Stone of Tears

He turned away from her and started taking apart the bridles. “My real father, Darken Rahl, came to my house, just this autumn, looking for me. He wanted to cut my belly open and read my entrails—to kill me. Just as he killed George Cypher.” He stole a quick glance over his shoulder. “Anyway,

I wasn’t at home, and while he was waiting for me, he tore that book apart and threw the pages all around. Maybe he didn’t want me learning any of its lessons or thinking for myself either.”

Sister Verna didn’t say anything, but he could feel her eyes watching him take the bridles apart, undo the headstalls and reins from the bits. After he had them apart, he packed the headstalls away and flipped the reins over his shoulder.

He could hear her let out a little, angry breath. “I’ll not be calling horses by names.”

Richard stacked the three spade bits atop one another on the dirt, where the horses had pawed the ground bare. “You might want to reconsider the wisdom of that, Sister Verna.”

She stepped out to the side of him, where he could see her, pointing at the ground. “What are you doing? Why did you take the bridles apart? What are you doing with those bits?”

Richard drew the sword. Its distinctive ring filled the cold, bright air. The rage of the magic instantly flooded through him. “I’m destroying them, Sister.”

With a scream of fury, and before she could make a move, he brought the sword down with a powerful swing. The tip whistled through the air. The blade shattered the three bits into flying shards of hot metal.

She rushed forward, her cloak flapping. “What’s the matter with you! Have you lost your mind! We need those bits to control the horses!”

“Spade bits can be cruel. I won’t allow you to use them.”

“Cruel! They are just stupid beasts! Beasts that need to be controlled!”

“Beasts,” he muttered, shaking his head and sliding his sword back into its scabbard. He snugged up the halter on Bonnie and began attaching the reins to the side rings. “You don’t need a bit to control a horse. I’ll teach you how. Besides, without a bit in their mouths they can eat while we travel. They’ll be happier that way.”

“That’s dangerous! Spade bits give you control over a headstrong beast.”

He arched an eyebrow to her. “With horses, as with many other things, Sister, you often get what you expect to get.”

“Without bits, you don’t have any control.”

“Nonsense. If you ride properly, you control with your legs and body. You just have to teach the horse to pay attention and trust you.”

She stepped close, commanding his attention. “That’s foolish! And dangerous! There are dangers out here. If you get into a dangerous situation, and the horse is frightened, it could bolt. Without a spade bit you won’t be able to stop a runaway horse.”

He halted what he was doing and looked to her intense brown eyes. “sometimes, Sister, we get the opposite of what we intend. If we do get in a dangerous situation, and you get overanxious, and jerk too hard on a spade bit, you could tear the horse’s mouth. If you do that, the pain, terror, and anger can be so intense that he won’t respond to anything you do. He won’t understand. He will only know that you hurt him, and that you’re hurting him more with each pull on the reins. You’ll be the threat. He will throw you in a heartbeat.

“Then, if he is simply frightened, he will bolt. Worse, he could be angry. Angry horses are dangerous. In trying to avoid danger with a spade bit, you will have brought it upon yourself.” He held her startled eyes in his gaze. “If we get to a town or something, and can find a jointed snaffle bit, I’ll let you use that. But I will not allow you to put a spade bit in any horse’s mouth as long as I’m with you.”

She took a deep breath, releasing it carefully as she folded her arms again. “Richard, we can’t control them without a bit. It’s that simple.”

He gave her a one-sided smile. “sure we can. I’ll teach you. The worst thing that can happen without a bit is that he can run away with you, and you’ll have a time of stopping him, but sooner or later, you will be able to. Your way, you and the horse could be hurt, or killed.”

He turned and scratched Bonnie’s neck. “First thing you have to do is make friends with them. They have to trust you not to hurt them, or let anything happen to them, though you are in charge. If you’re their best friend, they won’t let anything happen to you. They’ll do what you ask.

“It’s surprisingly easy; all you have to do is show them a little respect and kindness along with a firm hand. If they’re going to be your friend, they need names, to get their attention, and so they know when you’re talking to them.”