Silver Hooves in the Darkness

Chapter Twenty-Three

The entry of a carriage into any dome always caused excitement among the humans. In the marketplace of Dome Erba, vendors gossiped with their customers and discussed and dissected the many possible reasons for its presence. The intersecting golden triangles on the black, windowless vehicle boasted its fineness. The gigantic equino, who had effortlessly pulled it into town and down the wide streets with complete disregard for the stir he had caused, had spoken not a word to the other equinii or humans he had passed. Whether he had been tired or had considered himself too superior for idle talk had only fueled the conversations among the humans, who pointed and waved at the equino, whose limbs were adorned with platinum.

In Alessandro's dwelling, and a full day after his arrival, the tips of the grey stallion's ears brushed the ceiling beams. He looked down upon the healer and the equina as a tree might consider the animals that walked beneath its canopy. "I am Ercole," he said, the force of his voice making the beams quake with words spoken only in a normal register. The daylight streaming through the windows cast his large shadow against the fireplace. It was as if a massive, menacing ghost equino had followed him in his journey. "What do you require of me?"

Alessandro could offer no seat that would accommodate Ercole even as a polite, but unnecessary, gesture. The man straightened his posture as if he could will himself to grow as tall as the stallion. "EQ-ST5-DHD-Grey-9," the healer declared. I need you to transport me and this equina, Paola, to Dome Scienza."

His ears flicked back, ruffling his darker grey forelock. Strangely, his loose mane no longer bore the sapphires she had once seen. Had he fallen out of favor with those he had served? Or had he earned so many gemstones that he had to store them at Dome Royale?

"But Paola is a Courier. She can follow alongside me," he said, perplexed that the equina should ride within his vehicle.

"Have you heard of Cappello?" the healer asked.

Surely, he would have because equinii were not immune to gossip's lure. Since she and Cappello had come out of the Maze together, what stories had passed among her kind about their sudden appearance on that terrible day?

"He died here at Dome Erba from injuries suffered in a collision with another equino in the Maze. The other one remains missing; it is assumed that the Death Bringer took him. That is what is said in the stables." He flicked a glance Paola's way.

Alessandro gestured toward the equina. "That is all true. She emerged from the Maze with Cappello and survived. However, her gem had failed during her Run. Without his assistance, she would have never found her way back to Dome Erba."

The giant equino's emerald eyes widened with disbelief. "How does she live if her gem failed!"

"I would attribute her survival to my skills as a healer, but that would be a lie. Her recovery was...miraculous. I would like to take her to Dome Scienza, her home dome, to be examined. I do not wish to stress her with a Run to that dome. So she will ride in the carriage with me."

It was an excellent story the healer told because it was essentially true, and the big equino seemed to accept it. Ercole put his large hand to his jutting chin, a feature as prominent as his strong wide nose and heavy brow. "It is a long journey to Dome Scienza from here."

Paola could easily attest to that fact given her own experience. She had not been to her home dome since she had left on her first Run, and with each subsequent Carry, she had gotten farther away from it. But such was expected of a yearling Courier. To travel to many domes and gain experience was the goal.

"That is the Carry that I offer," Alessandro said.

"You will need calming tablets," Ercole said flatly. "Most humans cannot tolerate the confinement of my Carriage."