Blackie trotted briskly up the cobblestone street. He felt all war horse today, eager and excited to get back to some action. He liked Shota, and felt bound to him by duty, but everything Shota wanted to do was boring. All they did was travel all day, stopping to eat and rest. Shota's singing was the only thing that kept him from breaking into a run just to feel the sheer, heart-pounding joy of it. Blackie missed the mounted archery drills, the sword fighting contests, the galloping ...