Sermas snorted. “The stable hand has lived most of his life here and that black beast nearly killed both of us still.” Sermas jumped as the railing between the two stalls shuddered under a thundering kick from the black mare next door.
Khollo laughed. “I don’t know then. But Ondus tells me horses are smart creatures, most of them anyway. They understand humans, and what they’re thinking and feeling. Show fear to a horse and they’ll show fear in return.” He patted the piebald’s flank. “Show gentleness and respect, and they’ll return the favor. Lead him on out, and find Janis.” If he didn’t get tired of waiting for us and leave us behind.
Sermas took the reins and led the gelding out of the stables. Khollo turned to assist Hern, but the cadet was already leading a palomino by the bridle.
“Sare here calmed right down once we got her away from Stomper over there,” Hern explained. “Why are we doing all this exactly?”
“Later,” Khollo replied, aware that the stable boy was listening curiously. “Let’s get on the road first.”
Hern shrugged and led Sare out into the cold winter morning. Khollo meanwhile took Arle by the bridle and led her out of the stable, tolerating the playful nudges she was giving him with her long muzzle.
“Come on, come on,” Janis was growling when Khollo emerged. “We need to get a move on here!” Sermas and Hern were hauling themselves into the saddle under Janis’ watchful eye. “Who paired Sermas with Gale?”
“I did,” Khollo replied. “Gale seems to like him.”
Janis shook his head. “Should have known. I couldn’t believe it when the stable boy made for Stomper’s stall. That’s one of the most bad-tempered beasts I’ve ever met.”
Khollo put his foot in the stirrup and swung up into Arle’s saddle, settling himself comfortably. Hern and Sermas were not sitting quite so easily, but they were mounted and that was progress. Janis gave all three of them the once over, then snapped his reins and urged Gray Wind towards the fortress gates.
“Better get a move on,” he called. “I’d like to reach Holwey and have time to scout the area.”
“Holwey? That shouldn’t be a problem,” Sermas replied. “Why Holwey?”
“Because the vertaga were there,” Janis replied grimly.
“He’s not serious?” Sermas asked Khollo.
Khollo shook his head. “Janis isn’t lying. We’re going to Holwey. Or what’s left of it.”
Sermas paled and Khollo was reminded that even though the younger boy was a great fighter, he was less experienced. Khollo belatedly wondered whether he should really be risking his friends like this.
“Vertaga hunting?” Hern asked. “I’ll take that over trials any day! Right Sermas?”
Sermas said nothing, instead urging Gale to catch up to Janis and Gray Wind. Hern looked at Khollo and shrugged uncertainly. Khollo meanwhile, was already rethinking this venture. This wasn’t a training session or a practice fight. They could be going up against a real enemy, and Khollo knew that people tended to get hurt against real enemies. And since they were hunting vertaga, Khollo knew that his friends getting hurt was nowhere near the worst outcome of this trip.
Then Khollo remembered that Janis and Ondus had barely escaped the enemy last time. He shuddered and realized that this was no simple reconnaissance. Against an enemy like the vertaga, death was always a real possibility.
Chapter 11
They had been riding hard for an hour before Janis slowed the pace to a walk and Khollo was able to brief his friends on the meeting and their mission. To their credit, Sermas and Hern took the news calmly and held their questions. Khollo did not explain his relationship to Janis yet. He felt it would be awkward with the older warrior listening.
“So . . . we’re investigating Holwey and another village to see if Lord Kurkan recognizes the attacks as vertaga attacks?” Hern asked when Khollo finished.
“Yes,” Janis replied, his voice strangely muffled since he was facing away from them. “The other village is Reoth, two days southeast of the West Bank.”
“Better two days southeast of the West Bank than the East Bank,” Sermas said with a smile.
“Let it go,” Janis growled. “The rivalry served us well, gave us a purpose during the lull. But now we’re depending on them to keep half of the Renlor Basin free of vertaga, and I think we owe them a little respect and cooperation.”
Sermas sighed. “Oh, well. It was boring being better than them at everything anyway.”
Hern and Khollo laughed. Khollo was glad to see that Sermas had recovered his sense of humor. For the first part of the journey, the younger boy had been strangely quiet. Then again, he was not a seasoned rider and may have been too busy trying to keep his seat to provide entertainment for the others.
“Lord Kurkan,” Hern began. “Is it really wise for us to be hunting the vertaga with so little experience?”
“Of course,” Janis replied immediately. “I’m not mad you know.
Gale and Gray Wind broke wind in harmony.
“Shut it,” Janis snapped, nudging the beast with his toe.
“The plan is not to engage,” Khollo reminded him. “Just to go over the places where the vertaga have been and look for clues. Right, Janis?”
Janis made no reply, save to glance quickly at the sun. “We should get a move on,” he announced, setting his heels to Gray Wind’s sides, urging him to speed up. The others followed quickly, but Khollo was suddenly wary of what was ahead. He couldn’t help but feel that even though this was a reconnaissance mission, Janis was looking for a fight. And that could be dangerous for more than the vertaga.
They rode on south across the Renlor Basin, speaking rarely, each growing more and more apprehensive
