A tense standoff ensued. One of the Unicorns circled Majherri and looked like it was going to attack. The other Battle Maiden shouted for calm and looked at Kayleigh. “You! Calm him down! Now!”
“What do I do?”
“Walk over to him, speak to him, and lead him back.”
She hesitantly stepped over and patted him on the side. Anger, resentment, and even hatred welled up inside of her and she knew it was coming from Majherri. Swallowing hard, she stroked his side and tried to speak in a soothing tone. “Calm down Majherri. This isn’t a way to settle things. That’s it. Why don’t we just take a few steps backward and sort this out.”
He resisted at first, but he allowed her to lead him back roughly six feet. She could sense a great deal of nonverbal communication between the three Unicorns going on.
Meghan snarled, “What is he thinking?”
“I believe he was reminding you that he is not your Unicorn and doesn’t have to take orders from you. Furthermore, I think Majherri isn’t the only one that needs to reign in their temper.”
“That’s enough Lindsey. I’m in charge of this expedition.”
The more reasonable Battle Maiden snapped back, “Then act like it!” Turning towards the girl, Lindsey adopted a more formal tone. “Kayleigh, walk Majherri back up the path and wait for us. Captain Lynch and I will have a brief discussion and then we will join you. Finally, let me be the first to say congratulations, candidate, on being chosen by your Unicorn.”
The one female Unicorn, who had taken an aggressive approach, turned and kicked a small cloud of sand on Mahjerri as they walked by. Kayleigh coughed a bit, but wanted to be anywhere other than this beach right then. At the top of the path she glanced down and saw the two armored women in a very heated argument.
She dusted the sand off of his coat and wished she had a brush or something to distract him from this anger. “I don’t know why you hate her. You’ve got your reasons I’m sure, but we’ll get through this…I hope.”
About the Author
Jim Bernheimer lives in Chesapeake, Virginia with his wife, Kim, and two precious daughters, Laura and Marissa. By day he is a network administrator. He is an avid reader and writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. 2009 will see the publication of his first full novel Dead Eye: Pennies for the Ferryman.
For the most up to date list of his works, visit his website at www.JimBernheimer.com.
Horror, Humor, and Heroes Page 22
