Unicorn Keep (20 page)

Seeming to take her silence as an affirmative, he moved back to the center of the grove and began to make camp.

****

Herrick
leapt up, flung his arms out. “Be blinded, be gone!”

The presence vanished in a shock wave.

“What was it?” Jiline whispered. He was beside her in an instant and pulling her to her feet.

“My mother,” he paused, “at least I
’m pretty sure it was my mother.”

The unicorns suddenly appeared in their small ring.

Herrick let go of her arm immediately and dropped to his knees. “I beg for your forgiveness, I should not have used magic within your woods.”

Alarmed by his apology and for his safety, she stepped between him and the unicorns. “He was protecting us.”

Gwyn’s eyes were soft in the morning light.
We know. We are thankful for his quick action. Was it the Keep Mage?

Herrick
slowly rose. “I believe so, mistress.”

You may call me Gwyn. Who was she searching for? You or
Jiline?

Herrick
shook his head. “I don’t know. You are blocked from her so it must have been one of us.”

It was him. Send him away.
Bai’s voice was harsh.

Herrick
stayed focused on Gwyn and Jiline wondered if he could hear Bai as well. It appeared the unicorns could speak to whomever they chose whenever they chose.

She will continue to search for each of you.
Gwyn swung her head to her son.
Now that we know we can block her presence from the woods.

Herrick
bowed his head. “No disrespect, but she will simply use another mage.”

Gwyn stepped forward.
Always speak openly. You are right she will not stop looking and will use any means necessary.

Jiline
swallowed. “Then we should both leave the unicorn woods and travel as far from here as we can.” She didn’t relish putting herself within reach of the Keep Mage as bait, but she couldn’t stay if she would cause them to be discovered.

No!
Bai stomped his foot.
He should go alone. The Keep Mage searches for him.

If that is true, how long before she will begin to search for
Jiline. If she finds Herrick, she will have the means to track Jiline.

Bai swung his horn at
Herrick.
I thought you believed him to be true to her.

He is, but he might not be able to prevent her from using his connection to find
Jiline.

We break the connection.

Enough.
Bylun’s words were final.

Jiline
bit her lip to keep from interrupting their argument.

If the Keep Mage obtains either of them she will have the means to find our home. Magical connections or not.
Bylun said.
He is right in that she will keep searching until she finds us. We must allow her to find us.

Jiline
shook her head in protest.

Herrick
’s fingers grazed her arm and he leaned over her shoulder to whisper in her ear. “What’s going on?”

They weren
’t sharing the conversation with him. “They want to allow your mother to find them to protect us from her.”

“That isn’t necessary,”
Herrick said. “I’ll leave and distract her away from you.”

Bylun stood still as statue.
You would have to die for her not to find our location from you.

Jiline
stepped between him and Bylun.

Bylun snorted softly.
Do not concern yourself, child. I did not mean I would kill him. I am simply pointing out that it is not a reasonable plan. We need to fool the mages into believing they have found us, but cannot get to us. They will stop their search and focus their efforts elsewhere.

Herrick
’s hand went from a soft pressure to more firm.

“They want to trick your mother,” she whispered.

“How?”

How much did she see?
Gwyn asked.

Herrick
frowned and focused on the spot the presence had been. “She was here for less than a minute.” He looked around the ring. “She hadn’t had a chance to see our location or explore.”

Are you sure she didn’t appear farther away and walk in?
Bylun asked.

He
hesitated a moment before shaking his head. “She had just arrived. Her connection was unstable. I don’t know if she could have drifted away without losing it altogether.”

The
n we convince her we are somewhere else.
Gwyn said.
She will no doubt search for you again. She came in the night. Any reason?

Herrick
shrugged. “I don’t know. She didn’t use the same spell I did. The connection was wobbly.”

Were you asleep when she came?

“Yes, her presence woke me.”

The unicorns were silent for a moment. Gwyn spoke again.
Wait here.

The unicorns danced away.
Jiline chewed her lip. Herrick’s body was warm against hers. She wasn’t sure if she had been the one to move closer or if it was he. She stepped forward into the chilly morning air and turned to him.

“What are they planning?” he asked.

“I don’t know.” She paced around the grove.

20. ORFEO WOODS

The unicorns returned. Gwyn, Bai, and Bylun and two others. They had come up with a plan. Bai knelt down for Jiline to mount and she did easily. Herrick hesitated when Bylun knelt as well. A private conversation was obviously going on and then quickly Herrick was astride, uncertain of what to hold onto.

Jiline
wiggled her hands buried deep in Bai’s mane and Herrick did the same. As soon as the humans were secure, five unicorns streaked out of the forest. The rain fell steadily, but the magical weather box stayed over them and kept them dry as they reached the orfeo’s forest. The speed in which they reached it showed her just how much her’s and Ginger’s presence had slowed their travels. The dark woods loomed over them.

Jiline
shivered.

We will protect you.
Bai reassured her.

She
wished she had known where they were going. The unicorns hadn’t shared their plan or destination with her. She had left all her gear tied to her saddle on the forest floor. Ginger and Eachann had remained back in the unicorns’ enchanted forest. They were too slow for the unicorns’ plan.

Herrick
didn’t look any more thrilled than she was. In fact, he looked angry. She could hear his harsh whisper, but couldn’t make out his words. He glanced at her before focusing back on the trees as the unicorns stepped lightly into the evil woods.

It wasn’t the same place they had been before. In fact, they entered a clearing wit
h large rocks in the center. She hadn’t seen this clearing the first time they had gone through the woods.

You’ll need to go to sleep.
Bai said softly.

“What
?” she whispered, but slid off him as he bid.

Don’t worry. I won’t allow anything to touch you.

Jiline couldn’t help but worry and think of Genna who had been severely injured when they had gone through the orfeo’s woods before. Herrick pulled her close to him. She hadn’t seen him dismount Bylun. The five unicorns began some sort of dance throughout the clearing and along the edge. She didn’t step away from Herrick this time. She welcomed his strong presence to help keep her fear in check.

Their task complete the unicorns moved back within the clearing and Gwyn approached them.

Lie down.

Jiline
shared a scared look with Herrick, but did as Gwyn asked.

Sleep.

****

The presence was stronger this time.
Herrick woke immediately. Gwyn stood by him. Her gentle command stopping the magic from flaring from his finger tips. He lay still and attempted to keep his breathing under control as the presence drifted away. He slid his hand along the ground until his fingers touched Jiline.

His breathing immediately stabilized assured she was all right and safe. Her hand
turned and squeezed his. She also was awake. They lay still together as the presence drifted forward and then back. If only he could open his eyes to see what his mother saw.

His mother’s confusion was
palatable, but not knowing what she was seeing, he wasn’t sure exactly what had her more befuddled. Gwyn suddenly moved beside them, her hooves coming down close to Herrick’s legs. The presence fled and disappeared.

He sat up and looked around. The clearing was dark from the cloud cover. “Now what?”

We wait.
Gwyn said patiently.

Two agonizing
, boring days passed. They could hear the orfeos occasionally on the other side of the magical barrier the unicorns had erected around the clearing. The unicorns kept hunger and thirst at bay with magic for themselves and their human charges. His mother returned each night to verify they were still in the same location.

The bright side was that Jiline had grown used to his presence and seemed to want his closeness as much as he did hers. He didn’t broach the topic of the draw or attempt any physical contact except for what was necessary. He spent his days helping the unicorns shore up the barrier against the orfeos. Why they were more active in the day was mystifying. But they seemed to wait through the night.

Dawn on the third morning bloomed bright.
Herrick’s stomach rumbled in protestation. Gwyn touched her horn to his head to fool his body into thinking it wasn’t hungry and then touched Jiline’s as well.

“How long can they do that?”
Herrick asked.

Her
hand brushed his arm. “Not much longer. I can still feel a hint of the hunger after she erases it.”

A human scream ec
hoed through the woods. He spun, one hand going to his sword, the other shoving Jiline behind him. The unicorns were immobile as statues as they also looked in that direction. Crashing followed. Jiline jumped to the side and picked up a thick stick she had found the day before. She’d complained when they’d first arrived in the meadow about leaving her weapons in the enchanted forest and how stupid she felt.

He had a feeling the unicorns had intended it that way as they didn’t want her fighting any
more than he did.

Orfeo battle trumpets
! His skin itched. Magic was being cast in the woods. He was unsure if it was the orfeos he felt or if his mother had finally arrived.

Bring the barrier down
right there!
Bylun commanded, his horn pointing at a spot in the magical barrier.

“What!”
Herrick shouted over the din.

They approach.

It seemed crazy to him to b
ring the barrier down when the orfeos were on a rampage, but he handed his sword to Jiline and raised his hands to concentrate on the pulse of the barrier in that section. Bringing a section of the barrier down was a lot more difficult than bringing the entire thing down. Getting a lock on it, he froze the energy surge and a hole shattered in the barrier.

The unicorns moved then. He grabbed his sword back from
Jiline and pulled her behind one of the large stone tables. He’d tried to stay away from them before and had pretended not to know they were used for dark magic purposes when Jiline had asked what the stone tables were. They reeked of sacrifices.

Jiline
wrinkled her nose when they got close, but didn’t protest their hiding spot.

Horses galloped into the clearing. He was
taken aback to see several unicorn keepers astride. They would be no match for the orfeos. His mother was inside the group, the orfeos in pursuit.

Bring it back up!

Surprised by the command, he dropped his sword to the ground. Finding the slivers of the barrier he rebonded them and surged magic back through the pulse. An orfeo made it in. The others were blocked out.

Orfeo
s were pack hunters. The lone orfeo realized his predicament at once and tried to avoid two charging unicorns. Bylun impaled him easily and flung him outside the barrier.

Jiline
pressed Herrick’s sword back into his grasping hand. He didn’t take his eyes off the group of riders, but he could feel Jiline slink off behind him. Alarm filled him. What was she doing?

The orfeo
s’ battle cries continued to ring out, but the group of riders were silent. His mother was obviously taxed from using her magic to get them through the woods. He wondered how many others she had brought with her.

“
Herrick,” she called out, but her gaze didn’t match her commanding voice.

Her eyes darted from unicorn to unicorn. The
unicorns didn’t stand together, but had fanned out to surround the riders. Their horns were lowered and they fidgeted and moved as he had never seen before.

Knowing
Jiline was behind another rock, he stood up slowly from his hiding spot. “Mother!”

Her questing eyes met his, but didn’t hold them for long. “You betrayed me!”

“Yes,” he answered simply.

Tell her she invades the unicorn forest.
Bylun commanded.

“You h
ave invaded unicorn territory, Mother. They don’t look kindly on mages who enter their woods. You know that.”

Swea
t glistened on her brow. “I only want to protect you. This place is dangerous. You have held off the orfeos for now, but for how long? Do you want to always be fighting?”

We will fight for our freedom.
Bylun said.

“They will fight for their freedom, they don’t like being in a cage,”
Herrick relayed. “I’ve seen them in action, Mother, I don’t believe they need our protection from anything but us.”

“How can you say that when only five remain?”

Herrick shook his head. “These are the five who chose to face you. The others,” he gestured at the woods around them, “remain in their woods.”

“I didn’t see any in the woods,” she said.

“They hide well, don’t they?”

“Where is the girl?”

“I’m here.” Jiline rose from her own hiding place.

He gritted his teeth at her exposing herself. What the heck was the unicorns’ plan?

For her to believe we live amongst the orfeos in these woods. The mages will think twice before trying to capture us here.

His mother was revving up her
magic and he flung up a magical barrier between them before she could strike out.

She held it in and glar
ed. “She is the cause of all this! How could you choose her over your own mother?”

“You were the one sending me all over the country
hoping I would feel a draw with another mage,” he shot back.

The unicorn keepers hadn’t moved. Their horses stood with their heads dow
n trying to catch their breath. It occurred to him that bringing keepers through might have seemed the right decision at first, but could be his mother’s undoing. The unicorns had always chosen who would be a keeper. Would they choose someone who would go against them in the end?

He raised an eyebrow. “You came alone
Mother. Not a wise decision.”

“I am not alone
.” She lifted her chin.

“They belong to the unicorns
.” He gestured to the seven keepers.

As one
, the unicorn keepers looked toward Bylun. Herrick’s mother gathered her reins in concern. Her fingers twitched with her other hand, prepared to defend herself.

The keepers will assist her on getting out of the forest and then are released from their duties to return to their lives.

“They aren’t going to attack you, Mother,” he said, before she could make a preemptive strike. “The unicorns want you alive to tell the other mages that they will no longer be used. Anyone attempting to capture a unicorn will have to deal with the orfeos before they even face the judgment of the unicorns. The keepers will see you safely from these woods and then you will release them from their duties to return home.”

She shook her head
. Her gaze darted from one unicorn to the next.

“Take their offer
,” he implored and meant it. She was his mother. For all their conflicts, he loved her and was thankful the unicorns would release her. He didn’t want her to die any more than he wanted Jiline to die. “They only want to be left alone.”

“Will you return home with me?” she asked softly.

He shook his head. “No.”

Her shoulders straightened. “You are turning your back on your heritage.”

“I don’t see it that way. You don’t need the unicorns’ magic. I function just fine without it.” Which was a bit of a lie considering how often they had been touching their horns to him since they had reached this clearing.

Her fingers twitched and he couldn’t guess wh
o would be her intended target. Throwing shock balls had always been a particular talent of hers, probably originally developed as a defense mechanism. He had only seen and felt them when she was very angry.

The keepers around her still hadn’t made a move to leave or turn on her. He
rrick hoped she wouldn’t lash out at them. He had a feeling the unicorns would consider an attack on their keepers an attack on themselves judging by how they cared for Jiline.

“
Brennah.” He walked away from the rocks and to the open meadow to try to draw her fire. The unicorns didn’t seem to like him particularly well and he was used to what the shock balls felt like. “You’re my mother. I know you aren’t a villain. You were doing your duty in caring for the unicorns and in tracking them down. But they don’t need to be cared for. The unicorns are quite capable of caring for themselves outside of the valley. You’ve verified they’re fine and can report back to all the other mages that the unicorns are living and thriving on their own.”

His mother laughed harshly. “You really believe the other mages will let it go. That I will escape their judgment
. That they won’t come looking for the unicorns as soon as they learn of their disappearance.”

“You can’t control what the other mages will do or make of the situation, but you can control what you do.”