Chapter Seventeen: The Female Species

Juliana

Trust and willpower fight an epic battle inside my manic driven mind. The pounding of my heart equals the pounding of Vannah’s hooves. Nathaniel’s nearby, but I can no longer hear him or feel his roiling temper at the risk I’m taking.

Relying on Star’s magic is a leap of faith like I’ve never experienced before. How strong is the magic? Is it strong enough to keep oxygen in our lungs and protect four horses from being burned? The drive to keep moving forward through smoke and creeping fingers of flames is fed by my visions. If I didn’t have those images, there’s no way I would attempt this rescue.

The horses are so close to the safety of the untouched desert, and yet they have to cross through burning plants to reach it. The hill is too steep and rocky, the ditch drops off and becomes too deep too quickly. The path west is their best option and the direction of the truck.

They’re getting closer. The sounds of trampling brush, tumbling of stones beneath their hooves, and creak of leather multiplies like echoes upon echoes on ears tuned to only one channel. Without slowing Vannah, I prepare the vial of lilac petals.

“Keep us safe, girl,” I tell my horse.

In my mind, I know what I want to do. The images play like watching the reflection of a movie in a mirror. It’s confusing as to which one is reality and which one is the reflection, but ultimately, I know it’s the same image. I send the mental pictures to Vannah. She’s so in tune with me that I have to trust she’s picking up my intentions clearly.

We run toward the horse in front. It’s startled to see us coming from the opposite direction and veers slightly. The darker chestnut horse in the rear notices me and lunges to the forefront, helping correct the straying horse. White Wolf must be inside the horse at the rear, and his assertiveness gives me the seconds I need to turn around and catch back up.

“Closer!” I direct Vannah.

As soon as I’m within arm’s reach to the blue roan filly, I throw lilac petals over her back. I immediately cast another handful at White Wolf. The sweet fragrance overpowers my other senses as it surrounds the horses and trails back to me. Vannah races to catch up with the front horse. Nathaniel is now astride its back. The horse isn’t responding to Nathaniel as well as I hoped it would. His energy usually calms and soothes, but it appears to have no effect. The animal is out of control as it runs straight into the fire. Nathaniel was never in my visions and I wonder if I’ve ruined everything by asking him to ride.

I whimper as the horse enters a hot zone unprotected.

“Slow him down!” I yell.

Nathaniel’s hands work the reins but his horse doesn’t notice. Galloping as fast as we can, we still have too large a gap for me to throw the petals over him. The dried flowers are being crushed in my fist as I lie flat against her neck, urging Vannah to somehow close the distance between us. We’re not going to make it, I realize. Nathaniel and his horse are going to run through flames and over the smoldering ground without protection.

This is the part of my vision that’s lost or blank inside my mind. A flare up in the brush ahead of Nathaniel makes his horse slow down and curve to the left to avoid the rising flames. I throw the petals at Nathaniel and the horse. A wall of spirit vines covered with bunches of lilac blooms springs up around them. The scent of lilac overpowers the smoke and tempers my panic. The horse jumps over a glowing hot line of blazing shrubs. Vannah follows on their tail and we sail over orange and black embers. The crystal vial slips from my hand and disappears as I hang onto my horse.

Aware of the two others close behind us, a flash of triumph and relief floods my system. I glance back in time to see White Wolf, still in horse form, and the filly run up to his physical body. As we gallop across the desert to the truck, White Wolf awakens from his sleep state and slides out of the saddle. He grabs a hold of the other horses. I turn back around knowing the three horses and White Wolf are okay.

From the saddle, Nathaniel reaches out a hand as I ride up to him. I take his hand in mine and marvel at the ever-present warmth of him. No words are needed. We saved the horses together. We’re all safe.

“Where’s my father? How did the fire start?” Chris asks as we approach the truck.

He looks battered, but he’s on his feet. I duck my head and ride Vannah straight into the trailer. After dismounting, I find Chris and squeeze him in a quick hug. He winces and I realize he’s hurt. “White Wolf is right behind us,” I say.

“What about the fire?” Chris asks again.

“One of the horse thieves had an accident,” I say.

Chris turns to Nathaniel.

“We tried everything we could to put it out,” Nathaniel says.

Chris takes the reins from Nathaniel and walks him to the trailer door. The animal loads without hesitation. White Wolf rides up behind us. The same mare who had the problem with the trailer before, attempts to pull back and escape into the wilds of the night.

“We do not have time for this,” Chris says.

Abruptly, he walks over to the back of the truck and lowers the tailgate. He eases himself onto the open gate and closes his eyes. I recognize the trance state he moves into. It is the same technique his dad used to shift into the horse’s consciousness. White Wolf loads the last of the horses as Chris meditates. The problem mare is left standing alone. Fascinated, I watch as the mare suddenly settles down and calmly walks into the back of the trailer. Chris’s eyes reopen and he eases off the tailgate. He says nothing about manipulating a thousand-pound horse to abide to his will in mere minutes.

“Holy Spicoli,” I comment.

Chris ignores my jaw dropping moment and says, “Someone help me lift this man off the ground.”

Nathaniel steps over and picks Arrio up off the ground by himself. “In the back?” he asks.

Chris nods and Nathaniel lowers Arrio gently into the truck bed.

“Fetch, get in,” White Wolf says with a nod and the dog jumps into the back with our captive.

“He’s going to roll around back there,” I say with mild horror.

“My dog will be fine,” Wolf says and pats Fetch’s side. “He likes the open air.”

“Not the dog,” I say.

“The horse thief is lucky we don’t leave him for the coyotes and the wildfire,” Chris says.

I open the cab door and reach inside for my duffle bag and the blanket I brought along on this adventure. I hand the blanket to Nathaniel.

“Can you make sure he doesn’t hit his head?”

Nathaniel climbs into the back of the truck with Arrio and Fetch.

“We’re good to go.” Chris sits behind the wheel. White Wolf takes the passenger side and I make a hasty decision to stay with Nathaniel and Fetch.

“Get inside,” Chris says.

“What are you doing?” Nathaniel asks at the same moment.

“I’m riding in the back with you at least until we get to the pavement. He’s a human being,” I exclaim, annoyed at the lack of compassion from the men inside the cab.

“Females,” Chris mutters and slams the door.

I guzzle water from the bottle I had in my duffle and notice Arrio’s eyes on me. I kneel next to him and begin untying the gag around his mouth.

Nathaniel stops me with a soft hand on my arm.

“I don’t trust this man,” he says. “Please, let me do it.”

He takes over and tells Arrio, “If you’re smart, you won’t say anything. Keep your mouth shut and we won’t leave you out here for dead.”

His harsh tone and lack of empathy startle me into realizing my naiveté might be showing. Nathaniel props Arrio up and shoves the blanket between him and the corner of the truck bed. He pours the water into his mouth until the man shakes his head and mumbles, “Thanks.”

We bump along the rough trail, moving barely faster than I could run alongside. Each dip and hump in the road causes a raucous symphony of clunking, creaking, and rattles from the old truck and equally antiquated stock trailer.

I sit in the opposite corner of the bed with Fetch tucked next to me. Nathaniel holds me close and I lean into him for support on every level, mental, physical, and emotional.

“Climb inside and get warm. You’re chilled. I can keep an eye on him,” Nathaniel whispers.

“I’ll be fine. It’s almost over.”

With his hands tied, Arrio can’t right himself if he were to fall over. It’s a small thing, and so far, the thief manages to stay upright where Nathaniel left him. His face is turned away, but I’m sure he’s as aware of us as we are of him.

The eerie glow of the fire burning in the distance haunts me. I wonder if anyone has called it in to the fire department yet. Wildland fires in the Rocky Mountains have become a common and frightening reality for so many people. The awareness and caution for the destructive force makes everyone a little more vigilant about paying attention to the sky for signs of smoke. But at night, it would be less noticeable and the isolation of the fire’s location is dismal.

“Should I go and report it?” Nathaniel asks.

“Oh, my God, yes! Go.”

He rises to his feet and jumps out of the truck. I glance over at our ride-along buddy. Arrio’s eyes bulge in their sockets. At least, Nathaniel had the sense to not disappear from plain sight before taking off to call for help. My boyfriend returns quickly and Arrio mutters a prayer in Spanish when Nathaniel climbs over the bumper and sits next to me.

“Thank you. Every minute can make a difference.”

“I should have thought of it sooner.” He clasps my cold hands in his. He raises them and kisses my dirty knuckles.

“You need to leave again,” I say, as I stare into his worried eyes.

“No, I don’t,” he says with conviction. “This is the only place I need to be.”

“You do,” I say, as we tuck our joined hands between us. “Your client,” I say simply.

“He’s on my other list.” Nathaniel’s mouth hardens and he looks away from my beseeching gaze.

“What list?” I ask. The only list we share is the one of all things inexplicable. Steven may be difficult to explain, but he doesn’t meet the other requirements of intangible and meaningful to both of us.

“The shithead list.”

“I know that doesn’t really matter when a life is at stake.”

Nathaniel rests his cheek against my hair.

“The urge to return to him right now is strong, but I can’t leave you until I know you’re safe.”

“You say that every time you have to leave me,” I say.

“And why is that? Because you’re always putting yourself in danger,” he answers his own question, then continues, “Until I see flashing lights of the cops I called, I’ll stay right here.”

“What if he dies before that?”

“Then I’ll have another notch on the stick that’s used to figuratively beat me over the head with for screwing up yet again.”

“You’re not a screw up,” I say.

“Make sure and tell that to Marcus.”

I tip my face to his and brush my lips against his jaw. “You’re everything that matters to me — no matter what your reputation. Find Steven,” I whisper. “You’re all he has. And emergency crews are already looking for us.”

Flashing red and blue lights can barely be seen in the distance. Still miles away, somewhere on the pavement judging by how fast they’re moving, but they’re definitely coming this way.

He squeezes me close before vanishing from my arms. This time, Arrio is stunned into silence and forgoes his prayer.