Alan Price and the Horsemen of the Apocalypse by Jonathan Yanez

Author:Jonathan Yanez [Yanez, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fantasy, Epic, Magical Realism
Amazon: B019P35JLC
Publisher: Archimedes Books
Published: 2016-01-25T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

A few miles from the scene of the battle, Ardat had chosen a hill to make their camp for the night. Tracy sat beside Ardat and her own horse, eating a meager dinner of human food the Shaman had brought with him. As a supernatural being, Ardat had neither the need for food nor sleep. They were luxuries she enjoyed; however, tonight would not be one of these times.

“Hurry and finish your meal,” Ardat said as she stared into the deep shadows the night brought. “We’ll need to practice into the early hours of the morning to prepare you.”

Tracy looked up from her meal of bread, cheese, and dried meat with a grimace. “It’s bad enough I have to eat this stuff, now no sleep?”

Ardat looked at Tracy with a hard stare. Although the lighting was poor, it was enough for Tracy to wish she hadn’t spoken. “Okay, okay.” Tracy stood up, wiping crumbs from her hands. “I’m willing to learn, but how are we going to train in the dark? Maybe we should just go to sleep and wait until morning?”

Even as the last words escaped her lips, the phoenix landed on the ground next to the pair and lit a small bush with fire. The dry wood sparked into flames and burned bright against the ebony darkness of the landscape.

Tracy fixed the mythical bird with a hard stare of her own. “Great, thanks for that.”

The phoenix rustled its feather and took a seat next to her horse. The two animals stared at Tracy as if to say, “There you go. You have light now; no more excuses. Get your booty in gear, lady.”

“Your exploits today are not without merit,” Ardat said, hiding a smile as Tracy stuck her tongue out at the phoenix in case he missed her sarcasm. “Still, you’ll need a basic knowledge of spear strikes and blocks. We really should go over an assortment of weapons but, given the time we have, we’ll only be able to study the spear.”

Tracy raised a hand.

“Yes?” Ardat said.

“Why a spear? I’d like to use a sword or knives or something cool like that.”

“I’m sure you would. A spear, however, is the weapon of a Horsewoman. Seated on your animal, you’ll need a weapon that will provide you reach. The safest place for you, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, is on his back,” Ardat said, motioning to the large horse who watched the women with interest.

“Fair enough,” Tracy said.

Ardat studied a group of trees that lay just within the reach of the fire’s light for a moment before selecting two branches and breaking them from the trees with her mind. The long pieces of wood snapped with loud cracks and began to float to the teacher and student. As they came closer, Ardat pulled any stray branch or twigs from the wood until they were smooth poles. Ardat grabbed one from the air and directed the other one toward Tracy.

“I’m still getting over the fact that you can do things like this,” Tracy said as she gripped the pole floating in front of her.

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