Page 36 (1/2)

He s Janus”

Chapter 1

They began riding late in the month of Prensur Their horses were all stallions, no more than two years old, youthfulwas done under Master Rensial’s supervision, his h he muttered constantly to himself as he led each of the Barkus “Need strength” He tugged Barkus by the sleeve and led hiest of the horses, a hefty chestnut stallion standing at least seventeen hands “Brush his coat, check his shoes”

Caenis was led to a fleet looking dark brown stallion and Dentos a sturdy, dappled grey Nortah’s mount was almost completely black with a blaze of white on his forehead “Fast,” Master Rensial arded his horse in silence, his reaction to s since his return froe his or blank indifference The only time he see a new found ferocity with sword and pole-axe that left them all bruised or cut

Vaelin’s own mount turned out to be a sturdy, russet coloured stallion with a cluster of scars on his flanks “Broken,” Master Rensial told hiot souidance”

Vaelin’s horse bared its teeth at hi hi his father’s house and found the prospect oddly daunting

“Care for the “Win their trust They will carry you through ithout their trust you will die” He stopped talking and, seeing his eyes take on the unfocused cast that signified another onset of ra or violence, they quickly led their an to ride the nextand did little else for the next four weeks Nortah, having ridden fro the the most difficult course Master Rensial could devise with relative ease Only Dentos could co to the saddle like a natural “Used to go to the races every month in su on et a race out of a carthorse”

Caenis and Vaelin proved adequate if not expert riders and Barkus learned quickly although it was clear he didn’t relish the lessons “My arse feels like it’s been hit with a thousand ha himself to his bed face down

The others soon beca to know their ways Vaelin called his horse Spit, since that was all the animal ever seemed to do when he attempted to win his trust He was perennially bad tempered with a tendency towards ard hooves and sudden, bruising lurches of the head Attear sticks or apples did nothing to assuage the beast’s basic aggression The only co was the fact that Spit was even more badly behaved towards the others Whatever his character faults the beast proved fast at the gallop and fearless in practice, often snapping at the otheraway froruelling affair as they attempted to unseat each other with lance or sword Nortah’s horseht meant many tumbles froan to learn the difficult art of mounted archery, a necessary element of the Test of the Horse which they would have to pass in less than a year Vaelin found the bow a hard discipline at the best of ti to sink a shaft into a hay bale fro in a saddle was almost impossible Nortah on the other hand hit the mark on his first try and hadn’t rined by another disastrous practice “Master Rensial’s instruction is often hard to follow”

Nortah stared at him with the empty passivity they had co loon,” he replied

“He’s clearly a troubled“So, any help you could provide”

Nortah shrugged “If you wish”

It turned out there was no real trick to it, just practice Every day they would spend an hour orto hit the target and Nortah coaching hih in the saddle before you loose… Make sure you get the string back to your chin… Only loose when you feel your round… Don’t aim so low…” It took five days before Vaelin could put a shaft in the hay bale and another three before his aih to find the mark at alht as they walked their mounts back to the stables “I doubt I would have picked it up without your help”

Nortah gave hilance “I owed you a debt, did I not?”