Assignment One

Biting back a curse, Ryder carefully placed Storm’s hoof on the hard packed earth. He would not be doing any more riding today. The bruising to Storm’s hoof following the loss of his shoe was too severe for the powerful stallion to continue with Ryder on his back. Rising to his feet he surveyed the land around him. To the north lay the town of Kirenze, his destination. Two days hard riding towards the town that would have provided him with more answers in his quest. Those answers would have to wait, now.

To the west lay the town of Alcazar, a small market town in the middle of the lowland plains. Surrounded by farmland, the town was a hub for market traders and wagon trains and the type of place he tended to avoid. However, as it was only few hour’s walking away, it was the logical place for him to head to with the lame Storm.

He stood by the grey stallion’s proud head, his hand reaching up to caress the velvet muzzle. He could, if he had wanted to, treated the horse himself so that they could have continued on to Kirenze. However, he sensed that Storm would not have been so enthusiastic to continue their ride. They had been riding near non-stop for several days, along the trail taken by the last two members of the gang that had raided his parent’s home and slain all of its occupants. Perhaps a few days of rest would be beneficial to the pair of them. He was an experienced tracker and his targets were not concealing their trail. They would be easy enough to find.

“Looks like we’re going to Alcazar, Storm,” he murmured. The horse snorted as though in agreement. Ryder looked into the liquid eyes and smiled a rare smile. “Hope you didn’t plan this.” The horse shook his head before thrusting his muzzle into Ryder’s hand. “Of course you didn’t.” He gathered up the leather reins and began walking towards the distant town not yet showing on the horizon before them.

The sun was a golden orb against a deep blue sky, free from clouds to mar its perfection. Spring was finally allowing summer to shine forth and the temperature was rising with each day. This area of the lowlands was the driest, often barren looking patch of earth until the rains fell towards the end of summer. Then a carpet of green, dotted with flowers of various colours, would explode across the land. Ryder had travelled across the plains many times throughout the seasons until they had become as familiar to him as his home, if he’d had one.

As they made their way carefully across the stony ground, Ryder found himself glancing northwards to Kirenze. Somewhere in that town, two men were eating and drinking, sleeping in an inn, planning their next crime, perhaps. Two men who held answers to questions that had driven him onwards ever since he was a child.

He had always believed that someone else had been behind the raid on his adoptive parents’ home. They had been humble traders possessing nothing that would attract raiders of the type that had visited their property. During his time in the army, he had taken advantage of the touring around the country to ask questions about the raid. For a long time he had discovered nothing but then a chance encounter with a petty criminal had revealed the raid was planned. Someone had wanted his family dead and he was just as determined to find the instigator as well as the killers.

The hours drifted by as they crossed from arid areas of hard packed earth to softer, richer looking soil flecked with green shoots of prairie grass sprouting upwards. The lowland plains benefitted from more frequent rainfall and a network of underground watercourses that crisscrossed the valley floor. The fertile soil enabled farmers to grow a variety of crops and raise vast herds of sheep and cattle for sale in the markets. Alcazar had grown into a thriving market town based upon the successes of those crops.

Pausing on the outskirts of town, Ryder took a long drink of water from his canteen before pouring some into his hand for Storm. Dusk had fallen, bathing the area in a soft light. In the fields animals made snuffly noises to each other as they sought out safe places to sleep. The air was heavy with the damp aroma of recently turned earth and the settling farm animals.

Memories from his childhood surfaced from the dark corners of his mind as he looked around him. His adoptive parents, Leon and Louise, had lived on the edge of a town like Alcazar. They were merchants who arranged trade routes for so many products from all corners of the country. They led busy lives yet enjoyed the simple pleasure of retiring to their home in the rural suburbs, surrounded by farmland and rich countryside.

As a small boy, Ryder had spent many an hour running around the fields, playing with baby animals, camping out under the stars with his father, playing in the stream with his sisters. Life had been good for him, a rich tapestry of love and happiness until someone had ruthlessly tore it apart and destroyed everything dear to Ryder.

Stifling the surge of memories rising up within him, Ryder recapped the canteen and placed it back onto the finely tooled leather saddle. His experienced hand ran down Storm’s leg, feeling the heat in the stallion’s pastern. When Storm shifted beneath his light touch he whispered gentle words that soothed the horse’s discomfort. A comfortable stable, a healing poultice and a few days rest would see Storm fully recover from his injury. Once he was better, Ryder would take up the trail of the last two raiders and gain his answers.

Feeling a little more refreshed, Ryder started walking towards the town. Though the sun had started its descent into the earth the evening was still warm and Ryder could feel sweat trickling down his spine beneath the black linen shirt. He had long ago discarded the long, leather coat that he was wearing earlier in the day. He hoped there was a decent inn in town where he could get a bath and wash the dirt from the trail off him. A long, cold drink of cider and a meal would be welcome as well.

The early evening streets of Alcazar were absent of the normal hustle and bustle of traffic  that travelled along their lengths. The various stores, with their large, double fronted displays displaying their wares, were closed for the evening. People occasionally stopped to look in the windows to admire their contents, commenting to their companions about a product or two.

A few workers hurried along the wooden walkways, heads down as they focused on getting home to their families and a welcome meal at the end of a long day at work. Ryder ignored those as he headed along the main street, his pale blue eyes seeking out the signs of a stable or a blacksmith. He was certain that someone there would be able to treat Storm’s leg and give him a well-deserved rest.

Midway along the street he came to the large stable that served the town. Situated on the corner of the main street and a wide side road that appeared to lead down to a residential area. A man stood in front of the large double doors leading into the barn, a large broom in his hands as he surveyed the now swept yard before him. He looked up as Ryder approached him.

“Good evening, sir. That’s a nasty limp your horse has.”

“Badly bruised hoof. He lost a shoe on the trail.” Ryder observed the man as he leant the broom against the barn door and approached them. His movements were slow and careful so as not to startle the large stallion. He spoke in a soothing voice as he came to stand by the horse’s head. Storm watched him before nudging him with his velvet muzzle.

Expert hands firmly but gently examined the leg and hoof, noting the hot, swollen joint and discomfort Storm exhibited when the area was touched. He said nothing whilst he worked, other than uttering meaningless words that seemed to settle Storm. Ryder watched in silence, recognising that the man needed no distractions whilst he worked with Storm.

“I’ve got a poultice that will sort that out,” the man said when he had finished his examination. “He’ll need a few days of rest to allow the swelling to go down. Bring him through, I’ve got an empty stall in here.”

Ryder led Storm into the cool, airy stable. Wide, spacious stalls lined the main corridor, their occupants watching as they walked by. The sweet scent of fresh straw hung in the evening air, blending in with the smell of the horses. Ryder breathed in deeply of the familiar aroma that had been a large part of his time spent in the army.

“Put him in here,” the man indicated an empty stall at the end of the row. “I’ll get the poultice and some bandages.”

The poultice was applied and wrapped within minutes with the minimum of fuss from Storm. Ryder could have applied the poultice himself but there was something about the ease in which the man worked that told him that he had a lot of experience around horses. There were only a handful of people that Ryder would trust with his horse and this man was about to join that small list.

“Thank you … ?”

“Thomas,” the man replied as he came to his feet. Though he was a big man of similar size and stature to Ryder, he lacked the honed edge of power that hung around Ryder like a second skin. “Give him a few days and he’ll be back to normal.”

“I’m very grateful for your help. Can you recommend somewhere where I can get a bed and a meal whilst I wait for his leg to heal?”

Thomas looked at Ryder as he considered his options before answering. “If  you’re not too bothered about where you sleep, the inn at the end of the road often has some rooms available. It can get rough and noisy, though, of a night-time. If you like somewhere quiet to sleep, I can recommend the guest house my sister and her husband run. It’s clean and she only has a handful of guests at a time.”

Ryder nodded his thanks and walked out of the stable with Thomas. The sun had set completely over the town and lights glowed in windows, casting a warm glow over the walkways. He hoisted his coat and his bag onto his shoulder and set off down the side street towards the guesthouse. He wasn’t too pleased at having to spend a few days in Alcazar but he had to admit that having a rest was a very tempting thought. His targets would not move from their location for a few days preferring to sample the women and booze that would be on offer to them. Perhaps having the rest would serve to his advantage as he would be fresher and clear headed compared to their inebriated state. Yes, he thought to himself as he walked, staying in town could be the solution to his problem.

With a lighter step he continued walking, his mind on the meal, the bath and the bed he would be enjoying at various times over the evening. Staying in town definitely had its advantages.