Rider (Spirals of Destiny) (14 page)

The general and the freshly-chosen air maiden exchanged salutes while General Jyslin said, “Ellen Jacobs has been chosen to join the Sisterhood of the Thundering Clouds. Let the actions of her and her mount carry the winds of hope into those in need of salvation.” Kayleigh clapped loudly for Ellen as the two followed the same route.

Next came Francine, but she failed to garner any reaction from the artifacts. “Francine Andover still waits for her role in The Academy, but often the longer her magic takes to surface, the more powerful she will become, so take heart young warrior and be assured that it is not a matter of if, but when your day will come.”

Kayleigh felt bad for Francine, but suspected that if any had difficulty finding their alignment, it would be her. A second recruit, Marissa, joined Kayleigh as the second fire maiden when the blue flame turned a bright green. A few minutes later, Helena Shaw became the next fire maiden. It was hard not to get caught up in the giddy atmosphere surrounding the selection. Each time a girl was chosen for an element, everyone in that section of the ceremonial hall would stand and cheer.

When Kayleigh sensed a tremor under the bench she sat on, General Jyslin proclaimed, “Alicia Santiago has been chosen to join the Sisterhood of the Impregnable Mountains. Let those who need shelter from evil find protection in her and her mount’s earthshaking power.”

That was another surprise, she was certain Alicia was going to be an air maiden. What wasn’t a surprise was Rebekah Morganstern touching the cup and the contents began overflowing onto the ground. “Rebekah Morganstern has been chosen to join the Sisterhood of Everlasting Tides. Let her and her mount’s magic bring safe harbor to who are in need of rescue.”

As the last candidate was finished, there were thunderous cheers. Five maidens still remained without an element. Ten had joined water, nine for both earth and air, and the remaining eight were aligned with fire. Kayleigh spent the next few minutes mingling with Helena and the others, even noting that some of the recruit’s families had made the journey to witness the ceremony. She was nursing a twinge of sadness when a hand brushed the back of her robes.

“Congratulations are still in order, how’s the training been so far?”

Kayleigh turned and recognized Rider Annabeth Welsh. Someone
had
actually come and seen her. Her mood instantly brightened.

“It’s been everything you promised and then some!”

“That’s good to hear. I’m on assignment in the city at least until mating season starts, so you’ll see me around, Reese.”

“Really?”  Kayleigh was excited at the prospect. Though she liked Lieutenant Sheppard well enough, there was still a professional distance, because the earth maiden was an instructor. Only four years separated Rider Welsh from Kayleigh and the friendly young woman treated all the recruits almost as equals on the journey across the continent. Many nights, the fire maiden spent telling stories of what to expect to the wide-eyed trainees.

“I figured I’d stop by and see some of my friends, who are in their final year, and check in on you and the other girls from our caravan. How are your lessons in fire magic going? Well, I hope?”

“I’m still as erratic as ever,” Kayleigh admitted with a sigh. Of the three lessons she had taken with the second year instructor, twice she could barely generate any flames and the third time she conjured a four foot long column of fire that impressed everyone present. “I’m working with the second year recruits, but it’s a little hard to find time to practice with all the things I have to do as lead rider, and the extra duty.”

The brown haired woman looked thoughtful and said, “How much extra duty have you earned?”

“Six hours.”

“That’s a lot for the first four weeks. Still you get used to it and adjust.”

“No, that was just this morning. Since classes started four weeks ago, I’ve earned thirty-five.”

“What? Some people don’t earn that many in an entire year!”

Shrugging somewhat helplessly, she answered, “Lead rider rule.”

“They don’t usually enforce that until … oh, I get it! She’s really got it in for you, doesn’t she? You’re not giving her any satisfaction are you?”

“Not a chance.”

Welsh leaned closer and lowered her voice. “That’s just petty. So let me get this straight, you are having a hard time practicing because of all your extra duty and you can’t do magic without a trained rider observing.”

Kayleigh’s smile grew as she understood what Rider Welsh was implying. “That’s about right. I’ve only got half of tomorrow’s free day left.”

“Do you know that things can get rather boring at the garrison in the city? I should be able to take the afternoon ferry on your free day and if you finish your extra duty in the morning, we’ll spend the entire afternoon working on fire magic.”

“That sounds great!”

“Then it’s settled. I’m going to go mingle a bit more, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Kayleigh nodded and Rider Welsh wandered off. She turned to accept the congratulations of others. Being on Captain Lynch’s “bad” side was a problem, but in this case, it actually helped to create an opportunity.

It feels odd to have an actual saddle again, after so long
. Majherri likened it to an itch he couldn’t quite scratch, but he would get used to it. The rains finally stopped and the entire class, both humans and unicorns were gathered at one of the reviewing grounds for a series of demonstrations.

Currently, a stocky male knight mounted on a black charger was moving through the obstacle course attacking the targets with his lance. Pulling back on the reins, the horse reared and smashed powerful hooves into the hay-filled suits of armor.

Enough of this! I am eager to start training with my rider!

Majherri turned toward Tyrinigen. Their riders were friends, but the young male was only slightly less annoying than Abassa, the male who needed his help reconnecting to his rider in the caravan.

“
The knight’s animal is well trained, but heavy cavalry units won’t usually fight against us unless they are supported by infantry and archers. It’s the archers and the crossbows you have to worry about. A knight on a warhorse is easily noticed, but a quarrel or a bolt can appear out of nowhere without notice.”

It was the first time Majherri had spoken of combat with the younglings and several moved closer to see if he would continue.

“
The first thing an enemy is always thinking about is how to separate you from your rider. They are the path through which our magic flows. You must do your best to prevent that from happening.”

Most of the other unicorns were now watching him instead of the demonstration.
“That said, you must learn how to function without your rider and that is more than just stabbing with your horn. It is fighting with your hooves, just like the animal out there does. It is recognizing which opponents pose the most immediate threat to you and your rider. Sometimes, you must risk greater injury to protect the human and let her wield the power you share.”

They were looking at his scars and the crack in his horn. He could feel their eyes on him. They were wounds that did not respond to the healing magic of the water maidens.

“
Tell us about your battles, Majherri,” Paragor asked.

“
Perhaps later, the human will ask for one of us to display our prowess in a moment.”

On cue, the knight finished the course and brought his horse to a stop in front of the recruits. “That young ladies, is what a knight with a trained warhorse is capable of. But when it comes down to it, a warhorse is just a trained beast and it responds to my commands well enough. Your unicorns are every bit as smart and clever as you are. So while they reset the targets, I’m going to ask one of the unicorns to come up here and show all of us how fast they can finish this course.”

“
Go ahead, Majherri.”

“
You’ve actually fought before.”

“
Come on; show us all the skill you claim to have.”

The rest agreed and urged him to volunteer.
“The exercise doesn’t have moving targets. It is more suited to you younglings.”

“
So, what you’re saying is that you can not do better than any of us. Lycenae challenged.”

“
As usual, little colt, you are a fool. I was attempting to let one of you demonstrate superiority, but since you insist, let me show you what a real warrior can do.”

He paced forward and snorted at the human knight and bobbing his head. Except for the brief battle outside of Miros, Majherri hadn’t unleashed his full fury since wandering out of that western dessert. Despite it being just a silly demonstration for younglings and the females who ride them, he would give them a taste of what they could one day be.

With the last hay-filled target returned to the upright position the knight shouted for Majherri to go.

Bolting toward the first stop, a set of armor on a barrel that was given legs to create the appearance of a mounted human, he was speed. Majherri used his horn to parry the lance while pushing into a jump with his back legs. Rising from the ground his chest smashed into the where the horse’s neck would have been. Even if he wasn’t wearing any armor, the move and the momentum would have broken the animal’s neck and thrown the rider.

He shifted his weight in mid-jump to compensate for the lighter weight of the “non-horse.” The moment he landed, he pivoted and launched a devastating kick to the side of the barrel splintering the wood and making it practically explode, but he didn’t waste any time appreciating his hoofwork. He accelerated in the direction of a fake bowmen while executing a series of quick turns to prevent the archer from lining up a shot. Most humans would release at either two or three lengths, so Majherri dipped his shoulder which would allow his rider to thrust her shield forward and protect the vulnerable left side of the head.

A blink of an eye later, there was the satisfying tinkle of broken chain male links falling away from his horn and a gaping hole in the target’s midriff. A trio of infantrymen was next, with braced spears.

The targets are only one human deep, I could easily vault them. Their long weapons wouldn’t be able to turn that quickly, but I’ll fight them as if they were more than one row.

He reared and cycled his front hooves rapidly, smashing the center weapon, and immediately circling right. His horn smacked against the nearest spear and he leapt forward bowling the dummies into each other and moved inside of the effective area the spears could be used in. The front hooves came down with his full weight behind them. The clang of iron shod shoes on metal reverberated in his ears while his forelegs absorbed the shock of the repeated blows.

Normally, I’d be pulling on Kayleigh to set my hooves ablaze at this point, but even without it, there is something to be said for the sheer release of combat.

Majherri galloped into the midst of the final group of fake warriors and surged like an unbroken pack animal, spinning, bucking and kicking. He was a storm of legs, stabbing horn, and movement, a thunderous explosion of violence that only stopped when there was nothing left standing.

Lathered in sweat, he looked for something else to smash or destroy. Rage pounded in his veins. The symphony of violence ended with him snorting and panting, ears pinned back detailing his anger. The startled looks on the faces of the recruits, the younglings, and even the knight spoke volumes.

Trotting back toward the herd of unicorns, his eyes bore a hole through Lycenae and the others who dared doubt him. Instinctively, they backed away from him and part of Majherri relished the idea that he was feared.

“That,” the human male said clearing his voice and trying to mask the slight pause in his voice, “is a large part of the reason why a dozen mounted knights versus a single trained battle maiden is considered an even matchup by most generals.”

The flood of anger subsided and he tried to relax. He flinched when a human hand brushed against his coat. He hadn’t noticed Kayleigh’s approach. He sensed the concern she was feeling through their shared link.

“Its okay, Majherri. I’m here.”

Majherri slowly released the tension in his body and let the rage drain away under her touch.

He thanked her as best he could and gave her the message that he wished for solitude.

“Okay, come find me later,” his rider responded.

“
What did you hope to gain by terrifying the younglings?”

His wanderings took him by a small brook, where he listened to the sound of the moving water. He suspected someone would come looking for him, but Majherri expected it would be Pasha.

Instead, he turned and faced T’rsa. He wasn’t pleased and obviously she wasn’t either. He came out here to be alone and was in no mood for her foolishness.

“
They goaded me into a demonstration, sister.”

“
Perhaps, but from the stories being told, you went berserk! When I first heard that you participated today, I figured it was to simply be prideful and show off. Instead, you lay waste to a portion of the training field trying to prove that you still have the ability to protect your rider.”