A Soldier's Life - 9 - Riding Lessons

Chapter 9: Riding Lessons

As I rode back to the mining town, my clothes and armor dried. The bulette blood served as a great detergent, and my clothes smelled fresh and earthy—though I suspected that not all the fluids that had soaked me were blood. Ginger seemed to be expecting an apple, but the only thing I had that she might enjoy was a jar of berry preserves. When we stopped, I fed her the jam, and her long tongue cleaned the clay jar, which I then tossed aside. It contained about two quarts of jam, and my horse definitely had a sweet tooth. Was it even proper to give a horse so much jam?

I did not see anyone from my company as I walked Ginger back to town. When the town came into view, a rider came out to meet me. I recognized Mateo, who had a huge smile. “Damn, Eryk. You’re alive?”

I fished for a response. “Yeah, got thrown from my horse and made my way into a river. The ground shark-turtle thing didn’t look like it could swim. It eventually left me alone, and my trusty mount returned to me.” I patted Ginger’s neck.

Mateo was speechless and looked me over before finally saying, “Mage Castile has called in an earth mage to help. For now, we are fortifying the town. You can rub down your mount, get something to eat, and see Adrian for your defense position.”

He rode back to the town next to me and continued talking. “The other detachment found the griffins. They are nesting about twenty miles north into the mountains. No sign of Cicero’s party yet. We cannot make a move until the bulette is sorted out. Those things are a menace, and it’s surprising that this one is so close to the mountains. They usually hunt in the plains or along the border of the desert since the earth is softer—or so Castile says.” He admitted, “I don’t think she’s actually fought one before, though. They are quite rare.”

I stayed silent as we moved closer to the smell of cooked meat, which made my stomach growl. Mateo pointed out where the townspeople were setting up and the building where Adrian was organizing the defenses. I rubbed down Ginger and grabbed what I’d call a thick pita filled with roasted veggies and thinly sliced meat. I ate as I walked to talk with Adrian. It almost felt like I was a veteran after just one day in the company.

Adrian didn’t have an affable greeting for me, and quickly brought me down to earth. “Eryk, you fell off your horse? Castile would have found your corpse and killed you again for that. Since you’re alive, you will not be joining the defense. Instead, go see horse master Lucien. He’ll train you nonstop until he is satisfied you will not fall off a horse again.” The pita stopped halfway to my mouth. He then cracked a smile, “Glad you lived.” He turned and walked smugly to check a fortification.

I walked the defenses, knowing all this preparation was pointless since the bulette was dead. But I didn't want to share that because I didn’t want to explain how I killed it. I grimaced at the thought of endless riding practice when I was already walking bow-legged, and my inner thighs burned like a merciless fire. I followed the advice to use horse salve on my raw, partially scabbed skin. It felt like pouring alcohol on an open wound, and I was sure it would leave a scar.

Lucien was not a kind man, at least not to me. Every second of daylight, I was learning to care for Ginger or riding her. My body was never going to heal at this rate. What irked me the most was that Ginger loved all the attention, even though I was suffering. I even found some apples in town to give her, as Lucien said, a happy horse was an ally. I was starting to gain some semblance of skill at grooming, riding, and farriering. After three days of horse torture, the earth mage finally arrived with his apprentice.

The man resembled what I imagined a classic wizard would look like, sporting a long white beard and heavy robes, riding a white stallion. I was in the middle of learning how to jump while mounted under Lucien’s strict supervision when he arrived, and I was instructed to take a break. The wizard was accompanied by his young, hooded apprentice atop a small black mare. From afar, I could now discern that both mounts were excellent riding mounts, but likely not war mounts lacking the musculature to carry large armored men.

The mages handed off their reins and went right in to see Castile. Lucien muttered, “Guess we will be leaving in the morning.” He patted Giner’s neck. “Rub her down and get some rest.”

I gratefully rested in my bunk alone and napped for the remainder of the day. The company was assembled in the morning. Castile stood before us, with a stern expression. “We are leaving on a dangerous mission. Bulettes are a scourge. None of you has fought one before, but they are faster and stronger than should be possible for their size. They can jump forty feet in the air and crush you in the landing. Their jaws can cut you and your horse in half in a single bite.” She let her warning sink in before continuing.

“These two earth mages are going to turn the earth to stone and trap the beast. We will not have much time to get pilums forced under the armor plates before the beast breaks free. Be decisive and attack when ordered. I will attempt to blind the monster with darkness and fire, and if we do enough damage, it will bleed out. That is the plan. Mount up!” Castile swung up to her horse and led the way. She certainly emanated confidence, and the men fed off it.

The earth mages rode with Castile at the front. I was ordered forward to ride with them. All the soldiers around me were extremely tense, so I tried to match their tension. Castile introduced me the earth mage, “This is Legionnaire Eryk. He escaped the bulette by going into a river. He said the bulette would not follow him in.”

The white-haired mage’s eyes went up in clear surprise. “True, the beasts do not swim, but they do not fear water. Like rock turtles, they just walk on the bottom due to their density,” the mage said, sounding curious while studying me.

Had I just been caught in a lie? I tried to roll with it while not telling another, as I knew some mages had spells to detect lies. “I can just tell you about my experience. The beast emerged from underground; before I realized it, I was soaked. It left me alone after that.”

The old mage appeared to consider my words, then nodded slowly and didn’t ask any further questions. Mage Castile made introductions. “This is High Mage Dacian. He is one of the Empire’s most powerful earth mages, if not the most powerful. He was just telling me this was his sixth bulette hunt.” Great, I had an expert on bulettes dissecting my story. I bowed my head slightly toward him but did not change what I had said.

Lucien trotted up from behind, rescuing me from further scrutiny. “Eryk, I want you to practice sprints with your mount over the uneven terrain.” I gave the middle-aged man an exasperated look but immediately turned to do so. I think Lucien took pleasure in giving drills that hurt my body—although today, I didn't feel quite so beaten, as my body was recovering faster every day.

The procession moved forward steadily, everyone tense and on alert for the signs of the bulette. At this pace, I wasn’t even sure if we’d reach the spot where I left the carcass. After Ginger worked up a light lather, Lucien had me stop my sprinting practice. Adrian came up beside me as I walked Ginger. “Eryk, horse master Lucien said you are doing a fine job. Mage Castile has decided you are to remain under his tutelage for the foreseeable future.” I let out an audible groan.

Lucien reached down and patted my back happily. “Do not worry,” Adrian said. “Once Lucien has trained your horsemanship skills to a suitable level, you will just be helping him take care of the mounts when we have them.”

“Do I at least get a pay increase?” I asked cheekily, but it was just banter. This legion unit seemed much more informal than I was expecting; it was more like a group of mercenaries.

“Sure, if Lucien dies and you take over the role of horse master for the unit. You make as much as a second already as a porter,” Adrian stated. A second was like a lieutenant, directly under Mage Castile in the command structure. Adrian and Delmar were the unit’s seconds.

“Don’t worry,” Lucien said merrily. “I don’t plan to die anytime soon.” He turned his mount to rotate his position in the formation.

“How much does a second make?” I asked Adrian, having never actually been told how much my pay was as a magic backpack.

“Castile pays her men ten silver a week, more than most conscript legionnaires. If you have been with her for five years or more, it is more, but it depends on your contribution. As the company’s porter, you will earn ten silver as well. The horse master, arms master, and armor master make an additional one silver a week,” Adrian said conversationally.

After a minute of silence Adrian added something more. “Castile is generous, Eryk. You will have the opportunity to be rewarded for exceptional service. Contribute any way you can, and keep any grumblings contained to the company.” He nodded and rode away. My roommates had already told me about the essence bonus.

As it was getting close to dusk, we finally spotted the corpse of the bulette. We all spread out at half a mile, but soon, High Mage Dacian ended the cautious prep and rode forward. The company closed in with him. Basketball-sized beetles were swarming the bulette.

High Mage Dacian swore. “Pig-fucking marrow beetles. They will have ruined the carapace. It also looks days dead, no chance of an essence.” He looked irritably at Mage Castile.

“What could have killed something this large?” She ignored the High Mage’s anger and scanned the skies. “Definitely not a griffin. Dragon, maybe?”

Dacian calmed quickly, realizing perhaps another apex predator was in the area. “The dragons should all be in the southern reaches of Dragon Spine as it is mating season. Whatever killed this bulette probably surprised it. Besides the bite marks in the shell from the beetles, I do not see any damage.” He walked around the corpse, sending earth spikes through the beetles and clearing the outer shell.

After two circles, he spoke again. “At least the claws will be salvageable. Harvest them and send them to me for my inconvenience.”

Castile dismounted and frowned. “I apologize for dragging you out here for nothing, High Mage.”

He waved her off, eyeing the bulette’s claws, which I assumed were valuable. “It happens. It was not a false alarm, either.”

 “Since you were unable to get an essence from the bulette, maybe you want to join the griffin hunt?” Castile asked politely, but I knew she really didn’t want the mage along by her body language.

The old mage looked up, perplexed. “No, I do not think an old earth mage would be of much help.” He looked at his apprentice. “Apprentice Renna. Go with Mage Castile. Try to learn something about running a mage company. Castile’s is one of the best.”

All eyes turned to the cloaked young woman. She pulled down her hood to show shoulder-length red hair and crystal blue eyes. She might have been attractive, except for the scowl and her paleness. She did not protest. “Yes, High Mage Dacian.” I had flashes of a padawan talking to her Jedi master.

Dacian turned to Castile. “I am traveling back to Varvao. Send the claws and my apprentice there when you are done with the griffins. She has potential, so make sure nothing happens to her. Once she is trained, the Emperor has plans for her. She has extremely strong affinities for the four elements.” Dacian mounted and rode away.

I remembered the story of the peasant girl with high affinities in all the elements. I guessed this might be the girl. She looked to be in her mid-teens. But that had been a few months ago. How much could she have learned in such a short time? She did not look happy being left behind. Castile turned to the unit and surveyed us. She pointed at two men. “Felix. Mateo. The girl is your responsibility.”

Felix rolled his eyes and surprisingly talked back to Mage Castile. “I thought we were watching the new guy?” he indicated me.

Castile’s eyes narrowed. “You can supervise both pups and do a better job. That one almost got himself killed.” She pointed at me. It appeared that discipline within the company was fairly relaxed, as all Felix got was a verbal reprimand.

We spent four hours freeing the claws meant to be sent to High Mage Dacian in Varvao City. Then, we all returned to Formica. But now a very perturbed red-haired young woman now occupied the open bunk in our room.

© Copyrighted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne

No permission is granted to translate, copy, or repost this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site other than my Patreon, it has been stolen without my permission and violates the DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removing or altering this notification acknowledges that you are aware that you are violating the DMCA. No permission is granted for my original work to be used to train AI.