while enjoying himself immensely. It took a few minutes, but the woman left.
The male leader, the one with the hawk addressed him, “Ever the rebel, Majherri?”
The unicorn snorted and raised his head in pride.
“I guess they should be careful what they wish for. Before you chose a new rider, they were angry that you wouldn’t do anything without being forced to. Now, you do as you please and won’t listen to them. Well played indeed. I thank you for the entertainment.”
The two riders with the knight laughed heartily as they moved through the overcast morning. Rain clouds were coming in and Majherri knew that they would be here by midday.
When the hawk returned, the knight ordered the wagon train to divert from the trail a half a mile to a running stream and allow the horses and the unicorns to rest. Alicia brought Paragor next to him and proceeded to show Kayleigh how to properly brush Majherri.
Kayleigh was too timid, not putting any real force behind the brush, voicing concern about his scars. On one hoof, it was nice to be brushed again by someone that instinctively didn’t annoy him. On the other, was it too much to ask that she do it correctly? He bit back the urge to be frustrated with her. She was trying to learn and he knew he was being impatient. He’d already gone through all this before.
From the way Paragor’s coat was so easily brushed, Majherri suspected that Alicia was already aligning with air magic. Often, the unicorns could tell what direction a rider was headed long before the placement ceremony, thirty days after arriving at the Academy. Bits of the trail would cling and linger around the legs of an earth maiden’s unicorn. Some referred to their mounts as “Dirt Kickers” or “Dust Catchers.” The briefest hint of soot would follow a unicorn with a fire maiden for a rider and they were affectionately called “Smokies.” Danella had nicknamed him “Brimstone” at one point. Water maiden and air maiden mounts were always the cleanest, with the windswept look of a “Cloud” easier to distinguish than shiny appearance of a “Misty.”
Paragor nodded respectfully to him, observing Kayleigh’s struggles and wisely not commenting on them. Majherri was grateful for this. Their riders had developed a fledgling kinship and he suspected that he would be seeing much of Paragor in the coming year. He had spent so much time coveting the roll of an outsider that he wasn’t certain how to fit in amongst a group so much younger than he was.
And his rider thought she had a difficult task. He was well over ten years older than any of these younglings. Fitting in with them wasn’t going to be easy.
Chapter 6 – Blood and Magic
Kayleigh wasn’t sure what to make of Majherri’s antics during the first two days of their trip. He seemed to enjoy being a thorn in Captain Lynch’s side every step of the way. She worried that this would ultimately come back to her. Many of the other recruits were careful to avoid speaking with her when the Captain was near.
What do they expect from me? I’m still trying to figure out how he likes to be brushed! He’s going to do what he’s going to do regardless.
So far, traveling was a mixed blessing. The wagon was bumpy, but having moved around throughout much of her youth, Kayleigh easily acclimated to the nature of this trip. One of the girls, a shy brunette named Francine, was from Laurent and it gave her someone else to talk to besides Alicia. They even had a few shared acquaintances. Kayleigh’s travelling nature meant she “knew” a lot of people, but didn’t have many friends to show for it.
Morganstern continued to make snide remarks whenever no one in authority was around to hear. On the first night around the recruit fire, while Kayleigh took her turn stirring a pot of stew, Rebekah said, “My pants got caught on a splinter of wood getting out this evening. I wonder – should I mend the hole or just give them to our resident
The male leader, the one with the hawk addressed him, “Ever the rebel, Majherri?”
The unicorn snorted and raised his head in pride.
“I guess they should be careful what they wish for. Before you chose a new rider, they were angry that you wouldn’t do anything without being forced to. Now, you do as you please and won’t listen to them. Well played indeed. I thank you for the entertainment.”
The two riders with the knight laughed heartily as they moved through the overcast morning. Rain clouds were coming in and Majherri knew that they would be here by midday.
When the hawk returned, the knight ordered the wagon train to divert from the trail a half a mile to a running stream and allow the horses and the unicorns to rest. Alicia brought Paragor next to him and proceeded to show Kayleigh how to properly brush Majherri.
Kayleigh was too timid, not putting any real force behind the brush, voicing concern about his scars. On one hoof, it was nice to be brushed again by someone that instinctively didn’t annoy him. On the other, was it too much to ask that she do it correctly? He bit back the urge to be frustrated with her. She was trying to learn and he knew he was being impatient. He’d already gone through all this before.
From the way Paragor’s coat was so easily brushed, Majherri suspected that Alicia was already aligning with air magic. Often, the unicorns could tell what direction a rider was headed long before the placement ceremony, thirty days after arriving at the Academy. Bits of the trail would cling and linger around the legs of an earth maiden’s unicorn. Some referred to their mounts as “Dirt Kickers” or “Dust Catchers.” The briefest hint of soot would follow a unicorn with a fire maiden for a rider and they were affectionately called “Smokies.” Danella had nicknamed him “Brimstone” at one point. Water maiden and air maiden mounts were always the cleanest, with the windswept look of a “Cloud” easier to distinguish than shiny appearance of a “Misty.”
Paragor nodded respectfully to him, observing Kayleigh’s struggles and wisely not commenting on them. Majherri was grateful for this. Their riders had developed a fledgling kinship and he suspected that he would be seeing much of Paragor in the coming year. He had spent so much time coveting the roll of an outsider that he wasn’t certain how to fit in amongst a group so much younger than he was.
And his rider thought she had a difficult task. He was well over ten years older than any of these younglings. Fitting in with them wasn’t going to be easy.
Chapter 6 – Blood and Magic
Kayleigh wasn’t sure what to make of Majherri’s antics during the first two days of their trip. He seemed to enjoy being a thorn in Captain Lynch’s side every step of the way. She worried that this would ultimately come back to her. Many of the other recruits were careful to avoid speaking with her when the Captain was near.
What do they expect from me? I’m still trying to figure out how he likes to be brushed! He’s going to do what he’s going to do regardless.
So far, traveling was a mixed blessing. The wagon was bumpy, but having moved around throughout much of her youth, Kayleigh easily acclimated to the nature of this trip. One of the girls, a shy brunette named Francine, was from Laurent and it gave her someone else to talk to besides Alicia. They even had a few shared acquaintances. Kayleigh’s travelling nature meant she “knew” a lot of people, but didn’t have many friends to show for it.
Morganstern continued to make snide remarks whenever no one in authority was around to hear. On the first night around the recruit fire, while Kayleigh took her turn stirring a pot of stew, Rebekah said, “My pants got caught on a splinter of wood getting out this evening. I wonder – should I mend the hole or just give them to our resident
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