Surrounded by the fall forest, Greg felt out of place and at home all at once. The loneliness reminded him of his childhood home in the West, where you could trot off for miles and never find another living soul. It wasn’t a fond recollection-Greg still held close the memory of his upbringing.

  His master’s kits were tougher than rawhide and rode him around the ranch barefoot, taking turns hitting him with sharp sticks to make him gallop and laughing at his torment. They threw handfuls of rocks at him to spook him when he stood to rest. He was sent home wet with sweat and coated in red dirt every night. If it wasn’t for a swift bite to the neck, he would bear his master’s freeze brand on his hip. That was the last straw-he fled to the Northeast to study medicine not long after the incident.

  Marshall sat down next to Greg and slouched, exhausted. Greg took notice.

  “Is everything alright?” he inquired.

  “Apparently now there’s a ghost, and she’s convinced we’ve got to save Orion,” Marshall snapped.

  Greg patted his shoulder gently. “It will take time. She’s been through a lot, Marshall. And so have you. We must be patient,” he comforted.

  “I just want the old Laci back.” He sighed deeply. A horsefly landed on his hip, and he didn’t even bother trying to swat it off.

  Laci strode into the camp, wrought with tension. Her eyes lit up with uncertainty. Greg rose to check on her.

  “How are your burns? I treated them with everything I could think of, but they are stubborn.” He inspected her singed hair and highlighter-pink skin.

  “They only sting a little,” she replied.

  “Alright. Make sure you rest. You put up quite a fight last night,” he told her.

  She sighed. “Greg, I have to go find Orion and the others. I know it’s going to be difficult. Everyone thinks I’m crazy and that I’m not ready for it. But it is my duty. It would be wrong to leave them behind.” She was the most headstrong horse Greg had ever seen-standing firm, eyes sharp with focus.

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Difficult is an understatement, Laci. Horses that go there don’t come back. I’ve only known one horse to go to Federal.”

  Her ears perked in interest. “Who was it?”

  “It was a palomino stallion. He was..not quite right.” He stumbled over his words, not sure what to say.

  “How so?” asked Laci.

  “He was completely resistant to their tranquilizer guns. I have no idea how they managed to get him into custody in the first place.”

  Marshall was listening now, and piped up. “What did you do?”

  “I tried every sedative I had. Nothing touched him, or even calmed him down. He was like nothing I’ve ever seen-I thought he might be blind the way he was smashing into walls and thrashing against the officers. They had to hold him down for me to stick him, but he never stopped struggling,” he described.

  “Rune. I’ll bet it was him,” Laci whispered.

  Marshall squirmed hesitantly. “Laci, what if we don’t want to open that can of worms? We trust Orion-well, you do, anyway-but I don’t know about any of these other horses,” he wondered. “They could be there because they’re a real danger.”

  “They’re Orion’s friends,” Laci defended. “Rune isn’t dangerous. He just has visions he can’t control.”

  Miracle came out of the trees with a pan of clean water from the river. “Laci! Guess who I taught water magic to!” she gloated.

  “Well, magic is a stretch. It’s more of a party trick,” Greg confessed.

  Laci’s ears swiveled with realization. “Marshall, if the four of us have magic, we have a shot at saving Orion,” she persuaded.

  “I don’t have magic,” he protested. “And Doctor Greg’s barely counts.”

  “You could learn. What if you have different magic, like me?” she coaxed.

  Marshall flattened his ears and backed away from her. “I am not learning magic.” He stormed off into the woods.

  “What’s his problem?” Miracle asked.

  “He doesn’t want to go looking for Orion,” Laci explained.

  “He’s got a point, Laci. The only reason we made it out of Norfolk was dumb luck.” Greg sat next to the campfire, ears hanging listlessly. “If we go to Federal, they will be expecting us. We know nothing about what is waiting for us there.”

  “Then we’ll have to be prepared for anything. What we’re fighting for is too important to give up on.” Laci lit her mane up in glowing flames and shook it valiantly. “There is no other choice.”