Mac swore. “Bastard.”
“He’s you’re friend.”
“He is, but his high and mighty attitude’s been taking a turn for the worst the past few months. This is about as low as a Knight-to-be could stoop.” We turned our horses toward the starting line where Caleb was already sitting. His glare followed us as we approached. I ignored him and looked at line of ten horses and riders. Everyone had their usual steed which meant that of the ten of us, there were four with enough horsepower to win this race.
“The change in the course… you remember the third fork?”
I nodded and watched as General Krane rode to the middle of the clearing that marked the start of the race.
Mac continued with his explanation, though his focus was solely on the General. “Take the road to the right instead of the left.”
I frowned. “They’re lengthening the race by a whole mile?”
He nodded. His mare snorted and Klora jumped away from her which caused the crowd to laugh. This, in turn, caused him to dance around nervously. I pulled him around in small circles, trying to get him to relax.
“Chael, can’t you get that horse to sit still for one minute so we can get this race started,” growled General Krane.
I felt the blood rise up into my face. “It doesn’t appear so, sir.”
He rolled his eyes. “Ladies and gentlemen!” His voice carried to the people at the back of the crowd. I noticed more people were watching Klora’s antics than paying attention to the General.
“Being a good horseman is one of the qualities that helps to define a Knight. A Knight spends many hours on the back of his animal; he must fight, defend, all from on his horse. A Knight’s steed must be sturdy, quick, and dependable.”
Caleb’s gelding, gave a full body shake which caused Klora to rear. I pulled him around, all the while wishing the General would get on with it.
“Today’s race will test horses and riders in areas such as speed, stamina, and agility.”
The crowd was starting to hoot and holler to show support to whichever Knight-in-training they’d come to watch. Klora gave a series of half rears and crow hops.
“On your mark!”
Everyone gathered their reins.
“Get set!”
I caught a glimpse of the other Knights-in-training bent low, ready to start fast.
“Go!”
Everyone shot forward. Well, everyone but me. I shot backwards as Klora reared and bolted in the wrong direction. Instead of trying to stop him, I pulled him around in a large circle until we were heading in the same direction as the others. I tried not to swear at the fact we were a good thirty horse lengths behind the others.
“I should have taken Dad up on his offer, you idiotic, flighty, undeserving…” I stopped insulting him and concentrated on planning out the race with this added setback. I let Klora have his head until we’d gotten within twenty horse lengths behind the others. “Alright, then, easy now. You can pass them later on.” I glanced up at the sky. “Thanks a lot,” I mumbled.
The first fork in the course arrived and we all turned to the left. I watched as Caleb rammed his horse into one of the twins, causing his horse to run along the edge of the path. A branch caught the rider in the head and toppled him off of his horse.
I slowed Klora. “Hal, are you alright?”
He nodded, though his freckles stood out against his skin which had gone white with pain. “Don’t let that bastard win, Chael.” He stood, holding his arm, and grabbed his mare’s reins. “Go, I’ll walk back.”
I spun Klora and spurred him forward. Branches and shrubs flew by as he picked up speed. Once the others were in view again, I slowed him, not wanting to wear him out. The smell of horse sweat filled my nostrils and the heat from his body warmed my hands. I pictured the map in my head.
“Gods’ sakes, Chael, I could use a bit of luck right about now.” I frowned. “And I don’t mean your kind.” I turned my attention to Klora. “We’ll be getting to the swamp right away. I’d appreciate it if you paid a bit of attention to where I tell you to go. I don’t feel like getting sucked into the damn thing today.”
Klora snorted. The crowd ahead of us was starting to spread out and we were catching up to the ones who were lagging behind.
“You’re brother’s walking back, Harry. I think he broke his arm, but he’s fine!”
Harry looked back under his arm, his shaggy orange hair blowing into his face.
“What happened to Hal?” he yelled.
“After the first fork, when you were ahead, Caleb sent his horse into your brother’s mare and sent him off the path. A branch took him out.”
Harry swore. “Bastard. He knows the only way he’ll win this is if he cheats.” He glared ahead to the others who were just at the edge of the swamp. “Which path are you taking?” he inquired.
“The one on the right; it’s the widest.”
“It’s also the longest.”
“I’d rather make up the time afterwards as oppose to fighting my way out of the muck because Klora thought he should jump off the path.”
He shook his head in amazement. “Honestly, Chael, I don’t know why you bother with that horse.”
I let Klora have a bit more of his head and smiled as we moved ahead of Harry. “If you can keep up until the end of the race, you’ll see why.”
Harry grinned at the challenge and spurred his horse on, though he headed toward the shortest and narrowest of the swampy paths.
Klora’s head came up in disgust as he stepped into the swamp and sank to his fetlocks. I gave him a pat on the neck.
“Come on, now. It’s just a bit of mud. Just remember; stay between the rows of swamp grass and this is as deep as you’ll have to step.”
Klora shook out his mane but proceeded into the swamp without much more persuading. The stench of rotting swamp grass and decaying whatever had managed to get sucked into the swamp clogged my nostrils. Klora’s eyes started to show white as he spotted something covered in flies floating nearby.
“Easy, boy. Almost there.” His steps made sickening sucking sounds and I knew that should he bolt, we had a very good chance of ending up like the fly covered mess to the right.
“Chael!”
I looked up to find Harry already on the other side of the swamp. The others were no longer in sight.
“Do you want me to wait here in case he goes over?”
I shook my head. “Go! I’ll catch up!”
Klora picked that moment to jump sideways, away from a small serpent swimming toward us. I spurred him with my right leg, trying to keep him on the path. He jumped away from the jab and I spurred with both legs. He bogged down, fighting to pull his legs out of the muck. The motion threw me forward in the saddle and I clenched my teeth as my thigh landed on the swell of my saddle.
“Come on, Chael! Three more jumps like that and you’re out!” Mark’s voice echoed through the swamp.
Klora launched himself again, and true to Mark’s estimate, we were soon clear of the swamp. I jumped off of him and wiped his legs off, looking for any cuts.
“What happened to Jarran?” inquired Harry of Mark’s mare. I looked up and noticed she was limping as he led her out of the woods in our direction.
“Caleb. He cut us off just before the first log jump. I had to put on the brakes to avoid running into him but I couldn’t slow her enough to stop her and she tried taking the jump anyway.” He shook his head. “She caught her knee on it.”
“Maybe it was an accident?” Harry didn’t look very convinced at his own suggestion.
“I’d like to know what’s gotten into him lately.” Mark shook his head. “Anyhow, the two of you better get going if you’re going to catch up.” He started to lead his mare around the swamp. Harry and I got back on the trail.
“Good gods, why do I even bother asking you for help. You’re so busy trying to make my life miserable, it would never occur to you to make things a little easier.”
; Harry glanced at me, his eyebrows raised. “Who are you talking to?”
I rolled my eyes. “Just a useless, good for nothing god who seems to love taking pleasure in my bad luck.”
If he was going to comment, he changed his mind at the sight of a tall, rocky trail.
“Have you ever gone up the cliff path before?” Harry looked up the nearly non-existent trail.
“Never.” I gave Klora a kick and gave him his head. My horse, who did show a sense of self-preservation from time to time, dropped his head and started to pick his way neatly up the trail. I leaned forward and hung on to the saddle, making sure to stay out of his way.
The top of the path opened up onto an open field and the two of us urged our horses into a gallop.
“How far ahead do you think they are?” I yelled over to Harry.
“My best guess is that they’ve made it to the last fork.”
Both horses perked their ears at the sight of a third standing by the woods. Harry and I looked at each other grimly.
“That’s Mac’s horse.” I pulled Klora to a stop.
“So where’s Mac?”
A cough startled Klora.
“I’m right here. Bastard pushed me off my horse.” He tried to sit and lay back down with a groan into the ferns that were hiding him. “I mean literally. He reached over, rammed his horse into mine, and pushed me off with his own hand. Bastard!”
Harry and I dismounted. “Are you hurt?”
“I think I’ve a few cracked ribs by the feel of it.”
I looked down the path. Deep inside of me, the need to win this race, to prove myself burned. Mac coughed again and groaned. I thought back to my dream. Maybe I’d been wrong when I’d told the visitor I wanted to win. It was definitely something I wanted, but did winning make me a Knight? I looked down Mac.
“Alright, let’s get you up on your horse and we’ll take the shortcut back.”
Mac shook his head. “You can still catch up. I’ve seen Klora at a dead run. If you go now, you’ve got this race won.”
“He’s right, Chael. You could still win.”
I shook my head. “I’m not leaving you here alone with Mac lying in the woods. Let’s get him up.”
It took a few tries, but we finally managed to push Mac up onto his mare. He lay on her neck, trying to keep the tears of pain from spilling from his eyes. I took his reins.
“Just hang on to your saddle. We’ll go as slowly as we need to.”
Harry grinned. “I wasn’t aware that Klora had a slow speed.”
I laughed. “We’re just full of surprises, Klora and I.”
“Oh?” Mac looked up, still pale from his climb up his horse.
I shrugged. “It’s just a saying.”
By the time we had gotten back to the starting line, the only people waiting were Harry’s father, Sir Gregory, Mac’s father, Sir Charles, my father, and General Krane. Harry and I dismounted and helped Mac off of his horse.
“What happened?” Sir Charles rushed to his son’s side.
“I fell.”
“You mean you were pushed.” I glared at him, angry he was covering for the man who’d done this.
General Krane frowned. “Who pushed you?”
Mac shook his head and General Krane turned his attention to Harry and I.
“It was Caleb.” I answered.
“He’s also the one that ran Hal’s horse into the woods which caused him to fall and break his arm,” added Harry.
“And he cut off Mark and Jarran just before a jump which caused the injury to Jarran’s knee.”
The general turned his attention back to Mac. “Is this true?”
Mac stared at the ground and nodded.
“And what of you two?” inquired my father.
“We came upon Mac lying on the ground… we couldn’t just leave him there.” I smiled at Mac who nodded his appreciation.
“I was going to try by myself and we told Chael to keep going, but he insisted on staying to help.” Harry gave me a pat on the back.
The General raised an eyebrow. “Harry, you didn’t want to win?”
“Oh, of course I did, sir. My horse, he’s a good one, but mostly on short distances.” He gave the speckled grey a pat. “There’s no way I could have caught up and passed the leaders to win. Chael, on the other hand, well, Klora may be high strung and out of control most of the time, but he’s got speed and stamina like no other horse I’ve ever seen. Chael had a chance to win and we thought he should take it.”
The general turned his attention to me. “Chael? Do you think you could have won?”
I took a deep breath, not sure how to answer. Did I want to sound conceited? I decided to say what I felt. “I think I still had a chance, sir. Like Harry said, Klora is a bit of a meathead, but he’s got heart.”
“And, now I ask you; did you not want to win?”
“More than anything, sir.”
“Then why stay behind? Harry could have handled the task of bringing Mac back on his own.”
“True enough, sir. However, I’m a strong believer that a Knight doesn’t leave a man behind. Mark and Hal were able to walk back on their own, but Mac, well, if something had happened and he’d fallen while on his way back, Harry would have needed help to get him back on his mare. The honor of winning the race would have been amazing, but it wouldn’t have been greater than the dishonor I would have felt had I left Mac and Harry alone.”
My father beamed where he stood while Sir Gregory and Sir Charles nodded their approval. General Krane looked at my horse thoughtfully where Klora was starting to dance around on the end of his reins.
“Chael, in all of your years of training, you’ve always been a team player. I remember a conversation I’d had with you a few months ago. You wanted to win, you’d said. However, I got the feeling that you felt you needed to win.”
“Sir?”
“Did you feel you needed to win this race?”
“I…” I looked at Klora. “Yes, sir. I felt I needed to win this race. Just as I feel I need to finish the testing tomorrow as top man.”
“And why is that?”
I took a deep breath and ran a hand though my dark brown hair. “I felt I, well, Klora and I, had something we needed to prove. We’re different, yeah? I’m small and I think we can assume I’ll never be as tall or as thick as the rest of you and Klora…” I gestured to my horse who nearly jumped out of his skin at the movement. I smiled. “He’s black and doesn’t have one calm nerve in his body.” I looked at the ground, embarrassed by what I was about to say. “Honestly, sir, I thought that if I could win the race and if I can come out top man tomorrow, we might be able to prove that we’re not as different as everyone seems to think we are.”
I looked up at my father and saw the sadness on his features before he managed to hide it away behind a blank mask.
Harry and Mac were gazing at the ground, obviously embarrassed by what I’d just said. I met the General’s gaze.
“I’m not looking for pity, or special treatment, sir. We’re all here to prove ourselves and we all have our reasons why.”
He nodded. “True enough.” He looked at Klora again.
Sir Charles looked from his son to me. “I agree with your fellow Knights-in-training. Klora should have won that race and I’ll be forever thankful for your help in getting Mac home.” He scratched his chin. “Chael, if you could fight anyone tomorrow in the arena, who would it be?”
“Caleb.”
“Just like that? You don’t want to think about it?”
I shook my head. “Just like that. I want Caleb.”
Everyone turned their attention to General Krane who nodded. “Caleb it is.”
My father gave me a pat on the back as everyone mounted and headed back to the city.
*****
“Caleb?” My uncle’s surprise was clear on his face.
I nodded and thanked my aunt for the mug of ale. “You look surprised, Uncle Peter.”
“That’s because I am. By gods, you could have picked a smaller opponent to prove yourself with. The man has a good eight inches on you and is twice as thick. Now, I’m not saying you’re not good at what you do. The gods know I had my doubts when your father announced what he had planned for you as child, but you’ve managed to prove yourself.” He shook his head. “But Caleb?”
I took a sip of my drink. “I’ve fought him before. He’s arrogant, cocky.” I glanced at my aunt who stood in the kitchen, pale. “You don’t have to worry, Aunt Jannet.”
“You know what I think of this whole ordeal.” She frowned and went to her room. My uncle looked after her then turned his attention to me.
“I’m going to agree with your aunt on this one. You’ll get hurt. And what happens when they take you to the back to mend you and they see what you’ve been hiding all these years?”
My father grunted. “It’s not up for discussion. Chael has picked an opponent and he’ll win.” He smiled and patted me on the back. “Tomorrow, there will be one more Shadow Knight in the family.”
Everyone had a drink and thought about what would happen. My uncle, obviously upset, excused himself and joined my aunt in their bedroom. I looked into the fire, relaxed by the ale. Whisk thumped his tail against the floor, the hollow sound repeating itself as I reached down to pat his head.
“Don’t let them worry you, Chael.”
I smiled. “I’m not worried, Dad.” He refilled my mug and raised his to mine.
“Tomorrow, you’ll show them.”
I took a long swallow. “Tomorrow, Caleb’s going to wish he was three times the size he is now.” My father chuckled and agreed before heading to bed.
I had started to doze on the couch and I felt the pull of a dream. Even as I let it take me, I couldn’t help but think it was strange to have more than one in a week. I waited until the spinning room around me turned into a hayloft. Someone cleared their throat and I spun.
“Who are you?” I asked, shocked. The visitors in my dreams had always been someone I knew.
The man stayed quiet. His black hair and black eyes caught the light of the moon as it streamed through a small window. He leaned back against the wall.
Chael's Luck (A Knights of Dorathan Novel) Page 3