Enían and the Thunder Horse by A.M. Reynwood
Today I have a special treat for you, a bit of flash fiction by a wonderful author and friend of mine.
It’s so good, I don’t even want to say much about it at all here… just… dive on in!
Enían and the Thunder Horse
By
A.M. Reynwood
Really, they only needed one. How dangerous could it be?
“It’s not worth the risk,” Kadesh had said. “You’ll get yourself killed before making it within a rope’s throw of those monsters.”
Kadesh was good at being afraid. Though, Enían supposed it had something to do with watching four younger brothers die on the battlefield.
But Enían wasn’t afraid of anything, even after surviving four older brothers in the fighting against Lord Sydon’s task forces. Because where Kadesh saw futility, Enían took opportunity. Yet no matter how many times he’d tried to show Kadesh, he never saw things Enían’s way.
The bush rats had been a great idea, he just hadn’t anticipated them spreading disease beyond the enemy camp. Smuggling supplies headed toward the fortress had been a good idea, too. He just hadn’t envisioned that red-handed conjurer setting villages on fire in retribution.
“I’ll show you this time, Kadesh” he muttered, strangling the rope in his calloused fist. “I’ll capture a storm, then no one’ll stand against us.”
The mossy boulder warmed his back, but did nothing to assuage the queasy turning in his stomach—hunger, not fear. Cold, soupy porridge wasn’t the ideal start to an heroic venture, but it was all their beleaguered band of rebels had left.
If those butchers didn’t snuff them out first, they’d starve to death, and everything they’d fought for and suffered these past few years would be for nothing. They were running out of options.
He inched over the craggy mound of rock. Sleek hides in a living thunderhead of grays, black, and cream spread across the field beyond. Perhaps it was the stories he’d heard all his life, but the quiet that hovered in the air held the same kind of eerie threat as gathering storm clouds.
These were Velyshí, after all. Creatures that not even Lord Sydon’s cruel hordes dared cross for fear of the vengeful terrors that carried thunder in their eyes.
Enían’s breath shallowed under the tightness gripping his chest—excitement, not fear. He would wrangle one of these beasts and take it back to that abandoned dragon’s den and prove that he wasn’t foolish. That he really was trying to help. Having a Velyshí on their side would definitely turn this war in their favor, for who could stand against a rampaging thunder horse?
He scanned the milling herd and landed on a sable stallion by the outskirts. Its gleaming neck and legs rippled with power. Creeping forward, he slipped the lasso into nimble fingers. But the moment he stepped out of hiding, the stallion’s ebony head shot up, ears perked toward him.
Blood pounded in Enían’s ears—heavens and hills, these horses were massive! His russet curls would barely reach its withers. Suddenly, the goat lead he carried seemed like stitching floss. Useless. But he’d already come this far. . . Shuffling another step, he got within a rope’s throw. Take that, Kadesh! And you thought I’d die.
Enían swung the loop with practiced ease, focused on the Velyshí that watched him in stock-still curiosity. Grinning, he let fly.
In that instant, as though anticipating it, the stallion jerked away, ears flat against its neck. It met Enían’s gaze, eyes ablaze with natural power, fierce independence, and wild fury. In that heartbeat, he knew he’d failed some sort of test. His body went cold.
The stallion raised a bugle that split the afternoon peace, and like the first snap of lightning and blistering crack of thunder that precedes a summer storm, the herd broke loose.
Most things bolt at the sign of a threat.
Velyshí charge.
The earth trembled beneath the force of their pounding, ground-churning hooves, jarring Enían’s bones until his teeth rattled. Heart in his throat, he abandoned the rope and fled—but how could anyone outrun a storm? Bodies surging with wanton destruction closed in around him, enveloping him within a streaking cacophony of flesh and blood and kicking heels. The boulders, the only bastion of safety, were just a few yards away. Too far away.
Something rammed into his shoulder and he stumbled, scrambled, toppled onto the rocks. The roar of hundreds of heavy hooves sang: Death! Foolish! Useless!
The sable stallion towered over him, nostrils flared, plate-sized hoof scraping the ground in a challenge he could not hope to meet. Not with strength, not with wit.
He had nothing.
This was fear, and it washed Enían bare in its merciless, impartial tide and flooded his eyes with the stinging shame that he’d disappointed his brother once again—and for the last time.
“I’m sorry.” The words squeaked past the lump in his throat, though he didn’t know if he apologized to Kadesh, the horse, or someone else entirely. “I never meant to hurt anyone, I just—” his voice broke. “I just wanted to help. I just wanted a future where Kadesh didn’t have to keep losing everything he loves.”
But it was his own audacious pride that would cause Kadesh the very pain Enían sought to end. How had he thought to control the Velyshí when not even Lord Sydon’s forces could?
The stallion reared with a shriek, scraping the air over Enían’s cowering head.
“I can’t save him!” The truth tasted bitter and hopeless. Kadesh was right after all. No one could tame these wild creatures—no one could tame a storm. Enian had been a fool, and now he’d die. Was there really nothing left he could do?
“Please!” he wept. “When you’re done with me, please help Kadesh.”
He braced for the pummeling blows—
But the stallion’s savage hooves instead struck stone, the nerve-jarring clack and thud sending tremors through Enían’s spine. Hot, grassy breath brushed his ears.
Shaking, Enían uncurled himself when the Velyshí nudged his arms. It met his eyes with noble strength and an uncanny knowing. Then, the thunder horse gave its head into his hand.
About the Author
Y’all, I’m tickled to be here celebrating Fantasy Month alongside such grand folks and am honored by the opportunity to share with you a sneak peek into the storyworld of my current work-in-progress, a military fantasy adventure. The concept for Enían and the Thunder Horse came from a prompt to blend beauty with danger, and my brain instantly latched onto the Velyshí, an unique breed of warhorse in my books. I wanted to explore the history of how these fierce and proud creatures first bonded with the human warriors of the land, and I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed discovering it!
For the curious, I am a homesteading kitchen wizard, low-key otaku, and solar sponge who posts a blog on topics like finding God in fiction, featuring new releases by Christian authors, sharing book recommendations, and more! I also write fantastical adventures full of brotherhood, banter, and themes of identity and worth without works. Check out my other short stories published through Havok, including two featured in seasons 1 & 2 of the Havok Story Podcast! Connect with me via: