Opulent (The Opalescent Collection Book 1) (16 page)

I
couldn’t believe my eyes. Nalani was nothing like I had expected. It was a small rundown village. Few stands sold food and only a couple of old poorly built stores existed. Groups of vampires in long black capes stayed in the shadows and stared at us with hostility in their eyes as we passed. I remained close to Pete, grateful that he decided to leave Jasper back at the cave.

“Where do you think Lazuli is?” I whispered.

“How am I supposed to know?”

              A painful, ear-shattering scream sounded from ahead. I froze at the sight of a few vampires trying to hold a beautiful white unicorn. Each held a piece of tattered rope tied in a tight knot around her neck. The rope rubbed off some of her fur, exposing light pink skin, chafing her until she bled. Her eyes were wide and afraid and she reared to try to escape, but was yanked back down.

              Pete ran to them and tried to stop what was happening while I still stood frozen in place. I looked at the unicorn’s face, saw the beaded sweat on her body and tangled mane, but there was something missing.  The one and only thing that could distinct a horse from a unicorn was missing - her horn.  There was only a small rigid stub of horn left. It was gone, cut from her forehead.

              Too distracted by the image that filled my head, I did not see what transpired between Pete and the other vampires. All I knew was that he was leading the frightened creature toward me now. He loosened the rope around her neck and turned in the direction of the cave.

“We can’t stay here.”

              I looked up when I heard a rumble of thunder. “We have to be quick.”

              In no time at all, the sky opened up and icy rain came down over us in sheets. I put on my cape hood and found it barely helped, being permeable. Pete took his cape off and tied it over the unicorn’s head. My cape was drenched, but my clothes beneath were not as wet. Pete’s shirt was soaked and he struggled to move at a quick pace with the weight of his clothes. We managed to reach the cave quickly and took the unicorn inside to where it was warm. She fell to her knees in exhaustion once Pete took off the rope.

“You poor thing,” I whispered.

“Oh,” the unicorn said, “what did I do to deserve this?”

“What is your name?”

“My name? My name is Lazuli.”

“What happened to your horn?”

“They cut it off. Those vampires captured me. I tried to escape but it was no use.” She paused, closing her eyes. “I don’t have much time to live now.”

              Pete studied the unicorn quietly. “You’re in foal?”

“Yes, but it is too early for it to be born.”

“Then you are saying your baby will die?”

“Oh,” the unicorn moaned, “I want it to live, but what if it dies too?”

“There is a chance it will live.”

“What good will come of my baby unicorn if I give it to the world? I have seen this place, no place for my baby. Just look at what happened to me.”

“You can trust us with your baby,” I offered.

“How could I trust you?”

“We were sent by Princess Pearl-,”

“She said you were coming. She knew my fate. She sent you for my baby…for its protection, didn’t she?”

“Maybe she did, but really I need to know where my son is. She said you could help me and that you are much stronger than she is.”

“I would, but I have no power left to offer to you. There is one thing you can do. I know that if you go to the Star Pool, north of here, it can tell you what you need to know. You will need a unicorn to come with you in order for the pool…to work for you.” She opened her eyes and then closed them again. “Please…name my foal…Versailles.”

              Just as soon as the foal was born, Lazuli gasped her last breath. The unicorn’s body vanished instantly.

              I took off my jacket, wrapped it around the baby, and nestled her in my arms. I sat up against the wall of the cave with nothing to say and simply stared at Pete. He took his wet shirt off and sat close to the small fire. His chest shook with each breath and he uttered a sickening cough.

“Oh no…no…vampires don’t get sick.”

“Oh they do and when they do, it’s usually pretty bad,” he reassured me, sarcastically.

              His voice was already getting raspy and he coughed loudly again, grabbing a blanket from one of the saddlebags, but it was wet and dripping water. The saddlebags were too close to the mouth of the cave and water had soaked them. His snowy owl flew from Jasper’s horn and landed on his shoulder, attempting to spare some warmth to him. Jasper nudged him closer to the fire.

              I looked down at the baby unicorn and fingered her short white fur. She was so young, so helpless. The small glass-like horn covered by her forelock was like a stub of porcelain. Pete was already half-asleep against Jasper’s hot scales. I leaned back against the rocky cave wall and gazed at the fire for several minutes. My head filled with ease and my thoughts dwindled.

E
veryone woke early, eager to travel while the sky was clear of clouds. We traveled nearly all morning in search of warm shelter. Pete uttered a sickening cough. A damp blanket hung over his shoulders. The baby unicorn was sound asleep in my arms. I knew she would need milk eventually or else she would be too weak to survive. I shaded my face from the blazing sun, a figure up ahead catching my attention.

“I think I see something.”

              As we approached closer, I saw it was a woman. She was elderly with heavy wrinkles below her eyes. She stopped raking the leaves in her garden to look up at us with a kind smile.

“Oh dear,” she cried. “Did that awful cough come from one of you?”

              Pete coughed harshly in response.

“You must have been traveling for quite a while. You should come inside and I will make some soup for the two of you.”

“Oh…really, you are too kind.”

“Nonsense, it will be nice to finally have some company.” She turned to guide Pete inside and then looked back at me. “You can put your dragon inside the barn. There is a large stall where I used to keep my own dragon…but that was a long time ago.”

              I smiled and headed toward the barn. It was large, its dark red paint was chipping off, but the doors had locks and it was dry inside. The floorboards were well aged and creaked with every step. Bales of hay were stacked to the ceiling toward the very back. A startled whinny came from nearby once Jasper entered.

              We walked together down the long row of stalls and found the largest one at the very end. He stepped inside and found it comfortable enough. The unicorn shifted in my arms, causing me to lose my balance and fall into one of the stable doors.

“Who is there?” A boy, probably fifteen or so, appeared from behind a stack of hay.

“Who are you?” he demanded.

“I am Chenille, Queen of-,”

“I know who you are.” He said suddenly, cutting me off.

“Who are you?”

“I am Moran. I work on this farm with my grandmother, Felia. What are you doing here?”

“I have been traveling for days. Thanks to your grandmother’s hospitality, we finally have a place to stay for a while.” There was a loud banging coming from the stall nearby.

“That is our new horse. She is a wild one, I am sure of it.”

              I looked down at Versailles as she nudged my arm.

“A newborn unicorn…well I’ll be. Here, take this.”

              He handed me a bottle filled with goat’s milk. “It isn’t unicorn milk, but it’s the next best thing.”

              I took the bottle with my free hand. “I am going inside.”

“I will come with you.”

              I had to owe it to Felia. She had a beautiful piece of land, a beautiful green pasture outcrop among the mountain range. I stepped inside the small house and immediately felt weak from the heat of the kitchen.

“Your friend is in the shower,” Felia said quietly as she carefully stirred the soup.

              Moran took the unicorn from my arms and placed her delicately on a chair. She watched him with half-closed eyes as he took the bottle of milk from my hands and poured it into a small pot on the stove. He opened the cupboard, taking out a large white rag and ran it under warm water from the small sink. He looked up at me once he bent down to the unicorn as if asking permission to handle her and then proceeded to wipe her off.

“Have you named her yet?” He asked.

“Versailles.”

              He said the name quietly to himself. There was a loud creek of old floorboards coming from upstairs. “You can get yourself into a shower now.” Felia said, her gaze never moving from the soup.

              I hesitated and looked down at Versailles. Moran caught my glance and smiled. “You don’t have to worry about a thing. I will take care of Versailles while you are gone.”

             
He is experienced enough, living on a farm and all
,
I thought.

              I went to the stairs and looked back toward Felia.

“Upstairs, first door on the left is the bathroom. And at the end to your right is the guest room,” she said, still focusing on the soup.

              I turned and walked up the stairs to find the bathroom on the left. The water was either too hot or too cold, but served its purpose to get me clean. I dried myself off and put on a blue robe that I found on the counter beside the sink. I hung the damp towel on the doorknob and went straight to the guest bedroom.

              There were two small beds in the tight room, a nightstand between them. A warm fireplace was at the foot of the bed to the right where Versailles and the two birds slept heavily. Pete was in the other bed. His eyes remained closed, but I could tell he was not asleep. He opened his eyes and looked at me once I sat on the edge of the bed. He took my hand and pressed it lightly to the side of his burning face. Felia came into the room with a large bowl of soup and Pete sat up.

“There is more downstairs if you’d like some,” she offered.

              Moran was sitting at the table, alone, as I expected. His bowl was empty, but the one directly across from him was not. He nodded his head toward it.

“I poured you some.”

“Thanks.” I sat across from him aware he was watching me like a hawk. “I fed Versailles.” He said, breaking the silence. I said nothing.

              Felia walked down the stairs so quietly, I had not heard her. She took the empty bowls from the table and looked over at the two of us just staring blankly at each other.

“I have to go and milk the cows. I hope the two of you can tolerate each other while I am gone.” She turned to me. “I left some cream for your friend on the counter. It should help ease his cough.”

              She then left and I turned back to face Moran. “Are you a mortal?” I asked at last.

              He shrugged his shoulders. “My grandmother makes medicine. She has a way with herbs. My parents died when I was young and I was placed in her care.” He crossed his arms and placed them on the table. “Why do you want to know?”

“Just curious, I guess.”

              He watched me get the cream and, being overly conscious, I was sure he watched me walk all the way up the stairs. I sat beside Pete and he opened his eyes slowly as I applied the cream to his chest. When I was done, I put the empty bowl on the nightstand and Pete reached out and grabbed my arms, pulling me down so I rested beside him. His breathing was still uneasy and he leaned his head against me as I dozed off.

              An icy chill came over me and I shot up in bed.
How long have I been sleeping? 

              Pete was stirring in his sleep beside me. My mouth was dry, bidding me to make my way down the stairs to get some water. There were a few water bottles on the counter and I took one. A hand icily grabbed my shoulder.

“Moran?” My voice was barely a whisper.

“Yes,” he whispered back.

              I turned and rubbed my eyes. In the soft glow from a candle in the far corner of the kitchen, he appeared taller. The water bottle dropped from my hands and the cold liquid spilled over my feet. I fell helplessly, my knees suddenly buckling under me, causing me to clutch onto Moran for support. Unbearable pain flowed through me and my head pounded with the pain of a severe migraine. 

“Chenille, what’s the matter?”

              He held me up and looked at my desperate face.   “Chenille,” he said again, “tell me what’s wrong.”

              I could scarcely breathe and held to him as tight as I could manage, even after he put me down on the bed beside the unicorn and the two birds.

“My back,” I cried, feeling a burning pain slice down my spine.

“Nothing is there.” He assured me. The pain began to ease and turned to numbness.

“You still there?” I squeezed his hand, but could not feel it.

“Yes, I am.”

              I closed my eyes, trying to decipher if what I was experiencing was a nightmare or reality. My conscious, my instinct, told me I could not stay here another day.

              Felia was humming softly in the kitchen the next morning. The smell of fried eggs filled the small room. I looked around in alarm, realizing something was not right.

“Where is Moran?”

              A furtive smile played across her lips. “He went to tend to the horses. He should be back soon.”

              I sat impatiently and stared at the small wooden clock beside the sink. It was nearly noon. Felia handed me a plate of eggs.

“For your friend,” she said.

              I took it up to the room and found he was still asleep so I placed the plate on the nightstand and made my way downstairs again. The front door opened with a loud slam against the wall and Moran’s figure occupied the doorway, his face flushed pale.

“You look shaken.”

“She is gone! That wild horse we found the other day is missing!”

“Things happen,” Felia replied calmly, shrugging her shoulders.

              He ignored her and sat across from me, his head in his hands. “I don’t understand. How could I have forgotten to lock the barn?”

              He did not talk to me at all that afternoon after that. I gazed at Versailles and stroked her short mane. “The Star Pool, we have to go there soon.”

             
Maybe tonight
, I thought.

              I went outside and stood on the porch for a long while looking at the mountains. Then I saw Moran coming toward the small house and ran to him.

“What happened last night?” I demanded.

“What are you talking about?” He walked straight by me. I stood in front of him, making him come to a halt.

“What happened last night?”

“
Nothing
happened last night,” he breathed.

              I could tell he was lying, but I was not going to stay any longer and risk anything else to come over me here.
I took a piece of notepaper that was sticking from the nightstand drawer and began to write.

Pete,

             
I have to leave if I ever hope to find my son. I know you are still terribly ill and it is so that I cannot take you with me any further. You are in kind hands for the time being and I wish you well. I am going to the Star Pool in hopes to find the answers I seek. With all my heart, I beg you to stay here. I will leave Jasper for you so you can find me easier when you are well.

             
Until we meet again, Chenille.

              I placed the letter beside him and put on my cape. Valiant flew to my shoulder and I scooped up Versailles into my arms. With no more than a few bottles of stolen goat milk, I sneaked away from the old farm, hoping Moran would not hear me as I did so.