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The young man nodded and offered a slight, friendly smile. “I’m Lieutenant Sanders, Your Highness. Follow me.”

For several minutes they walked in silence, and then Sanders said, “The Captain said you were from far away?” with the faintest question in his voice. “I thought…”

Not so very far. But it is more different than I imagined.

“Will you need Sir Vincent to see you this afternoon? The Captain said you might get pneumonia if there’s still water inyour lungs.” The soldier looked ahead, as if to pretend this statement didn’t clearly indicate that he knew Kaerius was the half-drowned vagabond.

I am quite recovered. Thank you.Kaerius signed this with great dignity and then smiled at the young soldier. The satisfaction he felt in showing his appreciation for these underlings was unexpected but profound. Why had he not expressed his gratitude and appreciation of his own people more often? It did not feel like a diminishment of his dignity, as he had thought it would, but rather like a justified acknowledgment of good service.

“Don’t worry. Her Highness finds you useful, so we’ll keep the secret as long as she wants.”

They walked in silence for several more minutes, descending three more staircases and passing through several rooms which held only furniture and paintings. Kaerius’s leg muscles began to burn, and he wondered why these silly humans had built their palace on such a high cliff, and why they walked up and down so many stairs so often.

“Here, Your Highness,” said Sanders at last. He opened a door and led Kaerius outside into the bright, frigid sunlight.

Kaerius was so delighted by the feel of the wind on his face that he stopped and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, letting the cold air sting his lungs and ignoring the urge to cough again. The air smelled more of grass and pine than the ocean, and he looked around to see that they had passed through the lower levels of the palace to the valley side. He followed the soldier across the courtyard and through several wide alleys to an even larger courtyard which opened to a series of expansive meadows which sloped downward toward the river at the bottom of the valley several miles away.

He followed the soldier into a stone building with wooden partitions in it, and his mouth dropped open at the sight inside.

“Many of the horses are out in the fields now, but we always have some stabled for messengers. This is Moonlight, the donkey.”

The donkey was much smaller than the horses, but it fascinated Kaerius just as much as the larger creatures did. Its eyes were soft and limpid, with long, gray eyelashes. Kaerius offered it his hand, instinctively keeping his fingers flat so that they wouldn’t be bitten. The creature nibbled inquisitively at the palm of his hand like a baby seal.

“You want to see Captain Brighton’s horse?” Sanders asked.

Kaerius looked up and left the little donkey to follow the young man farther into the building.

“Here.” Sanders clucked softly to a tall, reddish-brown horse in a large stall. “Her name is Sienna. Isn’t she beautiful?”

The horse tossed her head, as if enjoying the praise, and stepped closer to snuffle at them agreeably.

Kaerius found himself face to face with the beautiful creature. His heart thrilled within him.It is an honor to meet you, Sienna. Do you speak?

“Is that your sign language?”

Kaerius nodded, entirely focused on the horse.

“You know horses don’t really understand human speech. They certainly don’t understand sign language. They can learn commands, but…” The young man’s voice trailed away. “I mean, feel free to talk to her however you want. I guess there’s no harm in it.”

The Mer prince sighed softly. It was probably to be expected that a beast like this would not understand him. Dolphins understood a little of the Mer spoken language, but had never understood more than one or two signs, and very few creatures were as intelligent and eager to communicate as dolphins. Kaerius contented himself with pressing his face against the horse’s nose, breathing in its warm exhalations and letting thehorse inhale his breath. He rubbed his hands over the horse’s huge head, feeling the strength and heat of its body and the smooth, dense hair that covered it.

You are indeed beautiful.

He was entranced with Sienna and was only drawn away by the promise of other horses to admire.

At last, Sanders said, “The Captain said you could eat dinner with him and his wife, if you want to. The princess is spending the evening with her advisors. It’s nearly time, if you want to go.”

The prince reluctantly bid the horses farewell, snuffling them each on their noses as they had snuffled him.

“I presume you will want a bath before dinner,” said Sanders, with the slightest hint of amusement in his polite voice.

Yes. I am itchy from the hay and I smell of horse. It is a pleasant smell, but I think they would prefer me fresh.

They climbed up the many staircases again, and Kaerius was pleased that while his chest still ached and his legs still burned, he was able to keep up with the tall young soldier without embarrassing himself by stopping to cough or lean dizzily against a wall. Perhaps it was a small victory, but it cheered him.

As he toweled off after a quick bath, he heard a knock on his door. He dressed hurriedly and opened it to see yet another young soldier. “If you’re ready, Your Highness, I’ll escort you to dinner.”

A few minutes later, he joined Brighton, Lila, and two other men who appeared to be military officers, along with their wives.