Bronze

Bronze was originally an oversized fountain, cast in the shape of a horse.  During Eric’s escape with Shada from the city of Bildar, he stole it.  He determined he needed a mount.  Unfortunately, carrying both him and Shada would slow any normal mount, as well as add to his already lengthy list of troubles.  Instead, he used sacrificial magic to imbue not only his own power into the statue but the life-forces of six flesh-and-blood horses.  The bronze fountain was thus brought to life and has served him faithfully ever since.

Physically, Bronze is a metallic horse, generally a golden-brown color.  Her exact dimensions are hard to define since her physical form is semi-mutable, fluctuating based on her activities.  When hauling a heavy load, her physical form slowly adapts to appear more like a draft horse.  When sprinting down a road, her lines alter to reflect that activity, coming to resemble a racehorse.  In general, she stands seven feet high at the shoulder, or twenty-one hands tall.  Her hooves are between twelve and fourteen inches in diameter.  Her mane is usually quite long, in excess of three feet, and all of it made of bronze wire. Her tail is similar, usually reaching a length of approximately six feet.  Her eyes are peculiar in that they do not exactly replicate the eyes of a normal horse; in every other feature, Bronze can be easily mistaken for a flesh-and-blood horse as long as no one touches her.  Her eyes are always glossy smooth and featureless, although, when angry or excited, they have been known to glow red with heat.

The exact process of crafting the steed known as Bronze was a rapid act, however, and Eric’s magical training at the time was extremely limited.  He is not certain precisely how he did it, only that he over-did it by a considerable margin.  Something of his own essence is obviously within the structure of the living enchantment in the metal, making Bronze an entity, not merely an animated statue.  The two can feel each other in many ways, as well as communicate on some level below that of speech.  Bronze cannot speak, but Eric nonetheless understands her, for example.  Where Firebrand possesses a telepathic ability, Bronze possesses an empathic one specific to Eric.  On those rare occasions when Bronze has a hard time making herself understood, Firebrand can occasionally clarify by acting as translator between them.

Bronze is capable of both great speed and great exertions, as evidenced by some of her running and jumping abilities.  Without assistance from spells, she can certainly reach seventy miles an hour and is suspected of approaching one hundred.  Exertions, however, also cause her to generate intense amounts of heat.  This may be the unavoidable effect of metal being bent repeatedly, or, more likely, it is a side effect of large amounts of magic being sucked into her being and used to power her movements.  This is often a discomfort to riders since her whole body heats up from this effect, making the surface painful, possibly even injurious to unprotected skin.  Regardless, Bronze is capable of breathing fire voluntarily when at rest, but breathes fire from her mouth and nostrils involuntarily at a full gallop.  Frequently, smoke rises from her ears, as well.  She is quite capable of and willing to run through or even under water, and has no apparent need to breathe.

Bronze also possesses a peculiar ability to communicate with and possibly control normal horses. For example, she has been observed to direct attention at enemy mounts and cause them to hold still, ignoring commands from their riders. Why or how is still a mystery.

In later books, Bronze acquires the ability to transfer her essence from her statue into other vessels. Usually, these are vehicles--cars, trucks, and so on. However, she is also capable of possessing larger objects, such as ships and aircraft, but does not seem to like them, preferring instead to keep her feet on the ground. She can occupy a vehicle as small as a heavy motorcycle, but her presence inside the structure of such a small object generally causes it to heat rapidly, eventually burst into flame, and shortly thereafter it melts. She is also capable of possessing a flesh-and-blood horse, usually with similarly unpleasant effects on the horse, and almost always resulting in the horse's death when she exits the body.

While wearing a vehicle, Bronze consumes power from the vehicle's powerplant. When she is in her statue form her fuel consists mainly of flammable substances.  Wood, coal, and oil are all acceptable.  Gasoline makes her sneeze, with disastrous results.  She also eats metal of various sorts, but seems to favor copper and silver.  She will happily graze on fallen limbs, but is also quite capable of eating whole trees if she is hungry.  How she metabolizes flammable substances and metal is also unknown.  Eric has been less than pleased at the idea of taking her apart to see how she works.  It has been suggested exactly once and never mentioned again.

Bronze does not speak with words. However, she maintains an exceptional empathic link with Eric, which allows her to communicate effectively, especially emotions and feelings. Eric always knows how she feels about something.