A faint noise from somewhere in the farmhouse drew her attention; Pierre was apparently up and about. She glanced out of the window, it was still dark, but the first streaks of pink were just visible in the eastern sky. It was nearly dawn and they were going to spend the day rounding up a herd of unicorns. Grinning with sudden excitement, Mistral turned back to Fabian and kissed him. His sleeping lips responded without hesitation, his arms reaching up to pull her back against his warm body.
‘Good morning,’ he murmured and regarded her lazily through half-closed eyes.
‘Unicorns,’ she reminded him. ‘You, me and a herd of unicorns! Remember?’
He smiled, ‘How could I forget?’
‘Pierre’s already up,’ she said, looking anxiously at the window to see the sky had already lightened to a pale pink. ‘Is he coming with us?’
‘He’s going to take us to where the herd have been overwintered.’
‘Is he going to help us round them up then?’ Mistral suppressed a pang of disappointment. ‘Only I had hoped it would be just you and me.’
An ironic smile lifted one side of Fabian’s mouth, ‘He’s only going to show us the location Mistral. The hard work will be down to us.’
‘Good!’ Mistral leapt from the bed, reaching for her clothes she continued to talk excitedly to Fabian while she dressed. ‘I think we should capture the stallion first ... the mares will follow him for certain … failing that we go for any mares with foals at foot; the stallion will definitely try to prevent us and we can get him to follow us.’
Smiling at her enthusiasm, Fabian rose and dressed while Mistral kept up a continual flow of suggestions, not ceasing until they entered the kitchen to find Pierre muttering to himself as he pulled a tray of slightly burned bread from the oven. Fabian greeted him politely while Mistral sat at the table and watched the elderly Mage moving around the kitchen. Something in his manner rang a warning bell in her mind, but she couldn’t quite put a finger on what. It was almost as though every action was staged; the grin he gave her slightly too wide, the laugh too loud … then there was the way he appeared to be uncertain of the whereabouts of items in his own kitchen ... and he’d obviously battled with the oven he’d supposedly spent a lifetime cooking on. Burned bread? Was he that unnerved by having guests in his house?
While Pierre and Fabian began a conversation Mistral picked at her breakfast and gazed thoughtfully at the air above Pierre’s head, letting the truth of emotions fill her vision. His aura burst forth in a glare of gold and silver … joy, excitement, and the unmistakable mother of pearl shimmer that signified hope. Mistral frowned; his aura had revealed nothing vaguely dark or devious, but still she couldn’t shake the persistent feeling that something wasn’t quite right about Pierre. She listened intently to his thoughts, trying to remember some words from the incomprehensible stream that assailed her mind. She could repeat them to Fabian later ... maybe he would see what she was missing.
After breakfast they made their way to the stables and saddled their horses for the journey. Pierre rode beside Fabian, preventing Mistral from being able to reiterate to him the few words she’d memorised from Pierre’s thoughts. Determined not to forget them, she repeated them over and over in her mind, trying to recall exactly the unfamiliar pronunciations without letting her lips form the words.
The trail they followed into the mountains was little more than a rough dirt track, but the scenery was nothing short of breathtaking. Mountains soared majestically into a vast blue sky. Sunlight glinted on the lingering snow fields, but where they were riding it was warm. The first signs of spring were evident in the flowers blooming amongst the thickening grass of the sweeping pasture lands around them. Mistral drew in a breath of clean mountain air and gazed around appreciatively; it really was beyond beautiful. She glanced at Pierre again, chatting amiably with Fabian. Her Mage obviously didn’t share her concerns about their host and appeared quite relaxed; nodding interestedly at whatever Pierre was telling him. Mistral sighed, maybe she was just becoming paranoid … no doubt a side effect of spending too much time with the twins. Pushing her anxieties to the back of her mind, Mistral listened to Fabian translating for her what Pierre had been telling him.
‘Pierre says that the long winters make life hard, but they are also the reason it has been possible for the unicorn herd to have existed here undetected for so many years –’
And the Rochfortes …
His unspoken thought pricked at her earlier apprehensions, drawing her attention back to Pierre, now riding in front of them in silence. He seemed to be looking around a lot more than before, as though searching for something … or uncertain of his surroundings. They crested a ridge of grey rock and Pierre abruptly reined his pony in. Turning to speak briefly to Fabian he pointed down into the valley below them then pulled his pony around and rode away at a fast trot.
‘What was that all about?’ Mistral asked curiously.
Fabian watched Pierre disappear from view over the edge of the rise before he replied, ‘Pierre thinks he saw the spoors of a mountain bear a short way back. He wants to investigate more closely.’
Mistral frowned, ‘A bear? I didn’t see any evidence of anything larger than rabbits and alpine foxes.’
‘Hmm, neither did I.’ Fabian regarded her thoughtfully for a moment before shrugging. ‘Well, bear or no bear, this is apparently the valley where the unicorns have been overwintered.’
‘What, here?’ Mistral gazed down into the green bowl below them, all thoughts of Pierre’s strange behaviour immediately vanishing.
‘Yes.’ Fabian smiled and waved a hand in an inviting gesture. ‘After you –’
Mistral didn’t need to be offered twice. Kicking Cirrus hard she charged over the edge of the rise and careered recklessly down the steep side, hauling him to a jerky halt when she reached the valley floor. Hastily wiping her streaming eyes, Mistral studied the small valley; breathless with sudden excitement ... the unicorns were here … or were they? Mistral’s eyes raked her surroundings eagerly, looking for any sign of the fabled unicorn herd. Fresh horse droppings were clearly visible amongst the tufts of grass, but she could see no sign of the creatures that had deposited them.
‘Look!’ She whispered to Fabian when he rode up alongside, pointing down at the tell-tale impressions of an unshod hoof in the soft earth.
‘The herd are here … somewhere.’ Fabian narrowed his eyes to join her in searching the valley for the unicorns.
Mistral and Fabian studied the valley. It was not very large, but the steep sides would provide protection from the worst of the winter storms. A wide stream swollen with melting snow rushed noisily over a bed of brightly coloured pebbles. The flat banks were churned up in several places where the herd had obviously gathered to drink. Mistral felt her excitement grow at each indication that they were in the right place ... but where were the herd? She frowned, her eyes scouring the sides of the valley again, looking for the bright animals that would surely stand out a like a sore thumb against the grey rocks and brown earth.
After a several minutes of fruitless searching Mistral let out a low laugh, ‘Fabian?’
He immediately turned to her, ‘Yes?’
‘Have you ever seen a unicorn?’
‘Well, no, there have never been any in existence on the Isle. However, I have seen their images in text books.’
Mistral smiled, ‘Big and white, with a spiralled horn?’
He frowned, ‘That is the standard depiction, yes.’
‘Well, someone needs to shoot the artist because that,’ she indicated with an amused lift of her chin, ‘is our herd of unicorns.’
Fabian looked over to where she indicated, ‘I’m sorry Mistral, but I don’t see anything but earth and rocks.’
‘Look –’
One of the unicorns moved, drawing Fabian’s attention to a herd of shaggy brown ponies, utterly non-descript in every way apart from the long twisting horn that protruded from the centre of each forehead.
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Fabian sighed and reached for the coil of rope hanging from his saddle, ‘Ah, let this be another reminder of the stark contrast between dreams and reality.’
Mistral laughed, ‘I think Clovis is going to be disappointed when we turn up with that motley lot! They’re hardly what I expected!’
‘Well camouflaged though –’
Startled by the sound of their voices, the unicorns looked towards them. One pushed its way to the front and threw its head up, snorting loudly.
‘That’s the stallion getting all protective.’ Mistral muttered quickly. ‘He’s challenging us … he probably thinks Cirrus is a threat to his mares.’
‘We don’t want to panic him into charging. Those horns aren’t ornaments!’ Fabian immediately kicked Spirit on. ‘You take front, I’ll take back! Don’t get too close, just draw his attention and I’ll separate him from the mares!’
Mistral nodded and walked Cirrus slowly towards the herd, drawing their focus while Fabian circled around behind them. The mares backed away from Cirrus’ steady approach but the stallion stood firm with his head held high, raking the ground with one hard black hoof. Mistral rode closer then reined to a halt, watching the stallion carefully. She didn’t want to antagonise him, just divert his attention away from Fabian, now edging Spirit along the valley wall behind the herd. She nudged Cirrus with her heels, asking him to walk on again. Excited by the closeness of so many unfamiliar mares, Cirrus suddenly tossed his head and neighed. The stallion immediately gave an infuriated squeal and charged straight at him with his head lowered.
Swearing loudly Mistral hauled hard on the reins, pulling Cirrus round just in time to avoid being gored by the unicorn’s long horn. He thundered past with inches to spare, showering Cirrus with sparks from his brimstone hooves. Unnerved, Cirrus reared up, forcing Mistral to cling to his mane to stop herself from falling off. He dropped back down and immediately tried to bolt. Scrabbling for her reins, Mistral hauled back and tried to get him under control before the stallion charged again. Cirrus fought to have his head and spun around in a tight circle, affording her a dizzying glimpse of Fabian lassoing one of the mares. Shortening her reins and pulling down hard on the bit, Mistral finally forced Cirrus to submit to her will again. He fidgeted beneath her tight hold, rolling his eyes at the unicorn stallion cantering around him with his tail held tauntingly high. Glancing over her shoulder at Fabian, Mistral was impressed to see that he’d managed to secure five of the mares. He still had three to catch; she needed to keep the stallion occupied and buy him time to complete the task. Relaxing her reins slightly, Mistral let Cirrus pace in restless circles, keeping the stallion’s attention fixed on him and away from the fact that Fabian was in the process of stealing his mares.
Fabian worked swiftly, neatly lassoing another mare and using Spirit’s weight to control her while he roped her to the others. Without the reassuring presence of their stallion the older mares had given in without much of a fight, but the last two were yearlings who skittered away nervously each time he tried to loop a rope around their necks. Changing tactics, Fabian used Spirit to drive them towards the valley wall, leaving them with nowhere to run, he successfully lassoed one but she immediately began to panic and gave a high-pitched neigh of fear. Hearing the sudden distress of one of his herd the stallion instantly whipped around, his nostrils flaring in anger at the sight of his mares roped together. The panicking yearling kicked out at Spirit and she shied away, her bright coat shining like polished gold amongst the drab brown of the unicorn mares. The stallion lifted his head and sniffed the air, drawing in the tantalising scent of a new mare. He snorted eagerly and trotted towards her with exaggerated, prancing steps. Terrified he would charge at Fabian, Mistral reached for her lasso and tensed ready to throw. The stallion halted a short distance from the herd. He did not lower his head to charge, but stared intently at Spirit then called out to her with an imperious neigh. The unicorn mares threw up their heads in response and some even neighed back, but he only had eyes for Spirit. Mistral could have laughed, her fears of the stallion charging at Fabian forgotten. He was obviously too taken with the idea of adding Fabian’s bright mare to his herd to care about the rider on her back.
Spirit didn’t acknowledge the stallion’s arrogant calls, or even look at him. Undaunted by her complete lack of interest the stallion began to try and woo her with a flamboyant display of his abilities; galloping around in tight circles and occasionally stopping to rear and paw the air impressively. Despite his almost laughable antics, Mistral couldn’t help but admire the stallion’s fluid gait and precise movements. She watched him galloping across the valley, his dirty mane and tail streaming out behind him. He turned on a pinhead without dropping a stride to gallop back, all for the benefit of Spirit, who hadn’t once glanced in his direction. When he skidded to a halt and called out to Spirit again Mistral realised that this might just be the ideal opportunity to catch him. Coiling a length of rope in one hand, she quickly urged Cirrus towards the distracted unicorn. Drawing back her arm, Mistral flung her lasso towards the stallion’s uplifted head.
The rope fell short and the stallion promptly shied then galloped off, leaving Mistral coiling in the rope and cursing under her breath, knowing that he wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice. Coming to an abrupt halt a safe distance away, the stallion eyed her with a look Mistral recognised well. It was the same one Cirrus had given her from across the paddock many times, signifying the start of a long battle of wills that usually resulted in her temper being lost. Mistral tied the rope back onto her saddle with a resigned sigh. Glancing over at Fabian she saw that he had managed to lasso the last yearling but was struggling to force her into a rope halter. Giving up on the stallion, Mistral rode over to lend a hand.
By noon all of the mares had been persuaded into wearing rope halters and were ready to be herded out of the valley. Mistral rubbed a hand across her sweating brow, she’d already taken off her jerkin and rolled up her shirt sleeves, but the warm spring sunshine was making her feel uncomfortably hot. She reached for her waterskin and took a long drink, looking thoughtfully at the unicorn stallion.
‘Do you think he’ll just follow if we ride off with his mares?’
Fabian looked up from his task of knotting two ropes together, ‘Possibly,’ he mused. ‘But it would be more prudent to capture him in case he decides to bolt. A herd of unicorn mares is not much good without their stallion.’
Mistral pulled a face as she took another drink, ‘Huh! They’d be better off without him! Just look at him trying to impress Spirit! He doesn’t care about them!’
Fabian gazed over at the amorous stallion, galloping flat out across the valley floor, stopping at the very last second to rear, pirouette, and gallop back again.
‘Show-off!’ Mistral muttered while Fabian laughed.
They watched the stallion charge around the valley for a few more minutes until Fabian turned to her with a smile on his face, ‘I think that unrequited love may be the answer here.’
Untethering Spirit, Fabian patted her on the shoulder and let her loose. The mare looked at him uncertainly then tossed her head and trotting happily away. She soon slowed to a walk then halted and began to graze, oblivious to the stallion now walking eagerly towards her. Mistral quickly grabbed her lasso and dropped down close to the ground. She watched Fabian slip quietly away to circle around behind the advancing stallion before she began to move in the opposite direction. The stallion reached Spirit and neighed softly. Spirit ignored him and continued to tear at the lush grass. The stallion moved closer and stretched out to nibble her neck affectionately; Spirit kicked out irritably and moved away, pursued by the love-struck unicorn.
‘Now!’
Mistral flung her rope on Fabian’s hissed command. It whistled through the air to loop loosely over the stallion’s neck, instantly followed by Fabian’s rope. Rising swiftly to her feet Mistral threw her weight back, hauling against the rope while the stallion reared and plunged, squealing
furiously at the unfamiliar restraints around his neck. Mistral clung on to her rope, digging her heels into the soft earth and leaning back.
‘Can you hold on?’ Fabian shouted anxiously.
‘Just!’ She yelled back, gritting her teeth and pulling with all her might. ‘He’s strong for his size!’
Fabian gave her a worried look and began to haul on his rope, using the stallion’s resistance to pull himself closer until he was within striking distance of the hard black hooves flailing through the air.
‘Fabian!’ Mistral cried out fearfully as Fabian grabbed at the stallion’s mane and vaulted up onto his back.
‘Let go Mistral!’
‘No!’
Without Fabian’s strength Mistral was struggling to keep her grip on the rope, but if she dropped it Fabian would be at the stallion’s mercy. The stallion rebelled against the strange weight on his back and twisted away, yanking the rope from her hands with a burning wrench. Freed from the rope’s constraints the stallion immediately bolted and tore across the valley with Fabian on his back. Mistral watched with her heart in her mouth, pressing her hands to her face whenever he threw out wild bucks to try and dislodge his unwanted rider. If he succeeded, Fabian would either be trampled to death or gored by the unicorn’s long horn. Fabian showed no sign of fear but wrapped his legs tighter around the unicorn’s matted flanks, his face glowing with a wild look that Mistral instantly recognised as the one inspired by danger. The unicorn plunged through the stream and pounded back towards the herd, turning sharply to try and throw Fabian before jerking to an abrupt halt and rearing up until he was almost vertical. Mistral cried out a useless warning, certain the animal would overbalance and crush Fabian beneath him. He teetered in the air; his back hooves moving back half a step to counter the extra weight on his back, then abruptly lunged forwards, immediately accelerating into a flat-out gallop again. Around and around they flew and still Fabian stayed on, bending low over the unicorn’s neck and making no attempt to check his reckless speed.
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