Mage Slayer: Book Four of the Empress Saga

CHAPTER NINE

     Enfri urged Spider to ride at a trot.

    Spider was a giant among horses. His shoulders went higher than Enfri's head, and he ate more than two horses of smaller breeds. He was older than most horses in the legion, older than a good number of the armsmen, in fact. However, Gaulatian steeds were almost as well-known for their longevity as for their size and strength.

    He was a seasoned veteran from the previous Lord Merovech's stable of warhorses, he was among the few warriors on the Continent to have bested a royal assassin in single combat, and he had a brief stint in the service of Althandor's crown prince. Even though the last twenty years of Spider's life had been spent as a cart horse, Enfri thought he seemed to enjoy being in an army again. He was certainly livelier than she remembered him being when he belonged to the Smiths of Sandharbor.

    Ban rode alongside her. He wasn't armored for this mission and wore one of his fine silk shirts. His short, auburn hair was freshly trimmed, and he'd shaved the stubble from his face. When he cleaned himself up, Ban could look rather dashing. It didn't hurt that he had a bold brow and chiseled jawline to make a damsel swoon, and Enfri caught herself admiring his roguish good looks now and then. In addition to his fine clothes, he wore an endearing grin that left little mystery as to why Rippling Moon fell for him.

    "Excited?" he asked her.

    "Bet your last penny."

    Ban laughed and looked ahead. The wagons of Calton's people were coming into sight.

    His horse was a white beauty, an Altieri charger named Arnln who had the most disinterested demeanor Enfri had ever seen in a horse. Completely unflappable and indomitable, Arnln would charge headfirst towards spears, arrows, and dragon fire without batting an eye. He, too, was an impressive warhorse, though he appeared to be just a foal while riding alongside a Gaulatian guerrier like Spider.

    Splitting the difference in size between the two was Scorpion. He was another Gaulatian, though one bred for speed rather than strength. He was black as midnight except for his white mane and the feathering around his fetlocks. Scorpion had once been the preferred mount of Crown Prince Dashar Algara, and he'd been serving Jin since Dashar's death. Now, however, his rider was a nervous Aleesh shepherd who bounced around on the saddle as if he'd never ridden a horse before.   

    "He's a tad fiery," Calton said under his breath. He was a lot less frightening when he wasn't looking like a drowned rat. Enfri liked his face, wide-eyed and clean-cut. He wasn't much older than she was, maybe twenty or so. And his height was something else. He might have had an inch over Ban.

    "Scorpion's a sweety," Enfri said to reassure him.

    "Sweety?" Calton murmured. "Aye, as you say, I suppose."

    It was strange to see someone other than Jin riding Scorpion. His breed was normally reserved for the assassins of House Algara. At Reyn's prudent suggestion, Jin wasn't coming along to meet Calton's people. The last thing anyone wanted was to frighten them needlessly. Better if these goodfolk were warned of what to expect before finding an osteomancer where they hoped to find safety.

    They rode along the beach of Leyr Ishan, keeping the large lake on their left and the coarse, dark sand underfoot. Kora and Lord Dahvid Corwyn, Enfri's second officer, accompanied them along with the twenty-five armsmen of Deebee's crew. Deebee herself was nearby but currently out of sight. She and the other dragons were keeping a low profile at Enfri's request.

    Enfri had asked for Rav and Grellin to limit the number of dragons in the air for the time being. The mighty had a way of making folk skittish, and Enfri wanted these people— her people— to feel welcome.