Chapter 11
Eleven
For one moment, Aurelia let herself rest in Danton’s warm arms. Her heart rate was still slowing back toward normal, and she could have happily stayed in the safe circle of his hold for hours.
But Phoebe’s cry reminded her of their surroundings, and she pulled back. They had both just had a significant scare, and Danton was offering her comfort. She shouldn’t read more into it than that.
“I was with the horses,” Phoebe cried, rushing up to join them. “But one of the pegasi said you fell.”
“I’m all right,” Aurelia said.
“Your dress isn’t,” Phoebe exclaimed, and Aurelia gave her a sad look.
“Don’t remind me.” She glanced upward at the sound of beating wings.
More pegasi had arrived, including two more stallions. Between the black stallion, Echo, and the two new stallions, they should be able to pull the filly out. She waved them down, and all four pegasi landed, crowding the space at the top of the ravine.
“You’ll need to let these men ride you,” she told the wild pegasi, hoping they would accept the necessity. “They need to hold the ropes.”
The pegasi all gave their agreement, and she turned her attention to the men, supervising them as they respectfully mounted on the bare backs of the pegasi, each with a rope end and its corresponding canvas end in hand.
“Don’t drop them,” she told the men, unable to help herself.
The men nodded fervently, casting looks at Danton. Clearly they were too nervous to speak after the near disaster, but they all looped the ropes securely around their bodies to anchor them in place.
Each man carried one end of rope and one end of canvas, and the pegasi divided into two pairs, two hovering above Bramble’s left side and two above her right side, depending on the ends of the rope borne by their riders.
On Danton’s command, they moved upward in unison. Phoebe and Aurelia clutched at each other, their breaths held as the ropes went taut and began to strain.
One of the men cried out, but he didn’t let go of his end of rope, and the four pegasi moved upward a fraction, rising in perfect unison. Bramble gave a loud whinny and popped free, the pegasi in the air shooting suddenly upward.
That hurt! she called, and Aurelia laughed in relief. She sounded annoyed, not truly injured.
The stallions immediately lowered her onto the top of the crevice beside the two girls. As soon as they had done so, their riders flung down the ropes and canvas, and the stallions swooped in to land.
Aurelia and Phoebe ran forward to disentangle Bramble from the ropes, examining her from all sides and murmuring sympathetically over her scratches. A few small trickles of blood ran down her flanks and shoulders, but they would heal quickly and easily.
“You’re a very fortunate girl.” Aurelia scratched her neck, and Bramble leaned into her with a whuffing noise that made the girl laugh.
Don’t reward her! The black stallion sounded furious, but Aurelia defiantly held her place.
“She’s so young. And she must have been terrified. But she was extremely helpful when I was getting the ropes around her.”
I should hope so. The stallion turned a baleful eye on the bay filly, who hung her head.
“We are pleased to have been of assistance and relieved for your herd mate’s safe rescue,” Danton said. “Can we ask a favor in return?”
I have spoken to the herd, the stallion said. We know of no healing plant, and we have no experience of a sickness that can strike down a whole herd.
Dismay pulled at Aurelia’s legs, but she drew strength from Bramble’s warmth beneath her hands.
“You’ve never heard of any herd being struck down by illness?” she asked. “No illness at all?”
The stallion blew out a breath and stomped one hoof. Pegasi are strong and healthy.
“And yet there is clearly at least one illness capable of striking you down,” she said. “So there must be a reason why it never afflicts those of you who live in the mountains.”
My belly hurt last week, Bramble offered, clearly wanting to be helpful.
Your belly is always hurting, the black stallion responded in such a tone of long-suffering that Aurelia hid her smile against Bramble’s neck.
They really did sound like a human parent and child.
But it is your own fault. You’re too picky and frequently become distracted when you’re supposed to be eating.
Is it any wonder you end up feeling ill?
You may think the star leaves are a delicious delicacy, Bramble said mulishly, but I think they taste awful. The only wonder is that you don’t all feel sick from eating them.
“What are star leaves?” Aurelia asked hesitantly.
They are one of the tastier plants to be found in these mountains, the black stallion said with a disapproving look at Bramble.
Aurelia turned that over in her mind.
“Is it truly unusual that Bramble dislikes them so much?”
She is the most difficult foal I have ever encountered, the stallion said, the long-suffering back in his voice.
Aurelia turned to Bramble. “And you’re the only one who gets these frequent stomachaches? What do your elders say when you get them?”
She gave a great sigh. They tell me to mind my elders, to stop complaining, and to eat what I’m told to eat.
“So when your stomach starts to hurt, your herd makes you eat the same things they do—in particular these star leaves?” She met Danton’s eyes, her own full of hope.
“That could be it. Bramble’s stomachaches could be the start of the sickness, but she’s always treated it before it goes any further.
And the other pegasi eat the star leaves without complaint, so they never get symptoms at all and would have no idea what the plant is doing for them. ”
“Those who are sick in the royal herd did start by complaining of stomachaches,” Danton said eagerly. “What do these star leaves look like? Where can I find them?”
Bramble twisted her head around, finally spotting something green on the far side of the ravine. There is one there. Do you see how the leaves grow in the shape of a star?
Bramble appears to be the expert, the black stallion said, still clearly annoyed with the filly now that she had been safely rescued.
She can show you where to collect them. He hesitated.
We thank you for your assistance, and we hope the city herd are aided by the star leaves.
We do not desire for any pegasus to die.
“Thank you for your assistance.” Danton gave him a respectful bow. “I hope we will have the chance to speak again one day.”
The black stallion didn’t respond, merely launching himself into the sky, his two lieutenants behind him.
Bramble pranced on the spot, tossing her head and testing her legs. It is good to be free! Let us go hunting the star leaves.
Aurelia laughed and ran after her, the others streaming behind them. It didn’t take long to stumble on a patch large enough to fill the satchel Danton had brought for the purpose. Bramble didn’t help gather the leaves, instead munching on the extra with an expression of disgust.
They still taste as awful as ever. But if they will keep me from being ill, I suppose I’ll have to keep eating them.
“Maybe you’ll develop a taste for them at some point,” Aurelia offered hopefully, but Bramble merely gave a defeated huff.
“I just hope they can cure the illness in its later stages,” Danton said grimly, and Aurelia frowned. She hadn’t even thought of that issue.
But she shook her head, throwing off the momentary lowering of her spirits. She refused to be downcast. She would believe in the star leaves until they heard otherwise.
“Echo?” Danton asked once the satchel was full, and the chestnut stallion came willingly toward him. “You will carry it straight to the palace?”
With full speed. Even Aurelia heard Echo’s response.
Danton clapped the pegasus on the shoulder and made quick work of attaching a simple harness to him that could securely hold the satchel.
“Fly low,” Danton instructed. “We don’t know what cold will do to the plants.”
They all watched Echo until he was a tiny dot in the distance.
“Will the grooms at the palace question why Echo is willing to run your errand?” Aurelia asked.
Danton shrugged. “I’ve told him to seek out the head groom, but I don’t think they’ll ask too many questions regardless.
After my success with the king’s stallion, they know I’ve won respect from some of the unbonded pegasi in the mountains.
And you heard that stallion. The pegasi may not care much about us, but they don’t want to see a fellow pegasus die.
It’s possible one of them would have taken the leaves for us if we hadn’t had Echo to do it. ”
Aurelia nodded, hoping he was right and Echo’s errand wouldn’t lead to Danton’s secret being discovered.
With Echo gone from view, they walked slowly back to their mounts, Bramble prancing along with them, her belly apparently full. When they reached the horses, Aurelia realized they had a problem. Without Echo, they were a horse short.
Danton was already looking at her, an apology in his eyes. “As you’ve already said, you’re the smallest,” he murmured.
Aurelia swallowed. “You want to ride with me?”
She glanced toward Phoebe, thinking her friend might rescue her, but Phoebe was bent over Fable, apparently oblivious to their conversation.
Danton swung onto the back of the strongest of the mounts, reaching a hand down to her. “We’ll take it slow. We don’t have far to go.”
Reluctantly, Aurelia put her hand into his and allowed him to pull her up so that she sat sideways across the front of his saddle, cradled between his outstretched arms.
“Are you comfortable?” he murmured, and she nodded, not trusting her voice.
This was the third time he had held her in something approximating an embrace, and she could no longer fool herself into thinking that she wouldn’t be dreaming of the real thing for years to come.
She held herself rigidly upright as they fell into a single file line, Danton and Aurelia at the back, since they moved slowest on their heavily laden horse.
“You can relax,” Danton said quietly. “I’ve already told you I don’t bite.”
She flushed but allowed herself to unbend a little, shifting slightly into a more comfortable position. Sitting on horseback, the excitement of finding the star leaves behind them, she could feel every ache and pain from her climb and subsequent fall.
She sighed softly, the movement of the horse’s plodding steps making her relax even further.
It was so warm inside Danton’s arms, the sense of safety she had felt earlier so complete, that weariness pulled at her muscles.
She couldn’t fall asleep, though. She needed to stay rigidly upright, and if she slept, she would be sure to fall back against Danton.
She awoke slowly, her head tucked securely against his shoulder and her side pressed against the breadth of his chest. How long had she been sleeping? Had it been only moments?
She knew she should be alarmed—should force herself to sit upright—but the fog of sleep still pulled at her. Instead, she turned her face questioningly up toward his. He looked down at her, a glint in his eyes that made her heart speed up, her mind coming fully awake.
But his gaze held her in place, still lying against him, her head tipped up toward his. His eyes dropped to trace the shape of her lips, and her breath caught on a soft gasp.
At the sound, he swayed toward her, and her eyes fluttered closed in readiness for his kiss. But as soon as her closed lids cut off the vision of his face, she remembered herself. Bolting upright, she spun to face forward, looking in horror for the other riders.
She could see no sign of them, however, the path ahead hidden by an abrupt bend. Her breath came hard and fast, and neither she nor Danton spoke. At least no one else had witnessed her moment of weakness.
But if he wanted to kiss her, was it so very terrible to let him? The insidious thought wormed into her brain.
She couldn’t trust it, though. He had already pulled her into his arms once due to the emotion of the morning.
And now they had potentially found a cure for the royal herd, adding euphoria and gratitude to the mix.
It was a potent combination, and she couldn’t trust it.
The Earl had made it clear that she wasn’t the sort of girl he liked.
She needed to focus on what mattered—getting back to the estate so that they would be ready to receive word from the capital about the success of the star leaves. Then they should—
She sat bolt upright, her discomfort forgotten. “We need to stop!”
Bramble immediately appeared around the bend, trotting back in their direction, her head cocked curiously.
“What is it?” Danton looked around them, scanning for danger.
“We picked plenty of leaves before,” she said, “but we need to collect some seedlings as well. If the plants work, the palace will want to cultivate them in the royal gardens. We should collect them now, rather than having to come back on a second trip.”
Disappointed, Bramble turned back the way she had come. Apparently the pegasus was uninterested in gardening. But Phoebe was already rounding the bend in her wake, the others close behind her.
“What’s happened?” she asked, and Aurelia explained her idea again.
“I should have thought of that.” Phoebe sounded disappointed in herself. “How many do you think we need?”
The conversation turned technical, the three gamekeepers all having thoughts on the matter. But in the end, they settled on collecting ten seedlings and were occupied for some time in finding likely-looking options.
By the time they had finished gathering, Lady Ophelia had arrived with the rest of their group and the baggage. She delivered Danton’s spare mount to him with an unflappable air.
“We saw Echo flying overhead with a satchel,” she said calmly. “He was heading out of the mountains, so I figured you would need a mount. I assume we can finally go home?”
“As always, your instincts are perfect, Aunt,” Danton assured her, and Aurelia busied herself digging up the last of the chosen seedlings.
She was grateful she wouldn’t have to ride in front of Danton again. Clearly she couldn’t trust herself.
When they had the seedlings firmly secured, each in a protected clump of dirt, they all mounted, Aurelia riding alone. But when they set off, bound for the estate, Bramble continued to amble along beside them.
“Do you mean to accompany us all the way back to Windward?” Aurelia asked, amused. “Won’t your herd be looking for you?”
They know where I’ve gone. She turned her head to look at a rustling bush.
“And they don’t mind?” Aurelia asked, bemused.
Bramble turned back to her. They know that when a pegasus chooses a human, that human becomes their new herd. She sounded cheerful. They’re probably grateful to be rid of me.
“But…” Aurelia stared at her. “You’ve bonded with someone? Who?”
Bramble turned, her laugh sounding in Aurelia’s mind. With you, of course. Who else?