Unicorn Bait (15 page)

“It sounds like the plan to me,” Mr. Squibbles said.

“You forgot one key thing. I'm her son. And what does every mother want for her son?”

She looked over to Mr. Squibbles for the answer, but it was Yula who spoke up. “Happiness. Every mother wants her son to be happy.”

“No, that's what a good mother wants. We're not talking about someone like you, Yula.”

That was a serious burn. She couldn't believe he'd just said that in front of his mother. She looked over at Agatha for her reaction. The witch was shaking her head with her hands on her hips. She slowly began to turn around. “I suppose I am a bad mother if one judges me by my son--a demon worshiper and war monger. Silly me for hoping I could change that.”

“And you thought that I'd abandon everything once I had a pretty wife to warm my bed?”

He thought she was pretty? That made her feel nice, though it was probably the wrong thing to be focusing on.

“I thought you might finally see the folly of your ways!”

“No, you expected me to fuck her.”

What! 

“I really am an awful mother. Just look at my son.”

Tavik growled in frustration and stomped over to the door and put his head against the doorjamb. If he wanted to open it, he'd have to use his teeth.

Naomi cast her eyes to the familiar. He was looking back and forth between mother and son.

“Do you know what they're talking about?”

He shook his head.

Yula came over to join their huddle. “So she wanted you to sleep with him?”

“I don't know! She always stopped him when he was about to do anything before.”

“Well, she was in the room. What else was she going to do?” Mr. Squibbles said.

“So I was supposed to sleep with him?”

“Heck if I know anymore. Definitely won't get a unicorn if you do.”

Deciding to table the whole sex with Tavik question, she asked, “How do we smooth this over?”

“Trust me. You don’t want to get in the middle of that.”

“They won’t do anything to each other,” Yula said, but she didn’t sound too sure.

“Were you watching the same argument as me?” asked Mr. Squibbles.

Yula’s eyes darted between the mother and son. “Of course they wouldn’t hurt each other, they’re family.”

Mr. Squibbles snorted. “May I remind you that she kidnapped her own son. She wouldn’t think twice about cursing him if he made her mad enough. She probably has a few on the tip of her tongue right now.”

“Then maybe we should distract them from each other,” Naomi suggested. “Yula, you take Agatha. Mr. Squibbles help her. I’ll take Tavik.”

“Are you sure you can handle him?” he asked.

“Of course, he’s my husband.” She knew that didn’t mean anything, but someone had to go talk to him, and she was the best candidate.

He still stood at the door. His left eye was twitching, and he was grinding his teeth. He looked murderous. She didn’t want him to direct any of that anger her way. She liked all of her limbs just where they were. She crept to his side and waited for him to acknowledge her, but his eyes stayed firmly trained on the door's wood grain. She took her chances and stroked his arm. His eyes snapped down to her, and she cringed. He stepped back from the door, and she slipped in front of him. She was surprised when he stepped back in and bent his head to rest it on top of hers. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rubbed his back in slow circles, hoping a little comfort would help.

“Hard to believe we’re family isn’t it?” he murmured into her ear.

She squeezed him before answering. “No, only people who love each other can get this mad at one another.”

“Yes, but how long do you think it takes for the anger to burn all the love away?”

“Has it burned all of your love away?”

He buried his face in the crook of her neck in answer. She ran a hand over his head gently. From across the room, soft sobs traveled to them. In response, he shuddered in her arms. God, they were tearing each other apart, she thought looking over his shoulder at Agatha. Yula was hugging her and patting her on the back as the witch’s shoulders shook.

Naomi braced herself against the door and slid down to sit. Tavik moved to the floor with her. She looked at his face and saw how ragged he still was. “Lie down,” she said softly. He grimaced and began to move away to do so, but she pulled him back and patted her lap. He laid his head down and snuggled into her stomach. She felt him sigh against her. She caressed his head and hoped he fell asleep. She watched Yula’s progress with Agatha. The witch was wiping her eyes and nodding at what Yula was saying. She glanced their way and saw Tavik stretched out on the floor with his head in her lap. She rolled her lips, her eyes watering again, and wandered over to the pot. Quietly, they went back to work on the spell. Naomi heard Yula softly protest that they could do this another night, but Agatha didn’t pay attention to her. Naomi dozed off as the two worked. She didn’t dream.

*          *          *

The next morning, Naomi didn’t want to wake up. She could feel pins and needles pricking her body in her unconscious state. She knew if she woke up those pins and needles would become knives stabbing her all over. Unfortunately, someone dropped a large metal pot which jolted her awake and straight into pain. She flailed about unsure what to clutch first. Her back, her head, her legs, even her eyelashes ached. It was a good thing Tavik’s head was no longer in her lap or else he would surely have been harmed by her spastic motions. She rubbed her eyes and looked around for him. He was seated at the table, giving her a sympathetic look. She waved and tried to stand. It took a bit of fumbling before she could gain her feet. Never sleep sitting up on a wooden floor again, she told herself. Yula apologized for startling her awake and offered her a hot pad for her muscles.

“Yes, please, thank you, you’re wonderful,” she croaked as she lowered herself into a chair. She wondered if her hair had turned gray overnight. She sounded eighty. Yula gave her a cloth bag full of hot uncooked rice and went back to bustling over breakfast. She sighed and pressed the hot pad into her lower back. She looked over at Tavik.

“You could use one of these too.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m used to sleeping on hard--” but before he could finish, Yula pushed him forward and dropped a hot pad behind him. When he leaned back, she saw his face relax in comfort. “—surfaces,” he said as he sighed.

Yula was a domestic dervish: she beat eggs, fried bacon, and baked bread. After watching her for ten minutes, Naomi felt tired enough to go back to sleep. Agatha and Mr. Squibbles weren’t around. When Yula swept by, she tugged her skirt to get her attention. “Where’s Agatha?” she mouthed. Yula indicated the door with her head and went back to work.

Naomi looked over at Tavik and studied him. He didn’t look as ragged as last night, but he still looked worn out. She bit her lip. After what she’d learned, it didn’t seem right to keep him tied up. Agatha was his mother for God’s sake. He wouldn’t attack his mother at least that was what she thought. She lurched up from her seat, her body screaming to return to the hot pad, and went behind his chair. She reached down to untie his hands. He grew completely still when he realized what she was doing. After the rope was undone, she raised her hands and massaged his shoulders and biceps. When she moved to go back to her seat, he jerked her into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. She hugged him back dazedly.

“Thank you,” he breathed into her ear.

Her cheeks became very warm, and she ducked her head. “I probably should’ve done it sooner.”

When Yula saw that Tavik was no longer bound, she gave her a smile of approval and began setting out breakfast. Naomi unwound Tavik’s arms from her waist once the food was out. He let go of her reluctantly but pulled her chair closer to his and kept his arm across the back of it.

Finally Agatha returned from whatever she had been doing and stopped short at the sight of Tavik feeding himself. Naomi carefully watched the witch’s reaction. She hoped her decision wouldn’t upset her but couldn’t believe that a mother would rather see her son tied up than not. Agatha merely nodded curtly at them and took a seat across the table. Mr. Squibbles jumped off the witch’s arm to go to his own plate. Tavik and Agatha ate staring at their food. Yula and Naomi exchanged concerned glances as the tension persisted between the family members. She didn't know what to do. Agatha obviously hated the fact that he had devoted himself to Errilol. He seemed to think he had to do it to protect her and others from some danger in the past, but he was still devoted to the war god. She didn’t understand why he was still faithful to him. He’d admitted that Errilol was not a kind or just god. Why he hadn’t severed all ties with him was beyond her knowledge. She wanted to get a chance alone to ask him.

“Have you figured out why we've brought you here?” Agatha abruptly asked. Naomi jumped and dropped her fork. She looked to the witch in surprise. There was no glimmer of benevolence or even mischief in her eyes.

Tavik lifted his head from his plate to consider the question. He looked out the window at their location. “You seek to capture a unicorn.”

“And do you know why we want a unicorn?” Naomi got a sinking feeling in her stomach.

“Agatha,” she said softly.

Yula had also stilled and looked nervous. He looked at his mother for a moment. “You want a horn,” he said.

She snorted. “Well of course, but why do you think we desire a horn?”

Naomi stared at her wondering why the old woman wanted to ruin everything more. He looked over at her and noticed her pallor. He removed his arm from her chair and turned to look squarely at her. He wanted the answer to come from her. She bowed her head as she composed herself to answer. She had to steel herself to look back up into his eyes. “I need to find a unicorn to send me home.”  

“I’ll take you on ship or wagon wherever you wish to go.”

She shook her head and bowed it again. “The only way I can go home is by unicorn. Please Tavik, help me.” He lifted her chin and brushed his thumb across her mouth.

“What if I don’t want to let you go?” he said.

Tears welled up in her eyes. She wasn’t sure what exactly was upsetting her. She knew she was supposed to go home. That was the plan from day one, but to have to ask him to help her made her feel awful. “Please,” she said.

He didn’t reply. Agatha slammed her utensils down. “You will help her whether you want to or not.” He turned dead eyes towards his mother. Naomi grabbed his jaw and turned his face back to her. She didn’t want them to fight, especially if it were over her.

“Tavik, it’s your decision,” she said. Agatha gasped, and Yula’s jaw dropped. Naomi, though, felt strangely calm.

Chapter 14

Unicorns don’t like the color orange.

“Are you mad? He will never help you!” Agatha declared.

She stared into his eyes a few moments longer and then calmly turned away. She didn’t know what had possessed her to say he could decide whether to help her go home, but she would stand by her decision. She would not force him to do this for her. Yula cleared the breakfast dishes. Mr. Squibbles jumped into the old woman’s apron pocket to stay out of everybody’s way.

Naomi rose from the table and began putting on her winter gear. “Where are you going?” Tavik asked standing up also.

She shrugged. “Out for a walk.”

“I’ll go with you.” He swung Yula’s cloak onto his shoulders. Agatha turned her back on them. It hurt Naomi to see her do that. She admired the witch. She hoped they’d be able to mend their differences before she left.

“Wait for me,” Mr. Squibbles said as he struggled out of Yula’s apron pocket, but Yula knocked him back in and sealed it with her hand.

“Be back by lunch,” she said by way of farewell.         

They picked their way across the plateau silently. It was an even bleaker place in the sunshine. Small twisted shrubs and prickly scrub grass were all that grew there. It was hard to understand why unicorns might want to roam there except for the isolation. They made their way to the edge and looked over the rocky drop. The wind whipped and tugged at them. Tavik put his arm around her waist to ground her. They stood like that for a while, huddled against each other.

“You won’t be able to come back if you leave will you?”

She shook her head and burrowed deeper into her cloak. He pulled her into his arms and held her close, letting her put her face against him to escape the wind.

“I don’t want to let you go,” he told her.

She nodded silently and pressed herself closer. She hadn’t had a conscious thought since leaving the cottage. She was just going on autopilot now as she waited for what happened next to occur.

“Naomi, look at me.”

She lifted her head and looked at him. He smoothed away the few loose strands of hair that whipped across her face. “What do you want?” he asked.

She scrunched her eyes closed and leaned her forehead against him to avoid answering. He lifted her chin back up to look at him. She tried to duck her head again, but he laid it the length of her jaw and held her steady.

“I don’t want to say,” she murmured.

“You have to.”

She squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry Tavik, but I want to go home,” she choked out. He held her tighter and nodded.

“I know,” he whispered. He turned his head and kissed her softly on the cheek. Tears slid sluggishly down her face, leaving frost tracks behind them. His warm lips kissed them away.

She sniffled and looked miserably down the plateau’s side. She wanted to know when the idea of leaving began to hurt. The pain had begun gradually but when? Her mind flickered back through past events, but she couldn’t find the defining moment. She liked these people. She wasn’t ready to let them go, but she wasn’t the one letting go. She was the one leaving. It was her choice. She’d been so gung-ho to go home once upon a time. Now, she stood on the brink of departure and was looking back with regret. She wiped angrily at her face. She was almost at her goal. She hadn’t asked to come here. She hadn’t wanted to. She had every right to go home. Home was sane, safe, and had all sorts of comforts that didn’t exist here. She shouldn’t feel bad about leaving, but she did. She felt awful.

“Let’s go back,” he said. He turned them toward the cottage, but she balked. She didn’t want to go back to the cottage. It wasn’t time. She wasn’t ready. Tavik scooped her up into his arms in a bridal carry and began striding back. She reflexively tried to wiggle out of his grasp. His hold tightened. It dimly reminded her of the last time he’d carried her. Their wedding day. She looked up at him and saw a muscle in his jaw twitching. She ran her free hand along the muscle to soothe it. He had frost tracks on his face too.

She emitted a small teary hiccup and wrapped her arms around his neck and drifted into a no man zone in her head. She was going home. This was supposed to be a happy day. She couldn’t stop crying. She came back to herself when he stopped outside the cottage. She was in no state to appreciate the fact that he'd carried her a couple of miles without slackening his hold or slowing his pace. He set her on her feet and gently pushed her forward.

Agatha sat at the table, pouring over her map again. She looked up at their entrance and gave them a sullen glare. “Well?” 

“Naomi’s going home,” he announced. Agatha blinked a moment in surprise at the news. She looked back and forth between the pair, then back down at her map.

“The best chance of attracting a unicorn is at night. You should rest up now. It may be a long vigil,” she said to the map.

He wordlessly moved to the bed in the far corner. Naomi hung back. Yula sidled up beside her. “You should spend what time you have left with him.” She blinked and looked at her.

“Did you find out anything about your sons?”

A spark of pleasure appeared in her eye. “I know where both of them are. Ryan, my oldest, has become a blacksmith for one of the armies, and Warrick is an infantryman in the same army and one of them is married. Agatha couldn’t tell which one, but I now have a daughter.” Naomi smiled, happy that Yula had learned good news. She patted Naomi’s back. “Now go rest,” she said.

She looked at the bed where Tavik lay. Yula and Agatha had used it the previous nights. He'd lain down fully clothed. His eyes were closed. She moved over and got into the bed as gently as possible to not disturb him if he’d already fallen asleep. He opened his eyes though, and opened his arms. She slipped into them, and the two fell asleep holding each other.

Her phantom unicorn came back to taunt her. He stood perfectly still for her now as she approached. She reached out her hand, and he didn't move. As her hand grazed his cheek, he lowered his head and rammed his horn through her heart.

She shot up in bed with a gasp. Her hands instantly checked her chest for a stab wound. Tavik sat up too and blinked sleepily at her.

“Are you all right?”

She nodded but pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, not wanting to lie back down. He ran a hand down her back. “It was just a bad dream,” she told him.

He leaned back against the wall and pulled her back to lie against him. She allowed herself to be uncurled and laid her head on his chest. “How long before dark?” she asked.

He looked toward the windows. “A few more hours.”

“Oh.” He kissed the top her head, and they watched the day slip slowly away from the comfort of the bed. Yula and Agatha were in and out. They conferred in hushed tones, not wanting to disturb the two younger people.

Naomi watched Yula tidying the cottage. “You won’t hold any of this against Yula once this is over, will you?” She felt Tavik shake his head above her.

“No, I won’t. I will have to re-assume the helm when I go back. Errilol is too distrusted to allow the people to see his mark, but I know I can trust her not to breathe a word of this to anyone, even to her sons.”

“So you’ll let her go see them?”

“She may go and stay with them if she wishes. I can’t defend why I didn’t ever help her find her sons or show any interest in doing so.” Naomi didn’t reproach him for his willing oversight. They had all been through so much the past couple of days. It would be cruel to start slinging guilt around; especially since she felt she could be slapped with a hefty dollop herself.

The sun set as the four humans and one mouse took their last meal together. The mood was somber. Once everyone took their final bite, Agatha had produced the clothes she’d been wearing when she’d arrived at Harold’s Pass and said she should probably put them back on. It felt strange to be back in her sweatshirt and jeans. Tavik fingered the ribbed hem of her sweatshirt for a long time. He wouldn’t tell her what he was thinking.

Agatha had been looking over the map and finally rolled it back up. “It’s time. We should move a good ways from the cottage. Naomi, show me where you last saw the unicorn. Everyone dress warmly. I don’t know how long we’ll have to stay out there. Hopefully a unicorn will appear promptly and let us get this over with.”

Naomi grimaced as put on a cloak. She wanted to drag her feet but wouldn’t let herself. If she wouldn’t say stop, then she shouldn’t delay. Everyone trudged out of the cottage and headed away to look for a unicorn.

To attract the unicorn, Tavik had to distance himself from the women. In theory, the unicorn would allow him to approach and communicate with the beast, but the only records they had of unicorn encounters were of kills. None of them knew how the unicorn would react when asked to perform a favor.

The night was very cold, and they couldn’t start a fire because it would keep all the unicorns away and attract less pleasant creatures. The three women huddled together to stay warm, but they had quickly given up the hope of maintaining any feeling in their toes, noses, or finger tips. Naomi couldn’t imagine how cold Tavik was off by himself. He didn’t huddle and shiver like them. He stood tall and stared ahead. She peered hard around the plateau for a glimpse of shimmering white, but the plateau was empty and silent. She prayed they would not have to wait out there long. She didn’t want anyone to catch frostbite for her. After several hours, Tavik began walking toward them. She noticed his break in position with relief.

“Tavik, stop!” Agatha shouted. Naomi jerked to face the witch. She couldn’t be serious. They were slowly freezing to death. Enough was enough. “Look.” Agatha pointed. She looked where she directed and felt her heart both fall and flutter. Standing twenty yards away was a unicorn. Tavik noticed the beast too and faced it. The unicorn pranced around. Steam rose in thin wisps from his gleaming white coat and huge clouds drifted from his mouth. “Approach the unicorn slowly,” Agatha instructed.

He looked over his shoulder at his mother. Naomi couldn’t be sure in the wan light of the moon, but she thought he rolled his eyes. She hid a smile. Her eyes darted back to the unicorn. It was cautiously edging toward him.

Tavik stood his ground and let the unicorn come to him. The unicorn reached out its neck. Naomi’s heart skipped as her nightmare came back to her. Her eyes were glued to the horn tip. Her breath caught every time it dipped down toward Tavik’s chest. 

“Why the little squirt brought carrots,” Agatha breathed.

She turned to the witch incredulously, not believing that she had just called him a little squirt. Yula chuckled. She turned back and watched the unicorn nudge Tavik’s shoulder obviously wanting more carrots. He swatted the unicorn’s head away good naturally. The moonlight gleamed off Tavik’s teeth as he smiled.

“Don’t take all night, Tavik!” Agatha called.

The unicorn’s head shot up to look at the three women. She feared Agatha would scare the beast away with her shout, but Tavik quickly recaptured his attention with another piece of carrot. She thought she heard him say something to the beast but couldn’t make out any of the words. The unicorn stepped back as if to consider a request. She held her breath. This was it. Either the beast agreed or-- they would just try again with a different unicorn. She didn’t know if she could do this over and over every night if they had to go through a number of unicorns to find one to take her back to her home.

Her eyes stayed with Tavik and the unicorn, and although she didn’t blink, it took her a second to process the fact that he'd turned and was motioning her to come to him. Yula gave her a helpful push, and she suddenly found herself in motion towards them. As she got closer, she discerned the unhappy smile on Tavik’s face. She stopped a yard away and stared dumbly at them. He motioned for her to come closer. She crept closer slowly. He lunged forward and grabbed her arm and jerked her to them. She stumbled into him and scrambled to turn around to face the unicorn. The unicorn tossed his mane about in displeasure. She pressed back against Tavik afraid that the horn would come at her.

He rubbed her arms to soothe her. “Calm down. He won’t hurt you.”

She tried to calm down, but she wasn't as sure as Tavik, after all the unicorn’s horn was pointed at her. “He says he'll send you home. All you must do is picture it, and when he pricks you, you will be sent there.”

“He said all that?” She felt him smile against her ear.

“More or less.”

“More or less!” she squawked.

“Essentially.”

She directed a glare at him and heard him chuckle. “I am going to miss you, Naomi,” he said and softly kissed her ear. She sucked in a breath and felt it freeze her lungs. Her heart was pounding.

“Close your eyes and picture your home,” he repeated. She did as instructed and imagined her kitchen. “Now hold out your hand.” She lifted her arm blindly. She steeled herself but began to panic. She hadn’t said good bye properly to anyone. They hadn’t wanted to do it in case it didn’t happen that night. She reached with her free hand for one of Tavik’s larger ones and threaded his fingers with hers.

“I’ll miss you too,” she said. He squeezed her hand and let it go. He must have stepped away. She couldn’t feel him near her.