaze caressed Aury's troubled expression with kindness. "Your pony will be okay, honey," he said, and stroked the child's hair. "You've taken a terrible injury and made it a minor one. Once the shock subsides, she'll be herself again. All she needs is a little rest and lots of love."

Aury sniffed back thick tears as she leaned into Rigel's hug and nodded.

"What is going on here?" An angry bellow shook the air.

Rigel turned to see the King and Clarion materialize before him. Yrren's face contorted in fury when he saw his daughter in the arms of the StableMaster's son. The angry man turned on Zale, who had leapt to his feet at the sound of the monarch's voice. "Explain!"

"The child fell, Your Majesty. She struck her head. Her pony was injured, but the Princess healed her. Both will be all right." Zale explained with calm respect.

A rush of worry thrust aside the look of anger on the King's face, and his eyes darted to the youngsters on the ground. He turned to his wife. "She's all right?" he asked, fear ringing in his voice. The Queen nodded. Yrren knelt on the ground before his daughter and Rigel. He took Aury's chin in his strong hand and searched her face.

"You're all right, child?"

"I have a headache, and a bump." She raised a small hand to the knob that had risen on her head and winced. "But I'm going to be okay. My helmet saved me, I guess."

The soft smile that flickered across Yrren's face startled Rigel. The thought had never occurred to him that there was a tender side to the King of Chimopotamia. He found himself wondering if he might have been wrong about the man.

"I guess so," Yrren said quietly, and touched a fingertip to the lump on his daughter's head. He looked into Rigel's face, his expression a mixture of conflicting emotions. "What happened? You were supervising the lessons. Auria does not just `fall' from a horse." His tone grew stern as he addressed the boy.

The youngster cleared his throat and mustered his courage. "Her girth broke, sir. I haven't had the chance to examine it yet."

"It's been cut through." A soft voice from the sidelines commanded their attention. Clairvoyant crouched over the saddle, the broken girth strap in his hand.

"Cut?" Yrren and Zale echoed together with a double shout, their faces white with shock.

Voy met the glare of the King of Chimopotamia without fear. "Auria tried to tell you about that shadow, Sire. You wouldn't listen. This girth has been tampered with--cut through from the underside so that just a thin outer layer remained intact. It was planned so that when the pony gathered herself for jumping, the extra strain on the strap would cause it to snap. Someone wanted the Princess hurt . . . or worse."

Movement in the corner of his vision caught Rigel's attention. His head snapped around to follow it--a darkness in the center of the shadows behind the nearest stable building. It was gone before he was sure he'd seen it, but its icy imprint remained in Rigel's mind.