As the story tellers correctly recall, it was not Luke of Athelea who first discovered the great secret of horses. His brother Marcos as he was at just fourteen years of age, passing time in the makeshift stockade at Woodside near Cano with his unusual pet Lianna while Luke was away at the Lodge. Long before the age of cunning and treachery. His mother standing terrified outside the broad wooden house as the thin boy bounced and cavorted on the back of the nervous young thing, not yet three years old and only just as high as the half-grown teenager. Tracing a path up and down the compound, a field fenced by thin trees linked with narrow branches, not knowing whether she was elated or distressed by the experience. The young horse eventually trying to shake off her unaccustomed load while the determined youth clung for dear life, until finally she won the struggle and the boy despatched to the ground with a shout, scuffing his knee but jubilant.

"You be careful with that thing," said his mother as he walked over. "People die from those animals."

Of course it made him all the more determined and through the early days of summer he continued to woo the young animal, tempting her with red apples and anything else he could find on the farm, or in the house if his mother did not keep things shut away, stroking her bony forehead, washing her and keeping the dogs and farm animals away, talking to her in his half deep voice until only a few days later he came rushing in.

"Amma, Amma! I did it! Lianna let me sit on her! No argument."

Proudly he led her into the garden, where the horse was nibbling at the long grass by the trees. "Lianna! Lianna, come over here!"

She looked up and resumed her snacking. Marcos walked over to the horse, putting his arms around her neck, gently imploring her to let him have another go. Obediently she walked into the field and stood for him. He crawled onto her back adjusting his seating position to minimise the prickling from her coarse hair and she stretched as high as she could, leading him gently round a circuit, then shook her head gently to indicate that he should slide off now, as if to say that's enough, let me finish my dinner.

Horses were a rare sight in Athelea, keeping away from the clusters of farms and villages, they preferred the sparse far reaches of the Forest and the mountainous rear country of the Hinderith which led to the sea on the northern shore of Kiru which was their world. Marcos and Luke's father Darios had like all the warriors as a young man hunted the fully grown adults by trapping them in the Forest and like many of the villagers was nervous of his children's association with Lianna. He had asked Morian about this. Neither was not sure if they were forbidden as creatures of the Old Ones, like their ancient buildings, vaguely associated with disaster. He had so much not minded them adopting her as an orphaned baby - he had even helped with her broken leg and was proud of the way it had healed without a limp, but he seemed to grow more anxious as the moon went through its phases and the horse grew bigger. Some of the villagers claimed to have seen other horses in the vicinity and there had been talk about hunting them but Luke had different ambitions. He knew many facts about horses which he had seen from watching them on fine calm days from the headland above the bay, in the north region where the Forest stretched past the tip of the Hinderith to reach nearly the endpoint of the coast. Not many people went there as it was poorly settled bandit country. They preferred open spaces and kept well away from human settlement. Occasionally they might swim in the warm waters of the bay and he had daydreams of using them to tow him to the distant white peaks of the Outland across the water where no one had ever been. Luke's farm was a good ten leagues inland, a tough walk to the sea, and he rode the strait only in his imagination. Decades later, when all the world had changed, he might stand there by the sea, or gaze on it from the height of the mountains, and know that others were trying out ways of reaching this tantalising land, carrying his vision to the coming generations.

He came home at the height of summer to a confusing scene and it took a while to tease out the story.

"So did you leave the gate untied? We'll get her back." He was anxious to see for himself. Going round the house to the enclosure he could see no more trace than hoofprints on the ground. They went over to her hut, little more than branches with a flat roof, which Luke had built himself the previous year, but he could easily see from outside that it was empty. The air inside was stale, she had probably not been in for quarter of the day.

"We'll have to go and search for her," said Luke. "Me and Yan. If she's gone into the Forest she'll likely be with others. The dogs'll track her in no time. Then I'll bring another one back and we can have one each."

"What do you mean, you? I'm coming with you as well."

"None of you are going anywhere until you've had dinner. Your father's in there waiting." Their mother stood imperiously by the door.

"Oh, shut up will you. Can't you see this is important. Anyway he's on his way. I already whistled a boy over to get him. Go pack my food into a bag and I'll eat it on the way."

"Careful how you talk to people. You may be a warrior but it'll get you into trouble. Come on Marcos, inside." Not wanting to be treated like a boy he sullenly dragged his feet in to join his mother and father at the table.

Luke came into the house a minute or two later with his hunting partner who had run over in hardly any time at all. Yan had grown even more muscular during the year, half a hand shorter than Luke and still with cropped hair compared to Luke's sprawling mass of waves. Luke grabbed a handful of corncakes from the table and stuffed them into his bag, then went to raid the larder, where he found part of a salted goat's leg.

"Hey, you're not having that. That's for when Theos comes to dinner at High Summer." She always referred to her brother by title rather than name. "Here, take these." She minimised her losses by offering a couple of tarangs, edible leaf containers filled with meat offcuts.

"Are you taking the dogs?" called his father.

"Yes but we'll only be going a short way. It'll be safe. They're just for tracking."

Luke, snatched a stale-looking hunk of goat's cheese to add to his haul. The pair of young men rushed out the door and headed for the Forest, nearly an hour's walk but they jogged it in half the time. Their shoes had been made by Luke's father, leatherwork was a speciality he liked to show off whenever the farm work allowed him spare time. They lost the trail,

"How did that happen?" asked Yan as they stopped to take stock.

"I think we ran too fast. We've gone off at an angle."

"D'you think we'll be able to find them?"

Luke drew his friend close and pointed to the low branches of the trees.

"A fully grown horse won't be able to walk under those branches without disturbing them. If an adult went past any of the trees with low branches chances are they'll have knocked something off. But Lianna is smaller. So if we see any hoofmarks we can look at the same time to see if branches have been disturbed. That's what Uncle taught me. But the dogs should make it so much easier, they know her well. Once we get into the trees it will be soft earth all around. So let's go towards the tree fringe and see if we can find the entry point. We can start at the Raider Tree and finish at Hunter's Halt. That'll keep us a fixed distance from Cano so when we cross her path we're in luck."

After the sun had moved another four fingers the dogs started to get excited. Luke saw tell-tale signs on the ground near a point where a wide track narrowed as it entered the tree screen. It did not take him long to count the scuffmarks.

"Look, there are three of them. They must've had to come close to get along the path. One's Lianna for sure, the dogs are convinced. We can start tracking now."

They followed the trail for a league, Luke counting his paces in hundreds until he got to eleven, the declining sun indicating half an hour, or seven fingers in the old measurement, of full daylight remaining, until they came to Little Pool, tucked into a bend of the nearly dry mountain stream that ran through the trees parallel to the Cana and eventually reached the sea in the same bay.

"There are tracks everywhere," said Yan. "All the animals drink here. We'll never be able to follow them now."

"Keep still," said Luke urgently. "One of the animals that made those tracks is close by."

Luke felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and gradually came to realise he had made a beginner's mistake, as the air behind his head was from a different direction to the gentle wind. He turned his head slowly.

He yelled and fell to the ground in surprise at the demonic face with its enormous white eyes, a hand raised to protect his face from the certain onslaught. Yan wheeled around, arm raised ready for action, grabbing a rock from the ground in his left hand in the same motion, then relaxed and fell back onto the ground laughing. The dogs were unperturbed, they seemed to be laughing too.

"Your dad would be proud of you. Frightened of anyone who comes to look." Yan dropped the stone and cautiously approached the curious animal. Luke getting back to his feet laid a hand on the warm wet muzzle and stroked the short hair on its protruding head.

"I think you know who we came to see, yes? Where's your newly adopted daughter?" He hastily withdrew as she tried to examine his fingers with her mouth.

"There's another one around, as well as Lianna. Hope it's not a male we don't know what they're like. Let's see if I can sit on the lady." Luke was determined to hide his embarrassment with a show of bravery.

He placed his hands onto the horse's back, the top of its shoulders level with his chin but the convenient arch of its back presenting an inviting seat. She jumped up leaving him stumbling on the ground with a bruise on his head from the tree. Several tries later he had not made any progress when they heard a bark and a yell about fifty steps back in the Forest.

Luke jumped to his feet gazing in the direction of the sound. Someone was moving in the bushes, backing off from danger. The person seemed a long way off but suddenly Luke realised that it was a trick of scale. What he had taken to be another hunter was in fact a youth out on his own in the Forest, against the law of the village.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Marcos. I'll kill you. Fancy coming into the Forest on your own."

Yan was already running towards the scene, shouting at the pair of wild dogs which held his friend's brother at bay, but he was not the first to arrive. Luke's own dogs had already led the charge and the wild ones backed snarling in self defence. Lianna recognised her friend and came close, and when Marcos saw her he ran the few steps and jumped onto her waiting back, the forest dogs wheeling and looking from a distance. The two boys faced the teenager, sitting taller than them on the back of his horse.

"Let's go back," said Yan curtly. "It's nearly dark. Don't tell anyone what happened," he nodded sternly at Marcos, "or we'll bring you back and leave you here. Understand?" The boy nodded meekly, embarrassed at having to be rescued from his own foolishness.

When they reached Woodside it was nearly dark and fires were appearing in the village of Cano downriver from the farm. Mother had assumed her second child had been out in the farm buildings. She scowled when she saw the state they were in.

"Marcos, out the back and wash all that dirt off. Put your clothes in the bowl to soak then bed. Luke go and wash in the stream while there's still a little light left."

"I'll come down with you to keep look-out," said Yan, though Luke was suspicious of a trick, he had once run off and hidden Luke's clothes while he was in the water. When he got to the stream they found a different problem.

“Not much water in this heat.”

“We can dig down,” said Yan, starting to scrabble with his hands.

"No, that’ll take forever and the water will be so dirty." he said to Yan. “Let’s go up to the bend, there’s a raised pool.”

"That’s where the girls bathe. Can’t go there."

“I don’t see any girls. And if there are, the more the merrier.”

Yan seemed to like the idea but still worried about using the wrong water. When they got there Luke tried to push him in but Yan was too strong and heavy and turning half way round threw Luke into the water then jumped in after and forced him under, then he ducked right down and raised his legs, sending Luke floundering back. Righting himself he stood panting and the young men threw handfuls of water in each other's faces, then they sat in the stream with their heads above water until they grew bored and ran all the way to their own homes, leaving muddy trails behind them on the dry fields.

*

Next morning Luke carried a small box with him. He had constructed it himself, it was one of his most valued possessions. Climbing Bold Ridge he reached the wooden huts of the Lodge, distantly overlooking the confluence of the two tributaries Cana and Tecana at the town of Agor. Among the collection of huts huts the central four-storey building stood proud as a monument to their nation's achievements and gave a view for many leagues around, even though hardly anyone dared climb to the top of the rickety structure. The fierce summer sun was starting to make its mark on the day. Ignoring his friends and teachers he walked over to the low hill at the outer perimeter on which an ancient man with tufts of white hair, too old even to be a priest, sat looking over to the river. A large sundial stood on the ground, not for the first time Luke scorned it as he could tell perfectly well what the hour was. Placing the box on the ground in front of the man he opened it to reveal the gift of a quantity of soft fruit.

"You were in The Forest yesterday evening. Hunting horses." It was more of a statement than a question.

"We found an adult and recovered our own. I was unable to mount the older horse as you said. Too many branches. We had trouble with dogs and had to go back. But a horse could be a useful weapon against dogs."

"It's not necessary, is it? A hunter can fight off a dog with bare hands as long as he understands its mind."

Luke thought of Marcos and the hungry dogs and was not inclined to agree. But he remembered to concentrate on the present subject. "Uncle, you said that in Elenea they keep wood-cows as farm animals. Could we do the same with horses?"

"Possibly. I visited a wood-cow farm in Elenea when I was a young man. They are docile animals, not like the wild type we get round here. They give much better milk than goats. I have tried all my life to introduce then to Athelea. He paused, reflecting darkly. Politics. You'll learn about it soon enough. Anyway there are problems with the males. Very dangerous and cannot be tamed except by orchietomy which makes them unable to breed. No one has much idea with horses what the bulls are like so you must be extremely careful. Also female horses prefer to live in herds. You will have to visit Elenea to find out how they do cow farming and breeding and maybe you will be able to transfer the knowledge to horses. Next Spring. The Lodge will give you a passage. Learn the language. Master Therolan will be able to teach you. It will take six moons so start today. Tell your hunt master you are released in the mornings for the next two seasons."

Luke's inquisitiveness was stirred by the prospect of distant travel as he had only once been outside the boundaries of his own country. His mind returned to the day he had been taken into the high mountains of Trantrith by bandits and so scared he hardly remembered any of the land. Apart from that, he had just wandered further than most along the Hinderith to the north and up to the boundaries of his own small country to the south where the lawless country started and in summer to the western sea beyond Agor. The southern border was marked by a pair of apos, the forbidden towns of the Old Ones, and no traders crossed that way as the mountain bandits did not do business except with a few nearby villages which did not give tribute to Athelea. The larger of the apos, in the centre of the land, was called Lefko and was the biggest feature of the ancients. The stream that passed through it represented the boundary of civilisation. From above you could see down over the buildings all collapsed in a sea of trees older than any man and in the nearer parts you could make out the mysterious broken shells of the Old Ones bigger than a man but too small to be houses which no one knew what they were for. Unbelievable stories referred to men floating around in them like gods. He was encouraged by the ease with which the old man had taken to his idea. He had the feeling of embarking on something important. The plans he had could potentially have far-reaching effects on the lives of his people but he had no idea whether they were practical or simply dreams. How could he have a field full of horses when none of the farms in Athelea had more than a couple of dogs and a few goats and pigs and chickens? Was it possible to ride on the back of a fully grown horse? And if so, how would you avoid breaking your neck on overhanging branches? How would you even keep a horse where you wanted it, when Uncle had already told him they could jump over or break down any fence? If it was possible to tame cows how had no one in his country ever done this, what were the politics Uncle had referred to? But he was taming a child horse himself, kept it in a stockade so they were not magic. He bowed to the old man who was removing the contents of the gift box then returned the valuable item to Luke.

His mind turning he crossed to the hut where his friends were already gathered. His master Sol, a famous ex-warrior, seemed fatalistic about the news, he must have been prepared for it. So Luke made his way to the building attached to the chapel, to start his half-year language class with Master Therolan.

Late in the afternoon Luke and Yan walked up from the Lodge along the far side of the Cana, past Agor with its market houses, eating places and surrounding farms. Leaving the bustle of the afternoon behind them along with the smell of village life they trekked up between the two forks keeping close to the larger tributary called Tecana which carried water in all seasons. If they followed far enough it would lead to the pass where Athelea stopped and the Borderlands turned into Elenea to the east and they would need permission to travel further. The stream itself would then turn south into the hills that led to Trantrith where they would not be secure from bandits. One of his cousins ran a farm called Stonebridge on the very edge of the Borderlands. In the language of Athelea it was called Petrgefr. Further up in the southerly direction the river would split again leading to the tiny settlement of Gida or Goat Pass or to the locals Gat, and then the mountain country of Trantrith itself where hardly anyone lived. This day they were going as far as the first foothill where a stone bluff rose dramatically out of the red clay. Their walking shoes rapidly turning into amorphous brown masses which sucked and squelched as they stepped through the bog. The ground on the far side was firmer and would have been much better for walking but they could clearly see the massive outlines of the apo of Morfo, half buried, forbidden and dangerous. Climbing onto thin soil below the exposed rock leaving red streaks behind them they perched on a ledge over a drop higher than a two storey house, a bare slab rising twice the height of a man above them.

"Right, let's get started," said Luke. He worked away at the rock with a hand flint, scraping an outline. Once that had been completed Yan took his turn, gouging the lines into channels in the hard stone.

Luke looked at the half-finished drawing. "Excellent. It's coming out really well. Now we need colours. Red and black for the horse and keep the green and blue for our names."

"You can use my shoes for the red," said Yan, but the clay had dried in the sun so he had to work his way back down to the stream. He returned with both hands full of messy sludge. Luke took a little and worked it into the drawing, sent Yan down for more as he ran out.

"I'm starving," said Yan as he was about to go down for the third time. "Let's stop for a while."

"Great. What food have you got?"

"Loads. But how am I going to eat it?" He held up his hands, covered in half-baked clay, and laughed.

"Turn your bag inside out," said Luke. Yan emptied the contents into Luke's hand and pushed his own hand into the material so it formed a glove. Luke handed him bread and cheese and he greedily stuffed it into his mouth."

Yan grinned. "This feels so weird. He looked down the cliff. Damn could have asked her to feed me and I wouldn't have needed this." A young couple was seated on an outcrop of grass, watching the design come to life.

Luke looked down. "No, see the size of her man. Anyway you have Miranda."

"I can do that too. She'll not even know. Nor would he."

"What do you think Morian would say to that?"

"You're such a prude," said Yan. "He'd probably come with us."

"Remember what he was like when we were juniors? I can't imagine him with a woman."

"I can. He was always after them before he became a priest. It's only none of them wanted him."

"You going to his service?"

"If you can call that a service. I went up to Diva's shrine a few days ago. That Arthur, he's mighty. Talks tales about the Old Ones. I'll probably start going there more. I love their places."

"You mustn't," said Luke looking straight at his friend. "Promise me you won't. Seriously, don't. You'll end up like Pitthor the Pirate." He looked seriously. "There are snakes and mosquitos and spiders and stuff we don't even know about. The buildings are dangerous and the air itself can kill you. If they get you out at all they'll drag you with ropes and burn your body in a pit and fill it in with earth and even the dogs won't come near."

"I only meant I'd go to the shrine. Apos are not that dangerous though. I can look from the outside can't I. What they must have been like originally, they must have been magic. Anyway he's trying to persuade me to ask Diva to adopt me when I'm nineteen."

"Only you could have two personal gods."

"Two gods, I want two women and two horses as well."

Yan ruminated slowly over his life possibilities while the last of the food disappeared along with a mouthful of precious water and wiping the cloth of the empty bag over his face he made an effort to keep cool. Luke went back to the drawing and started to outline the edges with charcoal he had brought, while sending Yan back for more clay and muddy water.

As the sun neared the horizon and the breeze started to freshen Luke completed his work. They appraised it from close up on the ledge. The horse was majestic, one leg raised above the ground in an image of conquest. On its back was Luke's name-symbol, a pair of concave lines representing a tree trunk with two pairs of branches on either side. To its right, in green, was the name for Cano, a forked stick with an angled line running through the lower fork.

"Luke of Cano. Now all the girls will know where to find you."

"Now draw your name. Then they can come looking for you as well."

Yan took the flint and scratched his name along with that of his own farm village below the picture. In the evening light they rushed down to the river to survey their work.

The horse stood fresh and proud among a pantheon of animals and religious drawings placed there by boys who wanted to advertise themselves. Most from this year and some starting to fade already but plenty of deeper carvings staying firm from earlier years. Others drawn over as the spaces were reused. Goats, pigs, chickens and dogs in a variety of dominant and servile poses and some mythical beasts each with one or two name symbols but this was the only horse.

"The gateway to Athelea," said Luke. Now we have something new to boast about to visiting bandits."

"My name's wrong," said Yan. "It looks like I'm underneath the horse. I wouldn't last long in that position."

"No, it's okay," said Luke. "It looks like you're tough, can survive any situation." Despite the heat he shivered suddenly.

"Yeah, I hadn't thought of it like that," said Yan. "Yeah, mighty." They stepped back down the stream to wash their hands and faces as best they could before starting the journey home.