by Wendy Knight
Sienna's little sister bounced on her toes, smiling shyly. "I take dance. I got second place and got a trophy."
Scout laughed, clapping her hands, and Trey fell in love with her all over again. She was one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever seen, but her soul…
Her soul was so bright.
Tate and Liam grabbed some buckets and overturned them, pounding out the beat. They'd been pros at the drums in video games. Apparently, some of those skills transferred to bucket playing. Someone else started humming, and Scout nodded encouragingly. Slowly, quietly, Bekah and the blonde girl, whose name was Emmry, started to sing. Emmalee, another of their small, brave, and fierce warriors, settled next to them and her voice joined theirs.
And Scout started to dance.
She'd loved to dance ever since she was a toddler. She'd taken dance lessons since she could walk. But it was her soul—her soul was visible when she danced, and it brought peace, joy, comfort. Trey had watched her dance for hours and hours before they'd saved Lil Bit. She'd danced for countless more hours while Ariston held her captive. And every night for three weeks after they'd made it back to Paradesos, after everyone else was in bed, he would hear Lil Bit cry for her mother. And Scout would dance for her.
Now, she kept her movements simple, swaying and stomping her feet and clapping. Her face was alight with pure joy—dancing helped everyone around her, but it helped her, too, and he knew how much she'd been hurting.
She danced alone for half of the first verse. When no one else joined her, Trey watched Lil Bit gathering her courage. She'd tried dance when she was younger, but it had never caught—she couldn't measure up to her big sister. So he understood when she bit her lip, watching Scout, and then glanced hopefully around the rest of the group, looking for someone else to jump in instead.
But they didn't. So Lil Bit raised her little chin, sucked in a deep breath, and left Trey's side. She leaped to Scout, joining in easily. Scout beamed as her big sea-foam green eyes filled with tears.
Lil Bit smiled back.
They danced, just the two of them, to the chorus. And then with a fierce battle cry, Carson joined in, too. Tate and Liam cheered. The girls singing clapped, their voices rising. More joined them, and then Sienna and Cali jumped in to the dance, too.
Trey lost count after that. More and more of their new recruits danced in lines around Scout. The girls sang the song twice, others sang with them, and sometime while Trey wasn't paying attention, the unicorns joined in. He didn't see them at first, but he heard their hooves hitting the ground with sharp cracks. The beat ricocheted off the valley walls, surrounding them all. He turned, spying Torz and Ashra in the mists behind them, along with…Trey couldn't tell. There could be hundreds of unicorns behind them, or only ten. They ebbed and flowed with the ever-present mist, and the song took on an ethereal quality, like angels singing through a war. Iros materialized next to him, Aella at his side. "I never tire of watching her dance," Aella said.
Scout had been dancing since she could walk. She’d always been the best—her coaches and dance instructors always said she was unlike anything they’d ever seen. It had been her escape when she thought her parents didn’t want her, when she struggled with Lil Bit’s doctor visits, and when she had a bad day. That was, until Trey wrecked the truck and nearly paralyzed her.
But there was a silver lining. It was when she learned to dance again that she was more powerful than before. She used her pain to bring peace to others. There was no explaining it; Trey only knew that it existed, and they were all grateful for it.
Iros nodded, arms crossed over his chest. "Her sister might be our hope and courage, but Scout is our heart and soul. We couldn't do this without either of them."
Trey nodded, but said nothing. Iros had no idea how right he was. When Trey had lost Scout, after the accident, he'd always felt like his heart was half broken, that his soul was torn. Only getting her back had healed him. He needed Scout. He'd lived without her, and he knew without a doubt if he ever had to go back to that life, he wouldn't live. He might survive, but as a dead man walking. No light, no joy, no hope.
No peace.
The song ended after three rounds and everyone collapsed, laughing and cheering and smiling. Scout whirled in a circle, searching for her sister. Finding Lil Bit behind her, she caught her in a hug, lifting her clear off her feet. "You danced with me!"
Lil Bit beamed and hugged Scout back, and they spun in circles until Scout got dizzy and they both went down in a fit of giggles. Iros clapped Trey on the shoulder and disappeared. The unicorns, without a word, faded into the mist they'd appeared through, except Ashra and Torz. Scout floated to Trey’s side, cheeks flushed and eyes shining. "They danced with me."
He smiled, kissed her forehead. "I saw."
She poked him and danced away, a mischievous smile playing at her lips. "One day, Trey, I'm going to get you to dance, too."
Trey chuckled, looping his arm through hers. It was dark now, but the light from innumerable stars shone down on them. "That will be the day I fall and break my neck."
Tate jogged up, swinging his bucket. "He'll probably take four or five of us down with him. His dancing…"
"Not a great idea," Liam finished for him.
Scout just raised an eyebrow. "We'll see."
8
For five nights, Ariston came to Scout to ask her to promise again. Every night, she answered him. But it took nearly a week before he had any news. Scout had fallen into an exhausted sleep—two battles in the last four days had taken their toll, and she felt like she wasn't sleeping at all during the night. Every morning, she woke more tired than she'd been when she went to bed.
More tired and more discouraged.
But on the sixth night, Ariston had changed. His soulless, black eyes seemed hopeful for the first time in months when he appeared to Scout in her dream. She watched him cautiously, her heart pounding. Please please please.
"I've found them."
Scout squealed. "My parents? You've found them? Do you have them? Are they safe? When can I get come get them?"
Ariston sighed, holding up a hand. "I don't know how he keeps up with your constant barrage of questions."
Scout wasn't sure if he meant Trey or Iros. He seemed to prefer not to say either of their names. She swallowed the rest of her barrage of questions and waited, holding her breath.
"I've found them. I don't have them, nor do I know whether they are in good health. Your parents are as wily as their daughters, it seems, and catching them has been difficult."
"I'll come. I'll catch them. Don't chase them with your soul stealers."
Ariston's lip curled. "You'll come and catch them? In Aptavaras?"
Scout nodded. "Just tell me where they are."
Ariston shook his head, eyes heavenward as if praying for the strength to endure her. "You'll come and you'll take your parents, and our bargain will be forgotten."
Scout raised her chin, glaring at him. "I keep my promises."
Ariston chuckled. "I'd forgotten your spark, Scout. The fire in your blood warms me."
Scout stood, stretching. "I'll dance now, and then you can take me to my parents."
Ariston held his hand out and Scout almost, almost, took it. At the last second, she jerked away, gasping. "Stop that!"
Ariston smiled.
Crossing her arms over her chest where they'd be less likely to reach out to him, Scout waited.
"Your dance here would do me no good. It is a dream and does not hold the comfort I seek. And you can't rescue your parents from a dream."
"I'll come to you then. Tomorrow, after I'm done training." She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Unless there are more attacks coming I should know about."
Ariston's black eyes opened, the complete picture of soulless innocence. "No one is forcing you to fight against me, Scout."
She clenched her teeth, pacing. "You are, Ariston. You are forcing me to fight against you. Be a good guy, and I won't fight you
." She stopped and shrugged. "Easy peasy."
Laughing quietly, he nodded. "Easy. There will be no attacks tomorrow if it means you will come to me tomorrow night."
Scout swallowed hard. The way he said the words sounded so intimate. But she had no choice. Iros wouldn't let her go searching Aptavaras for her parents, and she wouldn't survive if she did. Ariston had her hands tied. "And you won't attack? You won't send your demons after me?"
Ariston studied her for long moments before he answered. "I will not attempt in any way to hold you here, Scout. There will be no attacks on you, your parents, or the unicorn you come on."
Scout froze. Somehow, in all her planning and terror and doubt and trepidation, she'd forgotten she couldn't just walk to Aptavaras. She'd have to have someone take her.
Ariston smiled grimly. "Didn't think about that part, did you? I will see you tomorrow night."
He faded as Trey shook her awake. "Scout. Scout, wake up."
Scout's eyes fluttered open, fighting to make out Trey's face in the darkness. She heard Ariston's final words echo through her head.
“I wait.”
She curled into the safety of Trey's arms, wanting to cry, wanting to scream, wanting to run. Why did she not have wings herself? How on earth was she going to convince Ashra to go—Ashra, who hated Ariston more than any unicorn in Paradesos. She wanted to tell Trey. She wanted his strength and his courage.
But he would try to stop her. He'd think Ariston was lying, that it was a trick to get Scout back, trapped in his throne room to dance for him until she died.
She kind of thought that, too.
If she wasn't sure, how could she convince him it was safe?
He'd want to go with her.
He'd think he had to protect her, and Scout couldn't put him in that kind of danger.
Instead, she said nothing, just curled closer to Trey, burying her face in his chest, and cried.
I'm just trying to save them. Why do I feel like I'm betraying everyone I love?
As soon as Trey was asleep, Scout left him, sliding carefully from his arms to land on the matted floor like a thief. Lil Bit stirred, sobbed once, and was still.
That one tiny sob cemented Scout's plan. She couldn't let Lil Bit keep hurting.
This was the only way.
She snuck from her hut and slid through the shadows. The moon and the stars were always bright in Paradesos. She welcomed their warmth, usually, but on this night she cursed them for their light. She needed darkness.
She felt like a traitor.
She snuck past Iros's hut. There were no lights, for once. He and Aella must actually sleep sometimes. She'd begun to think they didn't.
Scout jogged down to the valley floor and out of the giant rock arches, leaving the humans' portion of Paradesos. This land was infinite. She had no hope of finding Ashra—her unicorn could be anywhere. But she was unable to sleep anyway, so she closed her eyes and searched for the bond she and Ashra shared, hoping it would lead the way.
Walking while closing her eyes was a bad idea. She walked right into the pond. The pond, with a hole at the bottom that went straight to Aptavaras. She'd tried to find it several times. The water was too deep, and she'd given up.
Gasping as its cold waves lapped at her shins, she stumbled backward and fell on her butt. Swearing, Scout climbed to her feet, cold and wet from the waist down.
"Awesome."
Behind her, Ashra snickered.
Scout shrieked and whirled around. "Ashra! You scared me!"
Ashra blinked, and if unicorns had eyebrows, hers would be raised. “You called me, princess”.
Scout stomped out of the water, wringing out the bottom of her tank top. Her shorts were soaked. There was no wringing them out. "I need to talk to you."
“I gathered.”
Scout leaned her forehead to Ashra's. "I have a question."
Ashra closed her eyes, sighing. “You always have questions.” But she didn't move away.
Scout had no idea how to proceed. There was no way Ashra would go for this. She'd think it was crazy.
She'd be right.
"What I need from you—you have to understand that I am not asking this lightly. Okay? If there were any other option…"
Ashra drew her head back warily, eyeing Scout. “What is it you want?”
Scout sucked in a breath. "I want to save my parents."
Ashra blew out a breath, jerking her head back and tossing it, her misty mane swirling around her. “I already went on a suicide mission to Aptavaras to save them, Scout. The two of us can't hold off the Taraxippus long enough to search for them."
Scout stared at the ground. Her heart bashed against his ribs hard enough to break bone, and her hands were clammy fists at her side. "What if I said they'll be delivered to us, and no demons will come after us?"
Ashra's horn glowed, a sure sign of her temper rising. “I'd say you are deluded.”
Scout nodded. "Maybe. But I don't have a choice."
Ashra jerked sharply toward her. “You can't be serious.”
Desperate, Scout reached out her hands. "Ariston has found them. He has promised our safe travel and their safe return. I just have to be there tomorrow night—"
“You're talking to Ariston? You're making deals with the enemy?”
The hurt and anger, the distrust in Ashra's eyes as she backed away sent waves of pain washing through Scout's soul, each one more brutal than the last. "Please, Ashra, you have to know how desperate I am—"
“Ariston was desperate, too, when he killed my mate and my foals for his own personal gain.”
"But this isn't—Ashra, I would never hurt you—"
“You're asking me to fly to Aptavaras and meet with Ariston. Did you think that would somehow not hurt me?”
Scout sucked in a deep breath, brushing away tears as they soaked her cheeks. "I somehow thought it wouldn't hurt you. I'm sorry, Ashra. I'll find another way to get to Aptavaras."
Ashra stomped her hoof, shattering the ground around them. “Are you serious? You'll find another way? There is no other way, Scout. You fly in, you fly out, or you die trying.”
"There's the pond—"
“The pond is a myth. If that were a way to Aptavaras, Ariston would have come through it.”
"Ariston doesn't have a soul. He can't come through it," Scout mumbled.
Ashra snorted in anger.
"I have to go, Ashra. He knows where my parents are, and Lil Bit needs them. She's still so little." Scout's lower lip quivered, and her voice cracked. "She needs them, and I have to save them for her."
Ashra tipped her head to the side. The pond's waves lapped lightly against the mud, and the ever-present mist thickened around them. Scout sank onto a large rock, soaked shorts forgotten as she pulled her knees up to her chest and stared at the water. She had no idea what to do next.
“What about you, Scout? You want to save them for Lil Bit, but they're your parents, too.”
Scout leaned her cheek against her knee, tears obscuring the pond. "I was a mistake. Lil Bit is their reason for living."
“Children come as a surprise, but they are never a mistake.”
Scout swallowed hard. "Only to some."
Ashra shook her head but didn't respond. Silence surrounded them for several long minutes until Scout had the courage to raise her head and meet Ashra's gaze. "You're going to have to tell Iros what I'm doing, aren't you?"
Iros would take this as a betrayal, too. As Ashra had. Would they send Scout away?
“Please don't do this, Scout. Ariston can't be trusted,” Ashra said instead of answering her.
"I don't have a choice," Scout said quietly.
The sun was rising. Scout slid off the rock to her feet. "Training starts soon. I have to go back." She began to trudge through the mist, brushing more tears away.
“Does Trey know of this plan?”
Scout shook her head without turning.
“Don't you think he deserves to? His pa
rents are out there, too.”
Scout closed her eyes tight and swallowed hard. "You are the only one I dared ask. No one else would understand."
Ashra was silent as Scout walked away.
She let herself cry until she reached the arches, reliving over and over the betrayal in Ashra's eyes and voice. She had no idea how they would recover from this.
"I'm not a traitor," Scout whispered through a sob as she paused at the arches.
In the valley across from her, the recruits were gathering. And it broke her heart.
"I'm not a traitor," she whispered again. "Am I?"
9
Liam glanced at Trey, brows furrowed as they walked through the training field. "Something's up with Scout. She's like a zombie today,"
Trey looked across the field for Scout. He'd woken up alone that morning, and she'd been avoiding him ever since.
"A crying zombie," Tate added.
Trey raised an eyebrow. "Scout never cries."
Tate shrugged. "She's crying today. Someone told her thank you for helping them with something and she sobbed all over us."
Trey finally found Scout. She was standing off to the side by herself, arms crossed over her chest, shoulders hunched. She looked awful, hair a mess, eyes sunken and circled. Trey longed to hold her, to tell her it would be okay and chase the pain from her eyes, but she wouldn't come near him. Every time he attempted to go to her, she somehow managed to be on the opposite side of the field.
It wasn't just him she was avoiding, either. Iros, Aella, and Lil Bit had all come out looking for her, and she'd disappeared.
Liam was right. Something was up with Scout.
"I noticed Ashra's absent today, too. Maybe they had a fight?" Tate scratched his head.
"What could they possibly have to fight over? Who's the most sarcastic? Who has the best hair?" Tate rolled his eyes. "You don't fight with your unicorn. That's stupid."
"Scout and Ashra have been fighting since they met," Trey mumbled. Nearby, a body fell from the sky and several unicorns swept up to save it. Trey left Tate and Liam to their musings and jogged over to make sure everyone was okay.
