This time she hadn't overslept, which used to happen to her almost every day, so when Marena arrived at Zara's room, she found her already dressed.
"What happened to you today? I've never found you dressed in the morning. Finally, Mikel won't be waiting with the horses."
"So we're riding today after all?" "
I saw the duchess this morning in an outfit that left no doubt. Besides, Mikel was ordered to saddle the horses.
"Which ones? Whose horse is the duchess supposed to take?"
"From what I've managed to gather, it's Sarane's horse... but I don't think she could handle him. He doesn't even tolerate Mikel, let alone strangers."
"Frankly, it seems to me that everyone important here knows each other well, and not just from the logs..."
"Are you suggesting they knew each other before?"
"In my opinion, much, much before. And all the misunderstandings stem from the past. My... father never trusted strangers, after all." He preferred proven men, and the duchess is here for the first time...
"That's true, but we can't speculate like that, because that would mean someone here is harming others."
"Let's go. I don't want that woman waiting for us."
Athila was already waiting for the girls outside the stable. She was dressed in a very rich riding outfit. She looked like a queen, but that didn't convince Zara of the woman's good ancestry, rather her poor taste. Even Terron, being the true ruler of the entire country, dressed quite simply and functionally.
"Go get your horses and call me that stable boy who can't catch a few horses."
"And you ran away worse than him..." Zara whispered to herself.
The duchess slowly approached Mikel and, with contempt in her voice, asked about Sarane's horse. The boy pointed in surprise at the gray steed and quickly moved away from the stall as it stretched its neck and tried to reach him with its teeth.
"Aha...Tibor...it's been a while since we last saw each other. I didn't think I'd find you here. I thought you and your mistress were plotting another stunt in the rebels' den."
The horse, hearing the familiar voice, cowered and retreated into the back of the stall. He whinnied softly, to which Zara's black horse responded. He also flattened his ears and bared his teeth. They were both very afraid. Sweat was dripping down their necks. Athila turned to examine Zara's horse.
"If you weren't black, I'd swear I knew you. Very strange, such a resemblance to Mistral...except he was bay. We'll deal with that some other time. Tibor, prepare for one of the best riders in the country..."
But Tibor refused to be mounted. When the duchess tried to get him into the stall, he reared and bucked. It was the only thing he could do. Marena immediately realized that the duchess was going to hit him and ran up, standing between the horse and the woman.
"Perhaps I'll ride him, and you, madam, can take my horse, who's in a good mood today and has always ridden better than Sarane's? Tibor seems to tolerate me..."
"If that's what you want...is he saddled yet?"
"Of course. I just need to tighten the girth.
" Marena entered the gray stall, but she was greeted the same way as the previous rider. "
Calm down, poor thing, because she'll ride you, and I can't guarantee anything. I won't hurt you; you've known me for a long time."
Marena's words calmed the gray a bit. He allowed himself to be saddled, but he was still afraid. He allowed himself to be mounted in the courtyard, but he didn't feel confident. This time, Zara saved his composure, steering her horse so that he rode between Athila and Marena. This calmed Tibor enough to gallop calmly toward the forest. When the horses slowed and the Duchess ordered them to a trot, the girls looked at each other in horror. Their horses were staggering, and it was doubtful they would be able to make it back to the castle. However, both demonstrated tremendous determination and endurance, calmly leading the riders to the castle. Only there, after leading them to their stalls, did they lie down in the hay, roll, and allow the saddles to be removed. Of course, only Zara and Marena groomed them, as they themselves wanted to. Marena's horse, which the Duchess was riding, was tended to by Mikel, the designated horseman. Duchess Terallie, however, didn't allow them to care for the horses for long. After changing, she returned and called the girls to the courtyard. Out of the corner of her eye, Zara saw their teacher pull something resembling a small dagger from the inside pocket of her coat, but she didn't show it. Suddenly, Athila swung the dagger at Zara. The blade, however, missed its target.
"Did you think I'd let anything happen to them?" Sarane's voice, standing before them, was quiet but firm, and betrayed no trace of the profound weakness that must have plagued her. "You've gone too far. First, you curry favor with Terron, and then you destroy innocent people just to get revenge on me?
" "I underestimated you. I thought such a dose of dark magic would incapacitate you for a while, but of course, it wouldn't hurt to do another one. After this, you won't wake up... maybe you'd have a chance if the blade weren't poisoned..."
Zara and Marena saw with horror that Sarane was tightly gripping her arm, which was dripping blood. Defending herself against dark magic in this state could have ended very badly for her. Athila reached out her hand toward Sarane and prepared to unleash the energy when a beam of black light struck her wrist.
"Enough! You will not seek revenge on me."
Terron stepped down from the cloister and struck Athila across the face with all his might. He ordered the girls to leave, and after making sure they were far enough away, he approached Sarane.
"One more outburst and I'll finish you off once and for all. Remember the respect you deserve, because it's very important to me. Take her!"
After handing Sarane over to the castle guard, the ruler headed toward the duchess. At that moment, Zara and Marena finally managed to get to a place where they could clearly hear the conversation. Terron's rage subsided.
"You've worn out three of the best horses my stables have ever seen."
"They'll live for a while, don't worry."
"That doesn't change the fact that it will be a long time before they can even be put out to pasture. Besides, you went against my will, as you know. You put Zara in danger, and when you return, there's that poison. For once, I completely agree with Sarane. That's not why you're here. Touch one hair on Zara's head and you'll be begging for death. You know what I mean.
" "Why do you care so much about this little girl? Do you truly love her, or do you think she'll help you destroy the rebels?"
"You don't understand... you're heartless." "
They were destroyed a long time ago. She'll surely cause you a lot of trouble, perhaps even more than her previous teacher."
"Get out of my sight!"
"You know where she wants to go, but you're resisting the realization. You must love her like a daughter. Fool...
" "GET OUT!"
Athila, clearly pleased that she'd managed to provoke Terron, headed for her chamber with a smile. Zara and Marena, after listening to the conversation, ran back to the horses lying in the hay. "
Hang in there, Mistrel," she said to her horse, "I won't let that woman hurt you. I'll bring you something to help you, too. Marena, how's Tibor?"
"He's probably in much worse shape than your horse. He's barely breathing. The constant proximity of the duchess is clearly affecting him. Besides, he's become very weak since Sarane stopped riding him." They're not taking the best care of him, and Mikel, even if he wanted to, can't get to him. His fur is matted. It would take a few days to clean him, and today we should focus on keeping him alive.
"Indeed, Mistral is much better. He's already trying to get up. He'll be back on his feet tomorrow.
" "What about your horses?"
"Sir!"
"I'm sorry I didn't prevent it, but I had no idea the duchess wouldn't respect the ban. You'd probably like to stay with them... I'll send you some blankets and something to eat. Anything else you need?"
"Warm water, lots of blankets, and soaked oats, sir."
"I hope you manage to heal those horses. Good luck and good night. I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast."
"Good night, Father... But could we have breakfast here?"
"Of course. I'll have it sent up. Good night, don't stay too long."
Suddenly, Tibor rose abruptly from the hay. He let out a soft whinny. Mistrel responded in kind. Then, both of them trustingly surrendered to Zara and Marena's care.
Soon, blankets were brought, and the girls immediately covered the fallen horses. They gave the horses a small amount of soaked oats, then ate their own supper and settled down in the hay, covering themselves with blankets. They didn't fall asleep for a long time, but sleep eventually overtook them. In the morning, the girls found the horses in much better shape. Mistrel was standing confidently on his own, while Tibor's legs were still wobbly, but he was still standing. Shortly after sunrise, food was brought to them, along with breakfast for Zara and Marena. Tibor regained his strength right before their guardians' eyes. Each step was less difficult than the last. Despite this, the princess and her friend decided to spend the next night with the horses. Terron had no objections and observed with great surprise both the horses' rapid recovery and Zara's determination.
The next morning, Tibor clearly demanded to be let out to pasture, which the girls allowed him to do. Both horses, free under the watchful eye of their guardians, joyfully romped through the castle meadow. They had almost completely recovered. The pasture stretched near the secret stairs to Sarane's chamber, so Zara immediately thought of visiting her former teacher.
"I won't betray you," said Marena, guessing her friend's intentions, "but I won't go with you either."
"All right. That's how it must be."
In a chamber so well known for its order and ubiquitous peace, Zara saw something she never expected. The mess, scattered books, broken bottles of strong medicine, blood on all the equipment, and a feeling of fear and helplessness terrified the girl. She looked around again, trying to find Sarane. And to her surprise, she found her leaning against the wall in the darkest corner of the room.
"Sarane! What's wrong with you?"
"Zara...the blue vial I once showed you...find it quickly..."
"But it's broken on the floor; it's impossible to recover. What now?"
"There should be another one in my silver box. Full. Pour the entire contents into the wine goblet. Hurry..."
Sarane whispered, uttering every word with obvious difficulty. Zara hurried as best she could, but she couldn't find the precious box. She soon found it in the hiding place her teacher had shown her, back when contact with her hadn't yet been forbidden. That explained why it hadn't been destroyed either. Inside was a blue substance in a crystal vial. The girl, as instructed, poured it into the half-filled wine goblet and gave it to her teacher.
"Thank you. Now be off. By the way, how are the horses?"
-It's okay. But Marena and I had the darkest thoughts.
"Go now. If they find you here..."
Zara smiled sadly and prepared to leave when a group of people suddenly entered the room. Among their voices, she recognized the voices of Terron and his trusted men. She couldn't see what was happening, forced to stay behind a thick curtain hanging on the wall. She heard a piercing scream—the scream of Sarane in pain. When the people left, she could finally see what had happened, but nothing had really changed in the room. Only Sarane was unconscious. Zara would have liked to stay, but she knew Terron was now heading to the pasture, and if she didn't get there before him, she wouldn't be the only one in serious trouble.
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