Chapter 93

Belle was fast, and almost immediately, Kit found herself up toward the front of the pack, alongside Cassius and Jate, the former of which was whooping and hollering at the top of his lungs, which had her laughing. Kit vowed to stay near him, at least as long as she could, since this hunt was shaping up to be even more interesting than the others she’d been on.

The queen wasn’t much of a rider. Though her horse had taken off before any of the others, she quickly fell to the back of the pack, and many of her attendees and other noble persons did the same, allowing the Representatives to head to the front of the group. In front of her, Kit could see the dogs entering the woods to the east of the castle and knew that would slow their progress significantly. The brush was thick throughout the forest, and the horses would have to choose their paths carefully whereas Frick would make his way through even the smallest of openings.

The sounds of the horses hooves thundering around her had Kit smiling. She’d forgotten just how invigorating a good ride could be. Out in front of the other riders now, with Cassius and Jate on one side and Landon and Drake on the other, she ducked her head over Belle’s mane and gave her a kick, picking up even more speed.

“Now that’s a princess who knows how to ride!” Cassius shouted. Kit turned her head to smile at him, barely slowing her pace as the outlying trees grew closer and closer together. Once she was on the outskirts of the forest proper, she was forced to pull Belle in slightly so as to keep her seat, but her mare loved to have her head, and Kit let her pick her way across the forest floor as she saw fit.

It had been too long since Kit had gone for a ride here. The last hunt had to have been at least a year ago. Before that, it had been at the very beginning of her Exploration. She’d had a few of her guardsman along that day and had been distracted by Terrowin at the time. The memories washed over her, and she had to push them aside since she hadn’t even seen the man in years. This forest held other remembrances as well. This was the place she used to go when she was younger and needed some distance from the castle.

The thought had her spinning in the saddle again. Between the thick, emerald foliage, she couldn’t see many of the other horses, but those she could identify were not familiar to her, save Snowduster who was off to her right. She did not see the large, ebony stallion she was looking for.

A branch loomed ahead of her, and Belle didn’t seem to be avoiding it, so Kit folded herself forward, flush with the saddle horn. The leaves grazed the top of her head, but she stayed in place. Nevertheless, it was a cautionary experience, and she pulled back on the reins slightly, letting Belle know she needed to slow to a more acceptable pace.

Off in the distance, she heard the dogs barking. It was far too soon for them to have cornered Frick. She kept her pace steady, knowing there was a clearing just up ahead. It would be wiser to wait and pick up speed there, when there was less chance of hooking one’s neck on a low lying branch.

Not everyone was as wise. Further into the forest, to her right, she heard hoofbeats at a rapid pace and turned her head just in time to see Owin of Alderleef collide with the branch of a thick oak tree. He went flying off backward, sprawling on the forest floor just in front of another horse, this one ridden by Jerin from Broomwich who just skirted aside at the last moment.

Shaking her head, Kit angled her horse so that she could go and check on the man, even though she hadn’t been too impressed with him and he was on her list of Representatives that she thought would be sent home soon enough. By the time she reached him, he was pulling himself up off the ground, grasping his bruised neck. “Are you all right?”

He nodded, his dark hair bobbing up and down. “Yes, Princess.”

“Good. Slow down, Owin. There’s no sense in hurting yourself.”

“Yes, Princess.”

With Jerin’s assistance, he made it back on his steed, and they both took off again.

Back on Belle’s back, Kit noticed a small path that led off to the right, further into the forest, and another flood of memories filled her senses. She knew where that trail led. Though it was overgrown and meandered a bit, eventually, it would take her to a place she used to love to explore when she was younger. It had been years since she’d been there.

As if sensing her longing, Belle took a few steps forward of her own accord. Kit knew she should turn her mount around. The hunt was going on behind her now. She could hear the pounding of hoofs as they made their way through the forest in hot pursuit of little Frick. But the path before her seemed to beckon her, like a will-o-the-wisp. Even the foliage around the path seemed a darker green, the earth a richer brown.

Perhaps she could leave the party for just a few moments and not be missed. It wouldn’t take too long to ride down there, find what she was looking for, and then head back, would it? Would anyone even notice she was gone?

“What’s that way?”

Cassius’s voice caught her off guard. She’d had no idea he’d even followed her over to check on Owin. When she turned to look at him, her eyes were wide, and she couldn’t speak at first. He smiled, putting her at ease. “It looks like a little path, doesn’t it?”

“It is,” she nodded. “I used to ride that way when I was younger. There was... a house. Ruins of a house. I haven’t been there in years.”

Landon was behind Cassius. She could see him now over her Roomed lover’s broad shoulders. “You going to go exploring, Princess? Is it safe?”

“I think it’s safe,” she replied, turning back toward the path for a moment before she looked back at the pair of them. “The two of you are letting the fox get away. Don’t you want to win?”

“More than anything in the world,” Landon replied, a sly grin on his face. “But... I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

“I’m just fine.” She gave him a reassuring smile, hoping he’d believe her, despite her obvious distraction. “You should go. I’d much rather one of the two of you found my dear friend Frick than plenty of the others.”

Cassius looked uneasy. His eyes shifted down the path, and Kit watched him for a moment, thinking he’d say he wouldn’t let her go alone, but then a look of contempt fell across him, and he nodded. “All right. We’ll leave you to it. But if you don’t reappear soon enough, we’ll search you out. As much as I’d like to win, your safety is most important.”

Without pulling her eyes off of his face, Kit reassured him. “I’ll be fine, Cassius.”

“I know,” he said, and then he gave a nod in the direction of the little lane, and Kit realized they were not alone.

She turned back around to see Eli up ahead, waiting for her, and she realized he’d had the same thought that she had. Or at least he knew there was a possibility she’d come to this junction and potentially turn away from the hunt, away from the others.

“Be careful,” she heard Landon say as the two horses rode off at a good enough clip that they’d rejoin the hunt shortly. Kit imagined they’d circle back, up ahead, and end up going south of a stream that passed in front of the house a few acres away, at which point if she hadn’t seen them again, she assumed they would easily seek her out. But she didn’t respond, only gave Belle the signal that she could go ahead, the direction they’d both been longing to go.

Eli looked gallant mounted on Aeros’s impressive back. The sunlight filtered through the canopy, highlighting the gold in his light brown hair, and as she approached, she could see he had an uneasy look on his face. For a moment, she thought he might attempt to dissuade her.

Pulling to a stop next to him, she let Belle have her head, and her horse immediately began to nuzzle up against Aeros. She couldn’t help but smile; her mare had excellent taste in members of the opposite sex as well.

“Do you remember?” she asked Eli, her voice quiet. Off in the distance, she could hear the horses beating the ground, calls and cries, as well as the occasional yip from one of the dogs. None of that mattered now.

“I remember,” he said, his eyes steady. “You sure you’re ready to go back there?”

Kit’s head rocked up and down. She was certain. “Are you?”

“No,” he said quietly. “But I know I can’t stop you either.”

A grin spread across her face. He was right on that point. While she wondered why he didn’t want to go back, she didn’t ask, only gave Belle a soft kick, and the horse began to wind her way down the overgrown path, through the deep forest, back in time.