Chapter Seven
“No, no, no, come on Balthazar. You need to wake up!” she cried as she crawled to him and ran her hands over his head, noting the silver blood that had congealed on the wound from where his skull had struck the rock. Pulling her phone out, she checked if she had any signal and released a little sigh of relief when she saw the two bars in the top corner. She brought up the contact details for the MRO and called the front desk.
“Thank you for calling the Mythic Relations Office, how can–”
“It’s Tracker Seraphina, I need you to put me through to Tracker Helena’s personal mobile,” Sera interrupted.
“I’m sorry, she’s out on a training run but I can leave a message for her.”
“She’s out on the training run with me and we’ve been separated. I need to be put through to her now!”
“Right away, please hold the line.” There was a dialling sound then the phone rang.
“Tracker Helena speaking.” Sera had never been so happy to hear the Head Tracker’s voice.
“Helena, it’s Sera, are you okay?”
“Yes, Rella only just stopped bolting a few minutes ago. I couldn’t get through to her. Are you two okay?”
“No, we had a fight with the Unicorn King and Balthazar saved us, but now he’s passed out.”
Helena cursed. “Stay where you are and set the GPS beacon going on your PSB. I’ll find you.”
Tapping the screen of her Personal Security Band, she set the emergency signal going. Thank Ghaia I decided to upgrade it to include the safety feature. I didn’t want a repeat of getting lost, but I didn’t expect I would need to use it this soon.
Sera grabbed the Heal container that had fallen out of her hands when she was thrown and scraped the last of it onto Balthazar’s head wound. Checking him over for any other obvious injuries, she was relieved to find none. His breathing remained steady as she watched the flesh knit back together on his skull, but he didn’t wake up. A few minutes later Sera heard a distinct three-beat rhythm and shortly after Helena and Rella appeared, cantering towards them.
“What in the name of Ghaia happened?” Helena demanded as she leapt from Rella’s back and rushed to Balthazar’s side. She ran her hands over his still form while she listened.
Sera gave a helpless shrug and explained as succinctly as she could. “The king of the unicorns and Balthazar had an argument about the treaty and he rejected the notion of bearing a rider. He attacked us and Balthazar tried to protect me but the king used his magic to strike him with a tree branch. When he hit the ground he cracked his head on a rock. I managed to distract the king long enough for Balthazar to regain consciousness and attack him. He…” she sucked in a shuddering breath at the traumatising memory before continuing, “destroyed the king’s horn.” Both Helena and Rella gasped at the revelation. “There was an explosion of magic and we ran away. We only made it this far before he collapsed. I’ve put some Heal on his injuries but he’s not waking up.” Her breath hitched as sobs threatened to overwhelm her.
“Shit,” exclaimed Helena and clasped her hands together, worry marring her features.
Rella stepped forward and leant down. “It’s my fault he was alone. It is my duty to heal him.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Rella,” insisted Sera. “The king told us he had sent you away. You couldn’t have ignored his magic, he was too powerful.”
Rella’s big brown eyes regarded Sera and she blinked slowly. “Be that as it may, I must heal him.” She took a deep breath and pointed her horn at the unconscious buckskin stallion. Slowly, she advanced and, dropping to her knees, pierced his hide. The amber stones shone as she drove her horn into his chest, towards his heart. Sera cried out and rushed to stop her but Helena grabbed her around the waist and held her back.
“Just wait. This is the only way.”
“What’s she doing?” Sera yelled, fighting to pull away. “She’ll kill him!”
Helena used the same soothing tone she’d used on Rella earlier. “Let her do what must be done. When a unicorn is exposed to that much raw magic, they can die unless the power is filtered by another magic user. It is likely they will both be unwell for a few days, but they should survive it.”
Sera stopped struggling and watched in horror as green light drained from Balthazar’s body and was absorbed into Rella’s horn. The filly shuddered but maintained her position, her horn lodged deep in his chest as the magic was transferred. Sweat glistened on her chestnut coat and she panted from the effort. Once her entire body was trembling, she withdrew her horn and collapsed to the ground beside Balthazar, the hole in his chest healing immediately.
Eyes closed, she murmured, “I’m sorry I can’t do more.”
The stallion stirred and slowly opened his eyes. Sitting up with a groan, he looked at Rella lying beside him, dropped his nose to his chest and snorted at the healed wound. “It seems I owe you a great debt, young one.”
She smiled weakly and whispered, “You’d do the same for me.”
Sera interrupted by crawling to Balthazar and hugging his neck tightly. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“I will be fine now. There is no need to fret.”
Sera wiped the tears from her eyes and gave him a weak smile. “It seems you have another being you owe your life to.” Turning to the chestnut filly, she winked and said, “Don’t let him forget that he owes you. He’ll do just about anything to get out of your debt.”
Balthazar chuffed in amusement and rolled his eyes. “Thank you for that, Sera. Now I owe my life to both of you. I can only hope that Rella is better at counting than you are. I’m fairly sure I’ve saved you seven times now. So, I’m winning.”
Rella opened her eyes long enough to cast a bewildered look at them as they chuckled together.
“Sorry to interrupt the comedy show,” Helena’s voice was tart, “but I need you to focus. After I got your call, I contacted the MRO and asked a Hunter to join us. We need to bring the rogue unicorn in for questioning. I understand it’s been a shock, but do you think you can guide Hunter Tyler to where you left the king?”
A chill crept over her skin at the mention of Tyler’s name but she pushed it aside and nodded, bound to her duty. “Do you really think we need to bring him in, Helena?”
She squinted her eyes shrewdly in Sera’s direction. “But Sera, he’s gone rogue. Shouldn’t he be brought to justice for attacking a human?”
Sera narrowed her eyes at the older Tracker, trying to comprehend the underlying question the woman was insinuating. “He hurt Balthazar because he was protecting me, but the king barely touched me. In any case, he isn’t a threat anymore because he lost his magic when his horn shattered. What’s the point? If we do bring him in, shouldn’t we be helping to heal him as best we can, not sending him to the IRC?”
A smile flickered over Helena’s lips and her eyes lit with a sharp fire. She opened her mouth to say something but cut herself off and turned her head towards the city. Sera heard it then too, the distant sound of hoofbeats, softened by the pine needles.
Helena leaned forward and grasped Sera’s shoulders firmly and whispered hurriedly, “You need to visit the nest of the Little Birds.” Casting a quick glance over her shoulder, she brought a hand to her neck and pulled out her necklace where a tiny wooden carving of a bird hung. Lifting it over her head, she shoved it at Sera and hissed, “Look for their sign and give them this. Tell them Wolfseye sent you. Don’t breathe a word to anyone else.”
Before Sera could ask Helena anything else, she rose swiftly to her feet and turned to greet Hunter Tyler on his unicorn, Madatrax. Sera furtively pulled the necklace over her head, stuffing the wooden bird under her collar, and joined the Head Tracker.
Chapter Eight
“Tracker Helena.” Tyler nodded respectfully. He smiled warmly at Sera. “Tracker Seraphina. It looks like you’ve seen some action today. I hope you’re not hurt.”
He dismounted smoothly from his grey unicorn and gave her a
hug. She remained stiff and shot him a cold look when his hand stayed around her waist a little longer than necessary. He hid a chuckle, unperturbed by her chilly reception. Eyeing the two unicorns that still lay on the ground, he raised a questioning eyebrow.
Helena explained briefly what had happened and added, “I’ve asked Tracker Seraphina to lead you to the location of the fight and to see whether you can find the rogue unicorn. He may be king of his kind, but he still answers to our laws. Try not to hurt him any more than he already has been.”
Tyler bobbed his head and leapt onto Madatrax’s back before offering his hand to Sera. Stifling a grimace, she begrudgingly accepted his help and mounted the unicorn. Her back protested as she twisted to sit behind the saddle, but the pain had subsided somewhat thanks to the Heal cream.
“Report directly to me when you’re back. I’ll get these unicorns to the stables, then return to the MRO. Call me if you need back-up.” Helena caught and held Sera’s gaze and said, “Good luck.” Sera knew she wasn’t talking about this mission.
“Thank you, ma’am!” Tyler replied and kicked the grey stallion straight into a canter. The sudden lunge forward nearly unseated Sera but she grabbed Tyler’s waist to steady herself until she found the unicorn’s rhythm.
“It’s nice to feel your arms around me,” he threw over his shoulder glibly.
Everything about his smug countenance grated on Sera. With a grimace, she released her hold on him and sat tall, allowing her hips to sway with each stride. She’d rather take her chances of falling off than give Tyler the satisfaction of her touch. He chuckled briefly at her rebellion but shortly turned businesslike.
“So, Tracker Helena gave me a quick overview, but what else do I need to know about the unicorn we’re hunting?”
That was the one good thing about Tyler, he was a decent Hunter and could be relied on to get the job done and keep her safe. From the rogue mythics anyway.
“He was against the Peace Covenant and challenged Balthazar for protecting me and accepting our laws. He had powerful magic and took control of the surrounding environment to fight us. But I think his power was stripped when Balthazar attacked him and…” she gritted her teeth and pushed through the churning in her stomach, “broke his horn.”
“Wow! I didn’t know that was possible.” Tyler’s voice had an eerie edge to it that she found even more disturbing than usual.
“It was horrible,” she said sharply, hoping to force him to consider the disablement as seriously as she was.
“Of course, it must have been a terrible thing to see,” he agreed hastily. “Do you think you can get us back to where you fought him?”
“Yes, I think so. Keep following this path for now, and once the plantation ends and the wilds take over you should see our trail through the bushes on your left.”
“It seems you might be getting in on the action more than usual today,” he teased and tugged on the reins, slowing Madatrax to a brisk walk.
She scowled. “I’m not a fan. I track. You hunt. I’m not cut out for combat.”
They rode on in silence and Sera reflected on the fight. Pushing her horror aside, she analysed the actions of the mythic. He obviously held strong beliefs about the Peace Covenant. Balthazar and I represented everything he hated about what happened to his kind. He shouldn’t have attacked us, but I suppose we did invade his turf. I do have to do my job, but it doesn’t feel right to capture him. Especially now that he’s injured.
Interrupting her thoughts, Tyler reached a hand back and rubbed her thigh, letting his fingers trail up the seam of her trousers. She gritted her teeth and growled, “Stop it.”
“But babycakes,” he turned in the saddle so he could see her, “it’s just us. No need to be embarrassed. I know you want it.”
“You know I don’t,” she spat out and prepared to leap off Madatrax.
“Don’t you dare,” Tyler snarled and grabbed her shirt, pinching her skin through the fabric. “I’ve been patient. If you’re a good girl, I will continue to be. If you test me, I will fuck you, whether you want it or not.”
Dread filled her soul and she stilled. Glaring at him, she prayed the hatred she harboured was obvious in her eyes.
He smirked and squeezed her leg before facing forward once more. “Good girl.”
Pushing the queasy feeling in her stomach aside, she gestured to the left, thankful for the distraction. “Just here. Please be as quiet as you can, Madatrax.”
The unicorn snorted his acquiescence and moved silently through the bushes. The trail was easy to follow, broken branches and flattened grass marking their wild dash like a neon sign. The air was still and heavy, making them all sweat. A few minutes later, she whispered, “I’ll hop down and do some recon before we get to the clearing in case he’s still there.”
Tyler nodded and jerked Madatrax to a halt before pulling his pistol out of its holster and loading the bullets. Sera slid down the unicorn’s side and landed softly on a patch of moss. Moving quietly, she stayed low and circled off the path, carefully sweeping leaves away from her face as she slipped through the underbrush. The dappled sunlight that pierced the treetops was waning as the sun commenced its descent towards the horizon. She placed each foot down cautiously as the clearing came into view. Peering through a gap in the foliage she saw the tree that had held her as the king of the unicorns advanced. The tree and the grass in that section were burnt black and looked as if a bomb had exploded, sweeping everything outward from the centre. A pool of silver liquid stained the ground and Sera flinched as she realised it was the king’s blood. Droplets lay a clear path into the trees on the opposite side of Sera’s location.
She whistled low, her signal to Tyler that all was safe, and stepped slowly into the open. Keeping her senses alert, she followed the trail of unicorn blood into the forest. She felt rather than heard Madatrax and Tyler following her at an innocuous distance. Even in the dim light of dusk, other signs of the injured unicorn’s flight were obvious as she tracked him. Hoof prints in the soft earth, green strands of his mane where it had caught on a branch, as well as the slowly thinning droplets of blood led her down a shallow gulley to a creek. She slowed, and waited for Tyler to catch up.
Readying her pistol, she whispered, “I think he’s close. He slowed to a walk when he reached the stream, and this last patch of blood is still warm. Be prepared. He may not have magic, but if he isn’t unconscious he’ll be wild with pain.”
Tyler nodded silently and dismounted.
Together, the three of them waded into the knee-deep water and fanned out, weapons ready, while Madatrax’s silver stones encircling his horn glowed as he conjured a ward. A light breeze flurried around them and offered some relief from the humidity. There was a massive boulder on the bank that hung over the creek in front of them, blocking their view of the riverbed as it swept around the corner created by the rock.
Sera glanced at Tyler and said grimly, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
His mouth thinned and he raised his pistol, finger hovering beside the trigger. They rounded the corner together and Sera gasped while Tyler cursed at the grisly sight that met them. The king was dead. The green unicorn lay on a rock in the middle of the creek but his body had been torn apart. The last of his blood was seeping into the water, creating a rainbow sheen on the surface. His belly had been sliced open and his organs torn out and thrown haphazardly around his body. Sera leant over with her hands on her knees and retched at the slaughter, and Madatrax pinned his ears back and trumpeted his horror to the empty skies.
“Who could have done this?” mused Tyler as he swept the area, searching for the assailant.
The wind changed direction and the cloying scent of decay suddenly rolled over the group. A heavy splash sounded from behind them and a strange voice answered, “Me.”
Chapter Nine
They spun around to face the threat and were greeted with the leering smile of a harpy. The eerily beautiful face and torso of a woman sat
atop the feathered rump of a vulture, with dark wings tucked close to her back. Her black hair hung limply over pointed ears and covered her breasts.
“Seraphina! How nice to see you again,” the harpy rasped as her oily feathers dripped black blood into the water, the stain spreading downstream.
Tyler shot a confused look towards Sera which she mirrored with an equally puzzled expression. Meeting the harpy’s gaze, she spat out, “I don’t recognise you, harpy. Why did you mutilate the Unicorn King?”
The harpy grinned, her human face twisting as she bared her sharp teeth. “Ah. So, he did erase your memory after all. I wondered.”
Sera took a step back in shock, before demanding, “What do you know? Who erased my memory?”
The harpy tsked and wagged a finger in her direction. “A harpy never reveals her secrets. I must thank you for your help in weakening that sad excuse of a king, it made my job a lot easier.”
“Don’t thank me! I had nothing to do with it!” Sera’s throat burned from the harpy’s toxic insinuation.
“You sure about that?” The harpy winked, her purple irises almost glowing in her almond-shaped eyes. Another nauseating wave of decay assaulted their noses.
“It wasn’t my fault,” she snarled.
The harpy cocked her head with a sly look and said, “To be honest, Seraphina, I did him a favour. What kind of quality of life would he have had without his horn? Disabled, the loss of his crown, ostracised from his kind, unable to access the magic that has been part of his life for a century. Letting him live would have been cruel.”
Her mouth twisted at the truth in the words but Sera didn’t let the harpy distract her. “Why did you do it?”
“It was nothing personal. I have a job to do and I did it. You weren’t supposed to find me, though. You’re lucky that my employer still wants you alive, Seraphina.” She paused and tapped her chin with long nails as she considered the Hunter and his unicorn. “As for your friends, though… I suppose I had better clean this mess up.”
A Dragon's Body: A New Adult Fantasy Dragon Series (The MINATH Chronicles Book 2) Page 4
