Changespell Legacy by Doranna Durgin

mount—snorting with interest at her sudden arrival; Garvin looked up from the wheelbarrow he had just positioned in front of an empty stall. Human words escaped her; Jess let her body language speak for her, tall and offended, chin lifted to lay back her phantom equine ears and her glare dark and steady upon him.
    "Be of some use," he said, ignoring the belated arrival of both Dayna and Suliya behind him. "There are stalls to clean."
    "You had no right—" Suliya started, crowding close behind Jess, close enough to make Jess shift her weight, one leg aching to kick behind as would any tense, crowded mare—until Dayna pulled Suliya back, hissing words with an undertone of warning.
    "We are not yours to order," Jess said. "The horses were not yours to assign."
    He shrugged; his heavy features, starting to sag with age, offered no apology. He looked—and Jess was not sure, but the sight of his expression made her eyes narrow and her nostrils flare, a mix of human and equine responses— pleased with himself. "We're in emergency conditions," he said. "I'm serving my hold.
    And I outrank you, so I suggest you do as you're told and keep your complaints to yourself."
    Suliya moved up beside Jess, more carefully this time; Jess felt the difference in her, that they were standing together, not simply making way for Suliya—who now said in the coolest of tones, "We're not the ones you have to answer to. Carey is expecting those horses back today. He's expecting us back today, and back at work. Since you're inclined to throw rank around, I'm sure you realize the influence Carey has within both the courier barns and the Council. Or had you intended for this to be the last job you ever worked?" A different Suliya, one apparently used to playing games of rank and influence, and one Jess was grateful to have beside her.
    "Carey," Dayna added, much menace in her voice, "isn't the only one with a louder voice than Garvin's.
    Courier shortage or not, none of the holds can afford to retain a man who makes a bad situation worse."
    "Get off," Garvin scoffed, not looking quite so smug as he had a moment ago but not convinced, either.
    "I'm getting results; I'm getting the messages out. You can be useful here as well as anywhere, whether it's cleaning stalls or running messages. If you really want to get back to Anfeald, then you ," he gestured impolitely at Jess, "can play at being a horse and carry your friend home."
    Jess went cold-angry, her eyes widened and head lifted. Play at being a horse?
    Suliya's hand landed gently on her shoulder, enough of a surprise to distract Jess; Suliya raised her other hand, cutting off Dayna's hot response to Garvin. When Suliya spoke, her voice remained calm and cool, but with a cutting edge. "Your mistake," she said, "is that like most small people who have overstepped their authority, you think you can intimidate us out of recognizing it, or anger us enough so we respond personally instead of intellectually. But I've been watching my father run planning meetings for SpellForge since I was old enough to sit on a booster pillow without sliding off."
    Behind them, Dayna made a noise; to Jess, still seethingly speechless, her response meant nothing.
    But Garvin hesitated, appreciably taken aback. "This has nothing to do with SpellForge—"
    "No," Suliya said. "It doesn't. But the experience allows me to recognize when a career is ending, right on the spot. I've seen it often enough. And I'm very, very good at weighing clout. And, ay, you know what? You don't have any ."
    "I'm serving my hold," Garvin said again, although this time the words held less aggression and even a hint of worry. "The horses won't be back until the end of the day. You can weigh clout all you want; I've done my job."
    "You've done far more than that," Suliya said. She glanced at Jess and, with the first signs of hesitation, gestured at the end of the barn.
    She wanted to talk in private. Fine by Jess, who had no desire to be next to