Page 56 of Knightfall
I couldn’t cover my face with my hands; a group of noblemen walked by just then, on their way to the practice arena. I had to fake a smile and a nod and maintain my composure.
Part of me felt like laughing. But the other part of me felt like crying. Because this either meant that my husbands were on their way to forgiving me, that they were joking with me and including me. Or it meant they truly and completely hated me and were determined to torture me. I wasn’t sure which it was.
Chapter Fifteen
We reached the stables, which housed not only horses, but pegasi, bulls, donkeys, and two ancient horned gargoyles. Noble and servant children alike skittered in and out of the doors of the stable. It was a popular place to visit.
The beast master, Jase, was a grim, dark man with a jagged scar across his chin. He strode out the stable doors to greet us, a bag of apples in hand. He must have been feeding the horses.
He grunted at me. That was as much of a greeting as he ever gave.
Behind him, I saw three servant children pointing and making faces. Jase was both revered for his abilities with animals and feared for the scar on his face. He also had an uncanny sense of his surroundings. Without turning from us, he threw an apple backward, smacking one of the kids in the chest.
“Off with you!” he groused. The children scattered like mice.
"Morning, Jase. May we have three horses please?"
“How long a ride?”
“We’ll be heading to Terra.”
He nodded, gave a perfunctory bow, and disappeared into the stables. I heard another thunk of what could only have been an apple hitting wood.
“Get outta here, you mangy curs!” Jase bellowed.
Another group of giggling kids ran past us, one of them munching on a slightly bruised apple. I wondered then, if the apples really were for the horses or if Jase kept the treats for the children. The old hard-ass would never admit to it but … I bit my lip and resolved to send him a barrel of apples.
I laughed as the children ran down to the paddock and climbed the fence to watch the gargoyles stretch and run; I was as excited for my adventure today as they were for theirs. What I had planned was so much better than being stuck with tutors yet again.
"What exactly are we doing? Declan asked. “Terra’s at least an hour away.”
I shrugged. “Each fall, the farmers near Terra go into the hills and pick berries. Today is the first day of picking. I thought it would be a good opportunity for you to test your magic because it requires precision. And because you couldn’t possibly drown anyone in the process."
“You did not almost drown!” Declan protested.
Meanwhile, Ryan grumbled. "I thought we would do something exciting. I thought we'd have him divide knives in half or something to help fend off an attack."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm pretty sure you think farming is exciting when food’s brought to the table every night."
Declan laughed, "She's got you pinned, Ry!"
Ryan smacked Declan on the back. “Shut it." He turned to me, “What am I here for?"
“Isn’t your family from Terra? I thought you might like the chance to see them.”
Ryan groaned. “This is all a ploy to meet my family?” He pointed a finger. “You’re going to try to get my mother to guilt me back into liking you, aren’t you?”
“You liked me at some point to begin with?”
He bit his lip. “I didn’t say that.”
“Dec, Ryan liked me!” I threw out my arms and spun around. “Oh. Nope. You did not just see that. That was not queenly at all. Do not tell my mother.”
Declan shook his head. “What’s gotten into you?”
“Castle fever. I haven’t been stuck inside this long in forever.”
Declan cocked his head. “Ah. The real reason for this trip is revealed. It’s selfish.”
