Devils And Unicorns

Chapter 25

Last Unicorn had led home six other horses in the Grand Chase, the only finishers from a total of thirty starters. Guildenstern had been the only rival to go with him right to the line, admirably brave in defeat. Some ten lengths adrift of him, Honourable Man and Esparaza had hit the line almost together; Somethingfortheroad had cantered into fifth, with the recalcitrant Big Nico and exhausted Infamous Dodger trailing in last.

Dorfinoise had come unstuck in the swamps of the riverbank, according to Zac. He had seen Quartet's best horse take off too early in his attempt to negotiate a brush fence preceded by a wide ditch. Instead of clearing the fence, he struck his knees and chest straight into it; while Drew Bowers, his unfortunate jockey, hit the soggy deck on the other side of the obstacle, Dorfinoise ended up on his belly at the bottom of the ditch like a stunned fawn. Horse and rider were unhurt, but Quartet's ambitious bid for Grand Chase glory ended there.

Carver had not taken the failure well. He was seen to depart the racecourse stormily as the winner was led in, having learnt of his horse's fate while enduring the ignominy of Last Unicorn's victory. No statement was made to the press, and Florence heard nothing from him in the aftermath of the race.

Of the twenty-three horses not to complete the course, four lost their lives and five more suffered career-ending injuries. The jockey aboard Hobsturm - the horse who had fallen from the cliff face - had survived, but was in a critical condition. While not surprised by these reports - she couldn't be after hearing so many tales of the Grand Chase's body count over the years - Florence was repulsed nonetheless. Last Unicorn had survived his ordeal and come out on top, bringing her name to the front page in the Highland Province and earning her the equivalent of sixty thousand Driftland dollars, but she would never, ever run another horse in this country again.

The aftermath of victory had been something of a blur. Last Unicorn's owner, trainer and jockey all gave official statements to the swarm of reporters who stalked the winner's enclosure with cameras and notepads. All praised the horse and one another, and politely thanked the people of the Highland Province for their hospitality. When Last Unicorn's ban from racing in his home country was inevitably raised, Charlie handled it with aplomb and smoothly changed the subject. Last Unicorn himself had been washed down and provided the vet with a clean urine sample, tired but seemingly none the worse for his testing run.

Immediate celebrations commenced. Florence, having little interest in engaging with the media and knowing nobody in the industry's circle, was keen to depart as soon as was polite. She nursed a single glass of champagne for much longer than was necessary to drink it, and stuck close to Charlie as he took advantage of a world in which his reputation was untainted, speaking freely with well-wishers and some of the Highland Province's racing elite.

Had this been the Perchborn Gold Cup, or indeed any other contest in Driftland, they would have stayed the night to enjoy the party and see in the morning with alcohol and good spirits. Indeed, the festivities would go on in their absence. But this was not home, and these people were not friends; instead, having safely re-installed Last Unicorn into the truck alongside Dissent, the friends from Marsh Crossing bid the locals farewell and began their journey home.

"That Guildenstern was not going down easily," Zac said.

"He looks like a tough horse," Florence replied.

"I can see why he was the favourite. He went well throughout the entire race." Zac swallowed a mouthful of his coffee. "Every time I came across him out there, he was completely unfazed. He made it look easy, to be honest."

"Didn't Last Unicorn?" Charlie laughed.

"Well, no... he was unstoppable at the end, but he's a galloper. He's no jumper, Charlie - you know that. I had plenty of sticky moments where I was sure we both were going to die."