The Son Of Snakes

23 - Training With Era

The sun was shining, the storm had passed, though numerous puddles were still scattered across the ground. Very soon would the festival resume and the Isthmus Games would begin.

Nikolas and Era stood in front of a chariot, complete with two horses. It was time for Era to attempt to teach Nikolas, leaving Ria and Melinoe to plan their escape after successfully taking out Sisyphus.

Ria had seemed a bit distracted when Era had left however, intently staring at a cup of water. Or into space. Really, could've been either.

"I am impressed you managed to get a chariot." Nikolas commented, feeling the wood of the two wheeled vehicle. "So this is a chariot..."

'It wasn't too difficult.' Era thought to herself. 'I simply borrowed them from home.'

"Yes, this is a chariot." Era nodded. "A cart drawn by two horses. In the chariot race, your goal is to get to the finish line as quick as possible."

"I understand." Nikolas replied.

"I will not be able to make you successful." Era stated. "Only you can. But I will do my best to guide you."

Nikolas simply nodded in response.

"You have reins attached to the horses." Era explained. "You will use these to maneuver the horses. A whip will signify them to speed up. Pulling will signify to slow down. Twisting them to either side will indicate a turn."

"I assume it is tougher than it sounds." Nikolas stated, lightly petting the head of one of the horses. The other one brought it's head closer to Nikolas, leading to him patting both at once.

"Very." Era nodded, pausing at the sight in front of her. "You are...better with animals than I had known."

Nikolas shrugged, not thinking much of it. It was only natural for animals to treat him like this. He gave them respect, and in turn they respected him. Wasn't that how everyone tamed animals?

'Those two don't like anyone except for a small few, such as myself.' Era thought, staring at her pleased horses in curiosity. 'I wonder why they have taken a liking to him.'

Her eyes lingered on Nikolas. 'He continues to become more and more interesting. I will make sure I continue to observe him, even if they end up not being the ones from the prophecy.'

"Are you ready to start?" Era asked.

"I suppose so." Nikolas replied. He slowly backed away from the horses as the whined in response, before gripping onto the side of the cart and slowly getting into it.

He stood in the cart, his feet resting uneasily on the wood of the chariot. It was a feeling similar to the boat, but not quite the same. He gripped the reins, holding them tightly.

"How do I start them?" Nikolas asked.

"A whip, when motionless, signifies for them to start." Era stated.

Nikolas nodded. He stood there for a moment, before whipping the reins. The horses immediately took off at great speed, almost throwing Nikolas off balance as he was suddenly racing across the plains.

'They moved quicker than I expected.' Era noted. 'And he barely hesitated despite his disadvantage. Impressive.'

Nikolas didn't like this at all. Not one bit. The feeling of bumping up and down while the wind rushed across his face. He was moving fast, and he didn't know where. He couldn't tell, not with his chariot.

He pulled on the reins, motioning the horses to slow down. They did, but he was still going quite fast. These horses were very eager. While that was a good thing most of the time, Nikolas found that it made this more difficult than it already was.