Seize the Day

Chapter Six

But the amber eyes of the person in front of me did not belong to Clarice Faretra. “Titus?”

“The one and only,” Titus replied, looking unusually flustered. “Need help?”

I crossed my arms. “I’m perfectly fine where I—”

“Lannie!”

“—am.” I realized that Clarice was in the hall directly across from where we were standing.

“You have maybe ten seconds before we’re both busted.” The prince held out his hand. “Coming?”

I sighed. Freedom over pride. I chose the only route of escape and took his hand.

                                                ————————

“Where are we going?”

Titus didn’t respond as he led me through secret passageways and doors until we exited the castle. I hadn’t realized I was holding my breath until we stepped on the neatly trimmed grass of the castle courtyard. A large wooden structure loomed near the side of the castle.

The structure we were approaching looked unfamiliar. It was shielded from the castle’s view by a lush grove of trees. The wind had died down, blowing the trees back and forth. Despite the wind, Titus managed to pry the door to the building open. “These are the stables,” he said, beckoning for me to follow.

Stables? I had never heard of the Royals owning horses before. I hesitantly followed Titus inside. He closed the door behind us, cloaking the room in darkness. Light filtered in from the slotted windows near the top of the walls, illuminating several gated stalls and a wide pathway. I heard the shuffling of hooves and odd-sounding neighs. They sounded rather queer for horses…

The prince expertly lit a torch and began lighting the lanterns hanging from hooks on the stall dividers.

A freakish shriek came from somewhere in front of me as I proceeded to follow Titus. What could be making that noise…? I jumped backward when another shriek sounded—this time from one of the stalls.

And then I knew.

“Titus…these aren’t…”

He nodded. “Yep. These are water horses.”

A shuddering sigh escaped my lips as the odor of wood chips, hay, and sweat hit my nose. “Wh—why would you take me here? Surely the garden is a better place to hide from Clarice.”

“Clarice isn’t allowed in here,” Titus’ voice echoed from the end of the stable as he lit the final lantern.

A nicker sounded from the stall next to me. There was a good reason why Clarice was not allowed in here. “Okay, but explain to me why you keep tamed water horses within the castle walls.”

“They’re good battle and transportation animals.” Titus disappeared into an open stall, making rummaging noises. I timidly made my way to the stall, which turned out to be a storage area with straw, saddles, and other miscellaneous things.

Titus pulled two hay bales out and sat on one. He clasped his hands behind his head and leaned against the wall. “You’ll be safe from Clarice here. She wouldn’t dare come in the stable.”

“Why is that?” I asked, sitting on the hay bale next to his. I had to clear a bowl of porridge from the hay; the groom probably forgot to take his lunch with him. “To say Clarice is afraid of water horses is like saying Odelia despises makeup.”

The prince gave me a grim look. I noticed for the first time that he seemed tired. The wind outside had dissipated, carrying the sounds of thundering along with it—the first signs of another one of Aria’s windstorms, I supposed. Titus must have been stressing over it, since the damage that our windstorms caused was critical. “Did your mother never tell you?”