Wayward Children 05 - Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire

Author:Seanan McGuire
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates

9 AND THEN THERE WERE HORSES

JACK PAUSED JUST inside to light a small oil lamp. It illuminated the front of the stable, showing bales of hay and a few ratty blankets. The whole place felt like a fire trap. Christopher didn’t say anything. He had to assume Jack knew what she was doing, or this whole expedition would devolve into a nightmare.

It sort of already had. Indoor lightning storms, resurrected girls, and giant, bloody moons were terrifying enough without throwing in headless corpses, vampire lords, and something called a “Drowned God.” Mariposa had never been anything like this.

“Hello, sweethearts,” said Jack, voice high and sweet and nothing like it normally was. “Who wants to go for a little trip?”

“Is that how you’re supposed to talk to horses?” asked Christopher. “I always thought that was how you talked to—oh my God.”

“Yes, well, horse brains in decent condition are harder to come by than you would think. Dog brains are substantially easier.” Jack stroked the velvety patchwork muzzle of the first horse, offering it a fond smile. “It made training somewhat complicated, but they’re generally eager to please.”

“Uh…huh,” said Christopher.

There were two horses in the pen. “Horses” was really the only word that could apply to them: while some other words might have been accurate, they were also, to a one, insulting, and Christopher was fairly sure Jack wouldn’t approve. The first horse, the one Jack was stroking, appeared to have started its existence as several horses. Several horses and possibly, going by the shape of its left haunch, some sort of cow. The pieces had been cunningly stitched together, and while there were thin ridges of scar tissue between them, they had all healed cleanly, leaving a single intact mare behind.

It was impossible to tell whether the second horse was a mare, a stallion, or something else entirely, as it had no skin. No flesh, either; it was a tall skeleton, bones joined by loops of silver wire and complicated hooks. Dim lights gleamed in its eye sockets. It nosed at Christopher’s shoulder before snorting loudly. An impossible gust of hot air ruffled his hair.

“How…?” he asked.

“Science, for Pony,” said Jack, patting the patchwork horse’s shoulder. “Necromancy, for Bones. I had to ride all the way to the next village. It’s held by an old ally of Dr. Bleak’s, a woman who lives in constant conflict with a terrible monster of her own creation who haunts the nearby fens. Really, I prefer vampires. They’re tidier. Still, Pony requires more maintenance. Bits of her fall off all the time, and I wind up spending the evening sewing them back on.”

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