The Gathering (46 page)

"Yeah, thanks!"

She ran out of the kitchen.
 
Kaley stood up and tried to grab her, but Alisha shook her off and ran up the stairs.
 
Kaley looked at her mother, but before she could say anything, Alia held up her hand.

"Don't even think about it!
 
I told you to talk to your sister.
 
I suggest you do that now."

Kaley sighed and ran up the stairs.
 
Alia looked around at the other kids, who were wide-eyed.
 

"Anyone else getting married?"

Rebecca held up her hand and Alia raised her eyebrow.

"Just kidding, I have a date though."

Alia smiled and grabbed Rebecca as they laughed.
 
Sara stood up and kissed her mother's cheek.

"Speaking of dates, I have one too.
 
I'll see you all later."

Coeli, Brian, Tanner and Chris all looked at each other and then Alia.
 
Tanner shrugged.

"Ok, Mom, spill it."

"Spill what?"

"When do we get to meet the unicorns?"

Alia smiled again.

"Later, today, if you want, but…you aren't to go spreading this around.
 
That army…that guy without the face…I think they want to hurt the unicorns, so let's keep it quiet, huh?"

The kids all nodded and Brian walked over to Alia.

"It'll be ok, Mom.
 
I know it."

Alia touched his face and then kissed his cheek.

"Thanks, Kid.
 
Go on, go find your friends."

"Ok, but I want to see the unicorns, too, ok?"

"Yes, Sir."

The rest of the children left and Alia sat quietly in the chair until Gloria walked over and laid a cigarette in front of her.

"You're a goddess, Gloria."

"Don’t I know it?"

They laughed as Alia stood and walked to the kitchen door, lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply.
 
She missed smoking.

57

Alisha sat quietly on her bed, the tears falling slowly down her cheeks.
 
She wiped them away angrily as she looked out her balcony.

Kaley knocked on the door.

"Alisha, let me in."

"Go away!"

"C'mon, Lish.
 
Let me in.
 
Talk to me."

Alisha jumped off the bed and threw the door open."

"Why do you always steal my thunder, huh?
 
Why?!"

Kaley was taken aback and shook her head.

"What are you talking about?
 
I haven't made any plans.
 
I just got engaged last night."

Alisha threw her arms up in despair and fell back on the bed, sobbing.
 
Kaley walked in and closed the door behind her.
 
She walked over to Alisha and gently touched her shoulder.

"What's going on?"

Alisha sat up and took a handkerchief from her end table.
 
She blew her nose.

"I just wanted…I don't know…I sound like an ass when I say it."

"Say what?"

"I just wanted it to be about me."

Kaley smiled and nodded.

"Ok."

Alisha looked at her sister with bloodshot eyes and then looked down.

"I just need for my wedding to be special."

"Of course you do.
 
Every girl needs that.
 
I'm not having a hand-fasting, Alisha.
 
When Ian and I get married, it'll be a Catholic ceremony and I don't want big, just family and a few friends.
 
Ian and I haven't even talked about it.
 
He just asked.
 
I told mom and yeah, we want to do it before we leave, but…"

Alisha gasped.

"You're leaving?"

Kaley nodded.
 
Alisha started to cry again.

"I'm a horrible sister."

Kaley shook her head and took Alisha's face in her hands.

"No, you're not.
 
You're crazy, but you're not horrible."

Kaley smiled at Alisha and Alisha laughed and nodded.
 
Kaley reached out to Alisha and the sisters embraced.

"Don't worry, Lish.
 
That day will be all yours.
 
We'll figure it out, ok?"

Alisha nodded and then pulled away to blow her nose again.
 
She looked at Kaley.

"I love you, Kale."

"I love you, too.
 
Now stop crying and let's get out of here."

Alisha nodded and wiped her face as the sisters walked out of the room.
 
Below Alisha's balcony, Ferage was watching.
 
He lowered his head and returned to the woods.
 

58

Alia had walked down to the main gate and told Quinn to open it and let her out.
 
He looked over at Todd, who shrugged, wide-eyed.

"Quinn."

He turned back to the queen.

"Open the gate, now."

Quinn nodded reluctantly and opened the gate just enough for Alia to slip through.
 
Just before she was already through she turned.

"Close the gate behind me and don't let anyone follow.
 
Do I make myself clear?"

They nodded.

"But Your Highness?"

"Yes?"

"Don't you think you should have a guard?
 
And what if the captain asks?"

"I don't need a guard, Todd, and if Captain Lantry asks after me, tell him you don't know where I am."

"Ok."

Quinn had a pained look on his face as she slipped through the opening and they closed the heavy gate behind her.
 
Todd looked at him.

"You ok?"

"Yeah…I just can't lie.
 
I suck at it."

"I know, me, too."

"I guess we just avoid everyone then, huh?"

"Yeah…I guess so."

They moved back to their posts and waited.

Alia moved quickly to the woods and stepped lightly through the trees.
 
She had heard Ferage call to her.

The cool autumn air was edging ever closer to winter.
 
She felt the sting of the cold as a branch brushed across her face.

She made her way to the clearing and moved to the center where she called out in her mind.

"Ferage, Ferage…can you hear me?"

Suddenly there came a rustling from her right.
 
She turned to look and from the thicket came the mighty stallion.
 
As he walked towards her, she could swear he was smiling.

"Hello, Alia."

Alia felt herself smile and she rushed to him, closed her eyes and buried her cold face in his soft warm fur.
 
She didn't know why, but whenever she was around this beast, she felt like a child again.
 
She was full of wonder and awe.
 

"Alia?"

She pulled herself back to reality and stepped back.
 
He was looking at her.

"Are you alright?"

“No…did you know about St. Viviana’s?

Ferage looked at the ground and nodded.

"Why didn’t you tell us?"

“By the time we had learned of the massacre, there was nothing you could've done…besides you had seen it in your dreams.”

“My dreams?
 
I don’t understand my dreams.”

“Of course you do.
 
I have never before met a witch who so deeply embraces the universe of magic and then so deftly denies her ties.”

Alia smiled and shook her head.

“Stop speaking in riddles…the war being fought in your home world…how did it affect you and your people?”

Ferage was now looking at Alia again and she could feel his sadness.

"My people were killed for our magic."

"What is your magic?
 
I know so little about what unicorns really are and what they can do."

Ferage smiled and turned, looking at a mare and foal in the distance, grazing on grass.
 
Then he turned back to Alia.

"We can see the future, but it is limited.
 
We can create telepathic ties, and we can teleport, but only as a whole.
 
The misconception of our kind is that we are solitary animals…we actually depend on one another deeply.”

Alia looked at him and furrowed her brow, then looked out at the other unicorns now grazing with the mare and foal.

"But why would they kill you?"

“By consuming the blood of our kind, a human will develop great powers.
 
We carry inside us the innocence of the gods.
 
To take our blood is to take part of them into oneself, but of course to take our blood, one must kill us, for we could never allow that power to be given to any one man or woman.
 
That is for the gods to decide.
 
But one man, one man has killed many of us for that power.”

“The Shape.”

“You have seen him?”

“In my dreams…he’s powerful…he’s the one who is behind all of this, isn’t he?”

Ferage nodded and looked out at his herd.

“He wants more.
 
The magic he has stolen from us is borrowed magic and he’s losing it.
 
Just like all innocence, the magic from unicorn blood is fleeting…he wants us and he can feel us.
 
We came to you because we need you to save us, Alia…and yourself.”