Golden Box Book Publishing GBBP Magazine, June, 2017 | Page 31

Excerpt from the book
She came out of the night like a ghost set against a backdrop
of snow, shadow and dark forest. If it hadn’t been for the light of a
full moon and the intelligence of my horse Rora, my sleigh would
have run her down and trampled her into the snow.
I’d been on my way back home to Valdar after a night of fine
food and good conversation at the Hoof and Horn Club, just south
and east of the city. The road was dark and slippery, with a fresh
carpet of white covering the ice and snow that had been dropped
by the blizzard we’d had two nights before; winter hit us early that
year. Ahead of me, a section of the road curved to the left. On my
right was a sharp drop-off into a deep, dark gorge. Small wonder
few travelers came this way when they could avoid it altogether,
no matter what time of year, by taking a longer route to Valdar.
But this was the shortest way back to the city, and I was in a hurry
to climb into a warm bed.
Rora neighed and reared back on her hind legs when she
spotted the girl standing in the middle of the road, waving one
arm. The sleigh came to such a sudden stop that the back end of it
slid to the right, perilously close to the edge of the road. For one
heart-stopping moment I thought we were going to slide off and
tumble into the gorge.
As the girl ran toward me, still waving her arm, I wondered
what she was doing out on such a cold night, all alone and on foot.
In her left hand, clasped to her breast, I noticed she was holding
tightly to a large, red book.
Dressed in a long, white winter coat, she was a pale specter
with black hair and bright green eyes. Breath steamed from her
nose and mouth like smoke from the jaws of a dragon as she
shivered with cold. When she drew closer I could see that she was
no girl, but a petite young woman with delicate features.
I took control of the reins, and Rora settled down. An
apologetic look crossed the woman’s waif-like features as she
approached. She seemed nervous and in a hurry.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to frighten your horse.”
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