by LJ Rivers
“Of course. Actually, we’re not entirely sure where we are. We’re travelling to Avalen, but we’re new to this area.”
He gave us another appraising look, and his son tugged at his wings.
“Manners, Father.”
“I am but a humble farmer, and this here is my land. Avalen is another eight awrs or so north of here. It will be easier if you travel by the stars. Not many people hike across unknown land during the dark day anymore.” He pursed his lips. “You are most welcome to stay and rest before moving on, although, I have to be honest, you puzzle me, and these are strange times we live in. Star-time is still a good while yet, but the sky looks promising.”
I smiled. “Thank you, that is very kind.”
Lance clapped his hands and made a few loops in the air. “I’ll show you. Just you follow me.”
I took hold of Brendan’s outstretched arm while Charlie walked among the wolves. Kay still held Kit in his embrace as he took the lead. After his son, that was.
Fields of tall, withering stems rose around us in a broader path than the one we had travelled on before. Floppy ears of what posed as maize sprouted from the stems here and there. The edges of the leaves were blackened, and what should have been golden kernels were a dull brown. The two Fae picked up a basket each, containing a few cobs of what must have been some of the healthier pickings, and placed them on a cart attached to the harness on a horse.
Charlie spun on her heels, her face lit up with all the wonder of a toddler who had just experienced something new and exciting. She pointed discreetly at the horse and mouthed something I couldn’t quite make out. I shook my head, and she formed the word slowly with her lips.
Unicorn.
She was right. The unicorn was immense, whisky-coloured and broad-shouldered, at least a foot taller than a Shire horse. A golden horn spiralled from its forehead and I half expected it to be like the only other unicorn I had seen, albeit in one of Willow’s stories. That unicorn had been menacing. When I locked eyes with the one beside me, however, its butterscotch-coloured gaze drew me in. It was stunning.
“Meet Isolde.” Kay patted her on the neck and took the mare’s rein, urging her forward.
“She’s gorgeous,” Charlie said.
“And her foal will be as well.” He smiled gently.
“She’s...?” Charlie slid a hand over Isolde’s belly.
“Ay.”
Charlie and Kay fell into a conversation about unicorns and their foals while Brendan and I took up the rear. In not long, we arrived at Kay’s farm, consisting of five buildings, all built with sturdy red timber, complete with turf roofs.
As it turned out, Kay and Lance lived alone. While hospitality seemed to be the norm, Kay would not invite us into the main house, still concerned about my lack of wings. Instead, we were allowed to sleep in the stable with the unicorns. After the Fae farmer ordered us to rest, we shared the herb Halwyn had given us to sate hunger, then did as the Fae had said. The wolves stayed in their shifted forms, seemingly content to be able to be themselves without worrying about anyone knowing what they were. Charlie curled up with Kit, surrounded by the three wolves to keep them warm, and I fell asleep next to Brendan on a bed of hay.
When Kay’s son woke us up, I felt rested and energised.
Lance grinned, a lantern swaying from his hand. “Come on. It’s star-time.”
“What awr is it?” I asked.
Lance shrugged. “Out here, we follow the awr of the animals and plants. Da says the Avalens look at their awrglasses all the time, but that only Awr Benders can actually do anything about it.”
My grandfather would agree wholeheartedly, I thought, and happily accepted that it was star-time o’clock.
The white wolf raised her head and yawned, then nudged Charlie and Kit awake with her snout. Erica and Jack shook themselves and stretched, then we all followed Lance outside.
He was right. It was a starry night. Somehow, it was more comforting than the daytime here. Even though the stars didn’t truly illuminate the world, it still felt brighter.
Lance waved us onwards to the building at the edge of all the others. A stable. Outside, Kay stood between two unicorns, feeding them a cob each. They were saddled, with bulging saddlebags attached on each side.
“The wolves are good as they are, but since the rest of you can’t fly, I figured your feet would welcome the rest. There is food and water to last you a couple of moons, just in case you get lost,” Kay said matter-of-factly. “My apologies, I can only offer you two of my steeds.”
“O—offer? What do you—?” I marvelled at Isolde’s male counterpart and the white unicorn next to it. “Oh, no. We couldn’t possibly take your unicorns. This is too much.”
Kay narrowed his gaze. “It is what I must do. I only ask that you care for them and that you bring them back to me if and when you are able. Do not refuse a man’s hospitality, young Fae. I realise you did not grow up in Avalon, but this is our way.”
“We thank you,” Brendan said before I could put my foot in my mouth.
Kay nodded and handed the reins of the whisky-coloured unicorn over to Brendan. Charlie stepped up to the white unicorn, every nook and cranny on her face beaming with excitement.
“Thank you,” she said. “May Nimue bless your farm and your family.”
Kay puffed up his chest, his wings fluttering. “Be safe. Ride to the north star.” He pointed north at a shining star that appeared to stand by itself, a ring of smaller stars framing it like the edge of an iris. “When you arrive at the foot of the mountain, you need to head around on the west side, then through a mountain pass.” He continued to explain the whats and whens until Charlie, Brendan, and I felt sure we had it all memorised.
I thanked him again and got a crushing hug from Lance before I mounted the whisky-coloured unicorn named Sky, with Brendan at my back. Charlie carefully tugged on the reins of her unicorn, aptly named Snow, with Kit curled up on the saddle behind her. Heads held high, we trotted north, the wolves fanning out before us.
Chapter Nine
For a while, it felt as if we were riding through a typical forest on Earth at night. The sky was clear with twinkling stars, the northern one brightest of them all, making it easy to adjust our course. But the absence of the moon and its light was eerie. The blue and copper canopies rustled in a light breeze, and I kept gazing into the shadows, worried that some menacing creature might pop out. So far, none had. There was the odd movement of small animals stirring here and there in the thickets, but that was only to be expected.
“How are you holding up,” Brendan asked, leaning his chin on my shoulder.
“I’m a little nervous,” I admitted. “What if Morgana doesn’t want to see me? It’s been a year and a half since the war ended, and—”
“Don’t worry, Ru, I’m sure she’ll fall in love with you at first sight. Who wouldn’t?” His hands gently squeezed my hips, and I felt his hot breath on my neck.
“I know this is selfish of me, but I’m happy you came.”
He kissed me on the cheek. “Wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
Anything?
I leaned into him, both of us swaying gently with the movement of the unicorn. He must have thought about it. It was his dream, and unless something extraordinary happened, he would not get to see it fulfilled. At least not for another four years.
“Not even the Olympics?”
“Not even that.”
I almost flinched at how quickly he replied. There was a calm determination in his voice.
“Ruby, listen. I’m exactly where I belong, OK? And something tells me, so are you.”
I wasn’t so sure. While this was where my ancestors came from, it wasn’t my home, and I had no desire to make it so. Still, a part of me recognised that this was where my magic originated, and my power was a crucial part of my identity. So perhaps this was where I was meant to be. For now.
Finally, we arrived at the foot of the mountain range.
“This is where we turn west,” Charlie said.
I glanced at Kit, who lay sprawled across the front of her saddle. Ahead, the wolves were jumping from one rock to the next, their tongues hanging out.
“We should get some rest first,” I said.
“And some grub,” Brendan added. “There.” He pointed to an open area of stone and grass near the base of the mountain, shielded by an overhang of roots and plants, which trailed the ridge of the mountain’s back.
We dismounted, and once we had gathered enough twigs and branches, Charlie dug into her backpack and retrieved a lighter. Because I was trying to refrain from using my fire, so as not to tip off my Sorcery to any prying eyes that might be lurking in the shadows, she was allowed the honours. The wolves shifted and got dressed for the first time since crossing the sea, and Jen carried two hare-like animals to the fire with her.
“Wow!” Charlie exclaimed. “Those are wicked huge.”
“Caught them a short while ago.” Jen retrieved two knives from the satchels, handed one to Jack, and the two of them started skinning the animals. “They smell more or less like the hares back home, so I figured they would do well as a meal for all of us. We might have Halwyn’s plants, but I’m not about to stick to an all-green diet any time soon.”
While the hares were roasting on their spits, I went closer to the ridge. I leaned back on the mountainside away from the others, shifting my weight awkwardly now and then due to my aching butt. I hadn’t done much horseback riding for the past few years, and though I had enjoyed the ride, my body wasn’t used to it. Brendan and Jack seemed to be having a good time, smiling at each other and bumping fists while keeping an eye on the food. A laugh bubbled in my throat when I caught sight of Kit sneaking around Brendan, the cat’s eyes set on the hares cooking over the campfire. My cat scurried back and forth as if he was trying to measure the distance for a jump. A flame licked a little too close for comfort, and he hissed at it, then turned his back and strutted off to Erica and Charlie, who were tending to the unicorns.
“What exactly is the plan, Red,” Jen asked, sliding up next to me.
I shrugged, hugging my knees. “Get Morgana to help find my grandparents, I guess. Or at least figure out if she can point us in the right direction. I’ll also have to warn her about Auberon.”
“You say it like it’s an easy task.” She plucked a red leaf from a vine snaking up the side of the mountain and began fidgeting with it. “First we have to get into the city, and then we’ll need to find some way to meet with the queen. Who’s to say how hard it might be to get an audience? We’ve been lucky with the people we’ve come across so far, but you can’t go around telling everyone who you are and where we all came from. You certainly can’t start a panic about Auberon having returned. It’s an open wound here.”
“I know. I just, I don’t have anything planned. It all happened so fast, and my mind is still trying to comprehend how fifteen hundred years is suddenly reduced to eighteen months. We’ll have to swing it, I suppose.” I grimaced. “And no way am I going to blab about my heritage to people.”
“You did tell Halwyn,” she remarked.
She had me there. “He’s clearly devoted to Morgana, and the story about his son and wife made me realise he deserved to know. Especially after rescuing us, even if he wasn’t too thrilled that we were there at first. I promise, Jen, I’ll try not to be reckless.”
She shredded the leaf and let the remains sail off in the wind, then looped a lock of my hair around her index finger. “I’ll walk to the ends of the earth and beyond for you, Red.” The hair sprang back as she let go, and her lips twitched as she glanced at our friends. “Clearly. But you’ve kind of got a history of acting first and asking later. And I can’t be everywhere at once. I have a responsibility to my pack, and while you’re all my pack, Jack and Erica look to me in a way the rest of you don’t, and I have to protect them first. Charlie and Brendan are especially vulnerable, however, so I need you to step up and remember that they are your priority. Whatever quest you’re on, we’re your family, so try not to forget that. Halwyn was right. My wolves look to me, but we all look to you.”
I stared at her, wide-eyed. She had never spoken to me like that before. Didn’t she trust me? As her icy-blue eyes peered into mine, I realised how she had evolved. As an Alpha, she had responsibilities, and she expected me to act like an Alpha as well. This world wasn’t just where my origins were, but also hers. Preoccupied with my own concerns, I had forgotten about hers. There would be challenges for her to face that would require her to be a wolf first, and she was only making sure I understood her position.
“Of course, Jen. I won’t forget who my family is. Blood or not, we’re a pack for life.” I wiggled my pinkie finger, and Jen took it in hers and gave it a slight shake.
“Food’s ready,” Jack called.
“Avalonian hare.” Jen licked her teeth. “I hope it tastes as good as it smells.”
She helped me up, and we joined the others around the campfire.
The meal was full of laughs and warm smiles. I didn’t have much family left, and I wasn’t especially close to those I did have. Having known my grandparents for no more than a week, I felt an obligation to them, but also apprehension because of the things I had witnessed back in their hometown. There were sides to them I didn’t know, and while I would like to, our time together had been brief. No matter what happened next, we would never be able to account for the time lost.
Then there was Morgana, a Fae queen I only knew from fairytales. We were strangers to one another, born in different worlds in widely different ages. There was no telling what kind of family bonds we would be able to conjure forth, if any. Lastly, there was Auberon. Sweet one second, menacing the next. A man who had saved my life more times than I could count, and one who had caused me more grief than I had thought I would be able to bear. A man who had deliberately put me into existence so that he could one day return to Gwyn Fanon. I was a pawn to him, I knew that now, and while we were blood, we were not family. Not in the sense of what a family should be.
Brendan wiggled his eyebrows at me and licked up the remains of his food. Across from us, Erica and Jack were playing rock-paper-scissors over the last slice of hare, while Jen was humming a song and Charlie pretended to play some kind of air-flute. This was a pack—a family. My family. I was the reason they were here, and I would do everything in my power to protect them, just like Jen had asked. Not that she had needed to because I would have protected them regardless, but her words were a reminder of the things most important to me, and I would not forget.
As Erica and Jack both put their fists out to signal a rock, Kit leapt between them and caught the last slice of meat between his teeth. The two wolf Shifters grabbed for him as he spun away. They crashed into each other, and the cat escaped their grasp. He meowed mockingly as he rushed between us and hurried down to the unicorns, jumping onto Sky. There, he positioned himself on her back and tore into his prize.
Erica and Jack burst out laughing, and the rest of us joined in.
Well rested and fed, we decided to continue our journey, and four turns of the hourglass later, we entered the mountain pass.
The rocky walls loomed over us on either side, threatening to close in. The mountain stretched into a sheet of clouds above, and what looked like large birds whooshed through the morning fog. The unicorns slowed to a steady trot, carefully stepping over the many rocks on the path. Darkness swallowed us in the narrow gorge even though it was daytime, so I lit a lantern Kay had provided and fastened it in a holder on the front of the saddle. Living in a world without a sun had, if anything, made the people here creative. The lantern cast a pale light around us, though we could hardly see more than six feet ahead.
I winced when a stinging pain drilled into my head. My vision shifted, and grainy outlines of rocks, grass, and pebbles formed ahead as if I were crawling on the ground instead of sitting on the back of a colossal unicorn. The images moved pa
st in a blur as the ground disappeared beneath me, providing a good view of the rocky walls of the mountain. It was as if I were climbing up the ridge myself. I came to a stop, my vision panning sideways and down. Two unicorns and three wolves moved slowly forward through the pass. My jaw slackened when I realised I was looking at myself and the rest of our group. Then, the image panned left where five immense figures thundered forward. My heart hammered in my chest, and I heard the warning yowl from my cat when streams of light zipped by. Shaking my head, I shut my eyes hard.
When I opened them again, I was back on the unicorn. “We have to turn around,” I shouted. “Jen! Retreat!!”
The wolves halted and turned to me all at once.
“What’s wrong?” Charlie asked, worrying her lip.
“We have to flee.”
A horn rang out, and Sky whinnied in response.
“Easy, girl,” Brendan said, tugging lightly on the rein and patting her neck.
The clopping of hoofs against stone rolled through the mountain pass towards us.
“Ru!” Charlie yelled. Her unicorn pranced, and she was clutching at its mane for dear life. It stomped back down, its nostrils flaring.
I folded my hands over Brendan’s and tried to get the unicorn to turn. All it did was back up a few paces, then stumble a little as it kicked at a rock behind us.
“Halt!” a voice called from above. A few lanterns lit the rocky walls, and a string of figures lined the ridge of the mountain, some forty feet overhead, arrows pointed downwards.
We were trapped.
“Uhm, Ru—” Brendan nudged my shoulder, pointing at the figures galloping closer.
A band of five horses without riders approached, slowing as they entered the light from my lantern. They were as big as the unicorns, with silver-blue coats, and a human-like upper body.