The sun began to set, and Laci stood at the edge of the camp watching it dip behind the trees. She had been trotting through the woods waiting for Orion to return, but she had neither heard nor seen any sign of him for hours. She looked back to Miracle, who was bundled tightly in a blanket but still shivering.

  “It’s been too long,” Laci said, her ears swiveling backward attentively.

  “What are you talking about?” Miracle asked.

  “There’s no way he’s making it out. I have to do something. I have to go.” She talked fast, too fast for her own liking.

  “Laci, you can’t go anywhere! Orion told us to stay safe or we’ll be captured too. We have to trust him and be patient,” Miracle responded, quivering from the cold. The wind whipped right through the blanket and sent a chill over her.

  “We can’t wait any longer. You’ll freeze to death. You need a fire, and we can’t light one until we’re out of here safely,” Laci said. “There is no other way. I’m going.”

  “Laci, stop! You’re going to get caught and leave me here alone,” Miracle said.

  “No you won’t. You’re coming with me to the city outskirts. For backup.” Her expression grew more calculated with every word.

  “My powers are too weak, Laci. What am I supposed to do against federal agents?” Miracle exclaimed.

  “Don’t you have water magic? You could hide in the river if you had to.”

  Miracle sighed and put a hoof to her forehead. “I can only last about ten minutes, Laci. And I haven’t practiced enough.”

  “It’s still something. We have no choice. Plus, they were expecting Orion to be the problem. I’ve still got the reputation of a Lebanon. They don’t see me as a real danger yet,” Laci pondered.

  “That’s just an assumption. The feds are going to find you, Laci. They found everyone else.”

  “Then they’re counting on us to do something.”

  They walked to the city outskirts quietly. Laci felt extremely sensitive-any small noise in the woods alerted her. Miracle took notice of her quick stride and keen eye.

  “You’re really high-strung, aren’t you, Laci?”

  “It’s because I’m a hot horse. That’s what the Services doctor said, anyway.”

  When they drew close to the gates, Laci stopped abruptly. “This is as far as you go. I’ll be back quickly, I hope,” she said.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  “Good luck. Whatever happens, stay strong and fight back against them. Never let them break you,” Miracle told her.

  “I won’t,” Laci promised. She galloped up to the gate, and with a swish of her tail she was inside the Norfolk walls again.

  The wind rustled her mane and tail, and the freezing cold was somehow comforting to her. Soundlessly, she cantered through the streets, weaving behind buildings and shops for cover. She carefully wove her way toward the Services office, which was surrounded with officers, both local and federal. Circling the building, she searched for a way in. None of the drafts spotted her as she crept through the manicured trees and shrubs. She spotted a lit window with only a few officers guarding it, and decided to take her chances.

  Her hooves pounded the pavement and the air rushed past her ears like a storm. The three nearest officers wielded branding irons, and she stopped hard when she reached them. A voice in her head she didn’t recognize told her

  Don’t let them touch you. It burns.

  The voice was not her own-it belonged to a stallion. It cut through the maze of her thoughts, as if whoever was speaking was right beside her, but there was no one there. She was caught off guard by the sudden demand, but was wary of their brands as they came closer.

  “Easy, Lebanon. We’re not going to hurt you,” one of the drafts barked.

  She tucked her tail suspiciously. They had done nothing but hurt her since she crossed their threshold. She peeked past them into the window and spotted a grey pony working busily in a storage room. Doctor Greg. She made a mad dash for her target, but was suddenly stopped by the burn of a copper iron. She shrieked wildly, rearing up and striking at her attackers. An angry red sore appeared on her skin where the iron had touched her. The foreign voice spoke to her again, low but firm.

  Let them have it, hotblood.

  The same sensation that had filled her when she attacked the rabbit surged through her again. A vengeful spirit took hold of her, and she let it in. She howled a terrible sound that ripped through the whole building, striking fear into the officers. It immediately alerted the other drafts nearby, who rushed closer to control her. They formed a tight circle around her, threatening her with the irons again. One of the officers flicked the cap off a tranquilizer. Laci tasted blood in her mouth and let it dribble out onto the ground.

  She jumped at the officer with the needle first. He pounded into the soil helplessly, and she dragged her bladelike hooves against him, leaving long gashes behind. The strikes from the branding irons only angered her more, and she whipped around to face the others. They stunk of fear.

  Rip them apart.

  She didn’t hold back. She broke bones. She made the ground muddy with blood. They gave her blow after blow, but the adrenaline blocked her from the pain. The ground was covered in incapacitated officers, trying desperately to get up but unable to. She stood over them, out of breath and dizzy from being struck in the head, and looked back toward the window.

  The glass was easier to break than she expected. She dropped down into the pharmacy, and strode out to the office, where Doctor Greg was standing in shock.

  “Laci? What did you come back here for?” He looked her up and down, and saw that she was soaked in blood. More importantly, he noticed horrifying burns all over her whole body from the branding irons. “How did this happen?”

  Laci was too wired to speak, but snorted hard, spraying blood onto the wall. She looked around for an escape. A locked door stood between her and the hall where Marshall could be. She spotted Greg’s coat draped over the back of a chair, and dangling off of it was a key card.

  She galloped down the hall with the white coat, scanning herself through door after door. Greg followed behind her, shouting after her to stop. Just when she thought she’d never find Marshall, she spotted a reinforced door with a clipboard hanging next to it that wasn’t there during her stay. She rushed closer to it and pounded on the door.