Impa tucked the names away into her memory, and noted the downward cant of the mare’s ears. Her heart began to drum uncomfortably within her broad chest at the palomino’s sour expression, and she wondered at the lack of surprise, indignation, or sadness in the mare’s eyes. There was only a cold, hard stare that met Impa’s gaze, followed swiftly by words that did not acknowledge how monstrous the stallion was at all. The mare, instead, defended him. Impa had been expecting anger from the mare at being torn from her home, but this? The lack of shock, the lack of empathy for the other victim (or perhaps victims— Impa did not know how many times Styrke had raped, but once was one time too many) and the blind devotion Aliyana displayed toward the bastard was not what the blanketed mare had expected to hear.

Impazienza drew in a deep breath as her own ears swiveled backwards. She saw, from the corner of her eye, the small filly lie down in front of her mother’s feet after the Lusitano had turned around. At least the girl did not seem to be overwhelmed by their travel or her new surroundings. Her focus returned to Aliyana, aware now that she had indeed been a part of Styrke’s herd, and the carried his filly to term. Impa chose not to move from her spot to confront the mare head on, and instead remained where she was. She pitched her voice to be absolutely sure Aliyana would hear every word as she spoke again. “And what of the pain he caused his victim?” Impa asked, her voice cool but not yet cold. “Have you no compassion for a fellow mare subjected to the trauma of being forced to accept a stallion inside of her? Stars above,” she swore, “how can you defend a rapist? He might not have raped you, Aliyana, but that does not mean he is not capable of it. How do you know he wouldn’t have forced you next season? You showed no surprise at what I told you— did you already know what he has done?” Her voice grew chill with horror. What if the mare had been aware of it, and had chosen to stay with the stallion anyway? Her ears lifted and she waited, lips pressed tightly together, to hear the mare deny it. Please, please, she can’t have known—!