Title: Exiting Skae
date 9-14-99
Authors: Teri, Aaron, Ki, Stana

The two armies were not matched in size. The Army of Steel held a ratio
of two to one. From the onset, they carried all the advantages into the
fray. Love of country, defense of home, knowledge of land, and numbers.
There was a general feeling among the soldiers that the Steel would
carry the day.

The magics skillfully employed by the 6th resulted in the defending
army's descent into confusion and retreat. Just as the 6th began to
crumble the defense, several bugles sounded as Lord Ozwalds men double
timed into the attacking army and nearly trapped them into a pincer
move.

It was the skillful general of the aggressive force that managed to
escape. With his quick assessment of the now overwhelming odds, he
rapidly moved into a retreat. The remaining two armies hesitated, and
then retreated themselves to assess their own damage.

-The gelding stumbled again, but carried its rider gamely through to
the inner courtyard where the troops had not yet breached. There it
sank gratefully to the ground and lay quiet and still under the gentle
ministrations of its master.

Lyr bounded off even as his gray was sinking to the ground. When the
gelding had stumbled in the field, he had sworn it was the end for them
both.
Caught in the midst of the beginnings of a route, no one would think
twice of a man and his dying mount. But the gelding had regained its
footing, and had
brought him out safely.

"Good boy." R'Kelnin murmured fondly, stroking its neck underneath the
padding. Meanwhile his eyes were searching out the blow that had taken
him nearly off his feet, and even now caused the horse's body to
shudder with each breath.

He found it underneath the girth strap. The pressure of
the saddle had kept the wound from splitting further, but it was deep.
Under less than battle emergency, he might have had a chance--

Lyr kept it from his face, and his hands, and as they pulled the dirk
free from its sheath, they didn't waver. The last thing the Gray felt
was
the endearing caress of its grateful owner.
***

Clip pranced nervously, ears twitching at the sounds of battle and
hooves ringing against the cobbled stones. Stana stared off in the
direction
of the Northern Gate, and if she was imagining the scene outside, her
expression didn't show it.

The group, comprised of Elainas, Audion, Clip, and Stana held within
the Northern gate, waiting for the General or a subordinate to lead
them out of
Skae.

There was a short fuss over their shoulders as Teri passed under the
broad arch and into the high-domed foyer of the Northern Gate. Dressed
in her
recognizable tank top, she wore slim-fitting riding pants in lieu of
her shorts. Looped over her arm were the reigns of another mount, and
strapped to its back was a familiar backpack.

"I'm going," she said shortly, by way of explanation. The crew seemed
unmoved by the decision.

"We'd be most glad to have you," the Ambassador replied, as Stana
continued to gaze past and possibly through the walls.

Audion switched his gaze to the fire chosen only momentarily, before
returning it to the horses.

A few beats of galloping hooves and the General slid to a stop before
them, the beautiful blood bay he now rode lifting its dark tail
proudly.

    The General's armored body was spattered with the blood and gore of
many --others, the once-blinding gleam slightly dulled by battle. He
himself seemed none the worse for wear, until one saw the fury
contained in his
tan eyes.

 "Mount up," he ordered briefly to the tensely waiting group.

Stana moved without a word to Clip, who had taken a rock steady stance.
Unwilling to endure a saddle for even his duty to her, he tried to make
it as easy as possible for the human to stay astride, unused to
bareback as she was.

 lyr glanced over their mounts. He nodded in satisfaction, they all
seemed pretty comfortable astride. His  eyes lingered a moment more
than neccessary on the traveller.

Audion rode an average-sized, tan stallion.  It was eager, and
nervously pawed the ground to indicate it was ready to show off its
fleetness.
Audion shifted in his saddle, leaning forward to stroke the soft mane
of the animal, calming it mysteriously, a traditional Freylian method
of
showing affection.

The General watched the horses settling in and noted that the mare Teri
was with was unsuited to the long distance the group was going to have
to cover.

Elainas was also looking over the mount critically. A beautiful dappled
mare with a proud neck and gleaming braids- the horse looked like a
noble's
showcase mount.

    "A moment," Lyr said to Teri, dismounting and moving to the
Chosen's horse, then feeling the back tendons of the mare. She shied
and Lyr
distractedly bore down on the reigns.

::Hard mouth, half bowed tendoned, she'd get all of ten miles and this
poor thing would collapse after trying to keep up with a Syl bred and a
Unicorn.:: Not many horses could keep up with those two- least of all a
showhorse. He was more than disgusted. Without a word he pulled the
pack from Teri's mount and then lifted her from the waist down to the
ground.

Moving quickly now, feeling all too well that time was slipping past,
Lyr stripped his own stallion down to travel weight, hands confidently
moving around the Stallion. The horse submitted with an almost amused
silence, reaching over to nicker at his master, but never once
interfering.

"Take Agni," he said to Teri. "He's battle trained, and that pretty
mare won't be able to take pace with the traveling you'll be doing." He
spoke a brief
word to the steed and he relaxed down from battle-ready, allowing a
speechless Teri to mount.

She hadn't picked the mare herself- but it didn't seem the time to
defend herself. The rich, garnet colored horse was far more powerful
than the dainty one she had been... lifted off of..

It was a tall climb. The stallion was one of his larger bred horses,
light enough for cavalry, but heavy enough to carry for full battle. 17
hands tall, he towered over the Unicorn and the Syl bred.

 Briefly Lyr explained the basic commands to use; Teri, one hand idly
stroking the soft neck, caught on quickly, and Lyr mounted the dappled.
She would serve
temporarily. He didn't allow his dissatisfaction to filter through as
she fought stubbornly his guiding hands.

A guard of 60 fell in around the group, as Lyr nodded to Tanlis. As the
general led the Chosen out into the secret tunnel leading to the other
side of the
cliff, Tanlis blew a few short blasts of his horn. The Steel moved to
launch an all-out attack against the three-point surrounding forces,
designed
to distract.

 These Chosen would be out of the city before the enemy knew that their
treasure box was empty.