第91章

Lucy could turn her face far enough to see Creech.Like a fiend he was reveling in his work.Suddenly he picked up the gun.

"Look a-hyar!" he called, hoarsely.

With eyes on her, grinning horribly, he walked a few paces to where the long grass had not been trampled or pressed down.The wind, whipping up out of the canyon, was still blowing hard.Creech put the gun down in the grass and fired.

Sage King plunged.But he was not gun-shy.He steadied down with a pounding of heavy hoofs.Then Lucy could see again.A thin streak of yellow smoke rose--a little snaky flame--a slight crackling hiss! Then as the wind caught the blaze there came a rushing, low roar.Fire, like magic, raced and spread before the wind toward the forest.

Lucy had forgotten that Creech had meant to drive her into fire.The sudden horror of it almost caused collapse.Commotion within --cold and quake and nausea and agony--deadened her hearing and darkened her sight.But Creech's hard hands quickened her.She could see him then, though not clearly.His face seemed inhuman, misshapen, gray.His hands pulled at her arms--a last precaution to see that she was tightly bound.Then with the deft fingers of a rider he slipped Sage King's bridle.

Lucy could not trust her sight.What made the King stand so still? His ears went up--stiff--pointed!

Creech stepped back and laid a violent hand on Lucy's garments.She bent--twisted her neck to watch him.But her sight grew no clearer.Still she saw he meant to strip her naked.He braced himself for a strong, ripping pull.

His yellow teeth showed deep in his lip.His contrasting eyes were alight with insane joy.

But he never pulled.Something attracted his attention.He looked.He saw something.The beast in him became human--the madness changed to rationality--the devil to a craven! His ashen lips uttered a low, terrible cry.

Lucy felt the King trembling in every muscle.She knew that was flight.She expected his loud snort, and was prepared for it when it rang out.In a second he would bolt.She knew that.She thrilled.She tried to call to him, but her lips were weak.Creech seemed paralyzed.The King shifted his position, and Lucy's last glimpse of Creech was one she would never forget.It was as if Creech faced burning hell!

Then the King whistled and reared.Lucy heard swift, dull, throbbing beats.

Beats of a fast horse's hoofs on the run! She felt a surging thrill of joy.

She could not think.All of her blood and bone and muscle seemed to throb.

Suddenly the air split to a high-pitched, wild, whistling blast.It pierced to Lucy's mind.She knew that whistle.

"Wildfire!" she screamed, with bursting heart.

The King gave a mighty convulsive bound of terror.He, too, knew that whistle.

And in that one great bound he launched out into a run.Straight across the line of burning grass! Lucy felt the sting of flame.Smoke blinded and choked her.Then clear, dry, keen wind sung in her ears and whipped her hair.The light about her darkened.The King had headed into the pines.The heavy roar of the gale overhead struck Lucy with new and torturing dread.Sage King once in his life was running away, bridleless, and behind him there was fire on the wings of the wind.