Shadows in the Dark

Before Boro left the town he asked around for anyone selling a horse and was pointed to a stable just outside of town on the west road.

  What good luck I have, he thought to himself smiling and chuckling lightly to himself. So Boro left the small town, continuing on his way westward along the thin dirt road. He felt refreshed after the night spent in a real bed and fresh rumors of Tutija Pale Sword. He even went as far as whistling happily as he walked the road. He still had more several hundred leagues left to go but hopefully the stable man would have a good horse to help cut down the time to travel the daunting distance. The sun had not yet reached its peak from behind the forest trees when Boro saw the trail of smoke and the fresh scents of manure and hay in the air. He picked up his pace a bit, excited and hopeful. He saw the brightly painted red stable and two boys wheeling out the freshly mucked manure. When they saw him, he raised his hand and gave them a friendly, "Ho there."

  He jogged up to the boys. "Hello friends, I was hoping to speak to the Stable Master. Is he around by any chance?"

  " 'course Sir, I'll go fetch him now" one of the boys said cheerfully and he ran off to the small house beside the stable.

  Boro turned to the other boy, a wispy freckled boy no older than twelve, "Does your master have any good horses in that stable of his?" He asked the boy, hoping to get a hint at the condition of the horses contained therein.

  "Me master has the best horses dis side of the Glads" Said the freckled youth, his chin up and voice proud. "You'll find no better beasties of burden, that I promise Sir."

  "Good, I'm looking for a swift steed and will pay well for it too" Boro said jangling the purse in his cloak pocket.

  The boy's eye went to the sound of the jingling and then saw the blade at Boro's hip and his eyes went wide. "Are you a sword master Sir?" He asked excitedly. "I want to be a sword master too one day but my master says I need to make money to afford the Academy"

  Boro smiled at the kid, not able to help himself. "I'm not a full master yet lad, but one day soon I will be. If you practice everyday and get good, you might be able to get into the Academy free of charge like me"

  The boy smiled widely, "I will Sir, and then I'll be the greatest sword master ever!" he said enthusiastically, and ran off pushing his cart of manure.

  Out of the house came the first boy followed by an older gentleman, he was grizzled and worn, like a piece of meat left out in the sun to dry. Boro knew that look, it was the look of a man that spent most of his life working under the sun. The older man walked up to Boro, and introduced himself as Hogan.

  "Me boy tells me yer lookin' for a horse. Mind if I ask ya a few questions, just so I can make sure ta git ya the right beast" Hogan spoke with a thick accent, definitely a country man Boro noted to himself.

  Boro bowed his head in consent, and waved for the man to ask away.

  "Well firstly, how hard do ya plan on ridin' me horse." Asked Hogan, eyeing Boro's travel pack and noting his sword.

  "I have a long way to travel and I'd like to get to my destination as quickly as possible but that said I won't be pushing it, a few leagues a day at a brisk trot like as not." Boro said coolly.

  "Right, pardon me askin', but don't look like ya got much in the way of luggage so I take ya prefer speed and stamina over strength" Again Hogan eyed Boro's belongings, he probably thought Boro was a part of some bandit group and was deserting.

  "Yes, sir this stuff is all I own, I was just telling you're boy I'm a student at The Academy, or was, I just graduated actually" Hogan seemed to calm a bit when he heard this.

  " 'Grats friend, me last question for ya is if ya prefer a mare or stallion" The stable master looked as if he actually wanted to say much more but waited patiently for Boro's reply.

  "I have no preference really, I just need a swift steed, that takes commands well and won't wander off when I stop for a night to rest" Boro answered.

  The stable man rubbed his gnarled chin and thought for a moment, "Well, seems like I might jus' have a few steeds for you, follow me" Hogan turned and waved for Boro to follow him, not turning around to check. He pulled open one of the doors of the barn and led Boro inside. The Barn had more than a few stabled horses. Boro followed the man until he stopped at the door to a stable holding a tall black bay mare.

  She huffed when Hogan and Boro approached her, throwing her shiny black head back. Her ears laid almost flat against her head and her tail swished back and forth in agitation. Hogan reached out to try and calm her but withdrew his fingers immediately when she made as if to take them off.

  "This here is me best horse, she's everything you need and more" He declared proudly. "Four generations of breeding finally got me this mad girl. She's a feisty one she is, but no better horse flesh can be had this side of Gladous that I can promise ya"

  Boro reached out himself to let her smell him, she pulled back her head, as if to bite, but made no other move. He slowly moved his hand closer and she snorted loudly and full of malice, warning him to keep away. His hand froze where it was but he made no move to withdraw it.

  "How much for her?" Boro asked, speaking softly, eyes still not leaving the horse.

  "Well for a beast this fine, uhm normally I'd ask for one hundred gold royals, but for a young master swordsman in training such as yer self I'll be happy to see her off for five and seventy gold royals." He said, feigning thoughtfulness.

  Boro's eyes shot up, one hundred gold royals for a horse? That was much more than he had anticipated or wished to pay, so he asked for the stable master to show him the rest. While Hogan claimed that those he showed Boro would suit his needs, he was unhappy with the options. One he was shown was long in the legs but compact; it was a strong gelding but looked more like a plow horse for all that. Another was short and frail, it looked to barely be able to hold a child let alone a man.

  All at once Boro knew what the man was trying to do. "Enough, I've made up my mind" Boro declared only slightly allowing anger to touch his voice. "I will take the black mare but five and seventy is much too much, I will pay you no more than half that"

  Hogan looked at Boro seriously, shaking his head. "I can not do that Sir, she is an exquisite beast and is the pinnacle of me years in husbandry. To let her sell for anything less than asked is to insult me work"

  "True, true, however she is mean as a mad dog. I'll have to work on gaining her trust and that itself will be quite the feat" Boro stated. "How's this, I will pay you five and fifty royals, but I'll have a tack, saddle and feed with that"

  Hogan eyed Boro with shrewd eyes, he knew he could get more from it but finding someone to pay the price was the difficult part. He'd have to travel to the Lord of these lands' castle, not a short distance away either, to get what he asked for and even still that wasn't guaranteed. "Sixty then and all that ya asked for and me mare is yers" Hogan said this with a voice of finality, this was his price and no less would do.

  Boro stuck his hand out and accepted the offer. Both felt like they had been cheated and so they knew it was a good trade. Hogan led Boro over to a table and Boro took out his purse and counted off sixty five gold coins. Hogan's eyes bulged in their sockets when he saw the large sack of gold. He was more than likely upset that he hadn't stick with his original offer, this young man was clearly very wealthy.

  After Hogan had regretfully equipped the mare with tack and saddle, with much cautious movements and carrots the bribe her, he handed the reins to Boro.

  "Take good care of her and if ya ever find yerself back in these parts with no need for her I would be happy to buy her back" Hogan said, voice full of sadness.

  Boro, carefully, finished tying the feed and his travel pack to her and jumped on to her back quickly. She whickered angrily but didn't buck him off. Before Boro could ride off Hogan stopped him for some last words.

  "Be careful on these roads, 'specially at night, many men have turned to banditry. Already three have been slain and more robbed of all they owned. The Lord has placed a bounty on them, but if ya come upon these men, or they on you, give em yer stuff, don't be a hero."

  Boro nodded his head and told him he may just do that, but if it came to it Boro knew he'd slay those men, or die trying. Still he would do his best to avoid meeting these bandits.

  It was only mid day when he left the stable on his new horse, which he named Dingir, which meant nightshade in the old tongue. She was fast, maintaining a steady trot most of the day, by the time the sun began to set Boro had traveled over twenty five leagues on Dingir's back.

  When night had set in and the moons began to rise in the sky, Boro slowed Dingir down to a stand still and hopped off her back. He carefully padded her thick black neck and bid her good work, and pulled her off the road. Boro tied her up and began to set up a small camp out of the way, hopefully far enough to escape the notice of any unbidden travelers of the night. He did not light a fire this night, he'd rather face the cold then brigands. No sane man, no matter how skilled in the blade, would want to face a gang of highwaymen in the night. So Boro ate a cold meal of cheese and hard bread and then laid down his bedroll, curled up in his horse blanket to stave off the cold, and allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

  He wasn't sure how long he had slept for, three hours or was it six? The two moons were beginning to set and the third began to reach it's zenith in the night sky. It was smaller and gave off less light than the others so it was much darker than when he had fallen asleep.

  What had woken Boro up was the faint sounds of snapping twigs and crushed leaves. No animal around big enough to snap twigs should be ignored, so Boro immediately reached out for his sword, making no noise otherwise. Dingir, whickered softly, pawing the ground. He heard a whispered voice not far off, "Didja, hear that? Sounded like a horse, off this way." Muffled sounds of feet came closer. Boro didn't hear any more voices but he heard feet begin circling around his camp site. It seems the bandits had found him.

  Boro, still, and pretending to be asleep, opened an eye sightly, hoping they wouldn't be able to see it. There were no more sounds and the darkness hid all in the night, but a cloud slightly blocking Tullus moved away and a ray of light glinted off the canopy of the trees and hit something metal, Boro saw the shadows of multiple people in cover of the night. There was a yell and then the otherwise quiet night broke out into violence.