Gift of the Shaper by D. L. Jennings

Author:D. L. Jennings
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Indigo River Publishing
Published: 2017-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 27

Khala Val'ur

Sera

General Aldis Tennech stood at the gates of Khala Val'ur, holding his helmet beside him and looking out beyond the entrance. Any time he left the city, Tennech dressed for war, and today was no different. The ends of his black mustache were visible below his chin when he slid his helmet on, open enough in the front to accommodate the corners of his mouth, with just a thin slit at the top for his eyes. He turned to Sera and said, "Ready the horses," while slipping on his armored gloves one at a time.

Sera nodded respectfully and turned toward the stables that she knew so well, where the general's mount and her own horse, Ruen, would be waiting for her. Rounding the corner to the stables, she met the stablemaster, who already had both horses tacked and ready, and guided them out by the braided reins that were attached to their bridles.

"Avero has done a good job taking care of them," Tennech said with approval as they approached.

"He always does," Sera replied. She came to a stop just in front of the Valurian general, both horses' reins in hand. "It's one of the reasons we keep him around."

The larger of the two horses was black as night, with white markings around the eyes that looked like war paint. The general took his reins and led him onto the path, lining up to the left of the horse, slipping his foot into the stirrup, and swinging his leg around with ease. "Follow me," he said to Sera, who was standing by the smaller horse.

Hers had a coat of chestnut, with a saddle to match, which she mounted just as easily as the general had. "Right behind you," she said, taking the reins in one hand and giving them two light shakes, spurring the diminutive stallion on to a trot.

From his earliest days in the Academy, Tennech had taken a keen interest in horseback riding and had gone out of his way to see that he had the best training and the best horses. He was well aware of the broad military application of horses as well as their profound value in transportation and had taken up breeding them as a hobby. The black one he rode now was one of the first he'd ever bred, and he had named it Calathet, meaning "horse lord" in the old tongue. Though there were horses that were bigger than Calathet or even faster, he was the clear favorite of Tennech due to the fact that he was fearless, obeying his rider without even a moment's hesitation. The general bragged that he could ride him straight off a cliff if he felt like it.

"We will meet Rus just north of Lash'Kargá," he said, "away from prying eyes." The sound of Calathet's even hoofbeats was loud and strong, echoing off the mountains as they passed through.

"You know I don't trust him," Sera answered with a frown. She was riding a few paces behind him on Ruen, the very same horse she had ridden when she fled the city of Ellenos.

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