Scorched

Chapter 8

The sun was just barely rising when Gwen woke up the morning of the second trial. The room was silent; the skittering of servants finally ceased at the early hour. She walked out onto the balcony attached to her room. It overlooked the castle's garden. Gwen felt a quiet peacefulness at the sight.

The gardens were filled with beautiful flowers. The Queen was very fond of the gardens, and Gwen had heard she often tended to them herself. Summer in Othera was warm and humid, ideal for the brightly colored flowers the Queen favored.

She could see the stables where her father worked; he would be arriving to the castle soon. She decided to head down before she had to take the trial. Maybe visiting Midnight would help her focus on the task at hand.

Gwen pulled open her door, wincing at the loud creaking. To her relief Jennings wasn't waiting outside her door. She preferred to be alone with her horse, and had been constantly surrounded by people the last couple of days.

Tiptoeing down the hall Gwen kept a sharp eye out for guards. She knew she wasn't supposed to be wandering around alone, and had been caught more than once. The halls of the castle were starting to make more sense, and she thought she had an idea of where she was headed.

Gwen came upon a large set of doors that led out to the stables, but two guards stood in front of them, chatting quietly. Gwen watched them for a while, waiting for an opportunity to get through. They didn't seem to be moving any time soon so Gwen decided to approach them.

The guards shot her a curious look as she walked up to them. They slowly shifted back to their posts, watching her warily.

"I was just hoping to visit my horse," Gwen said before they could question her.

"You have to be accompanied by a guard. I'm sure that was made perfectly clear yesterday," the taller guard sneered at her, giving her a skeptical look up and down.

Gwen glared at him, not appreciating the rude attitude he was giving her. She tried to push her way past him, but found herself abruptly pulled to a stop and shoved back.

"You heard me the first time. Do I need to repeat myself?" he growled at her. Gwen yanked her arm away and looked to the other guard.

He looked uncomfortable, and was shifting from foot to foot.

"Henry," he said softly, addressing the first guard. "It's the girl, the one the Pr-" he stopped, shooting an embarrassed glance at Gwen.

"Fine." The guard pulled the door open, glaring as Gwen walked through. She shot him a superior smile. "But if I lose my job you'll be hearing from me."

Gwen made her way down the path to the stables, musing over what the guard had said. What were people saying about her? Was he going to say something about Prince Rowan?

The endless questions faded away as Gwen reached the big barn doors. She hadn't been to the castle stables since she was a child and her father had brought her. The pungent smell of the horses overwhelmed her nose and the loose hay crunched under her feet. There were about thirty horses in total, each in a separate stall which lined each wall. She wandered around, searching for her own horse.

A soft murmuring brought Gwen to a halt, just before she rounded a corner. She peeked around, not making a sound. She didn't want to startle the person, or the horse.

In one of the back stables Prince Rowan held an apple, and was coaxing a sickly looking horse towards him. She could see the horse's ribs jutting out through its patchy coat, and its eyes looked sunken and hollow. She could tell it was a very old horse, it turned its head away from the food and Rowan dropped it back into his pocket.