[Perhaps he should thank the Professor next time he sees them. After all, he wouldn't have bothered training with a physical weapon at all were it not for their instruction. Of course, he can't seriously consider such a thought when he's going to kill them afterwards, but that's neither here nor there and certainly not relevant now.]

I've no doubts that you are, but in your current condition, you'd take twice as long as necessary. To put it in a way you're all too familiar with - it's more practical for me to assist you now.

[There's a touch of sarcasm there, of course, but he does mean it. Practically, leaving Lif on his own to struggle back to the castle would waste time and resources; Lif's wounds could even be agitated by his struggles, so it's best to cooperate.

Anyway, this is Lif's horse and Hubert's not exactly skilled at riding (though he does have some training with horses, at least) so she's all yours! Once Lif's up, Hubert will follow, frowning for a moment as he decides where to put his hands. Lif's rather spikey attire makes this harder than it should be, but he finally settles for holding onto Lif's waist. There isn't a great place to hold onto his shoulders and just clinging to his cape won't be sturdy enough to keep Hubert on the horse should she pick up speed or traverse rough terrain. So this too is practical, albeit a bit embarrassing. Ugh, this is why he prefers to just teleport everywhere... Shame that's not one of his tome's effects!!]