Bastian led them to the long building where the horses were kept. The men used them during hunts, which were held in the forest just on the other side of the section of the city walls closest to the palace. The horses were pampered as much as the royals, though Cole had not had much contact with them in her days at the palace. The other girls had mumbled and complained about them, though, and how even the horses received better meals and beds. When they entered the stables, Cole could see why they believed this.
To say the stables were as grand as the palace would not be an overstatement. Huge oaken beams soared above their heads, stained a rich brown and creating intricate designs that wouldn't have looked out of place in a temple. The main walkway, which cut through the building, was big enough to accommodate at least four horses walking abreast of each other, and was paved with white and blue tiles. The stables doors were handcarved with an image of a dagger stabbing through a giant rose. They led into the actual pens where the horses were kept, and each horse had more room than Cole's house back with Helene. Fresh straw filled the stables, and the smell wafted in the air with a pleasing fragrance. The way the walkway was built created a natural place for the wind to pass through, which brought with it a much needed breeze to keep the stablehands and horses cool.
As Cole looked around at the splendor, she wondered how a king could keep his horses like princes while he kept his own subjects rotting in his dungeon. And how he kept his real prince so frightened that he hid wounds beneath a silk shirt and pretended to be rotten in his soul despite being...
She didn't want to finish the thought. The less she thought of Bastian, the better.
The group stopped in the middle of the stable building, and Bastian turned to face them.
"I want you to go make sure all my tack is in perfect condition," he said, pointing to a full door a few feet away that must have led to the supply room. "And while you're doing that, I'll see to my horse." He nodded his chin toward a stable pen at nearly the other end of the stable. It was pretty obvious he wanted time alone, and really the girls had no way of denying him it. Their job was to keep close to him, but if he wanted them gone, they had to obey.
Bastian headed off first, and then Meegan led the girls to the supply room where they lit a few candles to look over the mass of riding equipment hung up in the darkness. The others showed Cole briefly how to check that the leather bridles, saddles, and quilted blankets were all in working order, and then they all quietly set to work separately.
Within a few minutes, Cole's back ached and her eyes were blurring from the boredom. She stifled yawn after yawn, and glanced up to see that Meegan was seemingly content with checking the brass on a bridle.
Cole sighed and looked back down at the quilted blanket in her hands, but then spotted the ring still on her finger. It glowed dully, despite her not trying at all to reach out for magic. She drew in a quiet breath and stuffed her hand in the folds of her skirt. It was painfully obvious that her ring was glowing in this dark room, and no matter how hard she tried to shut herself off from any magic, she could not stop it.
"Meegan," she hissed. "Meegan!"
Meegan glanced up, curiosity crossing her face. "What?"
"I... I didn't have the chance to use the chamber pot this morning and..." She grimaced, making a show of crossing her legs and bouncing up and down on her chair. "Can I run out for a moment? I promise I'll be quick."
Meegan sighed loudly and actually rolled her eyes. "Fine. But make sure the prince doesn't see you. We should be following his orders, not forgetting something that children learn to do at three."
"Sorry," Cole whispered, but she didn't care how stupid Meegan thought her. She needed to get out of the dark room before anyone noticed the glowing ring and asked questions that she wouldn't be able to answer.