It was completely silent on the hill where the map led them. Rusty chain link fencing that had been overtaken by ivy surrounded the property. The whole place seemed abandoned and unassuming, hidden in plain sight. No one would guess what was being held inside.

  “Are you ready?” Laci’s whole body was brimming with energy, practically trembling from it.

  “I was never ready, and I never will be,” Marshall replied. The journey to the facility had been long and arduous. Marshall’s head drooped, and his hooves dragged low to the ground. “I know what has to be done.”

  The group waited with bated breath as Laci’s blue flames slowly melted the fence links. As soon as the opening was large enough for them to fit inside, they squeezed their way through. Laci and Marshall streaked down the overgrown lawn at a full gallop, with Laci always a length ahead. When they grew close to the entrance, an onslaught of guards leapt forward to stop them. Laci was one step ahead.

  With an ear-piercing howl, Laci surged forward and tackled a draft horse to the ground, raking his shoulder with her razor blade feet. Marshall screamed in horror as she ripped the flesh back and tore straight to the bone. He wanted her to succeed more than anything, but was terrified of what she became. More than a revolutionary warrior, Laci felt like a natural disaster that left a trail of destruction behind. If she killed someone, Marshall knew they would never let anyone forget what she had done.

  A wave of tranquilizer darts flew toward her, but the sizzling flames surrounding her torched them to ash. Marshall didn’t dare touch her, but tried to keep her moving.

  “Laci! Leave him! We have to make it inside to Orion,” he shouted.

  Her ears perked up and she rushed past the other guards, who shied when she came closer. Soaked in blood and baring her teeth, Laci busted down the front doors of the prison.

  The receptionist dropped to the floor and curled up behind her desk in terror when Laci appeared. Red, sticky hoofprints scattered the floor as she trotted off into the halls. A central room was blocked by a reinforced door that read

  H PROJECT.

  Laci pounded on the door over and over, but it wouldn’t budge. Her flames did not even leave marks on the steel. She curled her head and hissed furiously, her magic flames waning. More guards rushed down the hall, cornering Laci and Marshall.

  “Stand down! You must surrender immediately, or we will use force,” a Percheron mare demanded.

  The surrounding officers brandished their copper irons and began encroaching on Laci. She was breathing hard from exertion and pain, the burns from the copper brands stinging her still. All the while, Sultan was whispering in her ear, singing to her like a siren.

  “Let me go, little dove. I will make them cower before you. I will make them pay,” he promised.

  A magnetic force gripped Laci’s body, mind, and soul. She knew Sultan would create a bloodbath if he was released here. Backed into the corner, however, she was running out of options. Her fire was losing its luster, and she didn’t know how much longer she could shield herself from the incoming darts. One strike and she would never see the light of day again. Her tortured body cried out with pain as the brands struck her, and she saw Marshall’s eyes widen with worry. There was only one path left.

  “Save yourself, Laci. Let me go,” an impatient voice commanded her.

  Magical energy erupted from her core, and she let it flow from her heart down to the tips of her hooves. Sultan’s spirit rippled through her and out of the gate she created, summoning him back to life again. With a powerful roar, Sultan hit the earth and it thundered with noise. The disturbed officers hesitated to come closer to Laci, and their copper brands began to retreat. Sultan did not.

  Marshall was alarmed by the sight of Sultan. He was massive and imposing, a brilliant shade of red like a tiger lily. His eyes were dark and emotionless, sharp as a predator’s. He launched forward and bit the top of a draft horse’s neck, lifted the horse up and tossed him against the wall like a toy. Bones smashed to pieces, skin and flesh were torn apart, and pool after pool of blood was spilt as Sultan rapidly made his way down the hall.

  “Laci! You have to stop him! He’s killing them all!” Marshall exploded. Too afraid to defy Sultan, but too sane to help him, Marshall could do nothing but watch as he skinned and shattered every horse in the hall. Laci made noises like no creature Marshall could recognize. She had transformed from an unassuming sport horse to a savage huntress in a matter of weeks. He tried everything he knew to get them to stop, but nothing would work. Finally, he grabbed Laci’s mane and tried to drag her away. She reeled back and shrieked at him, snapping her teeth at him viciously. Laci and Sultan tore down the isle, and the air was rich with the stench of burning flesh. Sultan’s flames were red hot and pierced through the door to the H Project with their brilliance. Molten metal spilled to the floor to reveal the prison.

  There were twelve tanks, some empty, others filled to the brim with a thick blue fluid. They were tightly reinforced and expertly controlled by a computer on the side of each. Something was out of place in the room, however. A scrapped-together container was shoved into one of the corners, and it rattled constantly with the movement of the creature inside. Sultan rippled into the room, but was beginning to fade at the edges. Laci staggered and her ears were growing droopy.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Laci!” Marshall called out.

  With a hiss like a wildcat, Sultan disappeared from the world, leaving Laci to collapse on the floor alone. Marshall felt her all over, but she wouldn’t budge.

  “She’s sick from the magic. Overdrive,” a sorrowful voice said from the corner.

  Marshall jerked his head back toward the voice and saw one of the worst looking horses he’d ever seen. He wandered closer to the cage. It was a roughed up, square-headed palomino. His coat was dull and barely had any color left in it. His fetlocks were raw and tightly shackled to the walls of his ramshackle prison. The whole setup was simply pitiful.

  “What are you talking about? Who are you?” Marshall demanded.

  The little horse sighed. “My name is Rune. Your friend will be fine, just sick for a little while. Did you break the door just to look at me, or are you planning on getting us out of here?”

  Marshall gasped. “You’re the one she was talking about.”

  Rune slammed backward on the restraints and screamed wildly, throwing his head in the air and further shredding his fetlocks. Shocked, Marshall jumped back and watched while the poor stallion whipped around uncontrollably, suffering from some kind of seizure.

  Doctor Greg and Miracle arrived at last, blowing hard from exertion.

  “What’s going on?” Miracle cried, hearing the screams of the captive horse.

  Greg crept closer to the prison, and Rune started to calm down. He put a hoof to the wall, and squinted at the shackles around his legs.

  “He needs out. Now. Those are seriously infected,” Greg remarked.

  Three rabbit guards armed with tranquilizers streamed in through the open door, aiming at Marshall. They rushed straight to Laci, who lay helpless on the floor, and surrounded her.

  “Nobody move!” one of the guards shouted.

  “Don’t hurt her! Leave her alone!” Marshall shouted. The guards refused to listen. The biggest of them all, a Flemish buck, grabbed her mane and pulled her head backwards to wrestle a chifney on her. Pushing him aside with his head, Marshall ran to protect Laci. They immediately drew their weapons.

  Marshall raised his hoof to strike instinctively. A rush of cold air flew down his leg, sending a chill through his body. He hesitated to let the energy flow, trembling from the intensity of his emotions and power. Finally, he let it loose. Massive stakes of ice drove out from the ground around Laci, shoving the guards away and freezing them in place.

  “Who knew! Pushbutton here has a rebellious streak,” Rune jested. “Those are some impressive popsicles for a riding horse.”

  Marshall stared at Rune in confusion. “What makes you think I’m a riding horse?”

  The golden stallion could only laugh. “The visions tell me more than you want to know.”

  Greg inspected the outside of Rune’s cage, looking for an opening or a latch. He started trying the stolen keys on the lock. One of the half-frozen rabbits began struggling against the hold.

  “Don’t you dare set him loose! He’s insane,” the rabbit screamed, trying to shove his way out of the ice.

  Finally, Greg found a key that would turn. He forced the door open and carefully removed the chains from Rune’s fetlocks. Rune inched his way out, his legs feeling like jelly from confinement. He shook out his mane, and tiny sparks flew.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here,” he proclaimed.

  Using a pencil, Rune punched a bunch of keys on the computer that was attached to Orion’s chamber. The ominous blue fluid slowly began to drain.

  “This is taking forever,” Marshall complained.

  Miracle galloped from the back of the room, turned and kicked out the glass on the container. The fluid sprayed everywhere, and Orion dropped to the ground motionless.

  She brushed the shards off of her coat. “That better?”

  Greg sighed and hurried to Orion, checking him all over for any sign of awareness. The Friesian would not stir.

  “He’s out cold. Heart rate is slow,” Greg said.

  Rune paced nervously. “Well, how are we supposed to get him out of here? We can’t wait around for him to get up. Services is going to send more reinforcements.”

  A tranquilizer bullet whizzed by Miracle’s neck from the back of the room. Marshall whipped around and shot more ice back at the offending rabbit, who had managed to wriggle out. He then noticed a splitting headache coming on, and sat on the ground promptly.

  “You alright, warmblood?” Rune asked.

  “My head feels like it’s going to explode,” Marshall groaned. He gripped it with his hooves, trying to push the feeling away.

  “How much magic did you use getting in here? You practice this stuff much?” Rune asked.

  “He’s not practiced at all. This is his first time using it,” Greg explained.

  “Well, it’s no wonder you’re hurting. You overused it. Apparently none of you have a problem doing that,” he said, glancing back at Laci. He drew closer to another tank, which held a little black Appaloosa.

  “What are you talking about?” Marshall whined.

  Rune leaned back and smashed open the container with a fore hoof, sending glass everywhere again. “It’s magic from a million year old rock. What do you expect?” He cradled the Appaloosa’s head in his arms. “It’s like a muscle. If you don’t train, you won’t have any power.”

  Greg’s ears flicked up with realization. “If I can get some reversal, I can get these guys up faster than it would take for them to wake up naturally.”

  “Reversal?” Rune questioned.

  “Every anesthesia has its opposite. If there’s any here, we can inject it and get them up,” he explained.

  “Inject? Who knows how to do that?” Rune said flippantly.

  Greg snorted and pushed his glasses up with a hoof. “I am a doctor, Rune. Did your visions forget to tell you that?”

  Rune held the little black horse closer to him, settling her into his lap. “Sorry. They probably have some in the pharmacy down the hall. You know, with all the other crank they tried to dope me up with.”

  “I’ll go with Greg to check,” Miracle offered. “Who is the mare?”

  Rune grew strangely peaceable. “Eliza,” he whispered, carefully sweeping the wet mane from her eyes. “My fiancée.”