by Wendy Knight
“Iros was about to give Scout a tour. Would you like to join us?” Havik asked. It was disconcerting when Scout couldn’t tell if he was talking just to her or to them all.
Torz came silently to stand next to Trey. The glow was faint, but Scout could still see it. I’m protecting this human because we need riders, and that’s it. Why couldn’t Scout have jumped on anyone else’s back besides the unicorn with the chip on her shoulder?
Fitting, since you have one, too. Scout wasn’t sure if it was Ashra’s voice or her own whispering inside her head. Either way, she chose to ignore it.
Instead, she turned to Iros. “Lead on, oh wise one,” she said, sweeping her arm wide. Iros grinned at her and started away from the huts.
“This used to be the area that housed the human riders. At one time there were hundreds of huts in this enclosed valley. Now I’m the only permanent resident.” He motioned behind him at the little square of small houses nestled in the depths of the cave.
Scout stopped, pulling him to a stop with her. “You’re the only human here? How come they don’t hate you? How are you safe?”
He smiled. “I’m not human. I’m immortal. Like the unicorns.”
“Say what now?” Kylin asked, nearly running into the back of Iros as she tried to keep her heels from sinking in the mossy undergrowth.
Scout gaped at him. “You don’t age?”
“We’ve been here hundreds and hundreds of years — specifically to fight the soul stealers. We almost won once.” Havik stomped his feet, and behind them Torz followed, like some sort of grieving unicorn ritual.
“So… you’re just… hundreds and hundreds of years old?” Scout asked, rubbing her eyes like it would make the situation more comprehensible.
“Yep.” Iros’ smile widened as if he was enjoying their confusion immensely.
“Holy Hannah,” Scout murmured. “I can’t… I don’t…”
Kylin suddenly seemed interested in the conversation, toddling around Trey to grip Iros’ other arm. “How do you become immortal? You don’t age? No wrinkles? This could revolutionize the fashion industry!”
“You become immortal by binding your soul to a unicorn’s, forever. A blood-bond, not just the soul-bond that Trey and Torz have,” Iros explained.
Kylin paled considerably. “It involves blood?”
Trey smirked. “Kylin doesn’t do well with the sight of blood.”
“And yet I’m still looking at you,” she snapped back at him.
Iros raised an eyebrow at Scout and she shook her head. Don’t ask. He hid a grin and turned back to Kylin. “In answer to your question, yes, it involves blood — and an unbreakable commitment. Paradesos becomes your home. You become a warrior for eternity.”
Kylin dropped Iros’ arm like it had scalded her fingers and stumbled backward into Trey’s arms, horror written across her face.
Honey, you don’t know what horror is, Scout thought dryly. Iros couldn’t read her mind like the unicorns could, but he still threw her an amused glance, apparently guessing her thoughts. She liked him even more.
“So, oh mighty leader. Where are we, exactly? Is this some unexplored Greek jungle that those Internet map programs missed completely or something?” she teased, and then wondered if he even knew what the Internet was.
He threw back his head and laughed. “Paradesos is above Greece. We have infinite space. It’s protected by unicorn magic. As long as there is a unicorn here, it will have that protection.” There were small trails among the trees. Iros picked one and they started down it, the two big unicorns following behind. Once again, it seemed that the trees stretched out of their way, and the breeze blew the moss from their path. It did not seem to do it for Iros, as he still had to duck and weave through the trees.
“You were going to tell me the betrayal story.” And why my unicorn wants to hate me so bad. Once again, Iros took Scout’s arm and looped it through the crook of his elbow, holding it there with his other hand. Clearly, ancient habits were hard to break. Scout smiled at the ground.
Through the trees, the sun cast scattered shadows across Iros’ face, lighting his loose curls so they looked like spun gold. “Ah. Yes. Hundreds of years ago, there was an ailing king.” Iros’ grip tightened on her hand, just a bit. He sounded like he was launching into a fairy tale, but there was pain hidden beneath his words. Scout could feel it through his touch, the way his fingers tightened without him even seeming to notice. “He was the king of the soul stealers, Master of them all. He was dying and there was only one thing that could save him.”
On Iros’ other side, Havik lowered his head, his horn glowing red-hot.
“Unicorn magic?” Scout guessed.
“The horn of a unicorn,” Torz said, his voice soft, gentle in the background.
“Your horns come off?” Kylin asked, reaching out to touch Havik’s. He reared back with a shriek.
“Whoa, whoa!” Scout found herself reaching out to comfort him without realizing it, despite the fact that his horn seemed to be living fire and his giant, stomping feet could cut her to shreds. She slid her hand along his neck, felt him tremble. “It’s okay. We don’t know better,” she soothed.
“Thank you, Scout,” she heard Havik whisper, the tremors dying away under her fingers.
“To take a unicorn’s horn is to kill its entire lineage,” Iros said grimly.
Scout gasped, her free hand flying to her mouth. Havik moved ahead of them and Scout followed. Iros fell into step beside her.
“At the same time,” Iros glanced at Havik, who flicked one ear toward Scout and tossed his head gently. “I had a brother. The love-of-his-life had been caught by the soul stealers. The Master offered an exchange.”
“No.” Trey’s voice was hard as he guessed what Iros was about to say.
Iros glanced at him, nodding sadly. “My brother was a rider of the Corste. They were magnificent red unicorns that led souls to heaven. In desperation, he tricked his unicorn, with whom he had blood-bonded, and took his horn. The entire Corste race died, but they left us a gift.” Iros’ eyes moved to the horizon, where the sun seemed to pause in a magnificent sunset. “They are the beautiful colors you see when the sun rises or sets.”
“It’s beautiful,” Scout murmured.
Iros nodded. “He tried to take the horn to the Master, but Havik and I stopped him and took it back, forcing him from Paradesos. The old Master, with nothing to save him, died and left my brother his legacy as the new Master. He has been building an army to storm Paradesos and take the horn back ever since.”
“What keeps him from just coming back and taking it himself?” Kylin asked. “Why does he need an army?”
“Because he doesn’t have a soul. His soul is trapped in the horn. And only those with souls can enter Paradesos, which is the same reason the soul stealers can’t come in, either.” They walked in silence, horror and sadness making it difficult to speak. Scout couldn’t think of a single thing to say after a story like that. So, lovely weather you’re having here. Yeah, that’d be great. The soft ferns brushed against her calves, tickling her skin through her ruined jeans.
Scout hadn’t realized that Iros had a destination in mind until they stopped in front of a wall encased in shimmering, incandescent flames. In the middle was a horn, dull black like an ox’s, but long and twisted like the unicorn’s. It took Scout several seconds to realize it was a unicorn horn — that’s what they would look like without the sparkly fire.
Reverently, Havik now lowered his still-fiery horn to touch it to the wall of flames. Trey stopped beside Scout, and on his other side Torz followed Havik, lowering his head as well.
“His soul is in that?” Kylin grimaced and backed away, her fair skin paling even more. “I think I’m going to vomit.”
Havik’s head jerked up and he snorted. Again Scout moved between them, laying a hand against his neck. She searched his eyes, trying to speak but unable to. Even so, Havik seemed to understand.
“That’s a
gift you have.” Iros touched her arm, nodding toward where her hand lay against the mighty unicorn’s silky neck. “Your ability to sooth, to speak to them without needing words. Very few have ever been able to do it.” Scout looked at him in surprise and Havik nudged her with his giant head.
“That makes sense,” Trey said quietly. Scout wondered if his voice would ever not send delicious chills up and down her spine, and if just standing next to him would ever not be a fight to find herself in his arms. “She’s always been like that. You should have seen her with Lil Bit.” Scout found herself caught in his gaze, unable to look away and not really even wanting to. His eyes were so beautiful.
Kylin cleared her throat, shoving her way between them with her arms crossed over her chest, eyes shooting daggers. Scout flushed and looked away, burying her face against Havik’s soft hair.
“So this was hundreds of years ago… but the attacks just started,” Trey said, his voice slightly strangled.
Scout could hear the chuckle in Iros’ voice as he answered. “Yes, he’s been slowly building his army of soul stealers.” The amusement died quickly as he continued. “He released them just a few months ago, but we were unprepared. Because your world has lost its innocence, we haven’t been able to find anyone who believes enough to fight.”
“Those that do believe are too young and too easily dissuaded from belief,” Havik interrupted.
“Except Lil Bit,” Scout murmured. She thought of all the times in Lil Bit’s life that doctors, grown ups, friends, parents — they’d all told her she was seeing things. They’d told her she was crazy. They’d told her to grow up. And Scout’s brave little sister had held on to her belief despite it all. But so many kids in similar positions could not. The loss of innocence was starting younger and younger, as Iros had said.
“And you.” Trey caught her gaze. “You believed.”
“Desperation causes one to believe when one wouldn’t normally,” Torz said mildly.
Trey shook his head, not taking his eyes off Scout. “No, before she was desperate, before the attacks. She told me she believed Lil Bit.”
Iros smiled at Scout like she had just made his entire week. “Well, that does explain a lot.” He patted her hand as he draped it into the crook of his arm again, “Come on, Scout. Let’s show you the rest of Paradesos.”
There were mountains in the distance, majestic mountains disappearing into the sky. The sun was setting and a blue light seemed to surround the trees and creep through the forest. How incredible that the place could be more beautiful at night than in the day. Flowers slowly opened, shimmering in the darkness, silver and gold and metallic-black and pearl-white. Scout reached toward one, wanting to feel the soft petals, but it closed up. Embarrassed, she pulled her hand away. Did everything in this land hate humans so much?
“Explain to me how the soul stealers work. How do they take the soul without killing the person?” Trey asked, his voice too loud in the warm silence of the forest.
Scout shot him a glare over her shoulder. “Really, Trey? You’re asking about them now? In the dark? Couldn’t you have asked this when we were still surrounded by sunlight?”
“Sorry,” Trey muttered.
“Chicken,” Kylin coughed, turning away. Scout rolled her eyes. What were they, five? If Kylin had seen the monsters, she wouldn’t want to talk about them at night, either — or ever, for that matter. Terror slid up her spine as she remembered the claws, the empty eyes. The hunched, bloody figures.
Iros gave her an apologetic glance before he answered Trey, his voice low in the darkness. “They impale the soul with their claws and drag it to Aptavaras. There is a cage there, built with unicorn bones from which the souls cannot escape. They will stay there until…” He exchanged an uncomfortable glance with Havik.
“That’s a story for another day.” Havik tossed his head, his mane rippling in the blue mist.
Chapter Eight
“Trey, we need to talk,” Kylin whispered, tugging his arm and pulling him toward the valley. Scout sighed, biting her lip as she watched them go. Trey wasn’t hers. She didn’t even want him, so why did it always, always hurt so badly?
“It doesn’t get better,” Iros said, his voice low as he watched them walk away.
Scout looked at him, knowing what he was talking about but still surprised. “What doesn’t?”
“Being in love and wishing you weren’t.” Iros’ eyes darkened. “It’s been a long day for us all, and the soul stealers will be back soon. We should rest while we have the chance, and tomorrow we’ll train if they haven’t returned.” Havik and Torz both dipped their huge heads once and were gone, moving into the shadows and disappearing without another word. Scout glanced at Iros, aware of being completely alone with him. But he stared at the sunset, lost in thought.
She took that chance to study him, his chiseled features, and underneath it all, the pain. There was so much pain there, and Scout wanted to know what caused it. She wanted to tell him it would be okay, but she couldn’t. She didn’t know if anything would ever be okay again. So instead she asked the next most important thing on her mind. “Iros… Ashra… doesn’t like me much. Maybe I should see if another unicorn wants a rider.” Scout looked down at her feet, digging the toe of her tennis shoe into the soft green moss. In her world, bugs would try to escape the wrath of her step and scamper away, but here there were none. A life without bugs. A girl could get used to that.
“Ashra is one of our most powerful warriors, Scout. With a rider, she’s nearly unstoppable. And she’s fast. Faster than any warrior we’ve ever had.” He paused, considering, while he watched her dig in the dirt before he continued, “She’s almost as fast as the Ekse.” Iros took her arm again and led her down the path. With such thick carpeting, their feet were quiet, and the only sound in the forest was their breathing.
“How do the unicorns stay so silent? There must be hundreds and I can’t hear a single one.”
“Paradesos is infinite. To step out of view means one has stepped merely a foot and a thousand miles all at once. They aren’t silent, but they’re so far away that you can’t hear them.”
Scout stopped, looking around her. Infinite space? Trey was a thousand miles away because she couldn’t see him? “That… hurts my brain.”
Iros laughed. He was beautiful, like an ancient Greek god. Scout had to remind herself that he was as old as a Greek god and for all she knew; the ancient Greeks had thought he was one. Except as far as she knew; the gods didn’t have pain like his — deep, deep agony always lingering in the depths of eyes. It wasn’t a brief thing, like if she stepped on his foot or kicked him in the shin.
He quirked an eyebrow at her with a lopsided grin and she blushed furiously, realizing she’d been staring into his eyes for several seconds.
“I want to help fight, Iros.” She hurried to get back on the subject, hoping he wouldn’t think she was some stupid, drooling teenager. Well, she was, but that wasn’t the point. “I just think maybe I’d be better on a different unicorn. One that wouldn’t be so pleased if I were to plummet to my death.”
Iros chuckled, shaking his head. “Ashra would not let you plummet to your death.”
“If you say so.”
Without warning, the thick forest ended and they were at the opening of the giant cave. The valley spread out below them with the square of huts at the far side. Scout could see Trey and Kylin from where she stood, although she wished she couldn’t. Seeing them together made the hypothetical thorns pricking her heart dig a little deeper, every single time. She could feel the blood crying from the wounds.
Trey sat on an uprooted, moss-covered giant of a tree, and Kylin paced in front of him, throwing her arms around. Scout turned her back on them.
“Why do the unicorns seem so insistent that Ashra not forget the betrayal? Why her more than anyone else?” Scout had a lot of questions, and she was grateful for the distraction they offered. Plus, having answers to Ashra’s strange behavior might help th
em get around their issues. Or so she hoped.
Iros’ eyes flashed briefly with bright pain, and he shook his head. “The unicorn my brother killed was her mate. And since his lineage died with him, her foal died as well.”
Scout swayed. Where thorns had been attacking before, now she felt like someone had knifed her in the heart. “Ashra,” she whispered. Her knees gave out and she sank to the ground. “No wonder she hates me so much.”
“Not you. She hates humans. But she doesn’t hate you.” Iros knelt next to her.
“Iros, you didn’t hear her. She…” Scout didn’t want to be a tattle-tale. How many times had she told a teeny, tiny Lil Bit that telling on someone else wasn’t cool?
Iros smiled, knowing without being told. Eeep, he was handsome. “She’s got pain. She holds it like a shield. Sound familiar? I think she’s just what you need. And there’s a good chance you can save her, too.”
Scout snorted, tried to think of an argument, and failed. “Maybe,” she said instead. “Maybe.”
****
“Trey, I’m not staying in this enchanted life-sucking hole. There are no stores here! I don’t think they even have indoor plumbing!” Kylin threw her arms up.
“Kylin, we’re safe here. Until we learn to fight more effectively, we can’t be out where the soul stealers will find us.” Trey glanced again at the path he’d come down — the path he’d left Scout and Iros on. Together.
“How do you even know there are soul stealers, Trey? I didn’t see any. The doctors say it’s a pandemic. And I believe them.” She dropped her arms to her hips, glaring at him. Daring him to contradict her. When had things changed so much that they couldn’t even disagree without it turning into a fight? Or maybe it had always been this way and he just hadn’t noticed?
Trey forced his eyes back on his girlfriend, wishing fervently that his traitorous heart would just want the one in front of him. “I saw them, Kylin. I watched them pull Scout’s soul almost completely from her body. You’ll just have to believe me.”
