RIDERS
OF THE LIGHTNING STORM
~ Horse Passages ~
Jennifer Macaire
YA, Sci-Fi, Romance, Adventure
Evernight Teen Publishing
Twins Carl and Meagan Cadet are the
youngest herders in the Federation. Their parents and younger sister were
abducted by the enigmatic Raiders, and now they are alone with their
horses. Aware of the dangers, they continue to herd the horses that
somehow open passages between planets.
They are on
Tauii 3 when Luke Jeffries arrives on the scene with his herd. Luke and Meagan
are pulled together as they come to grips with their losses. When raiders
capture Meagan and Luke, they become prisoners working in mines on an isolated
asteroid. Escape seems impossible, but they encourage each other to keep up the
hope even as they begin to fall in love.
But before
they can escape, they must somehow unlock the mystery of the horse
passages.
Buy Links: Evernight
Teen ARe Amazon
Excerpt:
The
Jeffries' had moved their herd to the south end of the lake. Today, the boys
had started breaking in the two-year-olds, and Meagan decided before swimming
she'd go have a look at their work.
It was a
ten-minute walk along the shoreline, and as she walked she gathered eggs from
the many nests she found. She only took one egg from each nest, putting them
carefully in her pouch after admiring their speckled amethyst coloring.
Luke saw her
coming and waved. He sat astride the lead mare and her presence calmed the
young horses his brothers rode. They cantered slowly around a circle of bare
earth worn in the grass. Luke led, with his brothers right behind him. Their
mounts snorted loudly and swished their tails, unused to having riders on their
backs. They cantered a while, slowed to a bouncy trot, and dropped to a walk.
Skittishly, the younger horses tossed their heads and pranced sideways.
"Let's
go faster!" cried Luke, urging his mare into a gallop. She pinned her ears
back, as if annoyed to be acting the part of schoolmistress, but set off at a
fast pace. The three boys galloped after Luke, sitting astride their horses
with practiced ease.
Meagan sat
on a nearby log and watched. She admired the way the brothers rode. Everyone
had a different style, but the Jeffries looked both athletic and graceful.
In the
distance, across the lake, she could see Carl walking toward their camp. He
waved his hat in the air, and she waved back. Meagan rose and picked up the
eggs. She should get back if she wanted to swim before dinner. Luke and his
brothers wouldn't be finished for a while yet.
She'd just
finished adjusting the strap on her shoulder pouch when a clap of thunder made
her jump. Frowning, she looked around. There were no storm clouds in sight. A
faint sparkle caught Meagan's eye, and she stiffened. A mist curtain, no more
than three feet wide, appeared in the middle of the plain. Her heart seemed to
stop, then start again, pounding frantically. "R-r-raid . . .
Raiders," she whispered. She had to warn Carl and the Jeffries brothers.
She tried to shout, but her voice stuck in her throat. She couldn't say
anything. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out at all.
Panic-stricken,
she screamed, and her voice shattered the air around her. She tried to call to
Carl, to tell him to watch out, but all she could do was scream. A flock of
birds rocketed out of the long grass, their wings whirring around her. She
tried to stop, dragging air into her lungs and clapping her hands over her
mouth, but she screamed again, and all of a sudden the words poured out.
"Luke! Carl! Raiders! Raiders are coming! Get the horses! Get out of here!"
She started running for her camp.
The boys
fought to control their young mounts as strange horses surged out of the mist
curtain. Upon their backs, cloaked riders crouched low. They held long poles
with lassos attached. Without pausing to look around, the Raiders galloped
straight for Luke and his brothers.
Shouting,
Luke motioned at his brothers to save the herd. The untrained horses,
frightened by the noise and sudden panic of their riders, took off at full
gallop, clods of dirt and grass flying in the pursuing Raiders' faces.
Meagan saw
Carl running toward their herd. He leapt through the tall grass and whistled
for his horse. She knew he had to get the lead mare out of the way. If he could
catch Boo, then he could herd their horses across the plains and out of the
Raiders' reach. The Raiders never let their mist curtain close behind them, so
they could get back home. Because of this, the Raiders couldn't venture beyond
a certain perimeter. If Carl could get their horses far enough away, they would
be safe.
Meagan held
on to that thought as she ran, her breath coming in sharp gasps. Behind her,
she heard hoof beats. She turned. Two Raiders were swooping down upon her.
She uttered
a frightened scream and dodged, flinging herself toward the lake. Perhaps she
could swim away from them. But the Raiders, anticipating her move, rode to cut
her off. She swerved again, her lungs burning and her legs aching as she ran.
Then someone called her name, and she saw Luke galloping toward her, his hand
outstretched.
"Jump
on!" he shouted. His expression was grim.
"No!"
Meagan screamed back at him. "Go away! They'll catch you!" Already
the Raiders were closing in.
Luke paid no
attention. Kicking his mare, he leaned over and snagged Meagan's arm. She felt
as if it had been yanked out of its socket as she was jerked off her feet.
Instinctively, she swung her legs over the mare's back and grabbed Luke's
waist. A second later a lasso zinged through the air, just missing her head.
Luke had
just turned the mare toward the lake to try to lose their pursuers, when
another rope shot overhead and settled on the mare's neck. With a harsh cry,
Luke pulled her back before she was knocked off her feet. The Raiders were too
quick. They hauled back on the rope, sending the mare tumbling. Luke and Meagan
fell heavily to the ground, and the last thing Meagan saw were the mare's
kicking feet.
#Note &
Recipe:
Herders
travel light. Their staple diet is beans – “dried beans are easy to carry,
easy to fix, and have lots of vitamins and iron”, as Herders like to say.
When they get to their campsites, they usually put a handful of beans in a pot
of water to soak, and then cook them over an open fire. Here is one of Meagan's
favorite recipes:
Meagan's
Bean Stew with Leftover Bread
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups
dried pinto or cranberry beans
2
tablespoons olive oil
3 celery
stalks, sliced
2 carrots,
sliced
1 onion,
chopped
2 cloves
garlic, minced or crushed
1/2 teaspoon
dried red chili flakes
2 tomatoes,
diced
1 pound
kale, trimmed and coarsely chopped
2 cups
vegetable stock (Herders carry lots of bullion cubes to help flavor their
meals)
6 cups water
1 1/2
teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
fresh ground
black pepper
3 or 4
slices of stale or lightly toasted Italian or French bread, cut into
crouton-size pieces
Instructions:
Rinse the
beans and soak overnight covered in several inches of cold water with a little
lemon juice or vinegar added. Drain and rinse. Place the beans in a medium
saucepan. Cover with several inches of fresh water and bring to a boil. Reduce
the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until the beans are tender but
not falling apart. Drain and lightly mash some of the beans with a potato
masher. Set aside.
Heat a large
saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil, wait a few
moments, then swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Toss in the celery, carrot,
onion, garlic and chili flakes and cook, stirring, until the onion turns a
light brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook
until the tomatoes are slightly reduced, another 10 minutes. Now stir in the
beans with the kale and add the vegetable stock and water. Bring to a slow
boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the kale is tender,
about 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove from
heat and season with salt and plenty of fresh ground black pepper. Serve hot in
wide shallow bowls and scatter with pieces of stale or lightly toasted bread.
~ Enjoy! ~
About the author:
Jennifer Macaire lives in France with
her husband, three children, & various dogs & horses. She grew up in
upstate New York, Samoa, and the Virgin Islands. She graduated from St. Peter
and Paul high school in St. Thomas and moved to NYC where she modelled for five
years for Elite. She went to France and met her husband at the polo club. All
that is true. But she mostly likes to make up stories.
Where you
can find my book Website
Where I
write on my Blog
Thank you for posting my book excerpt!
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