A Song of Silence

Chapter 33: Sparring in the Dark

A pageboy arrived to take me to Azazel later that night. Strange considering I was going to meet him in the drawing room where we usually worked. I had chosen to go casual today with leggings and blouse. The courtly dresses were becoming even more guard nowadays and I couldn't stand looking at them, let alone wearing them. That had made me a bit of a recluse to everyone but Azazel's inner circle, of course, but I was in no mood to care about such things at the moment.

Strangely the pageboy was bringing me to the stables. The pageboy bowed and excused himself once we had arrived. Azazel waited, petting Millie as I approached. "Glad to see you could make it, Aerilynn."

You asked me to advise you. I didn't see why not. Though I am now quite confused as to why we are in the stables.

"I thought it was obvious."

Unless you wished for me to appraise your collection of horses, I have no incubation as to why we are here.

"Well, your letter said that you would have already eaten and it seemed that there would be no reason to stay in the drawing room if we had both already eaten."

So?

Azazel opened Millie's stall door and led her out of the stall. Millie usually wasn't much of a social horse and did not like being handled by anyone but me, but she took well to Azazel and walked next to him. It was a great surprise to me. When Azazel and Millie stood before me, Azazel handed her reigns to me and said, "We have a few hours until the light leaves us, so I thought we'd take a ride and you could advise me on matters of the surrounding villages."

I thought that was Lord Adonis' job. As your seneschal, it is kind of his job to "advise" you.

Azazel walks to another stall and gets a tall black stallion, to which he leads out of the stall. "That may be true, but he is preoccupied with being my spymaster and he is looking for someone."

Who?

Azazel leads the horse to Millie and we walk out of the stables. "I'm not at liberty to say, though she means very much to him."

Ah, so he's lady chasing. I see.

"Not even close to what you are thinking. His mate died a couple of years ago. He would never betray her in such a way. He is looking for his daughter. She was taken from him in an attack on the road a year and a half ago. He has not stopped looking for her."

Oh. Azazel mounted his horse and waited for me to get on mine. Millie already had her tack on, but I knew it was uncomfortable for her. I unbuckled her halter and lead around her head. Hanging it up, I mounted Millie and grabbed the hair leading down her neck for a lead. We both preferred to run free and this was the easiest was to do so. Azazel gave us a questioning look and I said, She prefers to run free and it is easier to guide her this way.

"Without using her proper equipment?" He says incredulously. I only nod in response and click for Millie to start down the main road. Azazel catches up to me moments later.

What is his name?

"Hmm?" Azazel seems distracted. Wary even.

Your horse. What's his name.

"Oh, Jace."

A good name. He only hmms in response. You seem distracted.

"Oh, it's nothing." Azazel shakes his head in dismissal and kicks his horse to try to make us go faster and leave the conversation behind. Not on my watch. Various branches stick out across the path we take. I snap off one the bigger branches and click my tongue at Millie to catch up to Azazel. He doesn't see me coming. The branch thwacks him in the back and throws him off Jace. He cursed and sputters as he rolls off the ground in a battle stance. I smirk and dismount Millie, clicking for her to go off until I call her back again. "What the hell was that?"