Greg rummaged through the pharmacy with haste. It had been left in disarray, and appeared to be abandoned. It reeked of alcohol and long passed expiration dates. Disorganized research files were strewn on the floors, tables, and shelves; used medication boxes were stacked in piles all over the place; and a layer of dust coated every surface.

  “Here it is,” Greg cheered, lifting up a dented box like a trophy.

  Sirens began to wail outside, and flashing lights started to stream in through the windows. Miracle peeked out cautiously. Massive black trucks and gooseneck trailers were lining up outside.

  She gasped in fright. “Greg, we have to go!”

  He grabbed a bunch of the boxes and stuffed them into his bag, collecting needles along the way. They sped out into the hall only to be greeted by a uniformed horse.

  “Stand down!” the horse barked.

  They slowly backed into the corner as the draft grew closer. Miracle put her hooves in the air.

  “Hold your fire!” she screamed. “We’re staff!”

  He lowered his weapon slightly and looked at them closely. “Nice try, Miracle. You really think I’d fall for that?”

  Greg clutched the medication close to his chest, but one box slipped down and fell on the tile with a clatter.

  “What are you using that for?” the officer asked, perplexed.

  “None of your business,” Greg replied, biting the cap off a needle. He looked the draft up and down, jabbed the needle into the top of a bottle, and drew up a big dose. Miracle looked down at his work. She couldn’t even pronounce the name on the vial, but it wasn’t the reversal. The officer aimed his tranquilizer right at Greg, but a massive crash of thunder outside made him flinch. His shot flew by and punctured the wall. The wind howled furiously, and sheets of rain struck the sides of the building. At once, a terrible storm was brewing. The mark of Rune.

  While his attention was diverted, Miracle launched forward with a powerful rear and Greg stuck him in the neck. The officer shrieked and clawed at the needle, but it was useless. He tried to rush towards them, but his coordination had suffered. He fell to the floor, and though he tried, he could not get back on his feet.

  Miracle breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re a good shot.”

  Greg gathered up the supplies he dropped. “I’ve been doing this for fifteen years. I never miss a vein.”

  They hurried down the hall and encountered Rune, who was crackling with electricity to ward off the incoming officers. Two were already wailing on the ground, shocked by Rune’s lightning bolt tail.

  “Come on,” he urged, pushing them inside the vault. He slammed the door shut behind them and began piling up furniture in front of it for a barricade. “Hurry, give them that reversal or whatever. We haven’t got a whole lot of time.”

  Greg uncapped a syringe. “Got it. Start smashing the other containers.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  He jabbed Orion first, rubbing the muscle to get the drug moving.

  “Time to wake up, big guy,” Miracle encouraged.

  Rune cracked open another container. “Marmalade should be able to help with Laci. If we can convince her to, that is.”

  A buxom Suffolk mare rolled out of the tank. Her chestnut limbs looked like tree trunks. She had a very thick mane, but it was only a few inches long. All her feathers had been chopped off, and her tail was cropped too.

  “Oh Epona. She’s going to be ticked about this,” Rune remarked, running a hoof down her ruined hair.

  Greg came over and felt for her vein. “What sort of powers does she have?”

  “She’s a horse of the earth. She could practically move mountains when they captured her. Crazy strong.” Rune described.

  “Can she carry Laci out of here? She’s not pony sized,” Miracle questioned.

  Rune snickered as he walked over to the next case. “Don’t worry. If she’s as strong as she was when I knew her, it will be a piece of cake.”

  Orion began to lift his head up and made a low purr from across the room.

  Rune went over to him and pushed his shoulder. “Good morning, princess!”

  Orion started to look around, but couldn’t recognize Rune yet. Something loudly slammed against the barricaded door. Rune threw his head up and lashed his tail anxiously.

  “Would you hurry up, Doc? There’s some folks outside who are dying to meet you,” he shouted.

  “I’m trying my best. We have to let the drugs go to work,” Greg said.

  Orion slowly began to climb to his feet. He looked around the room, disoriented.

  “Rune? Is that-“ he ventured, staring at him.

  Rune nodded. “Are you up for a little fight? Dark magic style?”

  Orion did not seem to hear. He was staring blankly at Laci on the ground. He wandered closer, crouched down and put a hoof to her bloody cheek.

  “What did they do?” he whispered.

  Rune’s ears flicked with uncertainty. “Well, it’s more what she did to-“

  “What did they do to her?” Orion interrupted, louder this time. He thundered over to the barricaded door, ears back and black smoke blazing.

  The pounding on the door continued, pushing the furniture back inch by inch. Orion didn’t try to stop them from coming-he stood waiting for them, immovable as a statue. Meanwhile, Greg darted from horse to horse, working quickly to revive them. The two Arabians began to spring to life, but just as he reached the final horse, he felt a hoof on his shoulder.

  “Don’t get him up, not here. I will carry him,” the red Suffolk mare said softly. Her voice was delicate for her size and sounded like a song.

  Greg put the cap back on the needle. “Why?”

  She gently wrapped her powerful limbs around him to lift. “He will be of no use here. He is terrified of them.”

  A strong force landed on the doors and shoved the barricade aside. Officers began to rush in, tranquilizer guns firing almost at random. A wall of Orion’s dark magic shielded them from the fire. He drew up his magic and cast it into the horses, slamming them into walls and sending them to the floor unconscious. Flashes of black smoke hissed and coiled through the hall, never missing an officer. He did not stop until the room was silent, except for his heavy breath.

  “Alright, don’t wait around, let’s go!” he shouted, pushing them out the doors.

  Marmalade piled Laci and the cob onto her back. She guided the two lethargic Arabians toward the door by pushing them forward with her heavy head. Rune helped Eliza onto his fuzzy shoulder, letting her lean against him as they walked. The group walked out as quickly as they could, given the circumstances.

  They approached the front of the building, where Laci had let Sultan loose. Even in the darkness of night, it was obvious where his path of destruction had begun and ended. Orion looked around at the massacre in the hall. There were dozens of scalped and burned horses scattered everywhere, and their blood pooled into the aisle, unavoidable. The stench of burning hair and flesh filled the hall like a crematory.

  “What happened here?” Orion choked.

  Rune’s heart hit the very bottom of his chest. He opened his mouth but had no words. Sultan’s work had a way of doing this to horses.