Page 57 of Trickster King

“You’re an empath,” the head of my detail reminded me. “When feelings are strong enough, it sometimes bleeds through to even concentrated empaths like yourself. The auctioneer is a good man, and this has tripped his trigger.” Taking a deep breath himself, he gestured at a tall man with dark hair and clothes waiting for us nearby. “He goes by Hawkins, his last name.”

I got out of the truck, approached the auctioneer, and held out my hand. “Hawkins, thanks for opening your doors for us. I know you warned us it’s bad, but what is the reality of the situation?”

The man shook with me, and his hand trembled. “I wept when I first saw them,” the auctioneer confessed. “You’re going to have to limp to your next destination, and I can’t promise they’ll make it through the next few days. The youngest of them is on death’s door; I called my vet, and she’s doing what she can. The others? They’ve been beaten, starved, and they’re not even fit for meat. There isn’t any meat on them.”

I spat curses; when a horse reached that level of emaciated, they were one bad step away from death. “Jerrod?”

The equestrian center’s premier trainer joined us, and he dug his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll call our vet and see who we can get to the center to meet us there. How many horses?”

“There are eight of them. The filly is the one at highest risk. The others are a little better. They haven’t given up yet, which is why we’re here. It’s going to be a problem loading them on the trailer. They’re hurting, so it’s slow going. There’s no chance of them making a step up, but I’ve got a ramp compatible with your trailer. I’ll loan it to you until you get them to their final destination.”

“Jerrod, get extra bedding into the stalls for them, and make sure you have a crane if we need to get them back on their hooves. If you don’t have a crane, I’ll get in touch with the palace; we’ve got one at my rescue ranch.”

“We have a crane. I have something better, though. I’ve a full set of slings we can put them in for tonight. That’ll get some of the weight off their hooves and give them a chance to recover. We’re rigged for long-term care; we don’t give up on a horse unless there’s no hope, so we have the gear. Fortunately for us, we have ten suitable stalls, and they’re all empty. We haven’t done this sort of rehabilitation before, but there’s no reason we can’t rig the slings to make sure they stay on their hooves through the night.”

Bracing for the worst, I said, “Show me the horses.”

Hawkins nodded, waved for me to follow him, and led me into the primary auction barn, which had a mix of corrals and stalls for storing animals. Right inside, I spotted the first thin horse, showing every rib with pronounced hip bones, swollen joints, and a myriad of other concerning signs warning me we’d either have a battle on our hands or a great deal of grief by morning. Unfortunately for my peace of mind, the animal was a stallion, which meant there was at least one horse in worse shape. I winced, grabbed my phone, took a photo, and texted to my wife that there was a set of eight in dire need of rescue.

My phone buzzed in my hand, and I answered, “I can’t count, babe.”

“They aren’t going against your five. Your five are for the sad cases that just need a little love and care, not that. Find out who did that to those horses. I want to deal with them personally. Once those horses are in better health, assuming they survive, they will retire at your ranch as pets. I wouldn’t be able to walk away from that, nor can I expect you to. Please tell me that poor baby is the worst off.”

“He’s not. There’s a filly in worse shape. We’re going to put them in slings for the night. Jerrod’s calling his vet.”

“I’ll send some of our staffers over to help. That’ll help limit the costs somewhat.”

Swallowing, I nodded. As the stallion hadn’t reacted to my presence, I offered my hand. After a few moments, he bumped my fingers with his nose. I rewarded him with a gentle petting. “They’re not even fit for the meat market.”

“I know. It’s obvious from the picture. Take care of those poor animals, and I’ll see what I can do. We can’t stop sales to the meat market, but we can stop the inhumane treatment of horses. Send me all the pictures that you can. If you lose any of them, remind yourself that they’re going to be in warmth, comfort, and security until the end. It won’t stop the pain, but maybe it’ll help a little.”

“I’ve never seen a horse this bad,” I confessed.

“I have, but even my father made a point of warning people what would happen if he caught anyone mistreating a horse to that level. It’s our turn to send the same message to our kingdom—and to our neighbors. Do you know how they got here?”

I explained what I’d been told about the failed rescue attempt, which made my wife snarl curses. “I don’t know much about slings, babe. Do you think it’ll work?”

What’s the Story, Morning Glory had used a sling, but she’d been a young and generally healthy horse.

“It might work. I mean, it certainly worked with What’s the Story, Morning Glory, but she wasn’t dealing with starvation or abuse, and she had a large team helping her make it through her operations. They probably won’t have the horses completely lifted, but the sling will stabilize them and keep them from falling. In that condition, they will need tiny meals often; they are at a huge risk of colic. And if they do develop colic, we won’t be able to do anything for them. With enough people working together, the load won’t be too bad, but it’s going to be at least six months for them to recover. And by recover, I mean they are filling out and can go into the pasture. They might be rideable in eight months if there aren’t any setbacks. In cases this severe, we take our time on all the recovery phases. I don’t think we have a guide on how to take care of horses in this bad of a shape. If they survive a week, I think they’ll pull through. I can give you a week to help with their care, ride around your new ranches, and go camping. You’ll fret if you’re not around for the first stage of treatment. How is Eddie handling it?”

“We did not bring Eddie,” I admitted. “Geoff is with him at the center. We told him he needed to help make sure there were stalls available and set up.”

“I’ll give Geoff a call and take care of explaining things to Eddie. If you start crying, you won’t stop, and Eddie won’t understand when you’re hurting like that. This way, if you do have a breakdown over it, he’s prepared—and Geoff will be prepared, too.”

“Considering the auctioneer confessed he wept over these animals, I’m expecting a rough night.” Unless my wife was present, I generally kept my tears to myself.

Once I got back home, I expected a great deal of weeping over the sorry state of the animals.

“You’re doing what’s best for them. How many can fit in the trailer you have with you?”

“Twenty-five. It’s Jerrod’s trailer, and his truck is almost as big as mine.”

“Nice. That’ll make it possible to get your whole herd moved. Don’t forget your antifungal, do your best to keep your temper, and give those poor horses some love for me.”

I considered the stallion, who accepted more of my attention and lipped at my shirt. “I can do that.”

“It’ll be all right. If you insist on being manly until you’re home, let Randy and Geoff know so you can get the quiet time you need when you get in. Make sure you tell the auctioneer to send us the bill for the filly, no matter the outcome.”

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