It took three days for Theia and Aurora to reach the Copperstone estate. Three days of the worst riding experience of Theia’s life. Aurora was beautiful, but did not ride well at all. She responded poorly to directions, had a terrible gait, and was so difficult that Theia had to cast her charm upon the mare over and over. Every time the charm began to wear off, Aurora attempted to buck Theia off. Theia would not be sad to see Aurora go. Truly, the mare was only good for breeding. Nothing more.
Theia tied Aurora to a post outside the Copperstone mansion. She walked up to the door and knocked. When the butler appeared, Theia presented him with the letter from Dmitri. The butler took the letter and disappeared back into the house.
There was a loud neigh from behind Theia. She turned. Aurora was distressed, furiously trying to break free from her tie. Theia scowled. She waved her hand, casting the charm on the mare yet again. Aurora calmed down, seeming an absolute gentle angel again. Theia muttered foul words under her breath.
The door opened. Theia turned around. A man a bit younger than Dmitri, but similar in looks, stood in the doorway. He smiled at her.
“Horse Witch Theia, yes?” he said mildly.
“Yes.”
“I am Mikhail Copperstone. You have brought me a new broodmare from my brother?”
“Yes.”
“Where is she?” Mikhail asked. Theia indicated the mare. “Wow. She looks lovely.”
“She may look lovely, but she rides as though she has never had a rider before and has a foul temper. I had to keep her charmed the entire way here. She would have bucked me off otherwise.”
“Ah. Then she truly is best suited as a broodmare,” Mikhail said with a smile. “I will have our stablehands board her with our other expectant mares. Hopefully, we do not need to keep her charmed constantly.” Mikhail snapped his fingers. A couple young men emerged from the house and escorted Aurora to the nearby stables. He looked down at the letter in his hands. “I see my brother promised you Aurora’s foal.”
“Yes, he did.”
“I have a few options in that regard. The first is that you return to the riding school and we send you the foal once it has been born and weaned. The second is that you stay in Wind’s Grove until Aurora gives birth. You can then yourself nurse the foal as you bring it back to the riding school. However, if you stay here, it will be at your own expense. We will not house you.”
“I see.”
“The third option is that we magically speed her pregnancy so she gives birth now. As with the second option, you will nurse the foal yourself as you return to the riding school.” Mikhail shrugged. “Then we can begin breeding her with a more suitable stud quickly.” Theia nodded. She understood his logic. With magic, Aurora’s body would be able to support a pregnancy again immediately. And they would want to make sure they got their money’s worth out of the mare as fast as possible.
“I know which I would like to do,” Theia said after a few moments of thought. Mikhail raised an eyebrow. “I would like to…”