by Han Yang
My tail was none other than a unicorn. Yup, a flipping unicorn without a rider followed me.
I turned left, gliding through the crowd. Sure enough, it followed. My frown deepened when I reached the sign for the stables, and I turned down the side road with my riderless unicorn no more than a dozen feet back.
A few thoughts went through my mind. The first thing that came up was to check the conveniently purchased book.
Yeah, that would have been too easy. After flipping through the pages, I learned there were no unicorns on Nordan before the cataclysm.
At this point, I stopped Charlie. The unicorn stopped too.
I sighed, realizing I would need to ask someone. I nudged Charlie toward an opening up ahead. A strong tug of air whipped from behind me and toward this new cavern.
The sun beat down in the animal market. A plateau, similar to the one in the arena, had a dozen mages casting wind spells. They gusted wind upward, cycling fresh air through the underground network and out the top of this coverless section of mountain.
A circular setup of barns, stalls, pens, and vendors rested inside a high horizontal fence. I could see all sorts of animals, and if it weren’t for the damned unicorn, I would have been excited. I never really had pets, but since arriving on Nordan, I kinda wished I had gotten beastmaster over necromancer.
The gates were propped open and guards asked for an entry fee. The ladies had warned me of this. I was more than happy to see a guard.
“Excuse me,” I said.
“Silver for entry. This is not a zoo,” the guard said to a street ruffian that reminded me of the girl from the day before.
“I’ll pay her way, mine, and an extra silver to know what a unicorn is,” I said.
I handed the guard a gold coin, and he left to get change.
“I’m confused,” the little girl said eyeing me with furled brows. Her wild hair was in desperate need of a wash. “Unicorns are unicorns.”
“Why is one in the city, and why would it follow me?” I said, thumbing the unicorn a few paces back.
She stared at me like I was stupid. Her next snide remark hit me in the feels. “Just ask him, dummy.”
“Ah, they can talk.” I pieced it together, turning to see the unicorn smile.
The guard returned with silver coins for change, waving me into the market.
I trotted Charlie, deciding to talk to the interesting unicorn inside the animal market. Not many others rode horses, but some did. We parted the crowd to find a quiet spot between two stalls.
“What do you want?” I asked in Nordan.
The unicorn neared and said, “I need your help regarding a delicate matter.”
I grumbled.
Shit, he said that in Strivian.
I frowned. “I really just want to shop.”
The unicorn eyed me flatly and said, “You smell of death. You tried to cover it, and to most, you did. Not to a tigran. There’s a curiosity hunt for you right now.”
“Of course there is,” I said, believing him. “Well, what do you want help with? I’m not following you into a trap.”
“Strivian have no power here, and you’re playing by the rules. That doesn’t mean the wrong word in the wrong ear won’t end in your death. The big thing is that we wanted to confirm what I suspected,” the unicorn said.
I waved at a mom and her two sons who watched our chat. The boys’ jaws dropped, eyeing us with wonderment. I could fathom it wasn’t every day a unicorn had a conversation with a man in Strivian.
“And that is?” I asked.
“That you’re human. While possible, it’s rare. More importantly, you’re not from here, and that is where you come into play,” the unicorn said.
I scrunched my brow, letting him see my disdain for the situation. “Let me guess, there’s a betrayal in the court, and only I can stop it by stabbing the king's concubine in the back. Doing so saves the divorce and an illegitimate bastard must be rushed to safety at all costs.”
“Damn, you must read a lot of books,” the unicorn said with a snicker.
“I… What do you need help with, oh great and wise mysterious unicorn,” I countered.
He deadpanned. “I’m a tigran priest, not a unicorn. My friends call me High Priest Nettle.”
That sent my arm hairs on edge. Priest meant gods, and gods concerned me. Especially Arax. A priest that could change his very appearance? Well, that was divine magic. He could just be a loony unicorn for all I knew.
I glanced around, finally seeing a tigran conversing with a vendor. While it might be a coincidence, I doubted it.
“I’m Damien, and I’m not sure I want to help,” I said.
“There’s a reward…” The lips never synced with the words, and I found I just had to look into the rainbow-colored eyes of the fanciful creature.
“Ah, the fallacy of earning a payday for free,” I said rudely. “You give me a mission, I complete it hoping for a nice reward, and you cross me to get what you want while keeping your coins. I really do want to go animal shopping.”
“Fine. Do you know about the history of Lind since the peace?” I shook my head. While I did know some, hearing it from him mattered. “I have a dear friend, a young woman I’m entrusted to protect. Her birth mother is a tigran, and her father is a human. Her arrival on this world was heralded as a great feat. The baby wasn't a tigran, it was a hybrid.
“I see you growing confused which means I definitely found the right person. Please, listen, and then collect your reward. The father, well, he is the brother of the queen. No line to the throne, but very dearly loved. Desly, the hybrid, thinks her mother died in childbirth.”
“But her mother didn’t, and now you’re pretending to be a unicorn to watch over her. While I applaud the duplicity, I miss the relevance.”
“Yes, quite right. Delsy will like you. You need to understand that peace is tumultuous at best. Humans breed slower than tigrans, and our farms are bursting, allowing us and the darthians to over-populate. We need war or an expansion that will lead to war. It’s bad enough we’re considering fighting a massive centaur herd - with the humans' help - to allow our kind to expand,” Nettle said.
“Relevance? And how can I help?” I asked.
“Delsy is special, clearly a one of a kind. So far, no other hybrids have been born. As you can imagine, this led to her development being celebrated as a sign of two species becoming one.
“Delsy’s name day passed a few months ago. Imagine what would happen if the most famous dual species member of the two races suddenly reveals a dark secret. The celebration of her name never happened, the great union of tigran and human swept under the rug mysteriously. Worst of all, Delsy has been imprisoned in a monastery ever since,” Nettle said. “I actually like the young woman. I like her a lot.”
I huffed, liking a good mystery…in a book, not in my life. I did parse his words into something I could follow. Name day was magic reveal day. She earned a magic. A magic both sides feared. A magic that -
“Six hells,” I said, figuring it out. “The queen’s niece is a…” I didn’t dare say necromancer out loud. “Was the tigran mother important?”
“No, she was a… working girl. Her father, a man of importance and a limited connoisseur. There are sides forming to figure out what to do. Some are dark in intent while others only want what is best. Others just want to know the situation.
“I’m with the queen, the human one, not my actual matriarch in Lasing. Our capital is readying for war, and right now, they’re demanding the humans join them with Delsy,” Nettle said.
Everything finally made sense.
“You need me to steal her so that no one ever knows what she is, and the fault falls away from both sides, allowing the peace to persist,” I said, hanging my head.
“If not, she dies. The humans will never allow a necromancer among them.”
I shrugged at this, saying, “Everyone dies, including those we care the most about. I’m not from Lind. I thin
k the gods are sending a message. The two sides should fight. These streets are packed. Your cities are too.”
“Ah, like I said, there’s a reward and an unofficial blessing,” Nettle said, and I rolled my wrist. “Five thousand Zorta. Right here in this pouch.”
“Alright, I suddenly find myself wanting this hybrid girl to live and for there to be peace,” I admitted with a nod. “Open the purse.”
He did so, allowing me to verify the contents. It was as he said - a big whopping reward rested inside the pouch.
“There’s a second payment with Delsy. Save her, and you’ll be well rewarded and have a powerful ally. Are you ready to hear the plan?” the unicorn asked, and I nodded. “You need to travel outside the city, to the Osari Monastery. There you will -”
I held up a hand. “I’ll raze the building and take prisoners. What are their defenses?”
The unicorn gulped, but he nodded. “There’s only a few guards because we didn’t want it known she was there. If you do it your way, the queen will learn the true price of peace is blood. She’ll not bat an eyelash, and my matriarch will believe the tale if you use your... talents.”
“And your shadows?” I asked, nodding to one of the tigrans pretending not to watch us.
“Loyalists to peace. All of whom have been promised control of new lands once held by the centaurs. They’re on our side,” Nettle said, handing me the pouch.
“I could have gotten more,” I said, and he nodded. “How long do I have to break her free?”
“You should do it tonight. Tomorrow, she is due to travel from the Capital to Lasing.”
“Got a map?” I asked. He shook his head no. “Are you coming with me?”
“No, but I’d like to. You’ll be delivered a map when you return to your room. That should make you feel safer. If you run off with the Zorta, it was always a long-shot attempt and worth the cost.”
“I assure you that I’ll feel better when I am with my army,” I said sternly.
He eyed me with curiosity. “I didn’t catch what hotel you were at.”
“You’ll have to follow me home. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need a new battle mount,” I said.
“Uh… that horse could kick my ass. You won’t find a finer stallion in this shit heap. Only up top in the noble market.”
“Dammit, I know Charlie is awesome. I want something besides a reckless ram, a bloodthirsty warhorse, and a snoozing mare,” I said.
“You can ride me,” he said.
I closed my eyes, deeply inhaling at his awkward phrasing. "I previously had a bear mount. He was great if I would have saddled him better. Is there something like that here?”
“I mean, if you were a beastmaster, maybe one of the big cats.” He sighed when I frowned. “There’s other horses around, some nice draft variations with the frilly feet. A male would be nice as the females tend to be moody about riders on their backs. The humans have been breeding them for a few decades.”
“Both,” I said with certainty. Horses and more animals to kill for me were perfect.
“I guess we already made a scene. Might as well get this over with and get out of town,” Nettle grumbled.
We passed rows of plain horses, many of them past their prime. Next, loud mooing revealed a herd of big cows. I saw a collared tigran sweeping the pen and frowned.
“Are there slaves for sale?” I asked.
“Not here, no. Lasing, yes, but only dumb Ostravians.” He snorted. I raised a brow at him using the different name. “There’s a list of what is allowed. What you’re seeing here is something different. We punish our criminals by having them wear collars and do hard labor here. Humans send their criminals to us. Works wonders. No slaves in the four cities of Ling. And here we are,” he said.
We arrived at a large pen of forty something horses that stood a few hands taller than Charlie. Nettle cleared his throat. Each of the Clydesdale looking horses were majestic, mighty, and relaxing around a trough. They were listed at twenty Zorta each.
“Only twenty Zorta?” I muttered in dismay. “So cheap.”
Nettle snorted and said, “First, twenty Zorta is a lot. A dead horse is worth a quarter of that. Second, -”
Charlie burst into a jump.
“Arrrgggg,” I cried out as I flew out of the saddle in a fraction of second. I guess I had grown complacent in thinking the warhorse would be a model citizen.
Thwack!
My back slammed onto the hard stony floor, and the wind left my lungs. I cast heal self, letting folks see that I was a healer. A calloused hand shot down to help me up.
“Get yer stallion out of my pen,” the weathered woman demanded.
I dusted myself off, taking deep inhales of air. Gathering myself, I vaulted into the pen.
“You dense idjet, they’re carefully breed warhorses. They’re assholes and I’m not paying your revival fee,” the seller shouted.
“She’s exaggerating, but yeah, warhorses are assholes,” Nettle said in agreement.
A big white female Clydesdale trotted up to Charlie, the two squaring off in an animalistic dance.
“Ha, he’ll kick your ass,” I said in perfect Strivian.
The unicorns froze, maybe knowing no human should speak their language so well, and maybe just surprised that I -
After my distraction, Charlie caught her, getting a clean mount. He neighed happily, going for a home run in horse terms. I turned around, leaving them to do adult horse things.
No one said a word as I returned to the seller.
“I’ll take the female,” I said, tossing a thumb over my shoulder.
“Ya sure?” she asked. “She’s a right bitch. I got a quality stallion that’s less pricey.”
I mulled it over. Eventually, I would be able to trade with the dwarves again. This was a trade investment. At least that was how I justified it to myself.
“Give me both. Here’s the twenty Z per as advertised. Send her and him to Kesso’s stall 7-D when done,” I said.
She haggled for a fee to store Charlie, then a fee to move him and the new female. I gave her a gold coin. That shut her up and allowed us to leave without further haggling.
I walked with a chuckling Nettle.
“She’s going to be pissed,” he said. “The male should be a nice companion, though.”
“Yeah, well, challenging Charlie was a downfall. Life and its lessons,” I said, walking by a whole bunch of poultry birds.
After the birds, we passed stinky pens holding pigs. Next were hounds of all sorts, even a pack of cereberus. Beyond the hounds were house dogs and small cats, the pets of Lind.
Bell came to mind as a cat person, clearly. I contemplated purchasing her a few small cats. We seemed to be in excess of meat, and all the puppies were growing quickly. I strutted happily when I saw a half dozen angry jenix cats.
I walked over to the cage that was labeled arena fighters with a warning to not get too close.
“What do you want with these?” Nettle asked.
I glanced around, still being careful with what I said.
“They’re amazing hunters. The best way to earn Z is through killing hundreds of small creatures not the big ogres,” I said.
“Hence why we have massive fish farms. Humans share differentiating opinions normally,” he said.
“Winning matters,” I grunted.
“I think it is a neat strategy. Even beastmasters struggle to control feral cats,” Nettle pointed out. “This is where we part ways.”
“If you’re serious, send a map to D-7,” I said.
The unicorn eyed me for a long few seconds. The crowd of shoppers watching us as they passed by. I could tell he was sad, knowing he had to rely on a maybe for something so vital to him.
“I have faith,” he said, and left.
I watched the horn on his head bob over the crowd as he departed. I knew I would have a tough decision to make, but first, I needed to finalize my shopping.
I waved the salesman over.
“The name’s Mica. The striped tooths come from the north, same with the leopards,” the man in his prime said in a smooth tone. He was a salesman without a doubt. His prime age, pristine attire, and big smile did help me feel at ease. “Kerny, get over here.”
The actual worker showed up. A young man, not in his prime yet. The poor kid had been mauled repeatedly with numerous partial healings evident. A long, red cut showed he hadn’t been healed yet from a recent attack.
I went to heal him, but a street kid bumped my hip, likely trying steal my purse. I glance around, finding the culprit vanished into the crowd.
“Everything okay?” Mica asked.
“How much for the leopards to start?” I asked, glaring down at the cage. They looked like jenix cats, but I could have been wrong. Zoology was never my expertise.
“Five Z per. The biggens are thirty per,” Mica said.
“Oof,” I grunted, as if phased by this. “I can get the whole lot of little cats for the price of one big one. Should help my odds, though. I’ll take them. Deliver them to Kesso’s hotel, stable D-7.”
I extracted three orbs, shocking the man by paying the full price. He ushered Kerny to load up a nearby hand cart with six cages. Mica departed for a new sale while Kerny asked me to lead the way.
I left without a big cat, talking with Kerny about an employment opportunity. I wanted to go shopping, and while I did manage a few purchases - I once again found a battle on the horizon.
Deep down, I enjoyed the idea of freeing another necromancer as much as I found joy in healing Kerny and offering him a home with higher pay. I really hoped the ladies weren’t going to be too upset.
CHAPTER 47
Lind Forest
“I hear rustling from the woods,” Kerny said, gulping with fright.
On the way back, I contemplated what had brought him to my side on the dangerous mission. The young man had seen Bell, got puppy dog eyes, and immediately signed on to be an animal healer in Seqa. He was missing some key facts as to what Seqa would pertain.
He did understand how portals worked, making him think we were wealthy lords. I used a bullshit story that our portal was ending soon so we had to hurry out of the city. We left around lunch without any issues other than Misty delivering a letter that a tigran gave her.
