I was yanked into wakefulness by an abrupt clamour that had me startled and disoriented. I let out a relieved sigh the moment I realised that the “shouting” was Joel’s howling laughter. I rubbed my eyes, wiping away the remaining fragments of sleep, then pushed open the carriage door.
I took a deep breath in at the view that unfurled before me. The calm dawn reflected hues of amber with trails of scattered pink clouds, like pulled strands of fluffy cotton. It brought with it a sense of peace and tranquillity. My deep inhale also exposed me to the aromatic smell of coffee and smoked meat, which had my mouth instantly watering.
All seven of them gathered around their tents, either having breakfast or polishing weapons—or both. At least that’s what I glimpsed Aegir doing. Most grinned as they listened to Joel’s supposed anecdote, which he himself found to be amusing.
I disrupted their perfect circle and turned it into something that resembled a hand mirror. From the corner of my eye, I could see him watching me as I laid down a sheet on the sandy floor a few feet away. I opened my book.
A few chapters later, a shadow fell over my pages, and one of them said, “Here you go, lady.” When I lifted my head, I saw Darius handing me a cup of coffee and a plate piled with meat.
“Oh, thank you,” I replied, giving him a warm smile.
When have I ever hadmeatfor breakfast?
I told myself to slow down the moment I became self-conscious that I was basically inhaling my food. Thankfully, none of them paid attention. They were all busy dismantling the tents and gathering their scattered belongings.
I set the bookmark aside and savoured the last few pages. I smirked, then let out a long sigh after taking in the satisfying ending.
“Let me guess,” Aegir drawled from behind me, “his sweetheart forgave him, and then they lived happily ever after.”
I closed the book and twisted myself around. “Oh, you guess wrong, Lord Hailin. She actuallydestroyedhim, then lived happily ever after with someone else,” I replied, gleaming. Aegir moved in front of me, sparing me from my uncomfortable position.
“Now I wonder what he did to deserve such a fate.”
“Well, for starters, he was a con man who was only after her coin.”
“Hmm. I see, so—”
“Aegir, what do you want to do with this?” Torvin bellowed, his voice carrying from somewhere near the carriage.
“Tend to your needs and pack your things, we leave in a few minutes and won’t be stopping anytime soon,” Aegir said, before following Torvin’s raspy voice.
Aegir didn’t lie. We stopped only once to ease ourselves.
We rode into the night’s gloam, and with nothing to do and no one to talk to, I just stared out the carriage window. I let past thoughts visit me and leave me as they pleased.
I hoped that Cinnamon was all right, safe.
“Come, help me clear this stall. We’re expecting a new mare,” Semuel announced.
“You’re getting another horse?” I asked eagerly.
“Yes, why have five when you can have six? She should arrive at the main stables this afternoon. Faern will let us know when she gets here.”
I loved how Semuel always surprised me with exciting news.
“Prince Semuel, meet Browny. She’s four years of age and in perfect health. See for yourself,” a tall, slender male said, pointing at the most beautiful mare I had ever seen.
Semuel circled her, assessing her head to hooves, then stopped to brush her neck. “She’s beautiful,” I whispered at his side, touching the white diamond in between her heart-melting eyes. “Look, she’s a sweetheart.”
“I hope she runs as fast as she’s sweet, though,” Semuel said.
Oh, I didn’t care about that! All I knew was that I wanted her.
“Oh, she runs,” Slender assured him. “If you want, you can try her out.”
“Busy day today?” Ismail said from behind me. We watched Semuel riding Browny in the eastern paddock.
“It’s actually my day off today,” I replied. “I’m just tagging along.”
