Elfborn: The Quest

Chapter 7: It Begins

"Hardly fine, Sir Lash," Hephestus quickly pointed out with a wry chuckle. "But, when we ride to do the Lord's work, every day is bright and sunny."

Abruptly the joviality disappeared as the big, handsome Lord Commander of the Order of Saint Michael leaned on his saddle horn to hand Lash another scroll, this one much smaller and more tightly rolled than the accounts that Hugh had given to Garrett.

"Your orders, straight from King Frederik," Hephestus tautly announced, sitting back up to tug his cloak's hood forward to protect the upraised visor of his helmet. "It would appear you are marching in the vanguard, Sir Lash, with myself, Lord Commander Samial and His Majesty."

Lash looked up from the scroll unfurled in his hands, a frown on his face.

"Another honor, Commander. But what have I done to deserve such flattery? Surely there are many other knights, both under King Frederik and from the Orders that deserve this much more than I."

Hephestus shrugged.

"That I cannot answer, Sir Lash. Deos volo. It's God's will." He began to turn his mount about, the powerful war horse answering instantly to his silent commands, made with reins, knees and toes. But, before he was all the way around, he twisted his head to address Garrett.

"Prepare your master's horse, squire. I expect him to join us within the half hour!"

"Lord Commander," Garrett murmured, bowing. That done, Hephestus put the toes of his boots into the sides of his mount and, with a spray of muddy water, he was gone, swallowed by the gray and the rain.

Lash grimaced as he stared down at the small roll in his hands. He didn't look up when Garrett stepped close to put his gloved hand on his shoulder.

"Riding in the vanguard with the king and the lord commanders. Sounds like too much fun to me!" Garrett dryly noted and Lash chuckled despite himself, shaking his head.

"Aye, you're not far off there." Lash sighed before looking up at his friend. "More like Frederik and the lord commanders wish to keep me close so they can keep an eye on me. Just in case the march fills my mind with thoughts of mischief and mayhem."

"How foolish of them! I don't think your thoughts of mischief and mayhem ever stopped, did they?"

"Hardly!" Both young men laughed out loud at that, their merry sounds quickly swallowed by the hiss of the rain.

It didn't take long for Garrett, with Hugh's help, to find Lash's horse, a long-legged, thick shouldered black Germansic stallion that Lash had named Deoban, ancient elven for 'weapon'. They drew Deoban out of the Michealine stables, which were also in the midst of being disassembled, brushed him down and got a blanket over him before they returned to Lash's wagons with him.

Like most war horses of good breeding and training, Deoban was typically uneasy with Hugh, eyeing the cloaked man several times and baring his teeth with a warning wicker when he got too close. Such an animal was a knight's ally on the battlefield, lashing out with hooves and teeth at foot soldiers that could threaten to unhorse an armored knight, as well as putting the shoulder against other war horses in an attempt to unbalance his opponent. A war horse was expected to charge fearlessly into battle, willing to sacrifice their life for that of their master as well as carrying the heavy load of a fully armed and armored knight.

Several generations of such animals were bred by the finest horse breeders in Germanse and Bavria, producing almost all the chargers used by the knights of Evindel. The culmination of that breeding were Deoban and Cassius, Hephestus' powerful mount. The two animals were easily counted among the finest of the war horse breed.