Chapter 43

Chapter 43

M ariah stood in the stable aisles as the stable hands ran to and fro. A few of them stopped and gawked, eyes going wide. She fidgeted in her riding leathers, adjusting the fitted cropped cotton shirt.

“Your Majesty!” A stable hand stopped in the alleyway, heels digging into the packed earth. He glanced over his shoulder. “Would you … Do you need me to ready your horse?”

Mariah smiled. “Actually, I was hoping you could just show me to his stall and then to the tack room.”

The boy cocked his head, brow twisting. “Your … Majesty? Are you … don’t you want our help?”

“I know you are all fantastic at your jobs and with the horses,” she assured him, twisting her hands together. “But I think I need to saddle my horse. On my own.”

The boy nodded. “Alright,” he said, though his brow was still furrowed. “I’ll take you to his stall.”

Mariah followed the stable hand through the rows of inquisitive faces, ears pricked and eyes bright. She knew the stable masters moved where the horses were stalled, depending on the current capacity. If she had tried to find Kodie herself, she might’ve wandered for hours. The stable hand led her around a corner and Mariah caught sight of a familiar golden head, black forelock spilling over his face.

She touched the boy’s shoulder. “I’ve got it from here. Just show me the tack room, and you can go help the others ready their horses when they arrive.”

The boy nodded, pointing to a rolling door to the left of Kodie’s stall before wishing her well and disappearing back the way they’d come.

Mariah’s smile lingered as she turned back to her horse. That one last trace of home she had left. She stepped forward, holding her hand out to him.

“Hi, sweet boy,” she murmured, scratching his velvety nose before moving her hand up to stroke his face. “Miss me?”

He nickered to her slightly as if in response, which only tugged her smile wider. Reaching for the halter hanging beside his stall, she undid the latch and slid open the door. She slipped the halter around his head, buckling it behind his ears, and tied the lead to a loop on his stall wall. Sneaking a quick kiss to his snout, she padded out of the stall and across the hall to the tack room.

It was like falling into a familiar routine. She grabbed a brush and his saddle pad, tossing them both onto the swept aisle floor, before finding her old, comfortable black-leather saddle. It was polished and clean, but Mariah couldn’t help the flash of images that raced through her head when she saw it.

She and her father leaving Andburgh under the cover of night after she stole her grandfather’s dagger from Lord Donnet.

The parade through the city.

Cedoric’s dying gasp as he fell from his horse.

Trefor’s shout of pain as an arrow pierced his shoulder.

She shuddered, then grabbed Kodie’s bridle from where it hung on the wall, slinging it over her saddle horn much the same way she slung out those dark thoughts from her mind. Forcing them back into the darkest recesses of memory.

She had a mission today. A goal. Nothing would falter her feet.

With practiced hands, Mariah brushed Kodie quickly, then slipped the saddle pad onto his back, followed by the saddle. She cinched the girth across his belly, clipping his chest piece to the ring beneath him and then to either side of the saddle. Removing his bridle from around the saddle horn, she turned to face his head.

She froze.

Leaning against the open stall door, a contemplative expression on his handsome face, was Andrian.

In a movement that was too easy, too painfully familiar, he smiled, hands sliding into his pockets. “By all means.” His voice was a little rough. “Don’t let me interfere with your routine.”

She glowered at him, but there was no bite behind it. It was only to hide the stupid giggle that wanted to burst from her.

He was flirting with her. And she wasn’t quite sure how to feel about it.

So, instead, she pasted a haughty look across her face and stepped to Kodie’s head. Putting her back to Andrian, she slid Kodie’s halter off and hung it on the ring where she’d tied his lead. Kodie dipped his head, letting her slide the bridle over his ears, the metal snaffle bit slipping between his teeth.

Mariah felt Andrian as she buckled Kodie’s bridle under his jaw. He was thankfully silent across their bond, but his heat was magnetic. He reached out, scratching gently at Kodie’s forelock, though she refused to turn to him.

“You know we have stable hands who do this sort of thing for us, right?”

“Yes,” she quipped, “but today, I wanted to do it myself.”

That seemed to be enough for him because instead of teasing her further, he asked a different question.

“What’s his name?”

That pulled Mariah’s gaze to him. Andrian’s hand still stroked Kodie’s face, but his eyes were fixed on hers, his expression unreadable.

She tilted her head, surveying him quickly.

“Kodie. After my grandfather.”

He held her gaze, something sharp in his eyes. “That sounds like a story.”

She wanted to snap at him, to tell him that they didn’t have time and that the others would expect them soon. That she didn’t feel like sharing this piece of her past, one of the few cherished memories she had from her childhood.

“You need to learn to trust him again.”

With a deep breath, she broke his stare, looking instead into Kodie’s soft brown eyes.

“When I was a girl,” she said. “I always wanted a horse of my own. But my family couldn’t afford another one—we had my mother’s mare and my father’s warhorse. That was it. My brother and I were still small enough that we could ride tandem with our parents if we needed to go anywhere as a family … which, truthfully, wasn’t often.” She stroked Kodie’s face, playing with his forelock.

“But I still begged my parents. Prodded and pleaded and poked until they were sick of me. One day, when I was thirteen, I was out wandering around the outskirts of town, moping about the fact that I couldn’t go hunting with my father and younger brother. I stumbled my way onto a local farm.” She smiled at the memory. She still felt Andrian’s eyes on her, but they were warm, no longer a searing heat.

The bond between them was still silent. Mariah bent, inspecting Kodie’s front hoof before righting herself and rechecking his girth.

“The farmer had a horse. A fierce palomino mare that he’d used to plow his fields. And that day, he was just … standing in the field with her, a sour expression on his face. So, being the bold little shit I was, I walked right up to him and asked him why he looked at his horse like that. ‘Because,’ he’d said, ‘she just had a foal.’ And there he was, just a scrawny little guy hiding behind his mom.”

That errant bond stirred in her chest. Just a flutter, but enough for Mariah to stumble slightly as she slipped around Kodie’s rear to stand on his other side, avoiding Andrian’s intense gaze. “I asked the farmer what he planned to do with it. He grew very distressed and agitated. ‘Do you have any idea how much work a foal is, girl? I’m an old man; I do not have time for this.’” Mariah looked deep into Kodie’s eyes.

“The farmer said he had no choice but to put the foal down. His mare would be sad for a time, but he simply couldn’t manage it. But, to me … that was unacceptable. So, I did what any out-of-control, overly determined thirteen-year-old would do.” Mariah smiled, scratching Kodie’s ear.

“I told that farmer I would take the foal. Bottle feed it, sleep in the barn with it, I didn’t care. I would make that foal my own, and he wouldn’t have to spend a dime or raise a finger to care for it.” She finally turned to Andrian, knowing his eyes would still be locked on her. That bond still flickered in her chest, just a tickle beneath her ribs.

“So? He said yes?” He shifted against the stall doorway, crossing his arms over his chest.

Mariah swallowed. “Of course, he said yes.” She fought back a grin and the telltale heat of her flush. She glimpsed his blinding smile just as she turned back to Kodie. More warmth spilled through their bond, going straight to her cheeks.

“In fact, he agreed to let his mare keep the foal, so I wouldn’t have to bottle feed, if I helped him on his farm until the foal could be weaned. I accepted in a heartbeat. My parents were less than thrilled, but my father eventually relented, believing the few months spent on a farm would be a good outlet for my need for adventure.

“So, I spent the summer working on that farm. Plowing fields, sowing crops, caring for livestock … all of it. Whatever that farmer needed me to do, I did it, no question.” Mariah grinned again. “Probably the first time in my life that has ever happened.”

A deep chuckle sounded beside her, much closer than she’d thought it would be. She inhaled on instinct and caught a whiff of his scent: rain and sandalwood, like the forest of her home.

More warmth pulled in her chest, wrapping around her heart.

“And the rest is history,” she ended in a rush, patting Kodie’s flank. He pawed at the ground, his hoof scraping at straw. “Kodie came home with me when he was weaned, and I spent the next few years training and breaking him. I never met my grandfather, but my mother told me stories about him. A great warrior who lost his life in some dispute in Vatha. He was impossibly stubborn and fierce, but loyal to a fault. I decided to name my little colt after him. Kodie has never really liked most people, but he’s always had a soft spot for me.”

Andrian chuckled, extending a hand. Kodie sniffed it once before pushing his nose into Andrian’s waiting palm.

Andrian grinned triumphantly. “He seems to not mind me.”

Mariah snorted and rolled her eyes. “You probably just hid carrots in your pockets.”

The second she said it, she knew what he would say.

“Oh, trust me, princess.” His voice was all darkness and smoke, liquid heat dumped into her veins. “That isn’t a carrot in my pocket.”

Mariah slowly turned to face him, ignoring the pounding in her chest or the flames licking down her neck.

“Did you just make a dick joke?”

His face fell, just a touch, the sly smirk slipping at her question. He chuckled nervously. “Can you blame me?”

She studied him, a reluctant smile tugging across her lips. “No. I think I pretty much handed you that one.” She turned back to Kodie, adjusting his bridle.

A stableboy rounded the corner.

“Sir,” he called, “your horse is ready.” The boy dipped his head to Mariah. “Your Majesty,” he squeaked, before scampering away.

Mariah stood beside Kodie’s head, staring up at Andrian. He held her gaze for a moment before stepping back, letting her lead her horse out of the stall, Kodie’s hooves clipping a steady rhythm across the floor.

“Time to leave, Armature,” she called over her shoulder. “Don’t make me wait on you.”

As it turned out, it wasn’t Andrian who kept their party waiting, but the young captain who had agreed to lead them to the abandoned apartment. Mariah, Andrian, and Sebastian all stood, mounted and waiting on their horses in the massive palace courtyard, when the captain rounded the corner, flushed and out of breath.

“My sincerest apologies, my queen,” he’d huffed, wiping a hand across his brow. “We had trouble locating the original report. I couldn’t be sure of the exact location without it.”

“You don’t remember it?”

The man flushed deeper. “I-I didn’t respond to the call, Your Majesty. I’ve never actually been there.”

Mariah’s lips tightened, but she held back her snarky retort. It would do them little good. “Very well.” She gestured toward the fourth saddled horse, waiting patiently by the stables. “Mount up. You’re leading us.”

The man scurried away, swinging himself into the saddle.

Mariah turned to Sebastian. “Seb, you’ll ride with him. Make sure he’s not full of shit.”

Sebastian’s lips tightened, hazel eyes darting between Mariah and Andrian, before nodding. “Don’t get too far behind,” he said softly. His words were clipped, but he said them.

Mariah loosened her breath, thankful that he’d taken a step back.

She had a feeling she had her best friend to thank for that and would be sure to pull as much from Ciana about it the second they returned to the palace.

The captain trotted past, still flushed and sweating, and with a soft click, Sebastian urged his mount after him. Mariah squeezed her thighs and Kodie stepped into a steady walk, trailing after the captain and Sebastian.

“You coming, Armature?”

Behind her, she heard hoof steps.

“Always, princess.”