"I hate horses... Why does it always have to be bloody horses?" Barry grumbled. After hiding his car, he decided that the best course of action was to head for the stables of the manor house. Henry was a stable hand, so that would be the most likely place to find him.
Regardless, Henry would probably arrive on one of the cursed beasts. Delilah had last seen him riding. He didn't have access to a car. And Grove was a good distance from other settlements, unless you had transportation.
Barry quickly made himself useful by cleaning and oiling saddles. He'd learned long ago that the best hiding spots were in plain sight. And a busy servant was almost always invisible. The bustling stable was an easy place to get lost in.
After some hours, night fell. The other stable hands had retired to their quarters. Barry made himself a hollowed out depression in a loose pile of fresh, clean hay. He could see everything, yet would be invisible should anyone walk by, and could resume his watch in the morning.
It seemed that no sooner had he closed his eyes, he heard a sharp crack, then a snort. Carefully moving a few pieces of straw, he peered out. He almost vomited at the scene in front of him.
A horse, with its neck at a distorted angle, had kicked in the main door. It was fully saddled, complete with saddle bags. It sedately walked into an empty stall. Barry was curious if it would try to drink. It shouldn't be able to do anything - it should be dead!
It neither drank nor showed signs of pain. It simply stared at nothing, with its eerie red eyes, which seemed to be glowing in the moonlight.
Barry didn't dare move a muscle, or allow himself to sweat. If the beast sensed him, who knew what it was capable of...
Within minutes, a small figure entered the stable. It was an elderly woman, wearing clean but simple clothes. He recognized her as the head servant, thanks to Rachel's detailed reports.
"I see you've done it again... Now we'll have to get you a new host." said the lady, in a chiding but friendly manner.
Barry was almost convinced that he was having a nightmare - except that he almost never had dreams, at least not ones he remembered.
"But first let's get you unsaddled, and see what you've got. Ah, a message from Mrs. Preda? I'll have to make sure Mrs. Busk reads it as soon as she is up." she continued, as if she were talking to a person.
With the tack neatly hung, and the letter stashed in her clothing, the small woman proceeded to the largest stall. Barry remembered seeing a name plaque above that one. Busk's Dragon, it had said.
"I guess if you must have a new host, you might as well take a good one. And Frederick's stallion is the best in here. Do try to take care of it...
At least now that those other two are gone, Dragon is the best... Those other two, the fast ones... They weren't what they seemed, you know? And that infernal cat! I tried to get rid of them, I really did... But I lost three hosts trying." she explained regretfully.
A swirling black mist exited through the grotesque horse's mouth, and it collapsed in a heap. The mist went into Dragon's nose. He bucked wildly, rearing and twisting, then bucking again.
The woman was nearly trampled, and let go of the lead, to take refuge in an empty stall. After several minutes, the mist exited Dragon, but in small amounts. It came from both his mouth and nose. He expelled it violently, and stood with his legs braced, ready to fight.
"Alright, maybe he was a bad choice... Let's find one with a little less spirit." said the woman thoughtfully.
Barry was shaking. "Get a hold of yourself! If they find you, you're dead. Or worse!" he thought furiously, doing his best to control his emotions.
"How about this gelding? He's young and strong, but doesn't look like he has much fire." suggested the woman. Her tone was as casual as if she were shopping for fruit.
Will tried to shake off his fear and shock. "If I ever find the road, I'm going back to Danny. And this time, I'll be loyal. I had no idea such evil existed!" he exclaimed, shuddering at the memory of the horse turning its neck all the way around. The sound of bones breaking and tendons snapping would surely haunt his dreams. As would the fear he felt in the presence of Mrs. Preda.
He stayed on the path rather than following the creature, or turning back. He certainly hoped whatever it was kept going. Soon the path opened into a large meadow. He walked through it, excited at the prospect of finding people. Such places required maintenance to remain in good condition. This one was lush, and sprinkled with fruit trees.
"Thank you God!" he exclaimed, as he reached the other side of the meadow. There was a well worn foot path. He would be in civilization soon!
He almost ran down the path, which was quite short. Soon he was on the road. It was a familiar spot, close to Grove, the Fruit Baron's main city.
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