Marmalade carefully worked her way through Knight’s mane, pulling every leaf and burr from his tangled black hair. He rested his head in her lap as she did, drifting in and out of sleep with the stress of the journey interrupting him. One of his wings twitched and flapped nervously, feathers brushing against Marmalade’s face.

  “Easy,” she murmured, smoothing the offending wing back down to his side.

  Most of the other horses in the group were asleep by now, except for Nathan and Orion, who were watching Laci like a hawk. Marmalade listened absentmindedly as they were talking.

  “What exactly did Chase do to her? I don’t suppose you have an answer,” Orion asked him.

  Nathan sighed and dropped his head. “Not a good one. I knew Chase for a long time. He’s willing to do anything for results. At some point, the pursuit of training becomes torture.”

  “Do you know any other horses he’s trained?” he asked.

  “I knew a few. They look normal enough in the show ring, but that’s because they’re low profile cases to begin with. Mostly bratty young horses who don’t want to work. They’re nothing like Laci,” Nathan explained.

  “I just wish I could’ve done something sooner. For everyone’s sake,” Orion said.

  “Don’t beat yourself up about it. I don’t know any other horse that would pursue her. Even the most hardcore rebels would’ve left her behind,” Nathan said. “You walked through Pritchett’s Pass for her.”

  Orion cursed under his breath. “The Glass Wall. I didn’t even think of it. How in Epona’s name are we supposed to get back?”

  “You tell me,” Nathan said. “They’ll be expecting us, too. Probably already on our tails. Your strange palomino friend was worried about that.”

  Laci took a long breath and flicked her ears, starting to lift her head. Orion immediately dropped down and ran his hoof down her neck. She flopped back down onto her blanket with a touch of magic.

  “Shh. Go back to sleep,” Orion whispered.

  Nathan watched awkwardly from above. “Are you planning on keeping her that way until you get home?”

  “Ideally, yes,” he replied. “What other options do I have? Let her up in the middle of the woods? She’ll be much safer at home.”

  Orion felt a sharp pain on his forehead, and held his hoof to it. His thoughts grew muddy, and he stumbled to the ground, panting heavily.

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

  Nathan hurried to his aid, sitting down by his side. “Are you alright?”

  “I don’t know. I-”

  He was interrupted by a voice in his mind that was not his own. “Orion? Can you hear me?”

  “Ashley? Is that you?” he said.

  “Oh, thank goodness,” she said, relieved. “Orion, listen carefully. The mansion’s been compromised, so we had to escape. We’re headed your way. They captured Eliza, and we think they’re coming for Laci next.”

  “Eliza’s been captured? By who?” He grabbed his forehead again. “Also, could you lay off with your magic and maybe make this hurt a little less?”

  “Nighthawk Solutions, this creepy Trakehner mare named Frieda and her friends,” she explained. “I can’t help your headache. If you calm down and let me have your mind, it’ll be easier for both of us.”

  “If I calm down, I'll fall asleep. I’ve been awake since sunrise,” Orion complained. “What’s Nighthawk’s deal? Are they like Services or ERUJ?”

  Nathan’s ears snapped up when he heard Nighthawk’s name. He stared at Orion with wide eyes.

  “Neither,” Ashley said. “Nighthawk is using dark magic to control rogue horses, and Frieda has a lot of it. As a bonus, she’s also gotten the first taste of my new ghost, Cleo. I can’t imagine she’ll be pleased to see our crew again.”

  “Orion, please don’t tell me Nighthawk is after us,” Nathan choked out.

  “I suppose they are,” he said. “You know about them?”

  “I know enough to know that we need to get the hell out of here now,” Nathan said. “They’re insane. I don’t even think what they do is legal.”

  “How do they even decide who to go after?” Orion asked.

  Nathan sighed. “Someone ordered a hit on you. They’re pricey, but it’s because they’re good enough at their job that no one asks. If ERUJ takes a horse, sure, you might hear about them again. But Nighthawk? Nothing leaves those four walls alive.”

  “How have I never heard of them?”

  “They only made the news recently, since one of their top hunters took out a homicidal cult leader that Services couldn’t even touch. Before then, they were mostly underground,” Nathan explained. “I think the hunter’s name was Frieda?”

  Orion laid on the ground wearily. “How brilliant. That’s the one coming after us. How much time do you think we would have if she got hit with a mind magic spell?”

  Nathan collapsed down beside him, staring up at the stars. “I have no clue. Maybe a day? It depends on what their priorities are. Unfortunately, I think burning down a building and killing a few dozen horses puts us pretty high on the list.”

  Orion sat up and glanced around at the group, laying in the snow cozily. Even Isabel, with a little help from Lilith’s magic, had managed to fall asleep. They were all bruised and battered in various ways, completely exhausted. Marmalade was still holding onto Knight, gently massaging his broken wings. Orion knew he wouldn’t be able to get them out of harm’s way in time. They were going to have to fight.

  “Well, we managed to collapse one organization. How bad could another be?” Orion said.

  Marmalade lifted her head. “Terrible, if you spend the rest of the night worrying about Laci. Let me take over watching her so you can get some rest.”

  “I can’t argue with that. Nathan, are you sure you want to stay up?” Orion asked.

  He nodded. “I work at night, Orion.”