"Yessss! Misssstress will be pleassssed..." hissed the inhuman voice in Rachel's head.
"Oh, Bucephalus! Have I made a fatal mistake?" asked Rachel, worried but nowhere near panic.
"No dear, it was the best option. If you left it in Slickville, it would ally with the Predas. You could eliminate the innocent. If Cyril died, it would be sent back if it couldn't quickly find a willing or weak host. They can't stay here too long in their true form. It's much like you trying to survive a raging blizzard without blankets or clothes. But its high master would just find a suitable host for it - one that humans would never suspect."
"At least that would give us some time? If I eliminate Cyril, it might not come back in the direct vicinity... We would have a chance to prepare." replied Rachel, angry that she had perhaps underestimated the danger.
"No, it's better to at least try to contain it here... Perhaps we can even save that young man. The most important thing is not to let it harm Cyril within these city walls. It can't jump unless his heart stops, or a willing host performs an invitation ritual nearby." explained Bucephalus.
Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. "If there's one thing I'm good at, it's controlling prisoners." she pointed out.
"I know, that's the only reason I think this might be a good idea..." replied Bucephalus, radiating positivity with all of her might.
"Bucephalus, why do you have to wait until he - er, it - is locked up, to tell me what it is?" asked Rachel curiously.
In the Predas stables:
Amber spent the next 24 hours doing nothing but eating and sleeping. She was ready - as well as ready to go stir crazy. "Why a horse? Don't you know that they lead the most boring life of all creatures?" she asked, rolling her eyes upwards.
"Moooooooo!" As if in reply, a milk cow mooed sadly in the distance.
"Point taken..." she replied, almost as sadly as the cow.
Amber closed her eyes. "I guess I might as well try to get more sleep..." she thought, frustrated about having to miss so much of the action. Then she heard two men talking.
"Yes, Sir. I did exactly as you instructed. Your horse is ready to go. More than ready, I would say. Nearly blinded me by smacking me with her tail." one of them said with irritation. Amber recognized him as Ginners, the main stable hand, the one who had treated that child so poorly.
She smiled inwardly, remembering the satisfying whack her tail had made when it met his fat face.
"That doesn't sound like my little Princess! Maybe she's finally growing up into a Queen!" laughed the other man, who was obviously strong, yet not on the stocky side.
"Time to say goodbye... I hope for good!" grumbled Ginners, as he yanked the stall door open, and roughly slapped a saddle on her.
"Watch it, that hurt!" she thought to herself, sending a right foreleg out to deliver a light blow to his knee. He yowled in pain, then limped out of the stall.
"Saddle your own blasted horse! I'm done with her - unless you want me to turn her into horse meat?" he asked, with an evil glint in his eye.
"If you touch her, you get the same!" he warned. "Come on, Princess, let's go..." said the messenger soothingly, as he entered the dark stall.
Seconds later, he exited. Amber began to follow, but he slammed the door, and put the crossbar in place. She was locked in - again!
"What are you trying to do? Where is my horse?!?!" asked the strong, lithe young rider. His face had become a strange shade of magenta, and a purple vein was throbbing on his neck.
"Ginners, get my horse NOW!!! Or so help me... You'll take her place!"
As Old Man Ginners backed up, he tripped over a cast off horseshoe, and sat hard. In his vulnerable state, he looked up at the young man. "I swear, I don't know what you're talking about!" he sputtered, afraid of someone other than Mrs. Preda for the first time in his adult life.
"Princess! Where are you, sweetie?!?!" called the messenger desperately. A soft nicker came from the darkness across from Amber. It was Princess, eagerly awaiting her usual sugar cube.
The messenger went to her. "Ginners, why is Princess in this stall - and what's the padlock for?" he asked, confused.
"I told you before - that beast over there is your so called Princess!!!" bellowed Ginners. Standing at his full height, his bravado had returned.
"No it isn't, but why lock any stall with a padlock?" he asked, becoming curious.
"Ask the Mistress. She put it there." Ginners challenged.
"I will if you don't release my horse." he threatened, as he cradled Princess' muzzle.
"Go ahead. She said if that horse left the stall, my head would leave my shoulders." he replied, as he shuddered at the memory.
"There's one way to solve this. Princess has a small white spot on her belly. Just open the stall, and have a look." he suggested.
Ginners patted his pocket, and remembered that he had given the key to the kid, so he wouldn't have to get up to unlock the stall.
He covered his incompetence by bellowing "Don't be ridiculous! That animal was locked up before you ever got here. Are you suggesting that the two horses somehow traded places?" as he questioned his decision to let that key out of his sight.
"It's easy enough to find out. Let's just bring her out." the messenger suggested confidently. Then he heard a pleading voice in his head. It was so loud, it caused him to stagger and sit.
"Please! Take the horse offered. Your Princess will be fine, but this other horse needs your help now. It's important!"
When the voice was gone, he looked up to see Ginners looking at him curiously. "Uh, maybe I should just go... Seems I'm not myself at the moment... Maybe I'm mistaken after all." he admitted, as he carefully got to his feet.
"Well that's more like it. Just saddle your horse, and be on your way." he smiled, realizing that the lad was drunk.
"Odd, he seemed sober enough when he came in though... And I have some experience in spotting drunks." thought Ginners.
The young man quickly saddled Amber, then rode out. The streets were full, crowds of people taking advantage of the bright sunlight penetrating through the smoggy air of Slickville.
"Let's take the alleys when possible, it's faster. We need to get out of here now." projected Amber, very gently this time.
"What -" exclaimed her rider, trying to stop to dismount.
She took control, grabbing the hard bit with her teeth. "I'm sorry for this, but I have a mission to complete. I'll explain more when we are away from the city." she promised, as she trotted quickly through the crowded city, bumping pedestrians when necessary.
Minutes later, they were safely outside of the city walls, and Amber galloped as she had never done before...
Cover image made in Canva using their gallery