“Will do, boss.”
Chapter 6
Instead of meeting with Flora in the barn office where anyone could overhear us, or walk in on us, I took her to the house, my tablet tucked under my arm. I offered her a glass of sparkling water; I always kept a good brand on hand for my clients, and we sat in my office, the door closed so Forti’s packing wouldn’t disturb us.
“You know I trust you with the horses,” she said. “I’m glad we came to this office. It’s a bit more private, because I’ve got something more important to discuss with you.”
I set the tablet down on my desk, filled a water glass from the chiller I kept in my office, then sipped. “I suspect we’re on the same page, but start.”
Flora crossed her legs and leaned forward, her hands clasped over her knee. She wore black slacks and a charcoal gray blouse, with a silver pendant around her neck. She stroked it. “You know I am Seelie. In fact, I am a handmaiden to the Queen Herself. I sit three chairs to her right, and while she allows me my little pursuits…” Flora paused to wave her hand in the direction of the winner’s circle photos hanging on my walls. “I am first and foremost one of her Warrior Maidens. You’re aware of Callan’s return to the sport?” She sat cold and calm, her skin almost luminescent as if she no longer had to tamp down her fae energies around me. “I know you’re the goddess of horse, Epona.”
For a moment I contemplated laughing, waving away her assertion. I called myself Ettie Mareach to blend into the horse world. Let them think I came from storied Irish or Scottish lines of horsewomen, making my way here instead of training on the British Isles. Except, Flora knew the truth; she deserved the truth.
“I am, and I’ve been aware of who you are, Flora. You’re very powerful and I’m honored, as always, that you trust me with your horses. But this isn’t about your horses, is it? It’s about the coming war that’s about to spill across American soil and these people aren’t ready for it. I don’t think the Celts would be ready, and your folklore, and mine, are steeped deeply into their DNA. Somehow Dean Atkins has tapped into the powers of my consort and is using some kind of drug to enhance his horse’s abilities. And Callan, though I don’t know how, is a part of it. We need to stop him.”
“I know,” Flora replied. “I want to help.” She reached into a Gucci bag and pulled out a thumb drive emblazoned with a silver rose. “Here’s the information I have. As soon as you transfer the information to your computer, the drive has been spelled to disappear. So you want to do that as soon as you plug the drive in. This isn’t something you want to keep laying around.”
The magic surrounding the drive hummed in my palm. I pictured it like a sleek racehorse in the gate, ears pricked, ready to run at a moment’s notice. Warmth filled my hand, and I sensed a siren song that might be intoxicating enough to capture me, should I desire to follow it. A mortal would have. As a goddess, I had other ways of resisting.
“Thank you.” I set it down next to my laptop. “What do you propose?” As a goddess, I didn’t offer my services to just anyone, and in the hierarchy of things I outranked Flora. Given her outfit, her demeanor, even the offering of information before I’d even said anything, I knew she knew. A wise leader didn’t exploit such things.
“Leave the fae realm to me. I come to you with warning. Our war is coming and the gods or anyone else do not need to interfere. We’ll take care of the situation in our own way and in our own time.”
“It’s too late. The war has hit the tracks. You, as much as I, are drawn by the sport of humans. My goal is to find out what Dean is using and make sure that he’s taken out of commission. That’s in the horse’s best interests, and I hold them above all else.”
“Even the fae?” Flora leaned forward, the pendant swinging on its chain.
“Even the fae,” I confirmed. I dared not reveal Forti’s reason for leaving, though if luck were out of balance, there was no reason to believe other things weren’t either. Beauty, certainly. Prosperity--I’d be a fool to believe it wasn’t with the wealth inequality. Humans ruined the natural order of this world with their advancing technology and greed. It remained, as it always did, up to the gods to put it back in place.
“You’re putting yourself in a very dangerous situation,” Flora replied calmly, sitting back in her chair. The pendant nestled in the center of her collar bone as if called there. “The fae care not for the playtime of gods.”
“Do you really think this is play to us?” I narrowed my eyes. “You know who I am. What I’ve done.” A memory, hot with anger, of Roman soldiers falling beneath Boudicea and her army, filled my mind. My people killed thousands. The Mongol hordes may not have followed me, and neither did the sheiks who formed the Arabian horse from sand and air. And yet, I held my hand over them all and gave them the battle they sought.
“Isn’t that all you do? You move the humans as if they were pieces on a chessboard. I like you, Epona. We work well together.” The underlying threat chilled me.
“I’m glad you think so. I happen to believe that’s the case as well,” I replied, confirming that we were, for now, allies. I turned on the tablet. “I’ve worked out a training plan for your horses. It’s very
