AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As I get a closer look at him, it looks as if he has aged a few years over the past week. I am hoping Midnight isn’t responsible for this man’s worn-out look. But I know Midnight has, put lightly, a unique temperament.
“Is your horse a beast of the Underrealm or was he created by Thalos himself?” the man says with annoyance and frustration.
“Both, maybe? I’m not entirely sure where he came from,” I reply with a shrug.
The man huffs at my response and turns toward the stable without another word. I silently follow, fearing he will double his asking price after dealing with my horse for a week. I’m already paying him double the normal rate, but I needed to secure his silence. I don’t need anyone to find out I am here. Specifically, a very nosy, uptight Umbra general.
Before we even reach the stable, I can hear Midnight squealing and roaring through the doors. His large hooves stomp the ground inside, causing the entire structure to vibrate. I push past the man and swing open the stable doors to find Midnight looking livid. There are no people in the stable, and it appears the family has moved their horses down several stalls to avoid interaction with my wild stallion.
Midnight’s jet-black eyes meet mine as I step through the doors. He huffs at me and continues to pace his stall, scraping his hooves on the ground. Dirt flies in the air, creating a fine mist to be visible in the sunlight coming through the doors.
“What’s wrong, Midnight?” I ask, reaching to stroke his snout.
He snorts and pulls his face out of reach.
If I were anyone else, I, too, would be terrified of this feral horse. He’s night incarnate. With a black, velvety coat and a long, onyx mane, he looks like a walking shadow. He is a massively powerful horse, standing over six and a half feet tall at the withers. Warlanders in Umbra are bred for speed, power, and agility. And Midnight has those in droves.
Even as a foal, Midnight gave the trainers a run for their money. He never listened to anyone but me. The first time our eyes met, I swear I felt a thread pull tight inside me. I think he did too because his eyes softened. Oren hated that Midnight would only listen to me, which only made me love the horse more. We were unified in our defiance against Oren.
By the way he is pacing, I know he is mad at me for not taking him on my quest into Lux this time. He always goes with me when I travel to the other kingdoms, but this time there wasn’t a place I could keep him for so long. Hence, why he’s making such a giant commotion and has been terrorizing this poor family.
I stretch out my palm again to nuzzle his snout, but he snorts again, as if disgusted by the gesture.
“You know I would have taken you if I could. This was the only option this time, Midnight,” I say to him as he stomps the ground, kicking more dust into the air.
“Fine, be mad at me. Guess I won’t be sharing my snacks with you then,” I say teasingly.
He freezes at the wordsnacksand relaxes his rigid body.
“Are you ready to go home?” I ask, opening his stall door.
Midnight lets out a loud sigh.
“Yeah, me too, buddy. Let’s go so we can sleep in our own beds tonight,” I say as I grab his reins and saddle from the side wall.
He allows me to put both on him, and I lead him out of the stable without issue.
When we step out, the gentleman stares at me slack-jawed, and I’m reminded how big of an ass my horse has been over the week. Thankfully, we won’t be needing accommodations again soon because this man will never let him come back.
Without exchanging words, I give the man the final payment and gather the rest of my supplies. I strap my blades to my legs and into the hidden slots in my vest.
I palm my favorite dagger, happy to have it back on my body. The silver hilt catches the first rays of the sun, causing the red marquise gemstones on the cross-guard and pommel to sparkle. I run a careful finger along the edges of the large red gemstone in the middle of the hilt. The black blade is still sharp, ready to slice through any trouble that comes our way. The etching down the fuller gleams with the sunlight.
As I examine my dagger, my heart aches for the man who gave it to me. Tobias Davey was the kind-eyed general in Oren’s army and was more of a father to me than my own. Tobias did everything he could to keep me alive through Oren’s torture. We lost him three years ago while he and Oren were on a secret quest in Fati. Oren made it back to Umbra before dying from his injuries, but we never could find Tobias’ body to give him a proper burial. Our best guess is that whatever attacked them took Tobias with it.
Tobias gifted me the beautiful, rare dagger on the summer equinox. Afterward, he would hide it for me, so Oren wouldn’t take it away. Now, I’m never without it unless I have to be, and I have missed it this past week. I slide it into its rightful place on my right thigh and then swing my sword across my back.
Pulling myself atop Midnight, I turn to see the man standing with a young girl. I give them both as warm of a smile as I can muster. The little girl grins up at me.
“You look like a warrior queen,” she says with glee, like she has never seen a queen ready for battle.
I look down at her, “That’s because I am.”
I give her a wink and set off on the journey back home. Back to Umbra. Back to my kingdom and my king.
