Chapter 31 #2
“You’re not the one who needs to be motivated, Crystal,” the Devil replied, and he pointed in the direction of the castle.
“I may have interfered as it is, understanding you would have been inconsolable had your horse been injured—and I needed him to be motivated, not grieving. The bullet hit where it hit because I made it hit there. And had that shot hit any of the other jockeys, it would have led to their deaths. My father knows I meddled. He doesn’t even mind I meddled.
I just helped keep the shooter’s aim true. ”
I admired Lucifer’s willingness to do evil for the greater good. “I will make you a pie for that. Thank you.”
The Devil huffed his satisfaction. “You do make an excellent peach pie.”
“I will also coerce Isaac into making you a pecan pie, and you only have to share it with Darlene, Kanika, and Malcolm. But if you don’t share it with Kanika, you won’t have any feathers left.
If you don’t have feathers, Darlene can’t count your spots.
And I’ve determined that she really wants to count your spots this week. ”
“I suspect you are right for some reason. So, it would be quite useful if you played stupid about who shot you until Yuless is appropriately motivated to begin his true corporate empire rather than toying with his supper. The instant he realizes who is behind your injury, he will act—and they will fall.” Lucifer snickered.
“You’ll be entertained, and he will give you time off to recover from your injury.
You’ll use the time to work with your horse.
Just keep to your schedule and let her run the race as she sees fit.
She’ll take you where you want to go, and you won’t have to do much beyond guide her away from the other horses.
Honestly, the next races are going to be boring, boring, boring. So damned boring.”
I raised a brow at that and resumed adding a bazillion dots to the black feathers so my friend could enjoy her evening. “Honestly, I was not expecting Elegance in Moonlight to win,” I confessed.
“You believed in him, so he believed in you,” the Devil replied in a gentle voice.
“You took him from a world of pain and gave him one of comfort, love, and light. He would follow you to the ends of the Earth if you let him. In his view, when you lowered your hands, you were giving him permission to do as he wanted. He chose to run for you. He didn’t understand you had been shot.
He just knew you wanted him to run, so he did.
But that’s the conversation you’ve started with all your horses—and that’s why you’ll stay at low stakes races more often than not.
You want your horses to have the joy of racing, and they will get that in the low stakes races.
But every now and then, you’ll get a horse like Alligator Bait, and you’ll take them the distance because their heart wants it as much as you do.
Before today’s race, you needed the motivation.
Now you need the peace of knowing you can win and do what is best for your horses. ”
I pondered his words, and then one curiosity roused, and I feared the answer but decided I needed to ask anyway. “What happens to a horse’s soul after they die?”
“The same that happens to a human’s soul, Crystal.
There are good horses, there are neutral horses, and there are evil horses.
They have as much free will as you do, and they decide, within the nature of their souls, how to live their lives.
But if it makes you feel better, most horses simply rest—and the ones that don’t tend to find themselves like Aramathea in their next life, as close to immortal as it gets and either of angelic or devilish or demonic nature.
And some of them become as sentient as you or me.
” Lucifer made a thoughtful sound. “Your kittens were, once upon a time, ordinary cats who faced tragedy and grief in their mortal lives. My father is sentimental, and he made the decision that those kittens would know nothing but joy in their remaining days. Of yours, Purrcifur had the worst past. My father erased as much of her soul’s memories as possible, but it is why she is as she is.
Some things she can’t help but remember, and you bring her great comfort. ”
I wondered what my white ball of fluff was up to, as I hadn’t seen a single sign of any of the beasts since I’d started bleaching Lucifer’s feathers. “Where are my kittens?”
Darlene giggled. “They’re keeping Yuless from doing something we all regret. I believe Realt flew them to the castle. They’ll be back when we’re done, so don’t worry.”
Well, I wouldn’t be worried about any of them if Realt was keeping my lover contained with the help of my kittens. “You seriously just want me to sit around and not worry about who shot me and let Yuless deal with it?”
The Devil sighed. “Every action and inaction has consequences. In this case, your inaction will cause him to take action. He has already captured glimpses of how far you will go for those in your care. It’s your turn to catch glimpses of how far he will go.
It will not be pretty, but it will be necessary.
Sometimes, the best choice is to do nothing at all and allow someone else to shine for a while. ”
“Do you mean shine or devour another city?” I asked, unable to keep the curiosity out of my tone. “I’m not sure I can handle him eating another city right now.”
“Because of you, his days of eating cities are over, alas. You’ll just have to deal with an amorous dragon instead. I’m sure you can handle the responsibility.”
I snickered. “If I have to be lazy and use more of my sick days, you need to pick a nice restaurant for us with a private parlor. We’re both going to need some rest and relaxation after this.”
“Consider it done. Also, when you’re invited to go on an unexpected adventure tomorrow, please do go without a fuss. He means no harm. My darling has plans to distract Yuless for the few hours you’ll be gone.”
The Queen of Hell giggled. “I’m going to teach him how to make a pie so good you take him home to your momma. I’ve recruited the forces of hell to help him finally make a pie that is delicious rather than poison.”
I giggled and bowed my head over the reality of Yuless’s baking skills. “Just try to return him with his sanity intact.”
“I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises,” the succubus replied.