Free A Royal Affair by John Wiltshire

is called.”
    “He told Faelan.”
    “And Faelan told you, I suppose.”
    “You suppose correctly.”
    I was astounded to actually find the wolf lying in the stable waiting for us when we arrived. I’d thought Aleksey was joking. I actually found myself eyeing Xavier to see if he appeared to be conversing before I shook myself with annoyance and saddled up. We rode out of the castle, but instead of taking the road I had arrived by that morning, we turned toward the beach and rode along by the waves for a while before turning up a path into the forest.
    When we were walking the horses slowly under the huge pine trees, the prince swiveled slightly in his saddle to face me. “So, tell me.”
    I proceeded to outline the fact that I knew absolutely nothing. I spun a professional web around this empty air, but he knew what I was saying. My conclusion, though, took him by surprise, as I’d thought it might: isolate the king from everyone—even him.
    He turned back to face the track, watching Faelan. “No.”
    “No? You send all the way to England for my—”
    “No. I’m not discussing this.”
    “It’s hardly a way to make yourself look innocent, Aleksey!”
    He turned, his jaw set. “It’s not me I want to appear innocent.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Think about it, Nikolai! What if he died on your watch? The two of you alone! You were summoned here by one political faction—”
    “I was sent for by Madame—”
    “Don’t be so bloody naive. Do you think the ministers of this damn country have anyone’s welfare in mind but their own? If they want the king’s health restored, it would be for their own reasons. They are just as likely to want him dead. If he dies alone with you, you would be immediately accused of being in their pay! God, how dumb can an intelligent man be?”
    “Then what do you suggest? It is what needs to be done. What if I do it and it works? If he recovers? Is it not worth the risk?”
    “I did not tell you of the punishments we enjoy in this country for my own amusement—a storyteller of grim tales to keep you awake at night! Nikolai, you would be boiled alive . It takes hours. I cannot even imagine such agony. Can you?”
    I could not. Xavier shied nervously, perhaps sensing my anxiety. Maybe the damn dog was talking to him again. The sideward shift pushed my thigh against Aleksey’s. I felt the connection in my groin—immediate and pronounced. Apologizing, I moved Xavier back to his own side of the track. We emerged into an open meadow. The relief from the oppressive darkness under the trees was striking. I stretched, cricking my neck around.
    I turned to Aleksey. “Something must be done soon, or I will have wasted my journey.”
    He nodded glumly, engrossed in some small flaw on his glove.
    I sighed. “Xavier needs to stretch his legs. Shall we…?” I waved at the long, flat meadow ahead.
    With a sudden flash of smile, he kicked his horse to flight. I laughed and followed suit. I knew very well, without knowing anything about him at all, that Prince Christian would consider himself a very fine horseman. It was inevitable, he was a prince and a soldier, but I was better. It didn’t matter who my opponent was; I was just better. I had ridden wild stallions bareback into war.
    I had been raised by the people of the horse.
    Xavier and I became one mind and one body—as I thought, so did he. It was exhilarating. We passed Aleksey as if he were standing still. We swerved in front of him to prevent him coming alongside, and Xavier kicked the dirt up in his face. I lay so low over Xavier’s back that I could feel his body heat. All I needed was a lance and some savage paint upon my face, and I would feel entirely me for the first time in many, many years.
    I only reined in when we reached the coastline. I walked Xavier onto the sand and let him kick his heels in the surf. He pranced, turning, twisting, and preening. I flicked my gaze to the sound of Aleksey’s mount snorting