Melody's Unicorn

by Richard Swan

  Erec sighed. ‘You’re learning quickly. Yes, if he’d decided to meet me, we would probably have met, because he’s stronger than I am, his desires are more forceful. That’s the way Faërie works. At times different creatures have different desires, and if they clash then the outcome usually depends on whose will is the stronger. As,’ he added ominously, ‘I think we’re about to find out.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ asked Melody, alarmed by his manner.

  ‘Look over there,’ said Erec, and pointed.

  Some way off amongst the trees she could see the shapes of a number of creatures, slipping in and out amongst the trees. Melody couldn’t see what they were, but she sensed Erec’s anxiety beside her. They reminded her of wolves.

  ‘What are they?’ she asked in a whisper. ‘Surely there aren’t any dangerous creatures in Faërie?’

  ‘Whatever made you think that? Faërie is full of dangerous creatures, but I was hoping to avoid such things. These are trouble. They’re hunters, and they work in packs. They’ve obviously caught our scent, and decided to track us. They’re wary for the moment, but I wouldn’t bank on it staying that way. I suspect they’re puzzled. You don’t smell normal – not like anything they’ve ever met before.’

  Melody let the insult pass. ‘Will they attack us?’

  ‘That depends on whether they think you’re dangerous or not, and how hungry they are. If we’re lucky, they may spot something else that they prefer to eat.’

  ‘Eat?’ Melody almost screamed.

  ‘Eat, yes. It’s a close-run thing. I’m a young fey, hardly a worthwhile meal to them. And killing a fey is dangerous, they can’t be sure what the consequences will be. You’re human, and they may not know what you are or what you can do. You look tasty, but your strangeness may make them pause.’

  Melody blanked out the idea of being ‘tasty’, or she thought she would have fainted. ‘What can we do? Can’t we run away?’

  ‘You know you can’t run away here. You can only run towards. Yes, we can run, and we’ll have to see whether our will to escape is stronger than their will to eat.’

  Melody instantly turned to flee, and wondered what the creatures were and how fast they might be. If she could run faster than they could, maybe she could escape. Escape! No! Not away from, but towards! That’s how it worked in Faërie. She shut her eyes for a moment, focused on finding the unicorn, and ran. She kept her mind fixed on it and on the invisible path that led straight towards it, and ran as fast as she could. Perhaps if her desire to reach the unicorn was greater than the creatures’ desire to eat her, she could outpace them. Was that how it worked? Or if they were merely quicker than her, perhaps they’d catch her regardless of what she did. She ran on, and she could hear their movements closer and closer with every step. For one dreadful moment the idea crossed her mind that perhaps they’d stop to deal with Erec first, knowing what he was, and that would give her chance to get away. She hated herself for having such an appalling thought. She ran and ran, with the sounds ever louder behind her.

  At that very instant a howling shriek sounded in her ears, and she stumbled and fell. It was an unearthly noise, a hideous scream as if an ambulance siren had come loose and was screeching dementedly, grating at the ears and at the mind. No one could ignore that noise, or think clearly while it lasted, or move. She couldn’t even look round.

  As abruptly as it had begun the shrieking ceased, and Melody pitched forward onto her face, gripped as fully by the silence as by the terrible noise before it. She was dazed, confused, deafened. Desperately she looked up, to find that the screams hadn’t come from the creatures that had been pursuing her. They were nowhere in sight. The intolerable noise had evidently driven them off. The relief was almost as bad as the terror had been, and it was a considerable time before Melody could stop shaking and struggle to her feet. Hearing a small sound, she turned to find Erec had reached her. His face was pale but calm.

  ‘What was that?’ she asked weakly.

  ‘A banshee,’ he replied and he sounded satisfied.

  ‘A banshee!’ wailed Melody, sounding almost like a banshee herself. ‘Does that mean I’m going to die?’ That was all she knew of the legend of banshees, that they were hideous creatures that screeched in the night as an omen that somebody in a household was about to die.

  Erec looked at her with an expression that was half way between sympathy and contempt. ‘No. Why should it? Why should a banshee’s wail mean your death in particular, rather than someone else’s? Besides, that’s only true in the human world. Banshees appear to human families to warn them of impending danger, but they don’t do that here. They belong in Faërie. If somebody died every time a banshee shrieked, Faërie would soon be empty. Yet I don’t think she cried out by accident. She meant to scare off the creatures, I’m sure, by convincing them that they desired to be elsewhere. In doing so she saved us.’

  ‘Why would she do that?’

  ‘I think we’re about to find that out too.’

  Erec gestured behind her, and Melody turned to see a new figure walking, almost gliding, towards her. She hardly noticed the strange motion, because her attention was fixed entirely on the newcomer’s face.

  It was the most beautiful face she had ever seen, or could imagine seeing. Pale, very pale, with blood-red lips and framed by raven-black hair, it was difficult to say what made such perfect beauty. The features were completely symmetrical, the mouth and nose small and neat, and the eyes an indescribable hazel mixed with a hint of green, as if they reflected all the colours of the landscape around them. The eyes possessed too a kind of fierce intelligence that made Melody aware that she was even more dangerous than her pursuers had been. The figure was tall, taller than the king of the feys, and clad in a long flowing dress that matched her eyes. Melody felt dwarfish beside her, and very weak, and rather afraid. Here was power that made her own insignificant.

  Was this a banshee? Was this the creature who had made those heart-stopping cries, those shrieks that had so unnerved her, and driven the creatures away? It was impossible to believe that such sounds could have come from the beautiful lips. This woman – or whatever she was – was too beautiful, too serene. Melody thought that banshees were like witches, ugly and hideous, or perhaps were witches. They occurred in Irish stories, she knew that, and she tried to remember if she’d ever seen an illustration. As if, she thought, an illustrator would have seen a real banshee. Any pictures in storybooks would be imaginary; but then she’d assumed that banshees themselves were imaginary. She could feel herself becoming confused, slow and dim-witted. She so wished she could make sense of what she was seeing.

  By this time it was too late to think at all, because the banshee stood before them and was regarding Melody with an intensity that was as daunting as her cry had been.

  ‘What are you?’ the banshee asked in a voice that had the effect of a cold steel dagger being slid between Melody’s ribs. Melody could summon neither breath nor courage to answer. To her relief, Erec stepped up right beside her and even squeezed her hand. It was an unexpected gesture that surprised and comforted her at the same time.

  ‘She is a human child, Your Majesty,’ he said calmly. ‘She has come to Faërie on a quest. We thank you for driving off the creatures.’

  The banshee scarcely glanced at him. ‘I would have done that regardless,’ she said icily. ‘They are nothing but nuisances and forever threaten that which is good. If I had my way they would be exterminated or driven out altogether. Yet I am glad I did so, if it means meeting this human child. Human, is it? Child, speak for yourself.’

  Her manner was so commanding but cold that Melody felt both a desire to obey, and a will to resist. She didn’t like this figure at all, despite her beauty. She felt the need to be polite, however, in case the banshee’s scream should be turned against her.

  ‘If you please,’ she said, trying to sound as calm as Erec had done, ‘it’s true that I’m human, and true that I’m a child in years. Yet I’m n
ot a child in spirit. I’ve come to this Otherworld following a unicorn, and I don’t mean to leave until I’ve found it.’ She trembled as she said these words, because she could see how defiant they sounded and she was worried that this witch-woman would blast her for them.

  The banshee’s eyes narrowed at the word ‘unicorn’, and Melody wondered whether she was angry. Instead the banshee smiled, almost as unsettling an experience as her scream. The tight expression barely curved her small neat mouth. Still, Melody found it decidedly more welcome than a snarl would have been. ‘Spirit indeed! So this human-child has spirit, and courage, and the willingness to stand up to a banshee queen. And it is searching for a unicorn! It is long since I visited the human world and spoke a death. Perhaps I should go and look at it again.’

  Melody wasn’t sure if this was a threat or not. Meanwhile she was having trouble making sense of the words ‘a banshee queen’. Was this a queen? And if she described herself as a queen, did that mean there were many of them?

  ‘Excuse me, Your Majesty,’ she asked, greatly daring, ‘are you a fey?’

  She instantly regretted the question. The queen’s smile vanished. ‘A fey? Whoever suggested such a thing? Do I look like this creature that accompanies you? I think not!’ Her voice dripped with contempt, and she drew herself up to her full height. She looked down at Melody. ‘I am Clíodhna, Queen of Love and Beauty, Queen of the Banshees. Who challenges me?’ She was as haughty and regal as only a queen could be, and infinitely more deadly.

  Melody stood in mortal fear. ‘Your pardon, Your Majesty!’ she cried hurriedly. ‘Forgive my ignorance. I’m new here, and know nothing about your realm. And I don’t think anybody’s challenging you. It’s just that I’ve already met a king, the king of the feys, and I didn’t expect to meet a queen as well. It’s all very confusing.’

  She was aware that her reply didn’t make much sense, but it was true that she was bewildered, and she’d spoken without thinking. Fortunately for her Erec broke in again.

  ‘Your Majesty, you can see that this human child is dazed. She means no harm and no insult. She doesn’t know what she’s saying.’

  To her surprise the queen smiled again, and this time the smile was softer and more genuine, although the coldness lingered in her voice.

  ‘Do not worry, fey,’ she said haughtily. ‘I mean her no harm. On the contrary. I am fascinated by this visitor, and I mean to know more of her. You may go.’

  Erec and Melody both hesitated. Erec looked as if he was torn between wishing to stay with Melody and wishing to get as far away from the banshee queen as he could. Melody didn’t want to be left alone, but had already realised that it was a rule in Faërie that if someone wanted to do a thing then they did it, regardless of your own wishes. If Erec decided he’d rather be somewhere else, she couldn’t stop him. And if the queen wanted to talk to her alone, she couldn’t stop her either.

  ‘I’d rather stay, Your Majesty,’ said Erec quietly but firmly. ‘I’ve said to this girl that I’ll go with her to seek the unicorn, and I don’t want to leave her.’

  It was the banshee’s turn to hesitate. She was evidently not used to having her will challenged, and she didn’t like it.

  ‘This is very strange,’ she said finally. ‘Why would you, a fey, dedicate yourself to this human child? She means nothing to you.’

  There was a pause before Erec spoke, clearly and distinctly. ‘You are mistaken, Your Majesty. She does mean something to me. It’s not just the unicorn. There’s something about her. It drew me towards her when she entered Faërie, and it made me follow her. I’m not sure what it is, but she’s special, so she’s become special to me. And you know how dangerous Faërie can be. I’ll guide her, and protect her if I can.’

  It was difficult to be sure whether the queen or Melody was more astonished at this speech. Melody stared at Erec. He’d spoken so sincerely, not like the mocking tone he’d seemed to use sometimes to her. She was grateful, and felt a sudden rush of feeling towards him, like she might towards a brother.

  In the meantime they were still in a very dangerous position, confronted by a banshee queen whose mood might turn to violence at any moment. Clíodhna seemed as startled as Melody had been by such words coming from a fey. She opened her mouth, and for a second Melody was terrified that she was going to scream again. That sound had been enough to shock her even at a distance. Close to, Melody was sure she would die if the banshee shrieked.

  The queen’s mouth, however, had opened only to emit a sound that was not quite laughter. Melody was reminded that if Erec was right and Faërie was dangerous, then this banshee was probably one of the most frightening things in it. She needed to try to persuade the queen to take their side.

  ‘Your Majesty,’ said Melody, seizing the initiative in order to divert the queen from Erec, ‘you see how it is. Strange as it may seem, Erec and I are bound to each other in some way, and devoted to the same cause. We don’t know where the unicorn is, but we’ve come here to find it and we’re following its path. So please be kind to us, and let us go, and help us if you can. You’ve already helped us, of course, by driving those creatures away that were going to attack us.’

  Melody felt the full force of Clíodhna’s attention on her, and hoped she hadn’t gone too far. She had tried to appeal to the queen’s better nature, but she didn’t know if the queen had a better nature, or what her attitude to humans was at all. She’d said that she sometimes went to the human world to speak a death, but Melody didn’t know if that was a good or an evil thing.

  At long last Clíodhna broke her silence.

  ‘So, here is a thing never heard of, scarcely to be believed. A human and a fey in company, swearing friendship and loyalty. We must search a little deeper, I think.’ She briefly turned her gaze from Melody to Erec. ‘You! Since you will not leave this human, and since that intrigues me, you are permitted to remain. But you will be entirely silent! You will not move or speak while I talk to this girl. Do you understand?’

  Erec looked rebellious, but caught Melody’s eye and was still. It was evidently costing him a huge effort to keep quiet, and Melody was grateful. She didn’t want him to leave. She wanted him by her side as she confronted the danger that was Clíodhna. Eventually he just nodded, holding his breath, and the queen turned back to Melody. ‘Now then, human child, I must make sense of this. I am the Queen of Love and Beauty, as I have said. You have beauty, for you are human, and the humans are a beautiful race. Do you have love, though? That is not so certain. Tell me, who or what do you love?’

  It took Melody a moment to comprehend what the queen was saying. Beautiful? She’d occasionally been told that she was pretty, but she’d presumed that was adults talking and she didn’t really believe it. Yet here was this banshee queen describing her as beautiful, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. At the same time she’d said that all humans were beautiful, which was something Melody couldn’t believe. Most people she knew were ugly. Perhaps the banshees had different standards, or per haps they found humans unusual and interesting because of that. They could hardly count as beautiful in comparison with banshees themselves, not if the queen was anything to go by. Despite her cold eyes and fierce expressions, Melody still thought she was the most perfectly beautiful person she’d ever seen.

  Thinking all this, she almost forgot that the queen had also asked her a question. What was it? Who did she love? Or what did she love? Again there was this distinction between ‘who’ and ‘what’. It was very unsettling.

  ‘Your Majesty,’ she began hesitantly, trying to work out what she honestly felt. ‘I don’t know what to say. I love my father, of course, and my mother, although she disappeared years ago. And I love my friends, like everybody does. But you asked me what I love. I suppose the answer is the unicorn. It happened as soon as I saw it, something inside me. It’s not the same though, as human love. I don’t really know what the unicorn is.’

  ‘You speak like an honest girl,’ said Clíodhn
a thoughtfully. ‘That too is rare. After all the years I am finding new things to surprise me. That is good, I suppose. So you love the unicorn, because it is a unicorn, even though you don’t know what it is. Is that correct?’

  ‘Yes, Your Majesty,’ said Melody in a small voice. The idea sounded silly, the way the queen put it.

  ‘And do you love this fey creature you are travelling with, despite the fact that he is not your brother, nor even of your own kind?’

  How had she known that Erec felt like a brother to her? Melody looked across at him. He was obeying the queen’s commands to the letter and had neither moved nor spoken, but he smiled at her encouragingly.

  ‘It’s confusing, Your Majesty,’ she said. ‘I’ve only just met him, and I don’t know him, and I was worried because I thought he was making fun of me. But you’re right, he does seem like a brother, as if he’d always been there and I’d never known him. So I suppose I do love him in a way, to tell the truth, even if that sounds odd.’

  As she spoke the words Melody realised that she meant them. Her life had changed so fast that she’d had no time to reflect on any of the events that had taken place, nor the way that the relationship between her and Erec had developed in the brief space of time since they’d been travelling together. She didn’t even know how much had elapsed since she’d crossed the boundary. It couldn’t have been long, but she hardly remembered her own world. Faërie was what seemed true to her now.

  The expression on the queen’s face was approving. ‘Good. Very good. I have always loved humans, as all my race do, and I am glad to see even as young a one as you possessing beauty and a willingness to seek for truth. Truth and beauty, those are strong forces, and with them much may be accomplished. Yet truth can be hard, too, as I think you will find. Tell me, where do you expect to find your unicorn?’

  ‘I don’t know, Your Majesty. All I know is that I’m following its path, which I can see clearly even if Erec can’t. I don’t know where it will lead me.’