The nine horses

I don't know why they didn't warn me, maybe it was the shock of seeing a person we thought was dead rise up or the happiness of defeating someone strong and even if they had warned me my horse's life would have been lost already, so it would be foolish to blame my own men.

All the horses went out of control when they saw how a member of their family was so brutally killed they were so afraid, their riders controlled their horses so they would not run away.

He kept exhaling loudly as if he was an animal, his red eyes scared me even though I couldn't see his face because his helmet was covering it, I swore I could see a big smile behind his helmet as if he was enjoying it, he was approaching me, I backed away instinctively, but he had already grabbed my neck in a quick and brutal movement.

I felt how he was strangling me little by little, why didn't he just kill me and that was it? Or did he just want to see me suffer until I died, or did that give him pleasure? That didn't matter, I was running out of air and soon dying, but what I saw surprised me.

A rider made his horse collide directly against the knight that made me free from his grip and the knight fell to the ground in the action of this brave rider, I had saved my life then he spoke agitated "Captain leave us here and return to a safe place, if you die our noble work will be finished" I heeded his words and got out of that place and looked back one last time just to see how he had already risen.

[I don't know if they will come back but I hope they do] was Erick's last thought as he left the battle.

Of the original ten riders only eight remained, one dead, one missing, what would the remaining riders do against such an enemy? They came up with a plan quickly the armor was dented and had large cracks, but the plan was risky only the back was noticeably damaged even if the front had some cracks these would be hard to break, they all nodded and gave each other a kiss on the cheek and so their battle began.

The riders made the first move, they made a frontal cavalry charge all together, although they did not have the skills of their commander they had the numbers in their favor, the charge was a success they managed to knock him down and several horses passed over him, but no sound was heard and even in the formation there were two men missing with their respective horses the riders saw behind and their looks could not be more discouraging.

The monster had grabbed in each of his hands two horses' legs, the horses did not stop screaming, and the worst thing happened, the monster had torn a leg from the two horses, and consequently they had lost their balance, their riders fell to the ground, and they quickly got up and took out their swords. They drew their swords not to fight but to thrust them into their faithful companions so that they would no longer suffer {There was no longer any reason to fight} the unarmed riders thought and gave themselves up, hoping for at least a painless death, and that was given to them.

The monster had grabbed the two riders and strangled them effortlessly then he began to laugh, his laughter could be heard throughout the forest for the living riders it was a mockery towards them that instead of giving them fear filled them with hatred towards him and even their horses no longer lost control as if they had accepted their cruel fate.

And so it began and began several cavalry charges in each of these died a rider along with his horse, but the armor of this monster was breaking more and more giving a glimmer of hope to the riders but now only three of the original ten remained for one last time the remaining riders gave a charge together that went straight to the knight.

They had succeeded! They broke his armor revealing his skin showing that he is human, but they cared little if he was human and when they were about to make another charge they saw the condition of his horse they were tired like us their eyes traveled the road everything was full of blood and corpses, suddenly it started to rain cleaning little by little the massacre that would still continue.

But two of the horses were already about to collapse, they would give one last final blow but before that one of them said "Go to of here and find the captain we can't lose all of us here" A rider said to the youngest of them all at first he refused but in the end he accepted and went away swearing revenge deep in the back of his head.

The last two riders made a charge that was neither quick nor agile, it was a charge of desperation that was easily stopped by the human they considered a monster, he destroyed their horses as he did before and killed these last riders by strangling them as he did before, and the battle was over.

They hadn't done anything to him, they had only broken his armor, the only thing left of the armor was his helmet.