The horse, emitting a pained moan, attempted to get up on his feet. He had not forgotten the kind hands that would bestow warm strokes on his coat. Trying to rise and walk towards the beloved face, he swayed and fell once again to the floor.
The horse’s name was Howl.
“Open the enclosure.”
If anyone else had made this order, it would’ve been refused out of precaution. However, it was Archduke Graham who had spoken these words. His dominating presence, which suggested that he could probably tame any horse or even a tiger with his bare hands, made the grooms obey him without question.
Alexandro gently caressed Howl’s head. The horse nodded as if responding, and reveled in the petting.
The Archduke’s horse, Chsantos, was Howl’s son. Howl and Alexandro had a long history—they had spent their childhoods together.
From the day of Alexandro’s birth, Duncan advertised his son to others as the future emperor. Given the power and status that he had been born into, Alexandro had difficulties finding real friends.
Even though Howl could not speak, he was a wonderful companion. Young Alexandro was starved of his parents’ love, and Howl had been parted from his shortly after birth. The two needed each other.
Alexandro began riding Howl at the age of ten. And five years later, he experienced his first battle, during which Howl took an arrow for him and lay injured for an entire month. Young Alexandro felt deep appreciation and guilt towards the animal. This made him train harder and become stronger—he felt the need to be powerful to protect those he wanted to.
Thankfully Howl made a full recovery.
Even though he wanted to ride Howl again, the captain of the knights could not use a horse that had been previously injured. This forced him to choose Chsantos instead.
But Howl was still extraordinary, and pitying the steed locked up in the stables all day, Evan volunteered to take Howl for himself. This turned out to be a marvelous arrangement, as Alexandro could see Howl often, and Howl could continue dashing through the empire. Evan treasured Howl for having saved his lord’s life.
Seeing Howl in his present state broke Alexandro’s heart.
But we cannot spare him. Howl had injured Evan. Ordering to keep Howl alive would not be the proper treatment of his favorite man.
Alexandro sat and caressed Howl’s mane for a long time. The horse would be dead by next week.
“I’ll be back.”
He finally got up and instructed the grooms to feed the horse his favorite things. Alexandro wanted Howl’s final days to be happy. His steps were heavy.
Nothing good ever happens in the capital. Alexandro couldn’t wait to put this place behind him.
***
“So you’re saying, the plants on Nalusuwan are dangerous to animals but beneficial to humans?”
Having pondered about Nalusuwan all night long, Chloe was convinced—the horse must have eaten twinleaf. Thinking about his obsidian eyes, she had left her quarters early in the morning and waited for Jorge.
“That is only my guess, sir. However, I’m quite sure which plant the horse has eaten.”
“Which plant?”
“When an animal ingests twinleaf, it loses its sense of direction, spins in its place, begins having nosebleeds, and eventually dies. This herb thrives in humid places, and when I was on Nalusuwan, I saw a large number of them by each creek.”
Jorge stared at Chloe, fascinated.
“Yes, even though the Deputy Grand Master says that the horse only drank water there, it’s possible that the horse also grazed on twinleaf as well. But how do we treat the horse?”
“There is a plant that acts as the antidote.”
“Can you obtain it?”
“Yes, sir. I will get it to the horse today!” Chloe beamed. Jorge immediately summoned a carriage and ordered the groom to take her to the mountain. She ran out of the pharmacy with bright enthusiasm. Her confidence made Jorge smile.
Will Howl be spared after all? Jorge believed that killing Howl would be a huge waste.
Evan was a generous, good-hearted man—if he understood that Howl had been poisoned, and if he could become healthy again, he might reconsider having the horse put to death. He may not ride Howl again but may keep him alive. I must ask him.
***
“You again?” The groom, the same man from the previous day, complained about having to go to Nalusuwan again. Chloe continued her apologies.
That poor horse. She felt deep sympathy for Howl, dying in his cage when he should be running through the meadows, and relishing the freedom. He had done nothing wrong.
The groom had told her that the animal had to be killed, rather than being allowed to die on its own—he had to pay the price for having thrown his owner.
It’s amazing what power can do in this world. She knew this all too well. The powerful people around her had forced her to abandon her friends, home, and everything else, and marry a man that she did not want.
Upon seeing the horse’s ebony eyes for the first time, she had felt a strong affinity with him. Her appearance – dark brown eyes and black hair – was not common in the area. She had never seen anyone who looked like her, although she had heard that such people existed somewhere overseas. And the way that this horse had been used and discarded – she felt that it resembled her life in Elpasa.
I’ll come save you, black horse, she resolved, just hold on a little bit longer!
Once she arrived at Nalusuwan, she frantically climbed the mountain, convinced that she had seen anchor flowers on the second peak. It took her less than two hours to get to the top, and the flowers were indeed growing there.
I probably need quite a lot. While she had treated pigs and dogs with this herb before, she did not know the correct dosage for a large stallion. She needed to take extra flowers just in case.
She began picking the flowers with purpose, collecting a fair amount in the end. She realized that, in her haste, she had forgotten to bring a bag. She needed to go with the last resort.
Good thing I’m wearing trousers! Although unseemly, she decided to stuff the flowers inside her trousers. As she finished, she looked like a walking pumpkin, but she didn’t care at all.
Chloe had started wearing pants instead of dresses due to the physical activity required of her job. Given her tomboyish appearance, no one had chided her for this. She felt extremely fortunate to have made the switch.