The dark bay stallion clambered onto the beach, grunting with the effort of freeing his heft from the saltwater. Water fell from his body in a deluge, clinging to every strand of hair. Looking about, Carthage realized he couldn't remember the last time he had visited Tinuvel. While it didn't normally take much to garner the Friesian male's attention, this was not a random social call. In fact, this was a special case.
Here in the Inlet was Parvati, a beautifully painted creature Carthage had courted last fall. She had likely given birth a few months before, the only tangible proof of their coupling. In truth, the bay had meant to come before summer ended. Yet thing after thing had gotten in his way, preventing the stallion from coming to visit until now.
Any thought of life outside this island faded as the dark bay loosed a call. It was abrupt and rang out into the lower hills of the Inlet. Even if she had not ended up bearing one of his children as he suspected, Carthage would have come to see Parvati anyway. He'd been taken in by her manner, her beauty, and Carthage was determined to bring her back to Salem with him, child or no child.