|
August 6, 1753 EQ, The Hunt Somewhere in Salmonil Territory |
||||
| CHAPTER 1 Title 1 Title 2 Title 3 INTERLUDE 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 |
Three
weeks later, General Araknik returned with his army and an entourage of
Samar craftsmen in his train. They
marched into Serapool with great fanfare and a hunt was called in
celebration. Withdrawing to
the cooler altitudes of their homeland, they engaged in the hunt, not
only for recreation but also for military training. Septic
reigned in his horse next to Koric’s, looked over at his friend, and
smiled. “Is the bet still
on?” he asked. “Ha!”
sneered Koric. “Of
course.” He leaned over
with a gentle hand on Septic’s shoulder and a condescending sneer and
promised, “At hunt’s end the painted stallion will be mine.
But,” he leaned back in his saddle, “eh, if you don’t feel
up to it...” |
“I’ll
match you kill for kill and then some, and you will be serving me vakla
dinner for a year.” Septic
was not about to let this battle turn out like the last one.
Each
of them dismounted and checked their horses and gear like the rest of
the Salmonil warriors in line next to them.
The horde formed a crescent shaped line as long as
one-day’s-hard-ride, lining up in close ranks along places marked out
with flags. Each warrior had up to five remounts -- to be changed every
day. “Don’t
you think you’ll get tired of vakla after a week?” “Not
if you make it right,” replied Septic as he checked his remounts. They
wore the full gear of a military strike: the traditional riding sel, composite bows, a quiver full of arrows, small wooded shields,
rations of smoked fish, and water skins.
As hardened nomads, they needed little more for survival.
|
||
