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My mouth dropped open in a very unladylike fashion.
“But…”
Everence’s laugh was contagious, and soon I was laughing too, mostly to cover my astonishment at hearing such a preposterous claim.
“He was born here at Starfell three and half years ago. Rafael trained him harder than he’s ever trained a horse. Watching them race together is pure joy.”
I shook my head. “Rafael races?”
She kept her eyes on Espera. “Here mostly. It’s part of the training. We have a track in that direction. Espera lights the sand on fire when he races with Rafael.”
An incredulous cough burst out, and I could do little to cover it up.
“Ask him to show you one day.” Her eyes lit with a spark. “Better yet, ask to race him.”
“Interesting name for a racehorse,” I mused, watching the stallion stomp the earth.
Everence inhaled slowly before answering. “It is surprising how fitting his name is…once you understand Rafael.”
“If he ever stops disappearing,” I muttered under my breath. But Everence heard me, and she snapped hard eyes at me, the most severe expression I’d seen on her face so far. Then she went back to pointing out each of the more than thirty horses by name, and I heard in her tender tone the admiration she held for the beautiful animals.
We watched them for some time and spoke of races we’d each witnessed. Though the fae races weren’t ones I’d heard of, the conversation felt so normal that I found myself smiling and laughing, and yet the talk of races made me long for home. I’d missed the biggest race of my father’s career, though, arguably, it hadn’t been the race we’d all prepared for.
“Are there any races coming up?” I asked, eager to watch the horse she claimed was the fastest in the world.
Everence opened her mouth but didn’t answer for a moment. “Yes. But not one Rafael had planned to enter.” At my puzzled expression, she added, “He is selective about which races he enters.”
“My father is too,” I said with a smile, though disappointment tugged my shoulders down. I glanced back at Espera’s stall. “I would love to see him run.”
“Perhaps you can convince him to enter Espera.”
I smiled broadly. “Do you ride?”
To my surprise, she shook her head. “Oh, no. Not unless I’m traveling a great distance. And even then, only when I can have one of Rafael’s horses.” She grinned. “I prefer to admire them from afar.”
“Oh,” was all I said as my shoulders sank.
Sensing my disappointment, she added, “I love them because of what they’ve done for my cousin. When he began training horses, he was in a very dark place. The animals restored his joy.”
Part of me wanted to know what she meant, while another part of me just wanted to escape from this place and never wonder about the fae again. But breaking my vow meant death, and if I was going to make this marriage work, I couldn’t run simply because I was in a strange new world I didn’t understand.
By the time we turned from the pasture to walk back through the barn, fireflies had begun to spark against the close of day. Some of the dancing insects, I realized, with a little chuckle of surprise, were tiny, winged people. They darted away when they heard me.
Several times, I had the distinct impression something was watching me from the trees bordering the pasture, but every time I scanned the shadowed woods, I saw nothing. Still, I couldn’t shrug off the feeling that the Wild Hunt was nearby. Everence seemed perfectly at ease, though, so I tried not to fear what lurked in the shadows.
There was much to learn about Rivenmark—its mysterious magics and courts and horses that could supposedly set the world ablaze. But above all that, my mind wandered ceaselessly back to Rafael. Why did he disappear in the day, and why—stars above—had he married me? I was certain that the amber glow in his eyes, the one that I’d seen extinguished during our vows, was tied to his magic. It had flared and then gone out like a snuffed candle when he'd married me. Perhaps I had unknowingly destroyed something in him, and now he resented me for it.
“Everence,” I said, turning back toward the stable. “Would it be all right if I took a ride? I’m not all that hungry, given the feast earlier.”
She inclined her head. “Of course.”
Following her back into the barn, my steps lightened and a smile I couldn’t shake lifted my spirits.
16
Rafael
My heart stumbled in my chest as Talia rode out of the barn on Alegria. The way she held herself in the saddle and the tight smile on her face drew me forward out of the cover of the trees. I traced her movement until she cantered out of sight. A strange prick of emptiness stabbed at me when I lost sight of her.
