Page 118 of My Wild Horse King

“Leonid will know where we are immediately,” Aleks says. “We need to buy a new vehicle—and a trailer—and get moving again right away.”

“But you said we’re out of money,” Kris says.

Things are going really well.

We’ve at least escaped from the side of the road, walking a good ten miles down the side of the road as seven humans and a horse, and have found what appears to be an abandoned home near the edge of town. The grass is nearly dead, and yet, I find it oddly delicious. Probably because I haven’t eaten in a week, but maybe because I’m equine.

Being a horse is straight up whack.

“How are we going to get him out of this form and back into his human one?” Grigoriy asks. “That should be our first order of business.”

“Yes, thank you genius,” Katerina says. “As always, the brain trust is working overtime.”

Mirdza, who’s usually pretty nice, looks ready to claw Kat’s eyes out.

I try to tell them all to calm down and it comes out as a very loud, very concerned whinny. Kat pats my nose. I find myself leaning into her hand, like I really am one of these ghastly big beasts.

I hate it.

And I kind of love when she scratches the fur along my neck.

It’s all very confusing. And the crappy, dead-brown grass is calling to me. While they argue, I find myself edging my way over to the brightest, shaggiest part of it. Once I start eating, my heart slows. My breathing steadies.

“—all it took was Kris telling us we could shift,” Alexei says, “but she’s tried that here, and it doesn’t seem to help.”

“Of course it doesn’t help,” Kat says. “He’s herbrother—he’s the same bloodline. He shouldn’t ever be stuck.”

“Maybe it’s because he’s finally able to use all five powers,” Kristiana says. “Maybe once his body fully recovers, he’ll be able to shift back on his own.”

“Yes,” a new voice says from just behind me. A voice I don’t recognize. “That’s it—they figured it out.”

I lift my head and whip it around.

The others are still arguing as if the strange woman didn’t just speak. She’s odd looking, to be sure. She’s not tall or short, but she’ssubstantialin a way I can’t pinpoint. One moment she looks ancient, and the next, she looks quite young. She smells like that moment where earth meets the sky, and when rain on pavement meets a sunny day. Her eyes are unfathomable—dark, somber, hopeful, and bright all at once.

“Hello, Gustav. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.” She leans closer and drops a hand on the side of my massive cheek. “My missing puzzle piece.”

I nuzzle her hand. I know there’s not a treat there—that would be crazy. But then, like magic, there suddenly is. A big, sticky ball of oats and molasses.

It’s better than any toffee, chocolate, or macaron I’ve ever tasted. I could eat treats like this all day. So of course she doesn’t offer me any more.

No matter how many times I nuzzle her hand.

Jerk.

“You’re all so much simpler as horses. I should keep you this way.” She scratches the area underneath my massive, hot mane, and it’sheaven.

I completely forget what everyone’s arguing about, stretching out my neck and turning my head just a little sideways to really enjoy it.

“You can use all five powers now,” the woman says softly. “And you can finally shift your form as well. It’s scary and strange and you’re not sure quite what to do, am I right?”

I freeze, remembering that we’re all in big trouble. I turn back to face her with one big eye, wanting answers.

“It took me quite a while to figure out where they’d all gone. You see, my sisters and I split up the world long ago, and I really only have the jurisdiction to manage things in Europe and Asia.” She snorts. “Baba Yaga, by the way.”

Splitting up the geography of earth makes a strange sort of sense.

“My sister, Squannit, usually handles things on this side of the world. Like me, she goes by many names, but that’s her oldest. She and I don’t get along very well, so I don’t visit often.”

---