Kre merely nodded, unsure of what to say now that he was alone with the massive man that was able to get a normally genial Beleg all riled up. Though with Beleg now on his mind and with a desire to change the subject, he asked, “Has Master Cuthalion retired for the evening then?”
Barry nodded, “Don’t worry about him boy. He’ll be too drunk to notice you’re not there to hold his piss pot. Even if he does notice, I’ll just tell him I forced you to tend to Hireo here.”
Kre nodded again, thankful that Barry was filling in any gaps in his story with his own logic. “Just one last hoof there,” he said, gesturing to the other hind leg. “Then I’ll be done and out of your way sir.”
The large man shifted positions with Kre to allow the boy the room to work on the stallion. “Heard you talking to my boy here,” Barry said. “Not many do that. Fewer still would trust their skills at animal handling to even approach Hireo, wild as he looks.”
“He may be massive and look fierce,” Kre replied, working to pry out a small pebble, “but he’s got a playful smile hidden behind those big eyes of his.”
“That he does,” Barry agreed. “But make no mistake. Playful as that smile is, he’ll still wear it while stomping your face in the dirt if I tell him to. Stone cold killer, he is, because that’s what I’ve trained him to be.”
A shudder ran down Kre’s spine and the pick fell from his clumsy fingers. As he reached to reclaim his tool from the hay-scattered floor, he couldn’t help but more thoroughly inspect the hoof in fear that he might spot a piece of bone wedged in there between the hoof wall and the metal shoe.
Spotting nothing out of the ordinary, Kre continued his work in silence, focusing only on finishing the job and getting out of there and away from this very dangerous man.
“All done sir,” he said softly, keeping his eyes downcast and moving the stool to the rear of the stall.
“How are you at shoeing a horse?” Barry asked, following Kre out of the stall. “I know the man that handles it here in Yahaestra and I wouldn’t trust him to put a beast out of its misery… at least, not intentionally. Plus, Hireo likes you.”
Kre knew that the right answer to the question was the one that involved him spending less time with Barry, but at the same time, he knew that he couldn’t leave a horse to a cut-rate farrier. “It’s been a while,” he replied, “but I had a fair hand at it once upon a time.”
“That’s settled then,” Barry said, clapping the boy on the back and nearly dislocating his shoulder. “Tomorrow morning, you’ll see to Hireo first thing.” He dug a few coins out of his pocket and pressed them into Kre’s hands.
“But, Master Cuthalion,” Kre protested.
Barry shook his head, “Your master and I will be going about other business. He won’t be needing you until well into the afternoon. In fact, keep whatever change is left and take a few hours off for yourself.”
He spun Kre around to face him and squeezed hard on his shoulder, nearly causing him to drop instantly to the ground in pain, “Just make sure you take excellent care of Hireo first. His life is far more valuable to me than yours.” Though Barry’s eyes still had a bit of a playful look to them, much like his horse, Kre could see the hard lines on his face that indicated he would have no problem slitting the throat of someone that crossed him.