Page 8 of The Bookworm and the Pegasus Tamer

She looked at him with a smile. “That’s where you came in. Flying down from the skies to the rescue of the royal herd.”

He gave a soft snort of laughter. “That’s one way of putting it.”

“I don’t only read decades-old tomes, you know,” she retorted. “That line came straight out of a news sheet.”

He shook his head. “It wasn’t quite as dramatic as that.”

“But you did travel into the mountains and return with a young stallion willing to bond with our current king?” She waited until he gave a reluctant nod of agreement, confirming the news sheets hadn’t misled her on the basic story.

“That was only three years ago,” he added, “and there have already been two foals born. The king brings his young sons to visit the herd often, and he hopes that at least one of the next generation of colts will choose to bond with one of the princes, thus ensuring the future of the herd.”

“But only if they recover from this illness,” Aurelia said softly.

The Earl looked up, his mood shifting again.

“Tell me, Aurelia.” He leaned forward, his eyes holding hers, his intensity burning into her. “Why exactly did you risk sneaking into the royal stables? Why did you need to see the truth of the rumors for yourself?”

Aurelia swallowed, forcing herself to step back so she could breathe.

“I…I had an idea,” she managed to say, although the whole thing seemed foolish now that she was here.

What use were her ideas when the king must have had many wiser and better-educated minds considering the problem? Everyone knew how highly he valued the royal pegasus herd.

But the Earl’s eyes had lit up, and he stepped closer, removing the distance between them once again.

“What is it?” he asked. “What is your idea? We are desperate for anything that might help.”

Aurelia glanced at the sick young pegasus again and took a deep breath. “I thought…that is…I wondered about a plant in the mountains that might help them.”

“You read about one? With healing properties for pegasi?” he asked. “What book did you read it in? The king has had the royal librarians scouring any record that might help, but they haven’t found any mention of one.”

Aurelia swallowed. “I didn’t…I didn’t read about it in a book.”

The Earl’s brow creased. “It’s a tale passed down in your family? Do you come from the mountain regions?”

Aurelia shook her head. “No, no.” She held up her hands, backing away. “I don’t have any information about a plant. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come. It was foolish.”

She tried to turn to flee, but the Earl caught her. His grip was firm but gentle as he took her hand and tucked it into his arm, pulling her along as if they were a courting couple out for a stroll.

“Before you leave, come and see,” he said softly.

Drawing her with him, he walked down the row of stalls. The next one was empty, but the one after that held an older pegasus. He looked up at their approach, examining them for a moment before exchanging a nod with the Earl and returning to pacing his large stall.

At the next half-door, Aurelia peered over and sucked in a breath. Another pegasus lay on its side, its belly rising and falling with labored breaths.

Seeing the young pegasus sick when she should have been full of energy and vitality had been bad enough. But there was something terrible about seeing one who should have been in the prime of strength laid flat and helpless.

The Earl’s grip remained steady and strong as he drew her further along the line. They went down only one half of the stable, and yet she saw four pegasi too ill to stand.

When they reached the far end of the stable, he let her arm drop and turned to face her, his eyes on hers.

“Well?” he asked. “Will you tell me your idea—however uncertain and possibly foolish? The royal pegasus doctor has never seen the like. He even traveled to find a wild herd, but they had never encountered the sickness that plagues these creatures. The pegasi here are all too sick to fly, and a journey into the mountains by other means would tax them too severely. The doctor fears that the weakest may have only a matter of weeks.”

Aurelia’s eyes pricked with tears, but she drew strength from the Earl’s steady certainty.

“It was just an idea I had,” she said. “It might be complete nonsense. But I’ve been reading a book recently about the plants in the northwestern ranges—the same region where the wild pegasi herds live. The book talked of the many plants in that region that have incredible properties, but it mentioned that there are many more varieties that have never been properly studied or cataloged.” Her voice grew more animated as she warmed to the idea that had been turning over in her head for days. “You said the wild herds don’t suffer this sickness. What if it’s because they regularly eat a plant that protects them? One which no one has ever studied. They themselves may not even know how the plant is affecting them.”

“That’s—”