Devourers

Looking at the carriages, both loaded with trunks and boxes of all shapes and sizes, I felt no evil premonition, no shadowy chill eclipsed my heart. As I looked on the porters placed the last of my belongings in the carriage, along with several baskets of food provisions.

         "Luc, Lucas! Over here!" Jonathon's voice bellowed from the other side of the bay team that was pulling our carriage. "Aren't they beautiful? Man, Pop sure can pick'em! Hasn't lost his touch, not one bit!"

         With a sigh I went over, stopping well short of the horses, which were already showing anxiety from my roommate's shouting.

         "Don't be such a baby, come, look at these fine fellows."' As he spoke, Jonathon went to each gelding, tousling manes and rubbing muzzles. They responded, calming as quickly as they had riled up.

         Cautiously I approached, warily eyeing the beast closest to Jonathon. As I came closer he leaned in towards me, saying quietly ''They're much nicer than the professors' team, don't you think?"

         l stifled a laugh. For all that he'd matured in the three years here at Cambridge, it was still too easy to think of him as a sort of junior cowboy. "Come on, everything else is set, let's get in the carriage before someone mistakes you for an hostler and tries to put you to work!"

         We settled into our seats, and with little more ado, we were off. The motions of a carriage are too much for me to endure long without getting sick, so I leaned against one side of the carriage, planning to nap a while. With such a long trip planned, I had been up til dawn making sure everything was packed and ready.