The Monster's Caress - S.E. Smith Page 0,43

were midnight blue with long black stripes. Their red eyes flashed as they tossed their heads, and when one of them snorted, small flames flared out from its nostrils. Each horse wore a bridle of ornate silver with matching armor covering their foreheads and chests. As they got closer, Asahi noted that all the riders were male—and they were heavily armed. He blinked in surprised when he noticed his black duffel bag strapped behind an empty saddle on one horse.

They were an intimidating group. Their size and dangerous appearance was so distracting that one of the last details Asahi noticed was that each man had a single eye in the center of his forehead. While Asahi knew from his grandfather that cyclops existed, the impact of seeing them in person still sent a shockwave through him. The lead cyclops bowed his head in greeting, his attention focused solely on Nali.

“Severene,” Nali greeted as she reached up and tenderly stroked the lead horse’s muzzle.

“Greetings, Empress,” Severene replied. “Pai arrived with the grave news about the Daktyloi and conveyed your urgent request for transportation.”

Severene dismounted and signaled the others to come forward.

As the other men dismounted and stood by their steeds, Nali replied, “Yes.” There was a world of grief infused in that single word.

She affectionately stroked the horse’s neck. As she did, Asahi noticed how its hair glowed.

Ashure leaned closer to him. “They are magnificent beasts. Strong enough to carry the weight of a cyclops, faster than any land transport, and deadly in battle,” he murmured.

“You appear to know a lot about them,” Asahi noted.

Ashure breathed a long, envious sigh. “Oh, yes. I had a dozen of the beautiful creatures in my stable for a few months. They are as mean as Drago, the Dragon King, but so amazing that I had to have a few. The damn beasts kept burning down the stable, but it was worth it. I swear, if you harness a dozen of them to a carriage, you could cross the largest isle in less than a day,” he said.

“What happened to them?” he curiously asked.

Ashure gave him a wry smile. “They were part of Nali’s prized stock. Some rather unscrupulous characters had taken them, so I re-appropriated the steeds, but alas, she requested that I return them to her,” he replied.

“Along with a case of his finest brandy as a ‘thank you’ for allowing the temporary use of her beasts,” Pai added behind them.

Asahi turned in surprise. He hadn’t heard the hippogriff land. Pai’s dark eyes twinkled with amusement.

“She should have been thanking me for saving the poor beasts from a miserable existence. I was going to return them to her—eventually,” Ashure grumbled.

“There is a quote back home that says, ‘no good deed goes unpunished,’” Asahi shared.

Ashure scowled at him. “That is a horrible saying. I hope whoever came up with it met a dastardly demise,” he retorted.

“The quote was attributed to several people, including Oscar Wilde, who died a miserable death,” he dryly replied.

“Thanks to Severene’s gracious assistance, we can now continue on our way more rapidly,” Nali cut in.

“My men and I can journey with you if you need our support, Empress,” Severene offered.

Nali shook her head. “Thank you, Severene, but what we face is something that not even the might of the cyclops can stop. Please send riders north to warn our people of the danger. The alien is exceedingly powerful and deadly. It would be best if they evacuated to the east until I give word that it is safe to return,” she instructed, gripping the reins of a beast.

“We will not rest until everyone has been warned,” Severene replied, mounting his steed. “May the Goddess be with you,” he added before nodding to the other men.

Asahi walked over to the horse and took the reins Nali held out to him. He looked up at the magnificent beast. The stirrup was almost shoulder high. There was no way he could climb onto it.

He looked around for something to help him mount the beast when the creature tossed its head and knelt. In this position, the stirrups were within reach, barely. He placed his foot on the ring, stepped up, and slid his leg over the back of the magnificent steed.

When the beast rose to its hooves, Asahi’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the reins tightly. He felt like a child perched on an elephant. The sound of a soft, sympathetic chuckle caused him look up.

“Have you ever ridden before?” Ashure inquired,