Custos Unicorium 2: Nova Turba~ New Company

Chapter Two: Normal and Unnormal

I walked--on my own-- to the haven the next day after Allistair's riding lesson. I was met my a cheery but quiet Hayden, and a still-sleeping Koriun. 

"Late night?" I asked, nodding toward Koriun. 

"I guess," Hayden said. He was just as confused as I was. 

"Did you tell him about the new room mate?" 

"Yeah. He was okay with it." 

I sat on the grass, and Hayden sat next to me. 

"So your leg will be fixed soon?" Hayden asked. 

"Yeah," I smiled. 

"What are you going to do first?" Hayden asked. 

I thought, but I didn't have to think long. "I'm going to ride Black of Night." 

"A what now?" 

"He's Allistair's horse. Huge black guy. But since Allistair hasn't been riding him--or interacting with him at all-- for seventeen years he'll need some re-breaking." 

"Do you think that's a good idea?" 

"Of course. I've been riding almost all of those seventeen years. It'll be fun." 

Hayden shook his head. 

"Don't you shake your head at me Hayden. You're what, five years younger than me? I can handle myself," I teased. 

Hayden flopped back onto the grass. 

"Who was that Dispatcher yesterday?" I asked, "the one who never talked." 

"In the blue? That was Jame. He's the Order." 

Ha, that's what I'd thought, I just hadn't known his name.  

"Regina!" A quiet voice called. My head turned to see Josephine, the leader of my division of trackers. She had a distinctly quiet voice and usually wore some shade of green. At the moment, her dark brown hair was pulled back into a tail. 

"What's up?" My greetings almost always drew glares from her. She was my boss, but I never seemed to greet her formally. It was partially because the summer had had us working closely for a long time, and a friendship had developed, but I'd done it even before that. 

"I've been informed that your leg will be released in five sunrises now, correct?" 

"Yep," a cheery smile came to my face. I almost wished everyone would stop bringing it up so I didn't go crazy in the last few days.  

"Excellent. A mission is going out to Lavetin the day after. We'd been worrying you wouldn't be able to go." 

"All the way to Lavetin?" I asked. Lavetin was the nearest town. Town, not village. Lavetin was many times bigger than the village. I'd never been there, the whole idea didn't appeal to me. 

"Yes. Just over a day's ride." 

Oh, yes. "I'm in." 

A smile spread to Josephine's face. "Great." 

"It's okay if I ride a horse besides Howl, right?" I figured I'd ask, just for the heck of it. 

"Who else do you have in mind?" 

"Allistair's horse, Black of Night." I left out the part about him not being ridden in seventeen years. 

"Fine. I'll send Deverell that morning," Josephine said. "Good day to you." 

"See you!" I called, and a glare might have been thrown. 

Lavetin. Wow, I wasn't thrilled with the town itself, but a day of riding! Finally things were looking exciting again.