When the rounded the far side of the Manor, Lisa saw the dark form of Jimmy’s rental car hidden in the shadows. One of the horses was standing close to the driver’s side, broadside to the car. It was Jupiter, squeezing Jimmy up next to his car, holding him in place. Firefly was standing on the other side of Jupiter, reaching over his back and biting at Jimmy as Topper looked on.
Angelica called out to them and Firefly stopped her attack. As soon as Dakota stopped, Lisa slipped from his back and Angelica followed her. Then Angelica motioned to Firefly to turn her hindquarters to Jimmy and back up to him. When Firefly was in place, Angelica signalled Jupiter to step away. Firefly raised one of her back hooves in warning. “Hold still,” Angelica commanded Jimmy. “Or Firefly will make short work of you.”
Jimmy’s eye’s glowed with hatred as he glared at Angelica and Lisa, but he held still. Firefly humped her back and pretended she was going to kick him and he cried out, cowering against the car.
“Now hold out the will,” said Angelica in a firm voice. “Hold it toward us.” When Jimmy had pulled the will from his pocket, she patted Dakota on the neck. “Go get it, boy,” she whispered. Dakota stepped forward confidently. He laid his ears back at Jimmy and reached out with his teeth to grab the will. Then he stepped back to Angelica and Lisa.
The sound of fire truck sirens cut through the air, racing closer and closer. Angelica pressed the will into Lisa’s hand. “I must go before they get here,” she said urgently. “Do not tell them about me. They will not believe you. Just tell them that you and the horses caught Jimmy. Tell them about Jimmy confessing to murdering Mr. Pickering and how he tried to kill you because of the will.”
“But where are you going?” asked Lisa, her eyes round.
“I can not say. There is not enough time.” She stopped when the fire engines turned into the driveway. “I will come back later. There is one more thing left to do.”
Lisa turned away to look at the fire engines racing in the driveway, then she turned back to Angelica. “What’s left to do?” she asked, but her voice faded away when she saw that Angelica was gone. Lisa clutched the will in her hand and took a deep breath, then looked toward Jimmy with narrowed eyes. He was still cowering against the car. Seeing that he was too afraid of Firefly to move, she turned back toward the approaching fire engines and, walking to the edge of the house, began to wave her arms.
Chapter 36
Seconds after the firemen arrived and ran to control the fire, the police pulled into the driveway. Within minutes, Jimmy was arrested and put into the backseat of one of the squad cars. With no door handles and strong iron mesh between the back seat of the car and the front, it was like a small jail. When Lisa saw him sitting with his head in his hands, she almost felt sorry for him. But then she remembered Mr. Pickering’s bruised and broken body, and backed away from the car. As the police car started to pull away, Jimmy looked up. His eyes locked onto Lisa’s and she took another step back as his hatred seemed to leap toward her. Then he was gone.
Lisa turned back to the horses. “Come on guys,” she said to the four of them, still standing beside Jimmy’s rental car. She took Jupiter’s halter in her hand and began to lead him toward the back of the house. Obediently, the other three followed.
“Life goes on and I’m glad it does,” she whispered to no one in particular when the smell of the roses in the garden behind the house drifted toward her. “But I am going to miss Mr. Pickering so much.” She reached up to stroke Jupiter’s neck as they walked.
When they reached the gate to the large back paddock, Lisa swung it open. “You guys will like it in here. It’s the farthest from the fire and it has the biggest turnout shelter. I’ll come and visit you before I leave tonight, okay?” Jupiter stepped inside the pasture and, one by one, the others followed. Lisa swung the gate shut and latched it behind them, then walked toward the blaze.
She stopped when she turned the corner. The firefighters were black silhouettes moving quickly against the flames. Only three people stood still: a man, a woman and a young girl. With a jolt, Lisa recognized her family with their backs turned to her, their arms around each other. Molly had buried her face in her hands and Lisa could see her mom’s shoulder’s shaking. They’re afraid I was in the fire, she realized. And I would have been, if Angelica hadn’t saved us. Gripping the will in her hand, she hurried toward them, then reached out and touched her dad’s arm. He jumped and spun around.
“Lisa!” he said, his voice overflowing with relief. “We were so afraid you…” He stopped speaking and pulled her into his arms. Lisa could feel her mom hug her from behind and Molly latch onto her leg. Their bodies felt so warm and comforting. She hugged her dad back hard and then pulled away. “The firemen and police knew I was okay,” she said.
“We just got here,” said Lisa’s mom. “No one has had time to talk to us yet.”
“We were afraid something had happened to you when we discovered you weren’t in your room,” said her dad. “And then when we saw the light from the fire…” Again he stopped in mid-sentence, but Lisa understood. She knew that some things were far too hard to say.
Molly piped up. “What about D’kota, Lisa? Is he okay?”
Lisa held out her hand. “Come and see,” she said. Molly took her hand and Lisa led her toward the back of the house. Her mom and dad followed, relief and thankfulness clearly written on their faces. When Lisa looked back, she smiled to see them walking with their arms around each other. She hadn’t seen her mom and dad walk together like that since they had left the Manor. Her hand went to her jacket pocket to feel the will. The Manor was theirs again. It was Mr. Pickering’s last gift to her. Lisa felt tears come to her eyes. I would rather have Mr. Pickering back, she thought. He was worth more than all the money in the world.
When they reached the gate, Lisa called for Jupiter. The family was silent as the horses galloped toward them. Their coats glistened in the moonlight as they pushed up next to the gate.
“D’kota,” yelled Molly and reached through the rails. Dakota lowered his pony head and nickered to Molly.
While Molly petted Dakota, Lisa turned to her parents. “Mom? Dad?” she said. “There’s a lot of stuff you don’t know. A lot of stuff I have to tell you.”
It took almost half an hour to tell her parents about everything except Angelica, between all the questions and exclamations of surprise and worry. Finally, Lisa pulled the will out of her pocket. “This is what Mr. Pickering died for,” she whispered. “His last gift to me. I wish you could have known what a wonderful person he was.”
“I do too,” said Lisa’s dad. “Can you forgive me for being so angry, Lisa?”
Lisa looked up at him with dark eyes. “I heard you say you would get the Manor back even if you had to kill Mr. Pickering to get it,” she said quietly.
Lisa’s dad knelt beside her and looked at her with eyes full of sorrow. “Oh Lisa, I am so sorry I said that,” he said with a shaking voice. “I hope you realize I wasn’t really mad at Mr. Pickering. I would have never hurt him. Please believe me. I was mad at myself and now I’m even angrier that I let my pride stop me from getting to know Mr. Pickering. But this time I know the best way to deal with that anger is to channel it into something positive. I’m really sorry, Lisa, and I promise you I will be a better dad and a better person from now on.”
Lisa leaned forward and put her arms around her dad’s neck. “It’s okay, Daddy,” she whispered. Then she added, “And Mr. Pickering would have forgiven you too.”
Chapter 37
The weeks that followed went by in a blur. There were statements taken by the police and Jimmy was charged with murder, attempted murder, arson, and a number of lesser crimes. Lisa gave them the car rental slip and, after the police officer reprimanded her for not giving it to them right away, he told her that he thought she was very brave. Throughout the questioning, Lisa didn’t breathe a word of Angelica’s existence and, when she overheard two police officers talking about Jimmy’
s story of a supernatural being at the house, she listened carefully. The officers seemed to think that Jimmy would be sent to a mental hospital instead of to a jail, but either way, they agreed he would be locked away for the rest of his life.
The family began to make plans for moving back into the Manor, but the paperwork seemed to take forever. Lisa still went over to the Manor everyday to care for the horses. Sometimes her mom and Molly would go with her and sometimes her dad went along, but once in a while Lisa was able to get away on her own. Every time she went to visit the horses alone, she hoped to see Angelica there, but weeks passed without a sign of her friend.
Finally the day came for Lisa and her family to move back into their home. Construction on the new stable was well underway and, along with the rest of her family, Lisa was very glad to be back in the house she had grown up in. She put her furniture back in the same places in her room and tried to make it look like it had before she left. The only thing different was a framed picture of Mr. Pickering, standing between Jupiter and Topper, that Lisa had taken on the day of their picnic. She placed the photo on her dresser beside another she had of Jupiter and one of herself with Molly and her mom and dad.
On the day that the new stable was finished, Lisa and her family had a celebration and invited a few friends. They shared carrot cake with the horses in the aisle outside of the stalls as Lisa’s dad pointed out that the stable was built to exactly the same specifications as the old stable, except it had some new and updated features. The most important was a sprinkler system in case the stable ever caught fire again, but there was also hot and cold running water in the tack room and one of the extra stalls had been converted to a horse-bathing stall. Everyone was suitably impressed, not only with the stable, but also with the horses who all behaved perfectly.
After everyone had left, the family cleaned up the glasses and plates. While her family carried everything back to the house, Lisa stayed to feed the horses their evening meal. It felt good to be in the stable without all the people there, just the horses quietly munching their grain. It almost feels like my old stable. It just smells new, thought Lisa. And I promise I’m going to appreciate this one while I have it, which hopefully will be for a long, long time. Slowly and methodically, Lisa groomed all the horses, glorifying in their sleek coats and bright, happy eyes. The stable was so peaceful: the calm after the storm. Finally, Lisa took her grooming kit back to the tack room.
The second she stepped out of the tack room, Lisa could feel a difference in the air. It was an electricity, an energy that hadn’t been there before. Then she saw Angelica standing at Firefly’s stall. She was whispering in the chestnut mare’s ear. Slowly she moved on to Topper’s stall and talked to him for a few moments. Lisa waited for her, knowing she was saying farewell to the horses she had grown to love. Finally she moved on to Dakota and then Jupiter. The black gelding nickered when Angelica finished whispering to him and Angelica hugged him around his neck. Then she turned toward Lisa.
“I didn’t know if you would be coming,” said Lisa softly. “You took so long I had almost given up hope.”
“There are many horses in this world that are sad and frightened,” answered Angelica with a gentle smile. “I have been far too busy doing what I can to help them.”
“Is that what you do?” asked Lisa. “You help horses? Was Molly right? Are you really an angel? A horse angel?”
“Some would call me that, I suppose,” said Angelica, shrugging her shoulders. “But really I am just someone who is lucky enough to do good for those I care for. I am just like you. I try to do things to help others.”
“You’ve helped us more than you know. Not just me and the horses, but my family too,” said Lisa. “My dad has never been so happy, or my mom and little sister. And my dad has changed. You changed him.”
“I did not change him, Lisa.” Angelica shook her head as she spoke. “That is one thing you must have seen with Jimmy. I can not change anyone. People can only change themselves.”
“You helped him to see what’s important then,” said Lisa, smiling.
“I have something for you,” said Angelica. She reached her hand to her head and her hair suddenly began to glow and swirl in another nonexistent wind. Slowly she reached up into the masses of gold and twined a single hair around her finger. With a sharp tug, the hair came lose and Angelica cupped it inside her hands. “Put out your hand, Lisa,” she instructed.
Lisa reached out with an open hand and Angelica dropped the hair into her palm. But it was no longer a hair. It was a necklace, as gold coloured as Angelica’s locks and as light as down. Lisa took it between two of her fingers and lifted it into the air. The necklace tinkled gently and Lisa could feel soft energy warming her fingers. Speechless, she watched Angelica take it from her and then Lisa leaned forward so Angelica could slip the necklace around her neck.
“Thank you,” she said breathlessly, as she stroked the golden links. “It’s the most beautiful necklace I’ve ever seen.”
“It is a magical necklace. And it is part of me,” said Angelica. “If you ever need help, just touch it with your finger and call my name. I will come to you then. I can hear the horses if they call to me to help them, but people I can not hear unless they have the necklace.”
“Thank you so much Angelica,” said Lisa, tears crowding her voice. She stepped forward and threw her arms around the older girl. Angelica pulled her close for a moment, her arms warm and strong.
Suddenly Lisa felt Angelica stiffen. “Aria,” the older girl whispered.
“What?” said Lisa, stepping back.
“Aria is calling me. I can hear her. She is frightened and needs my help,” said Angelica, looking at Lisa with her tawny eyes.
“I know you’ll save her,” said Lisa. “Just like you saved us.”
“I will never forget you, Lisa,” said Angelica, her voice becoming strangely faint. “You are a brave person. The way you stood up to Jimmy proved that. I admire your strength.”
Tears sprung from Lisa’s eyes. “Thanks,” she whispered and stepped farther back. The horses whinnied farewell as Angelica brightened into a billion particles, her hair flying around her, not as gold, but as light. Then the form of the girl was gone and Angelica became the swirling light. Lisa put her hand over her eyes to protect them from the brightness, but the light even seemed to gleam through her fingers and eyelids.
Then it grew less. Slowly, Lisa lowered her hand and opened her eyes. Angelica was gone. Lisa touched the necklace as she stared at the place Angelica had stood.
“I am strong,” she said and smiled.
Chapter 38
Aria. I am coming. I can hear your cry on the desert wind, calling for your girl who left you two days ago.
No food.
No water.
Why has she abandoned you in the wilderness?
Do not worry. I will help you. I will protect you and your unborn foal.
Desert Song
When Sophie is hit by a car, her foster parents are incredibly relieved she isn’t seriously hurt. However, all Sophie can think of is being stuck in the hospital while Aria, the mare her foster parents believe was stolen months before, is alone in the canyon where Sophie hid her – and she is ready to deliver her foal any day. Sophie knows she must get some hay and grain to Aria as soon as possible, though she doesn’t know how she’ll do it with a broken arm. Little does she know that taking food to Aria is the least of her worries, for a malignant evil has found the mare and knows she is alone…
Also Available by Angela Dorsey
Abandoned
The Time Thief
Horse Guardian Series
Dark Fire
Desert Song
Condor Mountain
Swift Current
Gold Fever
Slave Child
Rattlesnake Rock
Sobekkare’s Revenge
Mystic Tide
Silver Dream
Fighting Chance
W
olf Chasm
Freedom Series
Freedom
Echo
Whisper
Whinnies on the Wind Series
Winter of the Crystal Dances
Spring of the Poacher's Moon
Summer of Wild Hearts
Autumn in Snake Canyon
Winter of Sinking Waters
Spring of Secrets
Summer of Desperate Races
Autumn of Angels
Winter of the Whinnies Brigade
Sun Catcher Series
(co-written with Marina Miller)
Sun Catcher
Sun Chaser
Sun Seeker
About Angela Dorsey
Angela Dorsey has written over thirty novels for younger YA and middle-grade readers, and her poetry, short stories, prose poems, postcard stories, and articles have been published in numerous magazines. She also enjoys writing screenplays, and hopes one day to see her movies on the big screen.
Mysteries are one of her favourite genres to read, so she wanted to try to write one too. Dark Fire is her first, and for that reason, it will always be special to her.
When Angela is not writing, she enjoys hiking, travelling, philosophizing, and hanging out with her family, friends, and pets. You can read more about her and her writing journey at aydorsey.com.
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