Dmitri finished reading the letter from his younger sister, his concern growing with each word. He had been worried about her safety, given her status in the Prince’s Harem. But this? This was beyond what he could have imagined. Hopefully, she would be heading towards him soon. He felt confident that would be the safest option.
After checking the post date and doing some quick math, Dmitri realized that Anya and the former Prince could be getting close to the riding school, should that be their destination. He quickly folded up the letter and stuck it in his back pocket before leaving the small guest house he and his wife were staying in. As he reached the road that lead to the riding school, he saw two horses heading his way.
The horses got closer, allowing him to identify them. Both were mares. One was a majestic black Arabian, while her shorter and stouter companion was a palomino Witch’s Pony. Dmitri’s heart leapt into his throat. He rushed towards them. The black mare shied away from him, but the palomino nuzzled him eagerly.
Dmitri was no horse witch, but he did specialize in veterinary magic. Because of this, he knew a communication spell. It would allow him to communicate with a single horse for roughly fifteen minutes at a time. Dmitri silently cast it.
“Anya?” he whispered.
“Yes,” the palomino said. Dmitri sighed in relief. “The curse spread quickly.”
“I can see that.” Dmitri stroked Anya’s face. “Please, come with me. You can tell me the full story while I get the two of you clean.” Dmitri led the horses to the small private stable that his friend, the owner of the riding school, kept his own personal horses in. Were Dmitri to have any horses of his own, they would also stay in the smaller stable. However, he and his wife didn’t have any.
Dmitri had to recast the spell multiple times so that Anya could tell him everything. He listened intently as he groomed the mares, brushing their fur and detangling their manes and tails. The Arabian, the former Prince, remained completely silent, merely drinking from the water trough and eating some hay. He couldn’t help but silently note just how high pedigree both Anya and the former Prince (who apparently currently went by Sassy) were. Sassy looked like she could have come from the Royal Stables, while Anya was the finest palomino Witch’s Pony Dmitri had ever seen. It was a miracle, truly, that no one had captured them to be sold on their way to the riding school.
“You say you suspect a horse witch cursed you,” Dmitri remarked once Anya finished her story. Anya nodded. “What was the horse witch’s name?”
“Gelvin Warstone,” Anya replied. Dmitri swore softly. “What?”
“Olsen, my friend who owns this riding school, had to hire a new horse witch, since his last one fled after the coup.” Dmitri, with his expertise in veterinary magic, was temporarily filling the role of the riding school’s horse witch, though he was far limited in his horse magic ability. “He told me that the new horse witch will be arriving next week, and was highly recommended. It’s Gelvin Warstone.” Sassy whinnied furiously.
“We can’t stay!” Anya said, sounding panicked. “If he recognizes either of us…”
“He wouldn’t recognize you, dear sister. He would have no way of knowing the exact form his curse would make you take.” Dmitri looked Anya up and down. “Speaking of the curse, I can attempt a scan of some sort to find out more about it.”
“Later,” Anya said firmly. “First, we need to address the horse witch issue. Even if Gelvin doesn’t recognize me, he would recognize Sassy.”
“True,” Dmitri murmured. He frowned, thinking. After a few moments, he nodded. “I know just what to do to keep the two of you safe.”