Chapter 8 #2
“I could tell from your horses. The one here is accustomed to the track, but the others were enjoying the liberty you offered them, to race as they wanted or not. If you are cultivating an environment of cooperation with them, you are succeeding. I fear my brother will have a difficult time luring his mare back to his many hells. She appreciates your care, especially with her new little one. You will find she will break him of the many bad habits he has due to a poor upbringing without a stallion. Stallions tend to be the ones who discipline within a herd, but Zenzi understands she needs to be a nurturer and trainer. Of course, she is from hell, and she has a better idea of what it is for colts to be gelded, so she will work to turn him into a good stallion prospect. I can tell you I have peeked at some of those possibilities. Should he be brought up to be a stallion, he will throw you many an excellent foal, in color and in temperament. The possibilities are present.”
“That’s better than what I was expecting. I don’t suppose you can help me figure out a good breezing schedule for Alligator Bait? Her endurance is going to need to be better than it is if we’re going to even try for the Triple Crown.”
“I appreciate your understanding of her current limitations. How did you come to that conclusion?”
“She flagged before the end of the third circuit. If she wants to take the Belmont Stakes, she needs to make it through the third circuit.”
The archangel made a thoughtful sound. “Time is with you. I can offer some guidance. Do not breeze her for at least four days before every scheduled race. That is when her desire to run peaks. She will fight you on her exercise the day before, but you will learn a great deal dealing with a filly who wants to run but also needs to cooperate with your instructions. If you establish a set routine before races, she will be less hard on you the day before the races—and she might even be, dare I say it, lazy until she gets into the gate.”
A lazy thoroughbred was a rested thoroughbred, and a rested thoroughbred stood the best chance of performing when needed. “A thoroughbred can be lazy?” I blurted.
The archangel chuckled. “This one can be, yes. I am sure you can figure out a routine that will teach her when she is running a race. For example, if you bathe her the day before the race, she will learn that is part of the race routine. Continue bathing her after breezes and races, but only bathe her the day before a race otherwise after light exercise. If I cannot come check on her the days you breeze her, one of my brothers will handle the task.”
“How much do I owe you?”
“You owe us nothing.” The archangel gestured in the direction of the lake.
“Should you somehow manage to revive that node, you will do us all a great service, and making certain your horse is healthy will do little to rebalance the scales. We will make certain you remain legal for the competitions, but I will not lie to you; you will hold a significant advantage over the other racers because of your diligence.”
“They could hire angels to confirm the health of their horses during training, before races, and after races, but they won’t,” I guessed.
“Correct. The fee would lessen the purses they win, and it is about money for many of them. You are not racing only for the money, although you will enjoy using the winnings to pamper your horses, set up pastures to your liking, and maintain your track. When you race, the horse world will stop and watch, because you will only race the best, and you will put on a show for them, win or lose.”
“I don’t want to know if I win or lose,” I informed him. “That’s part of the fun.”
“Yes, it is. Once you finish her bath, do set her loose with her friends. She will want peace for the next day or two, and at most, you should trot her around the track rather than run her. She put her heart into it today, and she will need time to recover.”
“Right. Walk or trot the day after a breeze, canter or gallop for the next two days, and should she seem eager to breeze, consider a breeze the day after an endurance canter.”
“That is an excellent methodology. Get a speedometer for when you ride and a pair of specialty glasses so you can monitor distance, speed, and time. That will help with your training. I will make arrangements for a trainer to come assist you, on my dime, to help balance things for the work you will do on the node tonight, for better or worse.”
“Are there too many possibilities for the node?” I eyed the archangel with interest before checking I’d gotten the suds out of Alligator Bait’s coat. Once I confirmed she was properly cleaned, I grabbed the squeegee and went to work purging the water out of her coat.
The squeegee was her favorite part, and my mare flapped her lips in equine pleasure.
“There are, and your decision to interfere with its fate has opened many more possibilities. In truth, I prefer uncertain futures over set destinies. Those set destinies are often painful things best avoided if possible.”
“But they’re not.”
“But they are not,” he confirmed. “And I shall leave you with that to think about. You have my thanks for what you do.”
The archangel vanished in a flash of golden light, and he left me, as the divine often did, with far more questions than answers.
* * *
After taking the frizzle back to the coop and promising I would bring her in closer to dark, I stood on the shore of Lake Hancock and stared out over the water in the direction of the node.
Since detecting it, it—and something similar to it—tickled my senses.
My attempts to pinpoint the second node failed, but it infused my entire property with a soft and gentle power.
The node within the lake carried with it tension, as though it understood its time drew to a close and it resisted such a fate.
When I had unlocked my potential as a hedge witch, I had been much like that node, unwilling to accept the death I courted.
It wished to live, and I would do everything in my power to delay the inevitable. Michael’s words offered hope its demise could be diverted. If the node’s failure was inevitable, he would have said so.
Angels couldn’t lie.
Some truths didn’t change, and that was one of them.
The dragon hadn’t even come calling yet, but he somehow managed to dog my heels, although he counted as a harmless puppy more than anything else. While Lucifer had approached me, I accepted my job as existing only because of the mysterious dragon not yet ready to raise his castle from the depths.
I wondered what role the castle played in the node’s woes—and if part of the solution would be to restore the building to the surface so the magic had a chance to settle. Mysteries still surrounded magic in every way, but I understood a few simple truths of the situation.
Magic needed to be used, else it withered, and if the node and castle had been dormant, the node could require a purpose to revitalize itself.
I knew a hedge witch, lesser by the Devil’s definition, who had weakened over time because she refused to accept the gifts her brush with death had brought to her door.
I suspected my powers had grown because once I had discovered my abilities, I had found ways to use them. I coaxed plants to stronger life. I offered protection to those in my care.
I even nudged nature here and there so that my property became a safe haven for all. Death still came to the plants and animals on my property, but predation only occurred when a true necessity or some critter I hadn’t accounted for wandered into the reach of a hungry alligator.
And sometimes, nature did as nature did, and I wouldn’t help should a wild animal venture beyond the safety of my wards.
While I obstructed the cycle of life and death on my property, I at least attempted to do so in a sensible fashion.
The alligators remained a problem, but as long as I stayed, I would smile even when having to dodge the devotion of the reptiles.
I glanced down at my feet to discover I had already drawn an audience of babies, which crept forward in their hopes of engaging in aggressive cuddling. Accepting my fate, I bent over, reached out, and began the tedious process of making certain each one got attention.
“You know, normal people would not be petting them,” an unfortunately familiar voice stated from behind me. “I thought you would like to know that Lucifer picked your pockets so he could unlock the gate and let me in.”
Yep, the tall, dark, and handsome had come calling, and the Devil had aided him.
After I unleashed his wife on him to add to his collection of scratches, I’d thank him for the trouble.
“If I were five feet from here and in the water, I would be worried about being on the menu, but this is safe enough,” I replied, allowing myself a smile.
“If you have ever struggled with curiosity and battled with the burning need to pet wild alligators, now is the time to act upon such impulses.” As bending over all day would kill my back, I took care with crouching so I wouldn’t injure any of my little friends. “What can I do for you, Yuless?”
“I wanted to see if that offer to see your horses was still open. My friend had something come up, and I found myself rather displeased I haven’t gotten to see any horses yet today.”
The Devil snickered. “He’s telling the truth, too, which amuses me. I really didn’t take you to be the horse type, Yuless.” Then, to make it clear Yuless had spoken the truth, he handed me my keys. “You really should at least attempt to stop someone from swiping those.”
I sighed and returned my keys to my pocket where they belonged. “At least you didn’t steal my phone.”
“I wanted to remind you that you have a fob for your gate, as you seem to have forgotten. Of course, you have six fobs on that thing, and I’m impressed it fits in your pocket. Do you even know what they all do?”
“The phone is easier. And yes, I know what they’re for. The one fob is for the alarm system, one is for the gate, one is for my truck, one is for the cover of my truck bed, and two are for the garage.”
Fortunately for my sanity, the garage, alarm, and gate fobs were tiny compared to the truck fobs.
“That’s better than my wife. She’s up to a collection of twenty, and she knows what two of them do,” Lucifer confessed in a despairing tone.
I bet most of them were cars, as Lucifer seemed like the type to have numerous vehicles. “Perhaps you should label them for her.”
“But where’s the fun in that?”
I rolled my eyes and contemplated shoving him in the lake to make friends—or become the snack—of the local alligators.
“Yuless, you’re welcome to visit with my horses.
I have some chores to do here first, but Lucifer knows where the pasture is, and I’m sure they would love to accept affection from you.
” They would accept attention from anyone gracious enough to do their bidding, but he’d figure that out sooner than later.
“If you want to groom them, you can take them to the barn. Lucifer knows their names and can direct you to their stalls and show you everything.”
“Do I look like a tour guide to you?” the Devil complained.
“Yes. I have chores to do—and this specific chore is your fault, so you get to go be a tour guide for my guest. And no, Alligator Bait does not need another bath today, no matter how many times she tries to lead you to the bathing stall.”
Yuless laughed. “Your horse likes taking baths?”
“She lives for them,” I confirmed. “If you want to help give her a bath, you can come over on a day I’m breezing her, as she always gets a bath after breezing. If you’re into racing, and you don’t mind earning your keep, you can help with her grooming on race days, too.”
“I’ll admit I’m interested in watching thoroughbred racing.”
Later, once my guests departed, I would cheer for my good fortune.
“Then it’s settled. If you’re available and want to help out, you can be Alligator Bait’s groom for race days.
You’ll be in charge of her tack and safety checks in addition to making her spotless and beautiful.
I’ll pay for your hotel and transit, and you’re welcome to ride in my truck if you don’t want to drive yourself.
I’ll be carting my family along for the first race, so it might be a tight fit. ”
“If there are more bodies than your truck can handle, I can help with transportation,” Lucifer announced.
“Come along, Yuless. She gets cranky if she can’t attend to her chores promptly.
I’m sure she’ll be along soon enough. She hovers when it comes to her horses.
And if she leaves us unsupervised, we’ll make off with two of her horses for a ride around the estate. ”
“Is Zenzi good with riders?”
“She is.”
“David is a gentleman, but Buttercups can be tough. If you aren’t riding Buttercups, put him on David or Zenzi,” I requested.
“I’ll put him on Zenzi. I’ll ride Buttercups, that way he can see a spicy filly. I’ll shapeshift so I’m lighter. She’s never carried a heavier rider before.”
Right. Lucifer could shapeshift in addition to being able to teleport. “I appreciate that, thank you. If you’re riding when I’m done, I’ll catch up on David.”
“It’s a date,” the Devil replied before guiding Yuless away.
I waited until they disappeared into the trees to mutter, “If only.”