by Phil Stern
Letting the soft wind swirl her blonde hair about, the young witch gratefully took in the soft woods and sunny sky. She’d always felt safe here. Even during the recent blow-ups with the mad wizard and the ruby coven, Haven felt like a bastion of love and strength that could never be breached. Here she could finally relax and unwind, having no secrets to keep or enemies to be wary of.
Not that the Coven wasn’t careful. Indeed, two candidate sorceresses, just a few years younger than Caylee herself, now emerged from the tree line on the opposite side of the small clearing. Boundary pickets, ready to sound the alarm if anyone entering Haven wasn’t really supposed to be there.
Smiling at them, Caylee let out a tiny surge of magical energy, so they could actually feel her Coven signature. She’d always appreciated this small courtesy when on picket duty herself, as one wasn’t supposed to rely on mere visual identification. Illusions, after all, were fairly easy to cast.
Still, even as the girls brought out a fresh horse and Caylee mounted up, her head began spinning just a little bit. By the stone, just a short time before, she’d been doing their job! Hanging around these woods for hours on end, hoping any returning seniors were in a good mood when they came home. Or at least, weren’t going to yell at her for something stupid.
But now she was a full-fledged operative, briefly dropping by Haven before heading out again on another assignment. How quickly things can change! Nearly bursting with pride, Caylee carefully tied her backpack to the saddle before hitting the trail.
Ten menlars later she exited the woods entirely, finding a few more Coven-mates enjoying the beautiful weather. While checking in with the senior witch supervising the watch, Caylee glanced about. A few battle hawks lazily circled overhead, while a trio of unicorns grazed a short distance into the broad plains. Everything seemed as it should, all the drama of the last few years having finally settled down.
Yet one recent emergency measure was now permanent. The Boundary portals were to remain in these woods, some distance from Haven Village. Which was actually kind of nice, as one had a little time to readjust to a fully magical realm.
Thus, after waving a cheery goodbye, Caylee cantered out into the long, lush grass. One of the uni’s casually joined up with her for the ride home. Along the way they passed many more of the huge, graceful ‘corns, their coats nearly glowing in the bright sun.
This was also something relatively new, the Coven Council having finally given into popular demand and allowed the unicorns full access to Haven. The old argument was that the uni and horse herds would inevitably clash, fighting over space and perhaps even mates. But so far, so good. With the exception of a few younger unicorns occasionally making pests of themselves down in the Village, it was all working out.
Caylee was very glad. It hadn’t seemed fair to only keep a handful of unicorns as escorts in Haven itself, while the rest of them had to hang around in the Boundary. The old-timers even tried to argue that the unicorns didn’t like it here! But clearly, that was just a mindless defense of the status quo.
Of course, the unicorns were much happier with the new arrangement. Several had told Caylee so themselves. The Boundary could get kind of dreary, while Haven had very nice grass and bright sun. And since they needed to be close to the Coven, this obviously worked out better for everyone.
Which isn’t to say that the unicorns didn’t often travel between magical worlds on their own. In some places, they were quite common. Though Caylee sometimes wondered what the unicorn home dimension was like. It must be really nice. One day she’d ask one of the great equines to take her there.
Or maybe every magical realm was, in fact, a unicorn home dimension? She’d have to think about that a bit.
*****
Dropping off her mount at the stables on the edge of town, Caylee sauntered down pleasant grass lanes into the Village itself. Due to the logistical difficulties in transiting in and out of Vail, it had been nearly seven weeks since her last visit. Since the semester began, actually, she’d only dropped by a few times on the back end of courier missions to other dimensions.
Thus, it was with a delicious sense of pleasure that the young sorceress pushed through her own doorway, greeted a house mate reading in the living area, and strode back to her room. Closing the door and tossing the backpack aside, she gratefully tumbled down onto her very own bed. Almost immediately falling into a light sleep, Caylee napped until mid-afternoon.
Upon waking, she read one of her favorite magical novels for a bit before taking a shower. Then, unpacking the strange Victorian-era talisman found in Lysandy, she headed over to the Haven Library.
Thankfully, she wasn’t under any great obligation to do social rounds. Everyone understood that an active witch needed time to rest and prepare for a new mission, especially during a one-night “layover.” After Lysandy she should have a few weeks to herself here, but now was time for business.
However, this laudable dedication to duty quickly ran aground on the stony rocks of the duty librarian.
“Lysandy?” the old woman irritably repeated. “I’m sure you aren’t approved for that dimension.”
“But I’m a full operative. I don’t need…”
“You are?” Peering more closely at the youthful sorceress, the librarian frowned. “I think not.”
Taking a deep breath, Caylee looked past the woman’s shoulder. There were fifteen work areas set up in the open, airy space. Each had a comfy work chair and multiple computer screens, not to mention room for holo-displays. Tasteful plants and other decorations adorned the main floor, with see-through glass walls providing a wonderful view of nearby woods and fields.
At the moment, there were only three Coven-mates at work here, the closest one clearly amused at Caylee’s predicament. Shifting from one booted foot to the other, she tried to corral her growing anger.
“I think I am,” Caylee pleasantly corrected. “I turned eighteen just over six months ago.”
The librarian crossed her arms. “You certainly don’t look it.”
At this, the nearby girl laughed out loud, quickly turning away.
“Just check the records,” Caylee patiently seethed. “Then you’ll know for sure!”
With a huff, the haughty gatekeeper tapped on the old-style display resting on her slim podium. Time passed, the simple inquiry taking far longer than it should. Finally, with an indifferent shrug, the librarian looked up.
“It seems you do have full operational status,” she grudgingly acknowledged. “What dimension did you mention before?”
“Lysandy!” The blonde sorceress held up the gauge. “Eleanor wants to know how this artifact got there.”
At this, the librarian dug in again, frostily lecturing Caylee that such a thing could never have been found in a technologically-barren world like Lysandy. And eighteen or no, did Caylee really expect anyone to believe that the Coven Leader had personally assigned her to an independent investigation? Especially when she clearly had no idea what she was talking about?
Nearly thirty menlars later, a message came in from Eleanor’s office in Vail confirming both the mission and Caylee’s full access to the Coven records. Signed by the chief-of-staff, it concluded with “Please ensure that Caylee attends directly to the matter at hand without wasting any more time. Norine.”
Flouncing down at the last available work station (the rest had all filled-up while she waited), Caylee finally got down to business. Over two hundred menlars later, though, she’d discovered virtually nothing.
As advertised, Lysandy had minimal Boundary access. A few portals were exclusively located on the very edge of a vast grassy plain. One had to strike off inland, directly away from the nearest dimensional exit, and hope for the best.
Indeed, outside of a few absurdly-generic survey reports, very little was known of the place. There was nothing to indicate a parallel world or “illicit” inter-dimensional contact. Nor, for that matter, had anyone reported objects from Lysandy popping up in odd plac
es around the universe. All the animals were apparently magical, while the sparse human population seemed entirely mundane. How a broken, muddy gauge wound up there was anybody’s guess.
Folding her arms, Caylee sat back. She’d really hoped to find something even vaguely useful before charging off into a strange dimension. But more and more it seemed like the Coven Library’s Lysandy section would have to be filled by her.
As if a mere newbie’s report would even be considered for general inclusion! Mildly frustrated, she packed up, checked out with the frumpy librarian, and wandered towards home.
Catching an early dinner at a favorite café along the way, she ran into two Coven-mates from her training days. Chatting late into the evening, and then attending a poetry reading with them on other far side of the Village, Caylee didn’t get to sleep until well after midnight.
*****
At seven o’clock the next morning, Caylee’s alarm went off. Groaning, she tried to hide under the covers, yet a magical buzzer wasn’t so easily ignored. Finally stumbling out of bed, she nearly swatted the damn thing out the window.
Only then did she remember setting the wake-up call yesterday afternoon, when she planned on getting an early start today. But that was before running into her friends, followed by impromptu evening out, and the bottle of wine…
Sighing, the young witch leaned against a dresser. While the liquor on Vail was age-appropriately non-alcoholic, the third glass last night had been a big mistake.
Resting for another thirty menlars, her headache somewhat receded. Then, jumping into the shower and dressing, she carefully rolled up the old gauge in a clean cloth and put it away in her magical travel bag. There wasn’t any need to pack her Vail keys and such, as she’d surely be coming back to Haven before returning to her “residence” dimension.
Her excitement returning, Caylee rushed out the door, then quickly strolled through a still-sleepy Haven Village towards the edge of town. Twenty menlars later she was back at the stables, located at the end of a long grassy lane on one side, and a beautiful, broad field on the other.
“I need to request a horse.” Nearly bursting with pride, Caylee beamed at the pretty, early forty-something woman on duty. “For extended duty.”
In other words, a horse that could be taken into another dimension. Though anybody could take out a mount for use here in Haven, there weren’t all that many horses that could comfortably cross the Boundary.
“For extended duty? I see.” Smiling, the woman checked the computer terminal tastefully hidden on top of a wide fence post. “And your name, dear?”
“Caylee. Uh, Caylee Nuxan.” For some reason, she hated using her last name.
“Ah, here you are.” The attendant didn’t wear an earth stone and wasn’t of the Coven. Almost certainly she was the mother of a candidate sorceress temporarily living in Haven. “Yes, you need a horse for your trip to Lysandy.”
“That’s right.”
“Good for you, dear. I have just the one.”
It was a sturdy paint-colored mare, sleek and powerful. Witches didn’t use much in the way of tack, just an ultra-light, magical saddle and minimal bridle. Soon she was mounted up and ready to go.
“Oh Caylee? Don’t go yet.” Walking back into the barn, the woman came back half-a-menlar later carrying a Coven Stick. “Don’t forget this.”
Surprised, the young sorceress stared at the inert greenish-gray rod in her hand. As Coven Sticks could only be accessed by an earth stone, there wasn’t any danger of the barn attendant hurting herself. Still, Caylee had thought the multi-purpose weapons more carefully controlled than this!
“These are now standard for operatives going on independent missions,” the woman explained, almost as if Caylee didn’t know what a Coven Stick was. “Your orders in the computer would qualify.”
In other words, the orders sent by Norine yesterday to clear up the confusion at the Coven Library. Clearly, the Coven Leader’s chief-of-staff hadn’t included Eleanor’s specific prohibition that she not take a Coven Stick.
Caylee wistfully stared at the magical weapon for a moment, then slowly shook her head. “No, I’m not supposed to.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, but thank you. I’ll be back in several days.”
“All right, if that’s what you want.” Lowering the Coven Stick, the woman smiled. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
As if it was Caylee’s choice not to take one! Gritting her teeth, she pointedly urged the horse into motion. Exiting the stable area, the sorceress was soon galloping across the wide plains towards the main unicorn herd.
So Caylee wasn’t allowed to have a Coven Stick, even while non-witches were handing them out like candy bars? Of course, this was what happened with all new things, going from dangerous/restricted to accepted/common in very short order. And obviously an old woman like Eleanor would be the last to embrace new magical technology, resisting it to the very end!
Still, Caylee knew not taking one was the right decision. Using a bureaucratic oversight to violate Eleanor’s specific instructions wouldn’t do her any good in the long run. But by the stone, would a Coven Stick feel good on her hip right now!
Still annoyed as they pounded up a gentle rise, her horse automatically slowed near the top. Cresting the summit and coming to a complete halt, all thoughts of Coven Sticks were instantly wiped from the sorceress’ mind.
Before her, in a shallow valley formed by low hills, was the stunning sight of a large unicorn herd placidly enjoying the sunny day. Most of them peacefully grazed on the bright green grass in two and threes, while others played and ran about. Soft bugles carried about on the clear air as great equines called out to one another, then wandered over to meet their friends. Off to one side young couples meandered by themselves, gently nuzzling each other’s necks. In another area, over a dozen mother ‘corns tried to corral excited colts.
There must be hundreds of them! Caylee simply stood there watching for some moments. Somehow, seeing this many unicorns together at once was simply astounding.
A few horned heads now glanced up to look at the sorceress, tails expectantly swishing back and forth. Caylee didn’t want them to think she was just staring at them or anything. She actually did have business here. Still, feeling vaguely like an interloper, she quickly urged her horse into the valley itself.
Okay, Eleanor had specified an older female unicorn. Slowly walking down the hillside, she surveyed the uni’s closest to her. She knew a few of them from escort trips across Haven, two others from training missions in Peth. There was even a handsome stallion that had once accompanied her on a trip through the Boundary two months ago. But he was male, and might not remember…
As the ground leveled off, and Caylee’s horse began nearing the edge of the herd, a single unicorn broke free and came charging towards her. Thundering loudly across the grass, he nearly tripped into a small stream. But somehow jumping over the water at the last instant, the now-breathless ‘corn excitedly bounded right up to Caylee, almost spooking her own horse into flight.
It was Tornado, a not-quite yearling colt that was just about the most undisciplined unicorn in the entire universe. Just over six months before he’d befriended Tiffany Smith and somehow connived his way not only into Haven Village, but her actual house. Both her kitchen and furniture had suffered as a result. Being liberally fed treats by nearly everyone on that memorable day, he’d also developed an unfortunate affinity for croissants and fluffy pretzels.
In fact, Tornado had been caught at least twice sneaking into town on apparent bakery runs, once even pestering a Coven Elder for a bite of her buttered bagel. That hadn’t gone over terribly well. Still, possessing a bit more innate magic than the average unicorn, Caylee strongly suspected he was up to even more mischief than anyone even knew.
Careening to a breathless halt, Tornado barely avoided poking Caylee’s arm with his horn. Unapologetically fixing his wide, brown eyes on her, he then hopefully aske
d if Tiffany was anywhere around.
This was another one of Tornado’s problems. The young ‘corn had developed a hopeless crush on Tiffany. Following her around like a puppy whenever she was in Haven, he became even more of a pest than usual.
“She’s not here,” Caylee patiently explain. “Tiffany spends most of her time on Earth now. You know that.”
Clearly disappointed, Tornado petulantly asked why he couldn’t join Tiffany on Earth.
“You know that too. Earth isn’t a magical world, and you can’t go there.”
Ever? But what if Tiffany never comes back?
“She comes back to Haven, what, every two weeks or so? You always see her then, right?”
Noticeably brightening, the unicorn nodded happily. Actually, Tiffany had been here just a few days before, Caylee was told. He’d run right beside her all the way from the Boundary, to the Village, and back again!
“Well, good for you.” Patting him on the neck, she did her best to sound reassuring. “But you should make friends with all the witches. Can you try, at least?”
Sure he could, Tornado conceded. But Tiffany was very nice. And powerful! And she gave him croissants, and had oats in her very own kitchen…
“All right, I get it!” she groaned. “Tiffany’s your favorite, and that isn’t going to change.”
Well, he certainly liked Caylee too! Playfully rubbing up against her own horse, the teenager’s leg was almost painfully squeezed between the two equine bulks. Without even having to ask, her mount pointedly sidestepped away from the unicorn.
By this point the herd seemed to have lost interest in her, the closest ‘corns having returned to wandering and grazing. With a practiced flip, Tornado used his horn to toss her hand right onto his favorite head scratching place. Idly complying with the obvious request, Caylee wondered how she could get away from him and proceed with her mission.
Glancing up, she noted that the sun was already fully above the horizon. Well, so much for her early start. The sorceress also noticed several battle hawks circling overhead, which reminded her of something else. After acquiring a unicorn companion, she’d have to find two of the great birds with experience in…
