The young man pointed, and Max set off. Around a bend from the fields, a grassy pasture sat before a cluster of stable buildings. A flash of gray caught his eye on the other side of the pasture, and his stomach flip-flopped. It was her. Her slender neck was bent to the ground, tail swishing as she cropped some grass.
He drew his gelding to an abrupt stop, leaped off, and threw the reins over one of the fence posts. Then, he vaulted the fence, aware that he was trespassing but unable to bring himself to care. “Elephant!” he called as he landed on his feet inside the pasture.
She raised her head, ears twitching. Then, her powerful body was in motion, cantering toward him, her graceful legs eating up the distance between them.
She drew to a halt, prancing before him. He lifted a hand to pat her nose, and she snorted, jerking her head away from his touch. She must be irritated with him for abandoning her. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.
She let out a soft whuffle and lowered her head, pressing her nose against his chest. His arms curved around her, stroking her cheek. For a long moment, his entire being was centered on the big, warm mass of horse in his arms.
“Hey!” A shout split the air. “You can’t be in there.”
Max turned to see a red-faced man gesticulating on the opposite side of the fence. Max released Elephant and walked toward the man. “Are you in charge here? I’d like to buy this horse.”
The man blinked. “I’m in charge of the stables. We only just bought this mare. The master won’t want to sell her. Be off with you now, and stop wasting our time.”
“This horse is stolen property,” Max said. “Legally, she belongs to me.”
The man let out a short bark of laughter. “Stolen property? Are you fucking with me? Get out of here before I call our guards to drag you out.”
This irritating man was now the only thing standing between Max and Elephant, and Max wanted nothing more than to punch him in the mouth and ride off on Elephant.
But he forced himself to go about things the right way. He adopted a relaxed posture, leaning his forearms against the fence. “I have plenty of witnesses who will swear under oath that I’ve owned her since she was a filly. You may have bought her in good faith, but she wasn’t free to be sold. And if your master doesn’t sell her back to me, I’ll take this to the courts. I doubt that will please your master. If you would be so good as to fetch him, we can sort this out between us.”
The stablemaster glared at him. A muscle in his jaw pulsed, and he let out a grunt of defeat. “I will see if he will speak with you. Come with me.” He beckoned Max to follow him.
Max gave Elephant one last glance, reluctant to leave her again even for a moment, but followed the stablemaster to the villa. Max waited in the atrium as instructed. The stablemaster lurked in the background.
Max surveyed his surroundings. A cluster of portrait busts, depicting the family’s ancestors, sat near the center of the atrium, along with several fancy-looking vases, no doubt expensive antiques. Max had once smashed an antique vase the day Crispina had first brought him home, which had almost caused Aelius to throw him out. But Crispina had stood up for him, and he’d been a part of their family from that day forward.
A paunchy, gray-haired man entered the atrium, frowning at Max. “I’m told you want to buy my horse.”
“She’s my horse, in fact,” Max said. “She was stolen from me, but I’m willing to buy her back from you. I’ll match the price you paid for her.”
The man’s brows drew together. “This is ridiculous. I purchased the mare in an honest sale.”
“She was not free to be sold.” Max crossed his arms. “I can easily prove to a court that she’s been mine since I was seventeen. Now, either you can accept my generous offer of payment, or I can ride back to Rome and find a lawyer. Eleph—the mare will be repossessed once my ownership is proven, and you’ll have no payment. At least I offer you a good price.” He held out his purse, stuffed with coin.
The man glowered hotly at him for a long moment. Finally, good sense won out, and he snatched the purse. “Now get off my property. You—” He snapped his fingers at the stablemaster, who stood at attention. “Make sure he leaves.”
The stablemaster nodded. “Yes, sir.” He beckoned to Max with a sour look on his face. “This way.”
Max returned to the pasture where Elephant waited. While the stablemaster fetched a rope halter and lead, Max inspected Elephant for any sign of injury or mistreatment. To his relief, she seemed in perfect health. Her mane and tail had been kept free of tangles, her hooves had been properly cleaned, and her coat brushed to its usual soft sheen.
She snuffled at his hair once he finished his inspection. “Yes, we’re going home,” he said. “Quite the adventure we’ve both had, isn’t it?”
She snorted and tossed her head.
A few moments later, Max was leading Elephant out of the pasture, with a triumphant bounce to his step. She was his once more. The grief and anxiety that had been simmering in him since their parting finally eased.
He brought Elephant to where the gelding waited. Elephant looked the other horse over with a critically tilted ear. Max switched the saddle and bridle from the gelding to Elephant, and put the rope halter on the gelding, keeping the lead in his hand.
He mounted Elephant. She gave a little prance as his weight settled into the saddle. A broad grin stretched across his face. He tensed his legs for a moment, and she eased into a walk. The motion of her gentle, familiar gait soothed something deep within him. Finally, he was back where he belonged.
Max’s stomach growled as he rode away from the estate, and he realized he hadn’t eaten since breakfast, which had only consisted of a couple hard-boiled eggs and some of yesterday’s porridge. He turned Elephant toward the road to Tibur, planning to grab a bite to eat before making the trek back to Rome. The gelding followed, marching stolidly by Elephant’s side.
Once he entered the town of Tibur, he dismounted from Elephant and led both horses through the streets, making his way toward the center of the town. The narrow streets soon opened up into a small market square, lined with stalls selling various wares and most importantly, food.
He found a small boy lurking in the shadows between buildings, and gave him a bronze coin to mind the horses on the edge of the square. He cast a glance at the boy’s skinny frame. Max remembered the days when luck, theft, or doing odd jobs for strangers had been his only shot at going to bed with a full stomach.
