Shadow Rule (Shattered Kingdom Book 3) by Angelina J. Steffort

Author:Angelina J. Steffort [Steffort, Angelina J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MK
Published: 2021-02-27T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Alvi greeted him with a disgruntled whinny when Nehelon entered the stables while the new Lord of Ackwood’s horse didn’t even bother to lift its head.

“I brought you candy,” he informed the black mare who eyed him with disdain, stopping a foot away from the stall, and pulled out the small bundle of caramelized apple slices.

Alvi snorted and stomped one hoof.

“I’m sorry I didn’t make it here sooner.” Nehelon held out a piece of the sweet-scented bribery he had brought for his travel companion whom he had left in the stables for too long since they’d arrived in Lei’Vreah. He hadn’t done more than the minimum, making sure they were fed and their stalls were clean, using his magic mostly but sometimes his hands to do the work, just to have a sense of being busy.

Alvi huffed at the fruit and muzzled it off his hand while Nehelon eyed the doors to the paddock outside that opened both ways and was to be used by the horses at their own pleasure.

“I know, you miss the forest and the mountains and the long, silent days of riding through the country. “

Alvi shook her head at that so hard that the gray gelding lifted his head from his hay net and sniffed in Nehelon’s direction.

Nehelon fed the gelding a piece of apple and patted his neck. “Do you miss the road?” he asked but wasn’t surprised the horse didn’t respond. He hadn’t been around enough to get into the gelding’s consciousness the way he had with Alvi and Lim and Riho.

Lim—

Nehelon wondered if the bay gelding was doing all right at the priory. Hopefully, Andrew kept him company every now and then. Lim tended to get depressed if he was left alone too long.

Alvi stomped her hooves again, demanding another apple slice.

“I honestly don’t know how much longer I can keep this up,” Nehelon admitted, more to himself.

Alvi bobbed her head, nibbling on the piece of apple he was holding out to her.

“You don’t even know what I am talking about,” he pointed out, leaning against the door of her stall and combing his fingers through her thick mane.

Alvi huffed in protest.

“What? You do?” Nehelon prompted, and Alvi sniffed his hand where a slice of apple had been sitting a moment ago before he had fed it to the gelding in the stall next to hers.

Nehelon let his gaze sweep over the otherwise empty stable while he pulled out more candy for the opinionated mare.

Alvi graciously took it and chewed without commenting.

“Did she come here?”

Nehelon pushed away from the stall door and stepped away from the horses to better be able to smell the room.

Of course, she had been here. Her scent, subtle like an invisible thread, lingered in the air near the heap of straw. Nehelon inhaled deeply, allowing his mind to wander to the past where things had been all right between them—never good, just all right.

Mid-breath, he halted, scenting someone else. A different, much younger scent. Also, a familiar scent.

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