Devils And Unicorns

Chapter 20

Last Unicorn was to face fourteen rivals in the Firebend Stakes. Mythwood's similarity to the Grand Chase course at Fallbourne cannot have been coincidental when it emerged that half the field were entered in the big race itself in just over a week's time. Among the Firebend runners was a pair very prominent in the Grand Chase betting - Big Nico and Feigned Proof - both under the same ownership. In fact (Florence would learn), that particular owner was the biggest name in Highland Province racing: Adam Gautier, a mining tycoon who controlled half the mines in the country. His horses, who ran under the name Goldrush, had dominated the Grand Chase in recent years, winning three of the past five renewals and placing in every running for the past six seasons. Accordingly, he owned the favourite for this year's Grand Chase: a strapping chestnut named Guildenstern.

It was the day before the Firebend Stakes. Florence had been keen to inspect some of Mythwood's obstacles prior to sending her charge over them, so that afternoon they had all traipsed out of the town, up the home stretch and into the hills proper. Zac and Florence rode Last Unicorn and Dissent respectively while Charlie wandered behind them on foot, map in hand and sunglasses perched uselessly in his hair.

They took their first pause beside a shallow brook, which ran near the bottom of a cliff face adorned with climbing flowers.

"The course starts up there," Charlie said, pointing at a higher elevation obscured by thick foliage. "It gets very narrow through the woods, probably close to single file in some places..."

"Hang on, what?" Zac interrupted. "Single file?"

"Yeah."

"That's absurd! Not to mention dangerous - a dozen galloping horses squeezing through a narrow gap like that?!"

"I know, Zac, but that's what it is." Charlie shrugged, his jaw working his third piece of gum of the day. "Fallbourne's the same in parts."

"Bloody ridiculous..." Zac muttered, adjusting his hat. Beneath him, Last Unicorn snorted and shook his mane. One might think he was expressing agreement with his rider, but in truth he was more likely irritated by all the bugs hovering around the water.

"Anyway," Charlie continued, "it goes across open mountain pasture for a while, through a river..."

"A river as well?!" Zac huffed again.

"Zac, you ride through the river at Rust Creek all the time," Florence said.

"Yeah, and it sucks. Your boots get completely sodden and your feet feel like lead for the rest of the race."

Charlie was waiting silently for them to finish before he continued.

"Carry on," Florence urged him.

"Through a river, down the rocky cliffside near the hot springs, then down the Overhang..."

"What's the Overhang?" she asked.

"It's... it's not good..." Charlie sighed. "It's a steep descent - about sixty per cent I'd say."

"Sixty?!"

"Yeah... but don't worry - the slope at Fallbourne is shallower. More like forty or fifty per cent."

"There's a slope at Fallbourne as well?"

"Listen, Floss. It's a bit late for getting all shocked, isn't it? We're here now."

"He's got a point, Flo," Zac said numbly.

"I just..." she trailed off. "I know. I'm being stupid."

"No, coming here in the first place was the stupid part," Zac said.