Chapter 7: Out.
Lee watched Alan riding the horse, but for a while nothing noteworthy happened. The street was relatively busy, and there were people leaving the town on foot, horses and mules. Judging by the lack of the line, it seemed that the search at the gates was rather superficial. Even wagons and carriages quickly passed through, creating a false sense of safety.
Obviously it was anything but that – if it was safe, Alan wouldn't have bothered with these theatrics. For now, though, he actually didn't do anything.
They kept getting closer to the distant town gates, and Lee began to wonder whether his stepfather was about to blow them up, or show actual superhuman abilities. But even though it would be exciting, what Tess said suggested a different approach.
For a split moment Alan made the horse gallop, but when he was next to a larger carriage, nimbly jumped off and began to walk next to it. It was hard to tell from the distance, but to Lee it seemed the man was feeding the horse something and, maybe, to the one of two horses pulling the carriage as well, but still nothing happened.
Alan was probably twenty, twenty five yards away from the gate when he let the bridle go and left the horse's side. The horse continued to obediently walk next to the two pulling the carriage while the former owner mixed with the people going towards the town center.
Lee didn't manage to furrow his brows in confusion before the hell broke loose. First Alan's horse, and immediately after one of the two pulling the carriage, slightly staggered, but then stopped, loudly neighed, while standing up on their hind legs, and then charged directly through the gate.
The third one, or rather – the other one pulling the carriage, was either enthralled by the mad rush, or maybe had no other choice, and heartily sped up as well, but it only led to the carriage crushing in a wagon in front of it, and breaking apart. The three horses – the Alan's former one and the other two, charged towards the town gate, loudly neighing, pulling along few large pieces of what was left of the carriage.
Obviously the people on the street and behind the city gates immediately scattered, making room for the crazed animals to run through, but unfortunately that was all Lee saw. At that moment Alan arrived and took reins from Tess, who tucked Lee deeper in the sling, and lied down in the wagon, burying herself under the heap of cloth.
For a while Lee only heard screams, shouts and curses, but he could clearly tell their wagon never stopped moving.