Chapter 27: With Her Beloved Steed...

Day of the Holy Eve Festival, approximately half-strike past the Hour of the Fourth Bell Second Sequence (4:40 p.m.)

The location specified in the ransom note was a little ways away from the shore of Noelige Lake.

“Past the grassland area, in a small abandoned town... No surprises there. That sounds like the perfect place for this sort of thing...”

Presumably, the idea was to get her far from Saint-Noel so no one could intervene in the proceedings.

“Judging by the map, there’s quite a bit of distance... I’ll definitely need a horse.”

The result of the horsemanship tournament in the fall must have prompted the kidnappers to factor into their plans the fact that Mia knew how to ride. After all, if their ultimate goal was to abduct her without anyone noticing, the easiest method would be to make her voluntarily head out to meet them. The average princess would require the use of a carriage, which risked drawing attention, but Mia could handle a horse on her own. It was therefore possible for them to direct her to far more distant locations.

“They’ve apparently arranged for a horse to be somehow delivered to me as well, but I see no reason to follow their playbook that closely,” Mia mused as she entered the stable.

She made a beeline for Kuolan’s stall and peeked in.

“Anybody home?”

Kuolan was indeed home. He turned his head and greeted her with his customary nostril twitch. She braced on reflex, but the hail of mucus didn’t materialize.

“My, that’s rare. I thought for sure you’d sneeze on me...”

She walked up to him and quietly began to put his harness on, the motions fluid and familiar. It was something she’d made a point of practicing in case she ever needed to make an emergency getaway by herself. She didn’t think much of it, seeing it as a simple survival skill, but unbeknownst to her, Malong actually held her ability to outfit a horse on her own in very high regard.

Kuolan was giving her a look that seemed to say, “What, heading somewhere far?” She held his gaze for a second before inclining her head.

“I’m sorry, Kuolan...but I need you to lend me your strength. And, depending on how things go, maybe even your life...”

She had no idea if Kuolan could make it back alive after her death. It wasn’t hard to imagine a horse running off to save itself if its rider took a tumble, but for some reason...she had a feeling Kuolan was made of truer stuff. Something told her this particular horse wouldn’t abandon her. So she gently stroked his neck and spoke as earnestly as she could manage, hoping to convey her message through tone if not through language.

“Listen, Kuolan. Right now, I have no one else to turn to. You’re the only one I can rely on. So I must ask you for a special favor... Will you come with me?”

Faced with this plea, Kuolan huffed out two long breaths from his nose. Then his lips spread into one of his signature grins, almost as if he understood her and was saying, “You betcha, boss. I’ll get you through whatever they throw at you.”

“My... How promising! I’ll leave myself in your capable hooves then.” She chuckled softly before turning to another steed. “And Kayou, please accept my apologies as well. I’ll be borrowing Kuolan for a bit.”

The mare made no perceptible reply. It simply gazed at her silently, eyes radiating intelligence.

With Kuolan by her side, Mia made for the harbor. Along the way, nobody paid any attention to her. With the festival under way, the streets were packed with people, and plenty were merchants whose horses were loaded with wares. Despite the natural camouflage, she couldn’t help but worry about being found and stopped, so she ended up adopting a sneaking gait the whole way there. Frankly, her skulking only drew more attention to her, but regardless, she made it to the harbor without incident. Once there, it didn’t take long for her to find her prescribed boat. It was of modest size but more than enough to ferry both her and Kuolan.

“Are you the merchant who’s supposed to take me off the island?” she asked the man standing in front of the boat. He was middle-aged, and wore the textbook definition of a merchant’s smile.

“That’s me, miss. But uh...what’s with the horse, if you don’t mind my asking?” He cocked a brow at Kuolan.

“For riding, of course. He’s my beloved steed, and he’s going to take me on a long run.”

That flustered the merchant.

“Wait a second, miss. Taking you off the island is risky enough, what with you being a princess and everything... Besides, I was told they’ve already got a horse waiting for you on the other side.”

“My, whoever said so must have assumed I would ride any old horse, but that’s simply not the case. The only horse I will ride is him, my own trusty steed,” she said, glancing up at Kuolan, who in that moment did the unthinkable and worked with her, standing quiet and proud like a mount meant only for royalty.

“But still... Ferrying a horse is...”

“No problem, I’m sure. Especially if it will add some weight to your coin purse. Feel free to go to the people who arranged this deal with you and request a surcharge for this service. A full bag of gold sounds like reasonable compensation.”

Never one to pass up a chance to pester her enemies, Mia promptly appropriated their coffers for her negotiation, in which she employed the highly satisfying tactic of parting with vast amounts of money that didn’t belong to her. Just for good measure, however, she added the threat of a stick to her carrot.

“Or...would you rather defy me? In that case, I do hope you understand the consequences of doing so. Just so you’re aware, I’m a very close acquaintance of Miss Rafina.”

She went full high-and-mighty-Tearmoon-princess on the man, and felt not a shred of remorse doing so. This was, after all, someone who’d agreed to play a part in a wicked conspiracy. She had no sympathy for such individuals.

“Well? Which will it be? Forfeit the money and have your involvement in this reported to Miss Rafina, or ferry me and my horse across the lake?”

Thus, Mia departed Saint-Noel Island with Kuolan at her side, unaware that her peculiar behavior was, in fact, being watched...