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Avis sat on my bed the next morning with a spiteful grin, and I immediately knew I was in for something unpleasant. "Today, you learn to ride." he announced. I had seen people ride dozens of times and they didn't seem to have any particular trouble with it. I hoped I would learn quickly and be able to move on to Round Five without too much difficulty.
With my three-striped green shirt and loose brown trousers, I followed behind Avis as he led me from the dining hall to the stables located on the exterior of the southern wall that separated the school from the rest of the city. Despite his happiness at what he thought would prove to be a miserable day, I was excited to mount a horse. I'd never known anyone who could afford a horse in Lagodon, so learning to ride was a bit like reading-something far more grand than my childhood dreams allowed.
Thankfully I left my senses open and heard Rhada think of how excited she was that I came to the stables before I was close enough to speak to her. It gave me enough time to prepare myself with something to say as Avis began to snicker. It was yet another moment I wished I had an ounce of privacy even in my own head.
"Hey, Lark." Rhada said as she loped over to meet us. I can't believe he came to see me! echoed loudly from her thoughts.
"Hey, Rhada. This is my mentor, Avis." I said as I motioned to my mentor who barely contained his laughter. "Avis, this is my friend, Rhada. The one you helped get switched to Handler."
And in that moment I could sense the shift. She thought I was responsible for her switch from torturous tracking to divine handling, and that had earned her highest esteem. In fact, I did have a part to play, but once she learned the older and dark-haired Avis had been involved, she began to change the target of her infatuation. When I looked over at Avis, he had stopped laughing, obviously getting the same reading.
"Wow! It's really great to meet you!" Rhada began to spew her excitement.
"We're really just here to get the horses." Avis replied dryly, clearly not interested in preserving Rhada's feelings; I was glad he was the one to take the hit. I hoped we could go to the festival as friends.
"Oh, they're right over here. They both have new shoes and fresh oil on the saddles." I walked in to the stable to see a majestic, white horse as big as I'd ever seen one.
"Oh no, no. That's Pearl. That's my Pearl." Avis said as he walked up, stroked her nose, and pulled an apple from his pocket. "She's been with me since I was in Round Four."
I realized immediately what Avis intended for me. He would give me the slowest, most nervous horse he could find and I would have to ride it for the rest of my years at Myxini. It was just the sort of thing Avis would do.
"Here, Lark. This one is yours." Rhada told me excitedly. Maybe it won't be so bad.
I moved to the next stall and saw an elegant mare the color of the darkest night on the Creekmont; a pure, black beauty. Her coat shone even in the dim light of the stables, and her muscles rippled with strength below. My recent growth left me standing barely at her shoulder. It had to be a joke.
"She's one of the fastest horses we've ever had. The horsemaster said Avis picked her for you."
"No really. Where's my horse?" I asked Avis, more than a little angry he would pull such a trick.
"If you don't like her, we can find you a more suitable horse," he replied without a hint of malice.
I couldn't believe it. Just when he had the opportunity to make my life miserable for years, he went out of his way to help me. I was sure I would never understand.
"Come on. Let's go." Avis pulled down the thin, leather reins and began to walk Pearl out of the stables, so I did likewise and followed behind him, still in shock that I had such a horse.
When we reached the western wall, Avis pulled to a stop. "So there are a few things you need to be aware of before we start." I nodded my understanding and waited for him to continue.
"This horse is yours for as long as she lives, but after that you'll be responsible for earning another. As long as she's in the stables at Myxini, she'll be fed, watered, and shoed as well as a horse could be. And you'll be the one to name her."
I stood for a moment and took it all in. I owned a horse. I was going to ride her. It was more than I could have ever pictured for myself.
"Before you can ride, you have to learn to saddle her. You won't always be here where your little love will get her ready for you."
"She's not my love and you know it."
"Start by unhooking the buckle that wraps under her belly. That will let you slide the saddle off her. Well, you better get yourself ready for the festival. The girls take it very seriously around here."
I pulled the saddle onto the ground and mimicked Avis as he slid down the thick wool blanket beneath it. "You don't need to worry about me. I have no intention of doing anything with Rhada."
Avis slid the reins down and pulled the shiny tin bridle from Pearl's mouth, so I did the same to my dark gem.
"I didn't mean Rhada, obviously. But you wouldn't be the first to become a man at the Moonwater. It does something to them." He waved his fingers in the air as if inciting some sort of witchcraft.
When the horses stood completely free of any gear, Avis and I began to replace each piece, one by one, starting with the bridle.
I tried to concentrate on the horse, but my mind wandered. What would it be like to become a man? What if no girls wanted me? What if I didn't do a good job?
"It's not a job." Avis said laughing. "Look, girls at this age are easy. And you have a bit of an?advantage." For the rest of the morning Avis gave me advice on what to expect, what to say, and-most oddly-where to touch. It was hard to tell if he was serious or just hoping to get a laugh out of me again. But after the morning with the horse, I guess I owed him a bit of trust.
Around noon, Avis offered me an apple and a roll and we sat beneath a pine tree to eat.
"What happened to you at the Moonwater?" I asked him.
He leaned back and smiled at the memory. "There was a girl I had a bit of a thing for. She had long, blonde hair and was a gifted Turner." When I gave him a puzzled look he added, "Someone with a Spark to manipulate time. She cornered me in the garden." We both laughed heartily, and I thought how odd it was to finally learn something about him after our years together.
"I have my reasons, you know, for keeping distance."
"I believe you." I wasn't sure how true that was, but I had decided to offer him some trust, so I might as well go through with it. He seemed satisfied and quickly stood to continue the day's work.
"Alright, to get up put your left foot in the left stirrup here and grab hold of the horn up here." The horse was so tall I had to use my foot to jump a little to reach it. "Then just push your right leg over the top and slide it into the other stirrup." A good jump later and I sat tall in the saddle, where I felt suddenly very far from the ground.
"Don't worry. She won't throw you."
Avis led me through the streets of Hubli, weaving between street vendors and children playing. The Madurian River that flowed from the Highlands down to the Calloway ran smoothly along River Street. There were hundreds of open-air booths selling vegetables, fabrics, or foods along the lengthy Market Street. The warmth from the summer sun poured across my shoulders and radiated from the black hair of my new horse.
Towards the end of the day, we moved back towards Myxini and the stables. Rhada was there but noticeably less excited than that morning. When I slid down from my new black mare, there was a horrific ache in my lower back and thighs and, for a moment, I couldn't stand up quite straight.
"Rest tomorrow. You can shoot the day after." Avis instructed before leaving. At that point, I knew something was wrong. Avis had contracted some sort of parasite in his brain or maybe he had been poisoned. There was no way the same mentor that had beat me mercilessly the autumn before was giving me a day of rest. It just couldn't be.
While I was worried about his mental health, I didn't argue. My legs were on fire, and I gingerly l
imped to the dining hall to eat before I collapsed into bed and tried to think of names for my horse. I laughed to myself in disbelief. She was my horse.