The horse’s coat shivers with light. She takes the name and I can’t help smirking as I imagine Farian rolling his eyes at the lazy joke. But what comes next isn’t a joke.

I let the humor fade from my face before looking right into the imaginary cameras. I try to picture my features written brightly and boldly across thousands of screens. In one swift motion, I mount Hammer. She stamps her feet before accepting the prodding of my knees. I get her striding forward, parallel to the metal barrier. With a gritty determination lining each feature, I ride her as close to the wall as I can before standing in the saddle.

Every eye follows us as we make our quiet way down the edge of the course. They watch with hungry eyes as I mimic the movements I did in the video that made me famous. My feet slip the stirrups and I’m up on her back. She’s a little unsettled by the movement, but I flex my legs and leap before she can startle. It’s a short jump, but the impact shakes through my arms and legs. I hit the wall hard, but don’t drop. I keep my grip on one of the raised metal circles and get situated. There’s a flush of wind behind me. When I look back, Hammer has vanished from sight. It takes ten seconds to scurry up to the top of the wall using the circles as handholds.

At the top, the view of the Gravitas takes my breath away.

But I’m only halfway done with my trick. I remove the switch from my hip. Carefully, I squeeze the grip twice. The wood unfolds and the whip shakes out. I knot the material around the top of the barrier before lowering myself down. This side doesn’t have metal circles. Fewer places to set my feet or get a solid grip. I’m about halfway down when I see the dust rising. To the north and to the south. A pair of officials ride out from both directions. Every second matters.

I resettle my equipment, eye the drop, and let go of the switch.

Air whistles up as my body smacks back into the saddle and my hands scramble for the sudden mane and I’m laughing as Hammer comes flashing back into existence. The fans will get a final glimpse of this, and they’ll see me laughing as I escape their precious Races.

“Get, get! Let’s ride, girl!”