Chapter by Chapter features me reading one chapter of the selected book at the time and reviewing it as if I were reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as read-along book club.
So what do we know so far? A French captain wants the Black Stallion to mate with his white horse, Ghost, so he can breed the colt. He somehow knew to travel all the way to the Everglades where Alec and the Black were vacationing, and hid in the swamp knowing an in-heat Black would come along this way because Alec was bored. Or maybe this chapter will make more sense and I’m just being snarky for the sake of an intro.
Chapter Four: “The Captain”
Alec and the Black stare at the horse, but for different reasons. I’m pretty sure Alec isn’t a furry, or at least that version of furry. Then Black does his mating call or whatever you call it and blows their cover. The Captain invites Alec to lunch, promising to keep the horses apart (Alec’s friend or whoever he’s supposed to be warned him to keep Black away from the mares–I guess mating would ruin his training). He also tells Alec that he’s currently working with Ringling Brothers, who Alec notes in his head has a training camp in Venice, Florida. I don’t know if that was true then or true today, though it does explain why he’s in Florida at the same time. So it’s not a trap but a major coincidence? Remember, Captain Phillipe wants the Black to mate with Ghost.
And I’m realizing what a coincidence it really is. Something was drawing both Alec and the Black to explore the swamp. I don’t think horses have pheromones or care about perfume, but I don’t know a lot about horses. And there is no way Phillipe used some magic or something to draw them here. This is a “real world” kind of story and since he’s French and not Haitian or from New Orleans that rules out voodoo, somehow the only magic that makes it into these kinds of stories. Therefore, Phillipe is that good at planning or that darn lucky.
At Phillipe’s broken down place in Florida we meet Odin, an old man who serves Philippe. Apparently he’s kind of creepy and only now does Alec realize that something may be amiss here. During the trip to this place Alec has been trying to figure out what the Captain’s game is but knowing the man won’t outright ask him and trying to show no fear or something. Only now, with the Black in a “temporary stable” and Alec alone with these two strangers does he now thing this whole thing was a bad idea. Will curiosity kill the Alec? We know Philippe’s goal but will he really try to take the Black? There’s more reading to come.
Next time: The Professionals
BW Media Spotlight 