Central

by Raine Thomas

  The landscape was truly breathtaking. Although it lacked the high, lush forests surrounding Ini-herit’s and Gabriel’s homes, the area was calm and relaxing to Olivia. The water here was a startling blue-green, quite unlike the more roiling blue-gray of the heaving seas near the other elder’s homes. As they flew, she breathed deeply of the ocean air. It was invigorating.

  They flew for about twenty minutes. Far longer than she had anticipated, actually. She couldn’t help but wonder where they were going.

  “Are we still within the protections surrounding Knorbis’ home?” she called out above the rushing wind.

  “No,” James said when he looked over at her, making her eyes fly wide. “So please stay alert.”

  “But how will we find our way back? The protections will keep us from remembering how.”

  “I spoke with Knorbis before we left. He will get us back through when we return.”

  Now her curiosity was burning. She scoured the surroundings for a hint of where they were headed. All around them were green and brown hills broken up only by the very occasional white-washed building.

  Finally, they lowered to the ground. They ended up on the edge of what looked like a grove. The trees were all low to the ground and not terribly tall. Olivia approached one of them.

  “Are these olive trees?” she asked.

  “They are,” he answered.

  She felt a smile spread slowly across her face as she caught his gaze. “This is perfect, James! Thank you so much for thinking to bring me here.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “If you are so excited about this part of our journey, I cannot wait to see what you think about the true reason I brought you here.”

  Tilting her head, she gave him a puzzled look. It didn’t encourage him to expound on his statement like she had intended. Instead, he smiled and took her hand, once again throwing her off-stride. Then he started walking, pulling her along with him. Although curiosity ate at her, she forced herself to just relax and enjoy the moment. She particularly enjoyed the feeling of her hand encased in his. She gave his fingers a light squeeze to convey her appreciation in advance for this experience.

  And then they broke through a gap in the trees and she couldn’t think at all.

  The large clearing was dappled in golden sunlight just tinting orange as the sun set. Particles in the air caught and glimmered in the soft light, making the area look enchanted. The olive trees created a perfect circle around the clearing, encapsulating it like its own little paradise. A thin stream of water funneled along the far side of the space, possibly created as a way to irrigate the grounds.

  All of this only barely registered with Olivia, however. How was she supposed to notice all of that when there was a family of horned horses standing there drinking from the stream?

  “Are those unicorns?” she managed to whisper, afraid to blink.

  “Yes,” he said in an equally soft tone. She noted out of the corner of her eye that he was watching her and not the animals. “You said you used to collect them when you were a child.”

  She couldn’t even draw a full breath. There were three of them standing majestically only yards away. They were perfectly beautiful. Unlike the unicorns she had usually collected as figurines and stuffed animals on the human plane up until the age of ten, these creatures weren’t white. They were the same burnished color as the sunlight surrounding them. Their long, spiraling horns looked like they had been dusted with gold. Even their eyes, which rolled in their direction with infinite wisdom and healthy caution reflected in them, were the shimmering sunset color.

  Awed tears filled her eyes. She blinked rapidly to clear them, not wanting to miss a single moment of this stunning tableau.

  “Unicorns are only visible in this hour just before the dark,” he explained. “We do not know where they go the remainder of the day. The best place to find them is within the olive groves.”

  He was leaning close to her ear to make sure she could hear him. She couldn’t decide then if she was more flustered by the warmth of his breath against the side of her neck or the unbelievable creatures she was now blessed with seeing. What she did know was that this was about the most thoughtful and deeply touching thing anyone had ever done for her.

  She tried to reach out to the minds of the unicorns. While she didn’t retrieve any actual words, she did get some impressions. The larger one was older and male and the other two were females, one younger than the other. They were all quite placid and content. They didn’t gauge her or James to be a threat.

  “Do they act like other horses?” she whispered, her eyes trying to absorb every detail about them. She realized their hooves were the same gold as their horns. Their manes didn’t seem to be made of hair so much as, well, flowing energy, she supposed.

  “For the most part,” he responded. “They eat grass or other vegetation and roam free. They have never been domesticated like your horses on the human plane, however.”

  “I don’t imagine there would be any need, seeing as Estilorians can fly,” she said with a small smile, finally turning to face him.

  She realized belatedly just how close they were. If she leaned even the slightest bit, their lips would touch. Her gaze moved from his mouth to his dark blue eyes. He seemed to realize there was something potent stirring between them, even if he didn’t fully understand it. But she registered that he wasn’t pulling away. Instead, he reached up with his right hand and touched the side of her face, running the pad of his thumb tenderly along her cheekbone. Her breath once again caught, though she had all but forgotten about the mystical creatures he had brought her there to see. She started to lean forward, her eyes again on his lips.

  “Well, well, well,” came a loud voice. “What have we here?”

  Olivia wasn’t sure what happened then. One second she was about to kiss James, and the next she was standing behind him a safe distance into the olive grove. She knew it wasn’t humanly possible to move as quickly as he had just done, especially with someone else in tow. But when a group of six Mercesti soldiers suddenly walked into the grove from the left, she knew just what had prompted him to the almost supernatural action.

  “Unicorns,” said the same voice that had spoken the first time. It belonged to a short, muscular male with odd yellow skin and hair. His red eyes flashed with wicked delight. “Our lord does enjoy the golden horns and hooves. We shall be rewarded.”

  Olivia fought back a gasp. She felt James stiffen and knew he was as affronted by the threat to the beautiful animals as she was.

  The thoughts from the unicorns were now filled with understandable anger and fear. Olivia tried to will them to flee, sending thoughts to warn them of the Mercesti’s evil nature. Although they did rear up on their hind legs and pawed dangerously at the heads of the Mercesti who moved in to surround them, they didn’t try to escape.

  “We are fortunate that we caught them manifested in this grove,” said a second male, this one with nut-brown skin and hair and freckles dusting a round, almost cherubic face. “They are bound here until the sun sets.”

  That explained that, Olivia thought with escalating fear.

  “Which means we have only minutes, you idiots,” barked a third male as he drew a sword. “Get on with it, would you?”

  The first Mercesti had already drawn his sword. He pulled his arm up and back with the clear intent to run it through the nearest unicorn’s heart as the animal reared. Olivia parted her lips to cry out in an effort to stop him. But it was the dagger thrown by James that really deterred him.

  It went right through the base of the Mercesti’s skull.

  Her mouth remained parted in disbelief as James drew his sword and stepped forward, out of the cover of the olive trees. The Mercesti turned from the unicorns to face this new threat.

  “A Gloresti?” said the male who sounded like he barked when he talked. His tone was surprised, but unconcerned. “A young one, judging by the lack of pairing markings. We must be near a Corgloresti’s transit
ion point. Excellent.”

  “We must gather reinforcements,” said one of the five remaining males. “There will certainly be a contingent of Waresti near.” He turned and ran back in the direction from which they had approached the grove.

  That left four. They advanced on James. Olivia’s heart throttled into overdrive. She didn’t have a weapon on her and wondered with burgeoning panic if she would be more of a hindrance than a help if she tried to assist him. But when the barking male brought his sword around in a vicious blow and James deflected it only to have the other three males move in to strike with their weapons, she made her decision.

  She didn’t have to do more than step into the clearing to have an immediate impact on the unbalanced fight. Her unexpected presence proved so distracting to the Mercesti that James easily dispatched the first attacker and then another within seconds of each other. A third turned to meet James’ sword with a mace while the fourth advanced on Olivia.

  She turned and ran to her right, intending to try and pick up a weapon dropped by one of the felled Mercesti to defend herself. But her pursuer was faster than she was. She knew she wouldn’t make it.

  Changing tactics, she came to an abrupt halt and turned quickly, bringing her foot up into a high, swift kick. The Mercesti was forced to dive and roll to avoid a boot to his face. She was eternally grateful that she hadn’t changed out of her flight wardrobe of a tank, pants and boots as she promptly ran back the way she had come.

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw James slashing again and again in an effort to break through his opponent’s defenses. This Mercesti seemed more skilled than his brethren, though. He deflected James’ attempts and then swung his mace, coming to within an inch of James’ midsection.

  Watching James come so close to harm snapped the clutch of fear around Olivia’s throat. Heading for the first Mercesti he had killed, she yanked the dagger from his neck and ran toward James’ opponent. She knew she couldn’t throw the weapon without risking hitting James. She simply wasn’t skilled enough. The Mercesti had apparently dismissed her as the lesser threat, knowing if he turned his attention from James that it would be all over.

  His mistake.

  Seeing that the Mercesti who was chasing her was still a few feet away, she didn’t slow her momentum. She held the dagger in both hands and plunged it into the back of James’ opponent.

  He screamed and jerked back, inadvertently catching her in the side of the head with his elbow and sending her sprawling. The breath left her lungs as she connected with the hard ground. Spots danced in front of her eyes as she tried to command herself to move.

  “Olivia!” James shouted.

  She found the energy to roll. The sword of her pursuer slammed harmlessly to the ground beside her. That was all the time James needed to move forward and kill him with a thrust of his own sword.

  He reached down and helped her to her feet. Once she was upright, she bent over and held her shaking, blood-covered hands on her watery knees as she struggled to catch her breath. Her numb mind was working to catch up with what had just happened.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, resheathing his sword and squatting beside her to look into her eyes.

  She nodded. The action felt a bit unnatural. “Yes, thanks. Just catching my breath. I hit the ground pretty hard.”

  He rubbed her back. “You did very well,” he said. “I am proud of you.”

  Despite her continued fear, she managed a smile. “Thanks. You didn’t do too shabby yourself.”

  When she could stand, they both glanced around the clearing. She tried not to look too closely at the slain corpses lining the ground. The light had now dwindled to a rosy pink. She realized with amazement that the unicorns had taken on the same coloring.

  “Oh, James…they’re absolutely stunning. What remarkable creatures.” She turned and touched his arm, catching his gaze. “Thank you so much for bringing me here. I’ll remember this forever.”

  He nodded, his gaze somber. “I am glad you have enjoyed this. But we must go. The Mercesti will be here soon with reinforcements.”

  Troubled, she turned to look at the three unicorns. They were gazing at her with their ageless eyes. “We can’t leave them,” she said. “The Mercesti will kill them.”

  He hesitated, obviously torn. She knew his overriding compulsion was to see to her safety. But he held her pleading gaze for a long moment and then ultimately nodded. She released her pent up breath and took his hand.

  They stood in the center of the clearing in complete silence, listening for any sound that would indicate the return of the Mercesti. The unicorns didn’t move at all, apparently realizing the threat to them wasn’t yet over. Fortunately, as darkness settled in the clearing, the only thing they encountered was the buzz of insects and the wind rustling through the olive trees. She watched in continued fascination as the unicorns turned from pink to lavender and then indigo.

  Then, when there wasn’t much visible of them aside from their golden horns and hooves, the largest of the three unicorns took several steps forward.

  Right up to Olivia and James.

  Her eyes wide, she sensed the animal’s intent. “He wants us to touch him,” she said after a long moment of connecting with the essence of his thoughts.

  “But—unicorns do not allow such things,” James said, his stunned voice barely audible.

  “He wants to thank us,” she explained, reaching out to gently stroke the unicorn’s muzzle.

  Hesitantly, James also extended his hand and touched the animal. When both of their hands were on him, the unicorn’s mane suddenly flared into wide, vibrant waves, wrapping them in its unique and powerful energy. Olivia gasped, watching as she and James both turned the same indigo color as the unicorns. And although she realized she should probably be completely freaked out, she intuitively understood exactly what had just happened.

  “They’re protecting us,” she whispered. “We won’t be visible to the Mercesti now. The magic will last until we get back within the enchantments around Knorbis’ home.”

  “Magic?” James asked, catching her gaze.

  “Oh, yes,” she said, watching with a mix of understanding and reluctance when the unicorn moved away from them and joined his companions. “There’s no other word to describe this.”

  Moments later, the unicorns faded from existence.

  “Okay,” James said. “We must go. The others are probably already looking for us. Archigos Gabriel is going to have my hide for this.”

  She would see about that. She was already preparing to plead James’ case. He had just given her the most wondrous experience of her life. He didn’t deserve to be punished for it. But for now, she reached out and touched his face.

  “I want you to know how much this means to me, James. Thank you.”

  “You are welcome.” He smiled. “Perhaps I should carry you back. I will not be able to see you when we are in the air, and I do not want to lose you on top of everything else.”

  She laughed then and hooked her arms around him so he could do just that. “Well, you did say that we were going to be having an adventure, didn’t you? Looks like you’re just keeping your word.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  In the end, Olivia was successful in keeping James out of trouble over their encounter with the Mercesti, and the rest of their travels to Central were quite uneventful in comparison.

  Due to the fact that they had to transport Aurora in her sling and Amber tired so easily, they made more frequent stops than they would have otherwise. Olivia tried to communicate with Aurora, but the cat was being prickly. Olivia suspected it was because the mate the cat had found at Ini-herit’s had never come for her. Whenever she tactfully tried to discuss it with her animal friend, however, she was ignored. She decided it would be best to give Aurora some privacy on the matter, but it did hurt her heart to think of the cat in pain.

  On their second night en route to Central, they ended up in a cave. Olivia had been very doubtf
ul as they walked into it, but Amber’s face lit with recognition.

  “Hey!” she exclaimed, hurrying inside.

  Olivia followed her and saw a large, raised platform of stone housing what appeared to be a bed.

  “This is where I woke up after I transitioned,” Amber explained. Then she turned and looked at Olivia and Skye with a grin. She wiggled her eyebrows. “Just wait’ll you see the tub.”

  It was an amazing place, Olivia discovered. The “tub” was a bubbling hot spring that had been carved into a huge pool of sorts in the middle of the cave. There was also a sink, toilet and mirror. Bedrooms had been established throughout the caves and were maintained by the Lekwuesti. Ini-herit explained that the cave had been created specifically to maintain Amber’s Estilorian form while she was on the human plane and would now be used as needed by traveling Estilorians.

  On the third day of their travels, they flew entirely over water for a good number of hours. Olivia grew quite concerned that the males carrying Aurora would tire and drop her, but none of them flagged in the least. Amber, however, looked quite exhausted. Gabriel watched her carefully, trying not to let his worry show. Olivia figured it was pride and her fear of water that kept her sister up and moving.

  At long last, a few patches of color took shape on the water’s surface. As they neared them, Olivia realized they looked like rafts.

  She was correct. They landed on the wide, hard surfaces of the three yellow rafts, which were tied together. Each raft had a small lip all around it, making them each almost perfectly square. She couldn’t see how the waves weren’t pulling the things under, they were so strangely designed. The moment Aurora was released, she instinctively moved into the center of the rafts, lying down. Everyone spread out among the other rafts to distribute their weight. Olivia and James stayed near Aurora in the middle. Ini-herit, Gabriel and Amber went to the raft on the left, and Skye, Caleb and Knorbis went on the right-hand raft. When everyone else sat—well, Gabriel sat and Amber collapsed on top of him, falling almost instantly asleep—Olivia did the same. Then they lifted right off the water. The rafts separated a bit from each other and accelerated at an incredible rate into the sky.