Faris and Jack
Page 16
Chapter 14 – The Great Irish Racing College
Faris and Jack stood with their backs pressed against the cold brick wall of one of the stable blocks, deep inside the grounds of the Great Irish Racing College. Getting into the racing college had been the easy part so far; finding Mooncoin and the others was not proving to be so easy. They had already looked in three stable blocks and found nothing. Only another twenty-two blocks to go then…
“I am not going into another one of these blocks!” A very annoyed Jack muttered through clenched teeth to Faris who stood close to his side. “These race horses are crazy!”
“They certainly seem that way,” Faris agreed, looking around for any signs of movement in the darkness around them that might be human or Spriggan. “But you’ve got to, Jack. I don’t know what Mooncoin or any of the others look like,” he told his friend. “Anyway, they’re barely listening to me…”
“Well, I can tell you something. Mooncoin certainly doesn’t look like any of the race junkies we’ve found so far.” Jack hissed back.
Jack stuck his black head around the side of the block and looked quickly from left to right. Then indicated, with a jerk of his head, for Faris to follow him inside the nearest stable. As soon as the horses inside the stable block saw Jack they started again, just as they had in the previous three buildings they had been into.
“Hey you! You with the star head! You wanna race?” A brown horse shouted towards Jack and Faris as they stood in the doorway.
“Hang on a minute! You don’t wanna race him mate – you wanna race me! I’m faster!!” Another horse yelled to Jack.
“No I’m the fastest!” The brown horse shouted back.
Jack and Faris shook their heads and made their way swiftly to the end of the block and back out into the night. Just race horses in that block as well.
“Hey, wait a minute! Where did they go?”
“Probably chicken,” the brown horse replied.
“Yeah.” The first horse agreed and clicked his teeth in disappointment.
Faris and Jack stood in the cool night at the end of the stable block. “Not there then?” Faris asked Jack, although he already knew the answer.
“Nope. Come on then, we’d better try the next block,” Jack said grimly.
Jack and Faris moved quickly through the next five stable blocks.
“This is ridiculous!” Jack said exasperated after another seventeen challenges for him to race with various horses.
“Well, we must be getting closer now. Look at it that way.” Faris said, trying to raise his spirits. “For every block that we don’t find them in, we’re one closer to finding the right one.”
“I suppose so. Next one?” Jack suggested.
Faris nodded and led the way into the next stable.
“Hey horsie! Care for a race? Just a quick one?” A large white horse was challenging Jack now.
“No thanks.” Jack replied.
“Just to the field and back?” The horse insisted.
“No. I’m looking for someone.”
“Come on. What about to the gate and back? It’s not as far…”
“No. I need to find a horse. Called Mooncoin.” Jack pressed on.
“OK, just from here to there then?” The horse stepped forward. “Hey you see that? I won! I got here first! Woo Hoo!! I totally won!”
“But we weren’t racing!” Jack said very frustrated. “Have you seen this horse or not?”
“You’re just being grumpy ‘cos I beat you. Loser! Looooser!!” The white horse wasn’t listening to anything Jack said.
“He’s not a loser!” Faris said hotly. “Jack is the King of Horses.”
Jack closed his eyes and shook his head. “Not here mate. They don’t understand.”
“King of Horses? King of Horses?” The horses in the stable block echoed Faris’s words.
“Wait a second. I’m the King of Horses!” One of the horses shouted.
“No you’re not – you’re Kicking King!” Another one said.
“No, I’m the King!” A different one piped up.
“No I am! I’ll race you for it!”
“Come on Faris. There’s no one with any sense to be found here.” Jack led the way and they left the horses behind them arguing about who was the king.
“Jack, those horses are completely bonkers!” Faris said as they moved into the next block.
“Almost as bad as sheep.” Jack muttered back.
“No. They’re much worse than sheep.”
Faris spun on the spot to find a beautiful chestnut mare smiling at him – well, as much as a horse can smile, it’s really just showing a lot of teeth, he still found it hard to tell.
“Mooncoin!” Jack shouted out. He woke up several horses in the neighbouring stalls as he trotted over to the large chestnut horse.
“In the flesh.” Mooncoin said, smiling again. “Should I presume that you are our knights in shining armour?”
“Yes,” Faris grinned. “Minus the knight and the armour obviously!”
“Obviously.” Mooncoin nodded. “New Hoofer?” she asked.
“Yep.” Faris replied.
“Pleased to meet you Hoofer. I assume you are here to help us escape?”
“Absolutely!” Faris beamed.
“I think that’s a good idea Mooncoin. Do you know where the rest of the family are?” Jack said looking around the other horses in the stalls.
“We’re here…”
“And here…”
“And over here…” Three other horses bobbed their heads over the gates to the stalls. “Well, that was easy.” Jack said happily.
Faris darted around the stable block, unlocking the bolts on the doors and letting the large brown horses out into the stable aisle. It took him less than a minute.
“Where are we going?” Mooncoin asked Jack as they made their way out of the stable and towards the fields.
“There’s an entrance to The Caves that isn’t too far from here. We were lucky the humans brought you so close.” Jack told her.
“And what about the rest of my family?” Mooncoin asked “Those little Spriggan menaces took three of them from the boat.”
“Don’t worry about them.” Faris said. “Holly, Cheval and some of the others are rescuing them as we speak.”
“I see you have been busy, little Hoofer.” Mooncoin nudged his shoulder gently as she spoke, giving him the horse version of a pat-on-the-back. Faris beamed with pride and hurried to keep up with his large four-legged friends.