Laci could not sleep, the sound of the wind outside so energizing that it made her skin tremble. She gave up, climbed out of bed, and wandered into the darkness. The cold night air beat against her, but she did not mind. She trotted onward and patrolled the forests, vigilant as a hawk. Sultan purred and whined with pleasure, but held himself back when they reached the woods.

  Her emotions heightened when they crossed the ridge into the woods behind the house. Something felt wrong. She stared into the darkness intently, and Sultan followed suit, strongly snorting to try to catch the scent of the danger. The leaves rustled, and she galloped toward the sound, her feet flying across the ground expertly, having memorized every ditch and root in the forest. Sultan seemed to enjoy the hunt, and Laci could hear his excited trills the whole way.

  She paused to search for a scent again, putting her nose low to the ground to try to find the source. Constantly, she kept an ear out for more noise that could give them away. She traced the scent trail of her visitors right into a grove, and crept close to them without making a sound.

  “How far is this place?” a voice said sourly.

  Laci spotted two stallions, a spotted pony and a grey warmblood with small ears that she nearly mistook for Marshall. They were wearing black breast collars with silver fittings and white embroidery. Her chest burned up with the heat of tension, and it felt strangely good.

  The warmblood tapped a few buttons on a little black device. “It’s only a quarter mile further. You think they’d build a secret magic base in the middle of a highway?”

  The pony swatted his tail. “Well, of course not. It’s just annoying that Glacier sent us all this way just to collect intelligence.”

  Sultan danced around in the thicket impatiently, but Laci kept waiting for the right moment. She crouched and loaded her hocks with energy.

  “It’s, like, a really risky mission. He just wants to know what we’re up against,” the grey horse assured.

  “No amount of planning can make this any easier, Houston. He already knows everything about these horses. He’s just buying time,” the pony speculated. “You only trust him because you’re a youngblood. I used to be the same way. Always wanted to be the hero. There are no winners at this game. Too many horses don’t figure that out soon enough.”

  “Why are you even here then?”

  The pony scratched his head with his hind foot. “I got a wife and kids to feed.”

  The speaker on the black device crackled. “Are you guys close?”

  Houston clicked the receiver. “We’re closing in. Quarter mile out.”

  “So are we. Let’s move in,” the staticky voice said.

  Before they could take another step, Laci erupted from the bushes and pounced on the pony, flames curling from her mane. She howled loudly and the sound echoed all the way to the house. Her throat let out a low humming purr, and she held the pony still with a forehoof but did not hurt him. The grey stallion drew his tranquilizer gun on Laci, but did not fire. His arms shook, and the gun rattled.

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  She inspected him closely. “You’re Marshall’s cousin.”

  “I am. I demand that you unhand him this instant, or I’m putting you away for life,” he stammered.

  She cackled madly. “You? Put away me?”

  “Yea, I will. I won’t even feel sorry for you. You’re a rotten mare,” Houston barked.

  Sultan’s faded form slid into Laci’s view, blood trickling off his lips. “Get to the point, little dove. Take care of him already.”

  The pony under her groaned from the pain of being pummeled into the ground, and tried to shift around. She slammed his face down with her hoof, and he cried out.

  “Let my partner go,” he commanded, tapping her neck with the gun.

  In one swift motion, she turned and grabbed the top of his neck in her teeth, and he screamed with pain, firing his gun into the air. He sounded exactly like Marshall. Laci threw him to the ground and let him go, licking the blood from her teeth.

  “I’ve got a message for Glacier,” she said to the two horses she had at her mercy. “Tell him to leave me and my friends alone or I’m coming to Norfolk to give him a piece of my mind. Get out of here, and if you know what’s good for you, don’t come back.”

  The two horses scrambled to their feet and took off into the woods in terror. Laci whipped her tail around furiously. She dashed around the house, making a wide circle to search for the remaining officers. She heard the thunder of hoofbeats coming from the house, and tossed her head up.

  “Laci! What’s going on?” Orion called out.

  She darted over to him, fleet as a deer. “They sent spies.”

  Orion put a hoof to her shoulder to steady her. “Who sent spies? Why were you screaming? Are you alright?”

  “I scared them off,” she said.

  “You should’ve come home and called for me. I would have helped,” he told her. “I’m proud of you for protecting us, but what are you doing out this late at night?”

  “I couldn’t sleep. Too much on my mind,” she explained.

  He patted her shoulder warmly. “Come inside and get some rest.”

  She turned back toward the forest. “I can’t. I have to make sure there aren’t any more of them.”

  “I’ll go with you. No sense in going on your own,” he said. “Then you must go to bed. It’s a busy day tomorrow.”

  She silently disappeared into the woods, with Orion pursuing her. He had to canter to keep up with her jogging. Laci kept up the search for almost half an hour, but there was no sign of other horses. Their scent had left the trees.

  When she came inside the house, Orion could see the blood streaking her coat by the candlelight.

  “Laci, what have you gotten yourself into?” he said, alarmed.

  She dropped her head. “I’m fine.”

  He soaked the sweat and blood from her with cold water. He had read in Doctor Cirrus’ book that it was good for relaxing hotbloods, and it appeared to work. Laci calmed down and the tension in her muscles slowly dissolved. She was completely quiet by the time he finished drying her off.

  “Ready for bed?” he whispered.

  She did not answer, but rested her head on his shoulder sleepily. He walked her upstairs and she went straight to bed without a fuss.

  “That Percheron was a genius,” Orion remarked quietly after he left.