My Baronry For A Horse copyright 1996 by Anne Fraser ______________________________________________________________________ The Baron looked up from his desk. There was a horse in his study. A rather nice horse, mind you, a pure black Peruvian, with a gorgeous floor-length mane and tail... but it was getting hoof-prints all over the Aubusson carpet and it was chewing reflectively on a rather important stock portfolio. It looked up briefly, and Gideon saw that its eyes were glowing red. Gideon's eyebrows drew together. "What," he demanded plaintively, "is the meaning of this?" He noticed that there was a ribbon tied around the horse's neck, and an envelope dangled from the ribbon. He reached across slowly, so as not to startle the horse, and removed this last object. He tore it open. A note on slightly steaming white paper, scorched around the edges, read, in cursive script, "With the compliments of Blaise of Khemet, Lord of Chaos - A late wedding gift." "Blaise," the Baron remarked. "I should have known." The horse snorted and proceeded to start munching on the potted acacia tree by the study door. Gideon reached for the phone and dialled the in-house number. "Evan," he said when the phone was answered. "There's a horse in my study." There was a long pause. He could hear his protector draw in breath. "A... horse?" came Evan's voice. "A horse. A black horse. I strongly suspect it's a demon horse, but it's very real and it's eating my plants. Please come and do something about it." A moment later, a puzzled-looking Nameless One was staring at the red-eyed horse. "Whatever possessed Blaise... never mind." Evan regarded the horse, the horse calmly returned the regard. If a horse could grin, this one was. "How do we get it out of here?" "Get a harness from the stable," Gideon suggested. "There must be one still about that it's good shape. Then just lead it out." "Problem." Evan leaned against the door. He was enjoying this. "Problem?" Gideon didn't see what was so funny. "Gideon... your study is on the second floor. Have you ever tried to lead a horse down stairs?" There was a tentative tap at the study door, and Joshua's lean frame intruded. "What's the fuss about?" he asked, then he saw what the fuss was about. "Oh, my." He held out his hand, palm up, to the horse. The horse allowed itself to be stroked under the muzzle. "Aren't we a beauty, then?" Joshua asked it. "Why are its eyes red?" he demanded of his husband. "It's a late wedding gift from Blaise," Gideon replied. "But Blaise already gave us a wedding gift," Joshua said, referring to the still glowing-hot gold dragon's egg, carved into a rose. "I suppose he felt we needed a horse." "Who needs a horse?" The fourth, inevitable, member of the Oakwoods Boys crowded into the room, a wolf, a spaniel and a star panther cub at his heels. "Whoa. I guess we needed a horse. Why is it in your study?"said Smoke. Warg whined and Pumpkin cowered behind Mitch. A horse could step on a spaniel. The horse regarded the smaller animals with a red gleam and something like a sneer. "How do we get it out of here?" Josh asked. "I'll go find a bridle and some reins," Evan sighed. "Although how we get it downstairs, I have no idea." "I'll go with you," Joshua offered. As he and the protector left the study, however, the horse followed on its own accord. "Hey." Evan stopped, but the horse kept going. It was following Joshua. Joshua paused, as the horse leaned forward and tickled the back of his neck with its breath. "I think it likes me," he laughed, patting it again. "Well, it is _your_ wedding present," Evan said, catching on. "Yours and Gideon's. I think it will do what either of you tell it to, but not anybody else." He ducked back into the study to inform his employer of this, and Gideon got up from behind his desk. "Let's test this, shall we?" he asked, and went out into the hallway where Josh stood, stroking the horse's fabulous mane. Mitch, animals at his side, also came out to watch. This was too much fun to miss. Smoke was laughing. She got the joke. "All right, horse," Gideon addressed his wedding gift, "We need to get you downstairs and out to the stable. There haven't been horses there for awhile, but we'll make you as comfortable as we can. Will you come?" The horse nodded, its expression definitely that of sheer glee. Gideon and Joshua both started downstairs, Josh making "chuck"-ing noises to the horse. It followed, not so much trotting down the stairs as _flowing_ down them. No harness needed. It didn't even have a problem getting out the front door--the closest exit--or negotiating those steps. Once outside, it ran around the front lawn a few times, mane and tail flowing into the night, eyes gleaming. Then it meekly followed its new owners to the old stable. This was still in relatively good repair, although there was no fodder available, nor any bedding. "Mitch," Joshua turned to the young werewolf, "Michael still keeps a horse. Would you run up to Fairlawn and beg a bail of hay and some food from him? I don't know about demon horses in general, but this one looks hungry." Mitch nodded, whistled to his four-footed companions, and headed for his four-wheel drive. "It ate my stock portfolio," Gideon sighed, "not to mention my acacia tree." "God, it's beautiful," Josh said, stroking the sleek neck. "Come on, love, you've been wanting a horse ever since we went riding together at Club Undead." "Well, yes," Gideon admitted, "but I was hoping for a slightly less daemonic one..." "It needs a name," Evan said. All three of them looked at the gorgeous black horse, at its laughing red eyes and faintly sardonic expression. "Calvin," all three of them said at once. ____________________________________________________________________