Lament of the Slave

Chapter 131: Not a Horsemaster

After the soldiers sounded the warning horns, what unfolded before my eyes was not utter chaos but the incredible cooperation of the unit of Sahal Imperial soldiers escorting Lord Wigram, riding in a carriage. Colonel Gill, their commanding officer, with whom Rayden handled many of the problems between the soldiers and the guards, bellowed orders to which his men and women responded without the slightest hesitation.

Under his command, the whole mounted force drew closer to the carriage, ready for an attack coming from the northwest, where the western edge of the Granora Mountains Range loomed in the distance to our left.

When the enchantments and runes carved into the wood and metal of the carriage lit up with such force, it made a booming sound and stirred my inner mana, I actually squealed in surprise. Then I watched in wonderment as a protective barrier formed, covering the entire carriage and its horses, before the whole column picked up the pace.

"I'll be right with you!" Deckard said through the link of the union rings, to which I sent back a simple, "Okay." Aside from the impending danger, my biggest concern was keeping myself in the saddle. The mare I was riding, sensing the threat behind us as well, picked up speed with the others without me having to prod her, a pace I wasn't used to riding at.

"How are you holding up, Grey?" Lightfeather, steering her horse closer to me, asked and put her hand on my shoulder. For a moment, I thought it was to comfort me, foolish thought.

"Pip!" At her call, the squirrel left the top of my head and scrambled over my shoulder, across Major's outstretched arm to her. "You know the drill."

"Pocket, safe place. Keep head and tail down," Pipsqueak piped as she hid in the safety of Lightfeather's breast pocket.

"Very good," the Major breathed in relief, then looked at me again. "So, Grey. Are you good?"

Was I? I had so many questions and no answers.

What the hell was that twisted presence? Were we under attack? Why were we running to Esulmor and not back to Castiana? Basically, I had no fucking idea what was going on! So, no! I wasn't okay, but I also didn't intend to be the weak woman who needed to be saved all the time anymore.

"I'm fine." A lie she did not miss.

"You sure?"

"I-I'm..."

"Okay, Major, I'll take it from here!" Deckard boomed, showing up on his steed beside us. She didn't object, and I felt relieved now that he was here. The question was, what next? In contrast to my rambling, not knowing what to do, Deckard was clear on the next course of action.

"Jump over behind me, Mosshead!"

"W-what the actual fuck?!" Was he serious? Both with the nickname and with me jumping from one galloping horse to another.

"This one neither, huh?" Deckard said, amused, after seeing my reaction. He'd spent the last two days trying to come up with nicknames that would fit me. Little Lioness, Dragoness, and so on...he tried calling me Grey too, but even he thought it was too weird, impersonal. So, for now, his efforts have been unsuccessful. Honestly, I think he was trying to force it too much. But now, I was grateful for his brashness as it brought something familiar to this chaos.

"Heck, no!" I shot back, sure as hell that it wasn't how I wanted him to call me.

He grinned and nodded, then grew serious. "Come on. Jump!"

"Wouldn't it be better to stop?" Considering the speed at which horses galloped, much faster than horses on Earth, as far as I could tell, that was a pretty dumb question. By the time I'd get over behind him, the column would be long gone and the beast at our heels.