Eleos smiled at me, rubbing his mare’s snout. “She loves you.”
“Already?” I flicked the saliva from my fingers.
“Horses are intelligent creatures. She knows she’s safe with you.”
Frowning, I stared into the horse’s eyes. Maybe Eleos was right. A deep well of intelligence seemed to lurk beneath the surface. Eleos’ dappled brown horse nuzzled him, much more gently and without coating his neat brown waves in spit.
Of course, his horse would be as polite as he was.
Seraphim and her black horse shook their thick manes at the same time. She glanced between us. “I hear the markets here are great for souvenirs.”
Percy tipped his hat over his eyes. “You want to go shopping? Shouldn’t we stay together?”
“I’ll watch over you.” She nodded at Percy. “And the boys can watch Aethra. We’ll only be across the street from one another.”
“But-”
“Take a moment to breathe. We’ll meet back up by that tree.” Nodding, she pointed out a canopy of red leaves looming over a small church atop a nearby cliff.
Taking Percy’s arm, Seraphim dragged him away. Seth furrowed his brow, shifting from foot to foot, as though intending to chase after them.
I nudged Seth. “You can go with them.”
“Percy doesn’t need me hovering over him like a worried mother.” He peered down at me. “Besides, he can hold his own in a fight.”
“I can, too.”
“Is that right, princess?”
“Mhm.” Leading my mare away, I flashed him a cheeky smile. “I disarm them with a smile and then run away.”
Rolling his eyes, Seth muttered under his breath. “I’m training her for nothing, aren’t I?”
“Well,” Eleos turned to look at us. “Did any of you forget something at home?”
Chuckling, I glanced over the shop signs. “My sorry excuse for a mattress.”
“Want a new one?” Eleos asked. “An aching back might get you out of bed earlier.”
Seth snorted.
“Hey,” I protested. “It’s not my fault that none of you wake me up.” Glancing across the street, my gaze lingered on Percy as he waved his hands around in enthusiastic conversation.
Face falling, Eleos watched Percy and Seraphim disappear into a textile shop. “You’ve been looking at him differently. I know how you feel. I didn’t know what to say, either.”
“What can you?” I muttered.
“Nothing,” Eleos said plainly.
“Don’t say anything,” Seth called from behind us. “Percyhatesbeing treated differently.” Skidding to a stop, he gasped, staring at a sign across the street. “Wait a moment.”
I followed his gaze to a smithy, where a variety of knives hung on display behind the forge. Dropping his reins into Eleos’ hands, Seth darted away, though Whisper remained behind with us. Finding a tree in the center of the road, I ducked beneath its boughs to escape the crowd while we waited.
Whisper sat on my foot, his wiry fur tickling my skin. Petting his underbelly with my shoe, I flicked a few new clumps of mud off the poor boy.
Leaning against the trunk, I watched Seth hungrily eye the collection. “Does he have any hobbies besides blood?”
Eleos stood beside me, pulling out his journal and flipping through the pages. A quill was tucked into its binding, worn down and feather frayed. One heavy day of writing, and it looked like it might fall apart entirely.
