The Tears of Unicorns

by Victoria Mercier

  ​“Fargo didn’t disappoint us,” Vesalius Black said to Oceania.

  ​Unlike yesterday, today they wore black tightly wrapped tunics. Oceania’s body looked formidably well toned. Her power surged and dropped like an ocean’s tides. She possessed the power of water. Could she do the same spells as Watermane? It was worth a try to squeeze some information out of her. If the future held another fight with that elemental bitch I’d rather stand ready.

  ​“He’ll strike again,” Oceania admitted. “He isn’t among the strongest, but a pest is a pest.”

  ​“Let’s go to the Botanics of Nark.”

  *

  ​Vesalius and Simona led the way. I gestured to Rust to follow them while I slowed down to keep the pace with Oceania.

  ​“Speak,” she said without looking at me.

  ​“Just… a fresh start. Yeah, I’m trying to figure out who are you guys,” I began rather clumsily but honest. Oceania knew how to control the conversation and how to throw someone off balance.

  ​“Fresh start you say?” She mused the words as if the answer to all problems were contained within them. Oceania didn’t smile like Vesalius who seemed to be perpetually in a good mood. She wasn’t angry or sad or anything. It was rather difficult to judge her emotions.

  ​“Yes. I know that you’re an elemental of water. A strong one.”

  ​“Indeed. Impressive,” she admitted. “Power recognition isn’t very common amongst the students. Only the strongest possess this trait.”

  ​“Simona has it, too.” The moment I said it, a pang of regret hit me. My words implied that Simona was weak. This wasn’t the truth. I haven’t sparred with her since our time in the Wastelands, but I didn’t think I could beat her yet.

  ​Oceania must sense my misstep as she didn’t continue the subject.

  ​“I wanted to remain ignorant about your past with Rosa, but that’s no longer an option. I can see your suspicions. You aren’t even trying to hide them.”

  ​I blinked because I’ve been trying to look neutral in her presence. Gods, what gave me out? Instinctively, I turned away. I haven’t been caught off guard for some time now. The Academy has reminded me time and time again that this place was full of predators and it was going to be determined to which group I belonged.

  ​“Yes. Watermane and I hate each other. I have a strong feeling that she stalks me. And when you appeared… do I need to explain further?”

  ​Oceania didn’t give out much of her emotions. Except for her hair, which darkened a shade or two. It could be some enchantment or another fad, which was popular at the moment in the Academy. Students put magical glitter on their skin or made their hair look aflame. Trends changed on a weekly basis. Mostly the richest students started them, causing the fads to cascade down.

  ​Then again Oceania didn’t seem like someone who could belong to a fandom. Maybe it was something else, after all, I haven’t seen anyone else whose hair changed color. Our contest of gazes lasted a few seconds.

  ​“It’s true that Rosa has an interest in you. No matter how you’re going to look at it. You were the part of Elleria’s scheme. Don’t worry, I don’t know any details. Rosa doesn’t share much with me nowadays. The fact is, she doesn’t trust you, but this shouldn’t surprise you.”

  ​It didn’t. The Dual Mind spell stuff wasn’t a common knowledge amongst the students and my involvement in the entire attack was rather unstated. Even teachers were careful in voicing their opinions. Most of them have decided to play dumb and haven’t been talking about it. Someone had a hand in keeping my part in Elleria’s sick plan quiet. It had to be Lotian. I couldn’t envision Saaron’s or Selene’s help.

  ​I had many questions about Rosa, but I figured out, they wouldn’t work. If Oceania worked for Rosa, then she wouldn’t tell the truth. I changed the tactic and asked about Elleria instead.

  ​“What do you know about her?”

  ​“Not much. Dragon students are weird: quiet, isolated, distant. Elementals and dragons don’t love each other anymore.”

  ​“Ah, you mean the breakup of Dramer and Watermane.”

  ​This caught her off guard. So it wasn’t the common knowledge. She stopped, her tightly wrapped tunic tautened over her muscles. It looked kind of sexy, but only kind of. She twisted toward me. I feared she could attack me, but instead, Oceania said, “you’re well informed for a first-year without any friends… unless we take into account demi-dragons. But yes, you’re right. After Dramer and Rosa broke up, she has changed. I was the first-year like you…” Her words drifted away. Perhaps, she realized her misstep. I’ve made her talk about Watermane instead of Elleria.

  ​Students and teachers passed as we stood in silence and watched each other. The rest of the group must have been wondering where were we.

  ​“I’ve met Elleria only a couple of times. Mostly during the academic Olympics. Because demi-dragons had been banned from taking part, Elleria was one of ten representatives from the Dragon House. After the first Olympics, she has never returned to represent dragons. Rumor has it she was involved in some foul play and cheating but nothing has ever been officially admitted. Since then my interest in her has waned off. I had no reason to—”

  ​“What about her faction?” I interrupted. “Vesalius said that every faction competes to get new members and they fight each other.”

  ​Oceania started to laugh. And she had a laud laugh at that. It made me seriously uncomfortable. What was wrong with her?

  ​Without waiting I rushed ahead leaving her behind. She was drawing attention to us. Each time I’ve managed to find myself out of the radar, someone’s fucked it up.

  ​I stopped on the first crossroad of corridors. I didn’t know the way to the Botanics of Nark. Oceania needed a few minutes to catch up with me. I eyed her with a dose of skepticism. We stood somewhere on level three between common rooms. The Academy of Dragons was built by a madman. Complex and confusing. Corridors were so bland that I could walk in circles and not know it.

  ​“You’re quite shy,” Oceania noted.

  ​“It’s not that I’m shy, but I’d rather keep a low profile.

  ​“Too late for that. Let’s catch up with the rest.”

  *

  ​In truth, I expected Simona to give me a solid monologue about the lack of empathy or whatnot. Instead, I found Simona almost eating Vesalius Black alive. He didn’t seem to mind my best friend’s obsessive attention. Rust looked bored, but with him, it was never obvious. His expressions were rather homogenous.

  ​“Finally,” Vesalius Black exclaimed. “I started to fear that you lost the way.”

  ​Oceania gestured him inside.

  ​The Botanics of Nark looked like an old cottage from outside. Vines spread all over the front, covering windows and leaving only patches of gray wall. Because the building was underground, most of it melted with the expansive black-walled hall, which housed more peculiar half-buildings within. An underground city of sorts. There were many students from other houses. A few of them wore strange bands on their arms. Others kept clear of them. What did the bands signify?

  ​I entered after Rust, but my eyes stayed on the students with the bands. The bright fluorescent yellow color made them visible from afar. Oceania grunted behind me. It came in time for me to stop or I’d fall into a fish pool.

  ​The Botanics of Nark looked out of our planet. The first two words that came to my mind were wood and plants. The entire interior was made of oak and walnut, and on top of that, it seemed like a bush has been planted inside this local. Exotic plants spread like veins on the floor, entwined the beams and balustrades or shoot toward the ceiling. Even the smell brought the fresh aroma of the forest.

  ​“It has a unique ecosystem and you may need a few minutes to get used to.”

  ​At first, I wondered what was she talking about, then it hit me. The humidity of the room was high. The air itself heavy. Taking deep breaths felt too much like drowning. A little panicke
d I looked at Rust who obviously wasn’t affected, but Simona was as much as me.

  ​“It’s like a rain forest but times ten,” Vesalius Black explained. “Not everyone is lucky to possess the ability of rapid cellular healing. The Botanics is one of the cheapest places to get some healing while having a good time. Don’t fight it, you two. You must accept it.”

  ​I wanted to punch him.

  ​Oceania put a hand on my shoulder. It startled the shit out of me, and then she gently pushed me forward. A copper-skin man with tattoos covering most of his torso appeared before us with menu cards.

  ​“Welcome to the Botanics of Nark,” he handed the cards to Vesalius Black. “We have some free tables at the back…” and then he added quietly dropping a formal tone. “However, I’d exercise caution.”

  ​His mysterious words left a feeling of uneasiness.

  ​I’ve never been to a jungle, but Vesalius Black described it as such. Some of the vines tried to snag at me and I had to evade them. This place was truly alive. Tables surrounded by the stools and chairs were half-hidden in the alcoves. We didn’t need a guide to find the back as Vesalius Black knew the way. Oceania tailed our group. Though they didn’t admit it, this looked like they guarded the three of us between.

  ​The passage to the back of the local went through a narrow tear in the bush. These plants were seriously invasive. Did the owners forget how to trim the plants? A half-moon bench and an irregular table waited for us. As we squeezed between thick limbs of some yellowish tree, the entrance closed behind us.

  ​It looked as if we sat in the middle of the forest.

  ​A nowhere.

  ​Vesalius Black put a finger to his lips and used his other hand to cast a spell. Through my third eye, I saw that it was potent and complex.

  ​“It’s best to be careful,” he explained. “Factions use places like this to spy on others.” He kept speaking about these factions. I wanted to know what factions were out there.

  ​I took a seat, the wood was softer and warmer than expected. It was a bit spooky. The table was a horizontal cut of a trunk. It was mesmerizing to follow all the peculiarities of this room. The warm lights seeped from above without an explicit source. The thick and abundant bush around us made me feel alone.

  ​“What faction should we fear?” I asked.

  ​Oceania and Vesalius Black shared a look.

  ​“Well,” he started. His fingers drummed on the table. “I wouldn’t put you, and your friends into the same bag. You’re a dragoness, they’re supernaturals. Different factions are going to target you. For example, there are Children of Entropy who seek the end of dragons, they have a policy of not harming others. Some of the factions like Silver Circle only take in unicorns, but they aren’t to be ignored. No one knows who rules them or what their agenda is, but crossing them is a bad idea.”

  ​Silver Circle, huh? How could I cross someone I’ve never met. The Unicorn House was the last place I’d hang out. I made a mental note and pushed for more.

  ​“Tell me of Selene and Saaron.”

  ​Dead silence met my words. Did I hit a sensitive spot there?

  ​“What’s the matter?” Simona asked concerned. She knew the most about my beef with the unicorn bitch. I recognized a spark in her eyes, which denoted a clear message – tread carefully, something’s seriously not right.

  ​Vesalius looked at his hands, but Oceania spoke up.

  ​“These two are the Heads of the Houses with connections and power beyond most of the factions. Selene is the daughter of the director and dean of the Academy, while Saaron is a son of a commander of the Dragon Soldiers and General of the Army of Light. They belong to different strata than any of us. You must understand that there are factions and there are factions. Usually, the personas of their status keep their affiliation secret.”

  ​Either she lied or she didn’t know. Saaron and Lotian banded together while Nix and Dramer were their opposition. Their factions must have names. I had to learn them. As if mentally called out, a faint voice of Lotian appeared in my head. It made no sense and disappeared after a few seconds. Odd.

  ​My focus snapped back to Oceania and her reluctance to speak about certain factions. One question remained.

  ​“Tell me about Watermane’s faction.”

  ​Vesalius snorted.

  ​I didn’t find it funny. Watermane was a deadly bitch, who should mind her own business instead of sending her minions to stalk me.

  ​“Rosa doesn’t belong to any faction. She is at odds with everyone here.”

  ​How come she could function as the Head of the Elemental House without backing? I expected that her attack on Selene and Lotian would be enough to fire her. But no. She’s kept her position. Either, the director didn’t care or her hands were tied up.

  ​Suddenly, Vesalius Black’s ears went upward and he put the finger to his lips. The silence descended on the room.

  ​A faint voice reached us.

  ​“…made her, it doesn’t matter how you’re going to do this. As long as you won’t get caught. They won’t tolerate failure, remember…” a voice drifted away. I didn’t recognize it.

  ​Simona, Rust and I shared looks. What were Vesalius Black and Oceania up to? Did we just walk into the middle of some secret war?

  ​I jumped on my seat when the bush parted and a waiter walked inside.

  ​“Ready to order?” He exchanged a meaningful look with Vesalius. There was something up between these two.

  ​The fairy blinked, looked down at his hands. The menus were lying next to him.

  ​“Ups, I forgot about them.”

  ​The waiter nodded. “Do you need another five minutes?”

  ​“No,” Oceania said sharply. “Five Green Midnights.”

  ​The waiter accepted the menus from Vesalius and left. What the hell was Green Midnight? The same questions appeared on Simona’s face. It wasn’t only the fact that Oceania ordered them without asking us, but I had a hunch that the order had been some kind of a message.

  ​This place is seriously fucked up.

  ​

  Chapter 4

  Selene

  “What do you expect from me, mother?”

  ​She stood on the balcony overseeing the Great York City. Far beyond the walls, darkness gazed at us. Titan God ruled outside of the Great Cities. His presence could make anyone’s blood turn to ice. This knowledge that the deadliest of the enemies of the coalition between unicorns and dragons has ever faced still walked on the surface of this planet.

  ​“Truth.” Her words cut deep. Mirenne possessed an unmatched silhouette. A fragile-looking woman of absurd beauty that could break any mind. Not even pure dragons could shield their minds. Dragon’s rage was potent, but my mother has proven many times how little it meant to her. Now, this woman wanted the truth out of her younger daughter. Fear used to be an alien sensation to me. For the first time, I was filled with it.

  ​“Mother,” I said only a notch louder than a wind that swept through the balcony. “What if I’m mistaken? The consequences… it can destroy the alliance of the Four Prime Powers.”

  ​Mirenne half turned. Her silver hair was cut short to honor an old tradition from the unicorn’s planet – Alicorn. Only pure unicorns were permitted to go there. Amongst us existed a strong sensitivity to the purity of our blood.

  ​“For all I know…” My mother paused because there were things she wanted to keep hidden from me. “All I’m asking of you is to confirm beyond any doubt if she has it or not. I must know.”

  ​Mirenne sought confirmation, but she didn’t utter a single word of what would happen if the truth she so badly desired weren’t the one she’d hoped to face. Was I ready to damn this world for the politics of the Pures? Mirenne and Atrax have been playing games at our expense. There was a chance this was bigger than them. I hoped not.

  ​“Go, girl. I have a meeting to attend. Learn who she is, but make sure you won’t catch the attent
ion of demi-dragons.”

  ​The opening in the powerful barrier cast around the balcony appeared. It was the final sign for me to leave. I teleported back into my office. Tomorrow, the quarterly reviews would start and last until every student took a part. This is going to be a pain. The Academy has almost a thousand students. At the same time, she wants me to investigate her and there is a matter of Silver Circle. If I want to succeed, I’ll need help. Serious help.

  Chapter 5

  The Green Midnight drink was awesome. The bottom of the glass was shrouded in the darkness while the surface represented a day. Some bubbles fell while others drifted up. Its taste brought memories of places long lost. Rain forests, savannahs, grasslands of southeastern Europe. Vesalius explained that the memories were magically enchanted within the drinks, but there was more to it than just a simple enchant. Ingredients played a significant role. He knew a lot about this stuff. Apparently it was the fairies’ domain.

  ​After the fourth drink, I felt relaxed and at peace with the world. Why would anyone want to disrupt tranquility? We sought the wrong goals. Despite the overwhelming calmness I didn’t trust Vesalius Black and Oceania. Their sudden appearance and friendliness seemed too suspicious.

  ​We’d left the Botanics of Nark and were heading to the usual common room when the first noise of cracking glass, in the corridor without a single window, sounded. My brain wasn’t in shape to react in time and I couldn’t comprehend how the fuck the reality itself was breaking. Someone’s hand shoved me against the wall. Someone screamed when more cracks filled the air. Out of blue, everything whirled and horrendous ringing took away all the sounds.

  ​FLARE?! Lotian’s panicked voice exploded in my head before even his presence was swept by the intrusive darkness. I watched myself plunged into the hollowness. Simona, Rust, Oceania, Vesalius Black, random students and teachers who happened to be in the corridor, they all disappeared. Fucking blackness consumed them all. Consumed everything. Why am I aware? Shouldn’t I lose consciousness or something? I struggled with a sudden spike of fear. I was trapped in… in nothingness. I fought with nothing and obviously the result of this was nothing.