Laci opened her eyes and blinked at the dawn light. Her mouth felt dry and sticky, and her muscles screamed with pain. She shifted around in the strange bed, trying to make sense of her surroundings. Was she back at Services? She looked up at the white ceiling, saw Sultan looming above her, and screamed.

  “Laci, relax, try to calm down,” Doctor Greg soothed.

  Laci did not listen. She jumped to her feet and backed into the corner to escape Sultan. She had no idea where she was, and it terrified her.

  “Laci, do you need anything? Are you hurt anywhere?” Greg asked.

  Her eyes flashed across Sultan’s imposing form as he wandered closer. Blood was stuck on her mind, horses missing limbs reappearing every time she turned her head. Her face was wet with tears. The red stallion before her purred a low sound.

  “Leave me alone!” she shrieked, laying her ears back at him.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  She continued to cry softly, muffled whimpers escaping her throat.

  “You cannot feel sorry for what you have done in your fear. They left you no other choice. I will not let you become their plaything ever again,” he said.

  Greg held his hoof out to Laci, but she shied away from it.

  “What’s wrong?” he said.

  She stared at the ground, vision blurry. “I can’t stop seeing it.”

  Sultan inched closer and wrapped his arm around her. “Hotblooded horses are inevitable catalysts of change, Laci. We cannot help it. We are meant to be handled with great care and respect.”

  “That’s wonderful, Sultan. I’ll always be a murderer because I can’t help it?”

  “No. You won’t kill ever again unless someone forces you to. You wouldn’t need me if the world wasn’t insufferable. For Epona’s sake, Laci, they locked up your friends and struck you with a branding iron just because you won’t be sat on by rabbits. That’s inexcusable,” he said.

  “Where am I?” she asked Greg. “What happened to Orion?”

  “He is here now, and he is well. Just sleeping upstairs,” Greg explained. “He has been given a lovely relic that created this home for us. Everyone made it here safely.”

  “The Ancestral home,” Sultan said. “I lived here once. For a few short years.”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “I promised I’d tell him as soon as you woke up. He was very concerned for you,” Greg told her. “Will you be alright if I go fetch him?”

  She nodded, and sat back down on the bed, ears flickering nervously.

  …

  There was a brief silence as Orion settled with his cup of tea.

  “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but we have to make sure that never happens again,” Orion said.

  Laci said nothing.

  “You cannot summon Sultan again. Can you promise me that?”

  She shook her head.

  Orion was shocked. “Why not?”

  “If it wasn’t for him, you would still be there. With me, Greg, Miracle, Marshall, everyone. I don’t like it either. But if I get cornered like that again, I’m summoning him. I don’t care what happens,” she said.

  Orion sighed and put his head in his hooves. “You can’t justify it, Laci. I saw what he did. He killed all those innocent horses, and you allowed it.”

  Her eyes grew sharp with anger. “Innocent? I have been hit with branding irons, thrown down staircases, jailed and shamed my whole life by those ‘innocent’ horses. They do not listen to me unless I fight back.”

  “We are not fighting fairly. These horses have no magic to defend themselves with. The least we can do is show some restraint. If we don’t, magic will stay underground forever,” Orion said.

  Rune popped into the door. “Oh! Hello, Laci,” he chirped. “Sorry to interrupt the reveries.”

  Laci felt something on her face and touched her chin. Blood dripped down her hoof. Her breath trembled, and her body was shaking with energy. The little golden Mustang trotted over to her, and she jumped up in surprise.

  “It’s okay. Easy. You’re a hot horse, right? You probably need to run off a little energy,” Rune said.

  “Would a little walk outside make you feel better?” Greg asked.

  She nodded, swishing her tail vigorously.

  “Come with me,” he said, opening the door.

  Laci trotted out, her huge strides sweeping across the hardwood floor effortlessly. Rune watched her face brighten up as she left, and closed the door behind them softly.. He sat down next to Orion and helped himself to a cup of tea. They watched the sun stream in through the stained glass together. The mansion still felt surreal, but to Orion, today it felt empty.

  “I have been nothing but good to her. I don’t know why she won’t listen to me.”

  Rune let out a long breath, and let all the tension drain from his body. The sores on his fetlocks were healing, but they were by no means gone. “It’s not all your fault, Orion. The Services folks, they did something to her.”

  Thunder’s spirit settled beside Rune. “Remind him, too, that she is not a lost cause. I have seen many a hotblood become mild in my time. If you can gain her trust, there is nothing she will not do for you.”

  “She’ll come around. She just needs time, and patience. We’re lucky enough to have all of that in the world now,” Rune said.