Nicholas glanced out the window again and noted the busy highway they were on. It was a complex structure that stood above rushing rapids. At the sight of this, he immediately shut up.
He was the only son of the Sanderson family. Not once in his entire privileged life had he been made to endure such indignation. Nothing had gone according to his plan today, and he wondered why the world was out to get him.
This was supposed to be his trip, for heaven’s sake. He was supposed to be the main character.
An hour and a half later, they pulled up at a beautiful farm. The boulevard leading up to the farm was paved with vibrant flowers, and a wide meadow lay behind the farm. The landscape was bordered by a distant mountain range, offering a breathtaking view.
Hera and Samantha made a beeline for the meadow the moment they got out of the car.
Hera had learned to ride a horse during her time with the Killians, but she had not seen a meadow since she went to live with Catherine in the mountains.
Samantha, on the other hand, had dabbled in horseback riding while she was abroad, but she doubted the royal equestrian club covered even a third of this meadow.
Bernard, Shaun, and Nicholas followed the ladies out to the meadow. Wayne, having parked the car in the designated area, went to check them into their rooms.
“Want to ride?” Bernard asked when he stopped next to Hera.
Horse groomers were leading horses across the meadow while the tourists on horseback drank in the view around them.
Hera nodded. “It’s been a while since I rode on horseback.”
“Let’s go! Maybe we could go a few rounds before nightfall,” Samantha said as she led the group toward the stables.
Nicholas’ eyes lit up when he heard that they were going horseback riding. He was brilliant at this sport, if his track record at Jedburgh’s equestrian club was any indication. Having been silenced and made to feel small the entire journey here, he was itching to show off now.
When the five of them arrived at the stables, Nicholas suggested, “If we’re all well-versed in riding, what do you say we have a friendly race?” “Will the winner get a prize?” Samantha asked eagerly.
“The first one to cross the finish line will be the commander of this trip. Whatever he or she says goes!” Nicholas declared.
“You’re on!” Samantha agreed. “But we must go easy on Hera. She hasn’t ridden on horseback for a while.”
“It’s fine. I’m here just for the fun of it. You guys can race all you want,” Hera said dismissively.
Bernard shrugged. “Sounds good to me.”
Shaun piped up, “It’s a little juvenile, but I’m in if everyone’s up for it.”
Following that, each of them selected their mount.
Samantha chose an elegantly built Asterian Horse; Nicholas chose a black Thoroughbred; Shaun’s mount was a white Quarter Horse; Hera settled on a silvery-white Heavenly Horse, and Bernard’s horse was a chestnut-colored twin to Hera’s.
They led their horses to the meadow, where a horse racing section had been marked with flags.
Nicholas pointed at the flag flapping in the distance, marking the first thousandth yard of the racecourse. “The first person to reach that red flag wins.” Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Ready…and go!”
At the sound of the attendant’s whistle, Nicholas and Samantha took off flying. Shaun, despite having called the race “juvenile”, could not help his competitiveness as he chased after them.
Hera couldn’t care less about who got to be commander of the trip. All she wanted was to ride her horse in peace. She turned and saw Bernard pulling the reins, steering his mount toward her.
Up ahead, Nicholas and Shaun were
neck-to-neck as they charged
toward the red flag. They were closing in on the last hundred yards when@silvery-white Heavenly Horse whizzed past them in a blur, beating them to the finish line.
The horse elegantly slowed to a trot after it passed the red flag.
There was no one riding it.
l
Shaun and Nicholas gaped at the riderless horse. Samantha, the fourth to cross the finish line, exclaimed as she stared at the silvery-white Heavenly Horse ahead. “What? Isn’t that Hera’s horse? Where’s Hera?”
The three looked around panic, wondering if something had happened to Hera. They turned around, only to see a chestnut-colored Heavenly Horse running freely across the meadow with a couple on its back.