The Unicorn Quest

by J. A. Armitage

  I bit my bottom lip, shaking my head. “How can you be so calm? You and Jet are both young. If Diamond is that old, how many years does she have left? What happens to the two of you when…” my voice trailed off.

  Opal smiled wanly and let out a long breath. "Then, this village will be completely empty."

  The silence stretched between us, and I was content to let it be. Well, content was the wrong word. I simply didn't know what to say. It wouldn't have changed things, nor made it easier on Opal.

  Opal said at last, "Come. Enough of this. As I said, it is as it is. Let's go join the others before they realize how miserable you are." She delivered the jab with another smile. Then, she rose to her feet and dusted herself off, waiting for me to join her.

  I followed Opal back to the fire and the others. There, Opal sat by Seth, which left an empty seat between her and River. I took the empty seat, shifting so my knees pointed to the right to grace River's. Diamond stood watching us all while chewing on a hay bale.

  River smiled at me, though wanly, and nodded his head toward Cassie.

  I cocked my head and looked in the direction he'd indicated. There, perhaps ten feet away, Cassie paced, apparently deep in thought.

  As soon as Opal had taken a seat, Cassie stopped wearing a groove into the ground and set her eyes on the unicorn shifter.

  Opal seemed oblivious to Cassie's steady gaze.

  Cassie frowned. “Are you comfortable? Everything all right, now?”

  Seeing Cassie's expression, Opal glanced first at the others seated around the fire, then met Cassie's gaze, her shoulders slumping. “Yes… Why do you ask?”

  “Because I am far from okay,” Cassie said, letting out a long breath. “You shouldn't have let Jet go with the key. It was a mistake. It’s your job to protect Diamond, not just go swanning off. You should've known better.”

  The tension in the air was so thick I could have cut it with a knife. I held my breath and looked to Opal, who sat up rigidly, meeting Cassie’s stare. Opal had always shown Cassie the utmost deference, but she could be wildly unpredictable when challenged. The muscles in the back of my neck began to knot, and I felt the beginnings of a faint headache coming on.

  Opal bolted to her feet. “I’ve done exactly what was asked of me. If you look around you, you’ll see that no one else is doing the job, and as for swanning off, I think you’ll find that it was Jet that left, not me.” She indicated her body. “See, I’m still here. I’m not sure how you dare talk about swanning off. where have you been these past few weeks?”

  “But the key...” Cassie continued, her face coloring. Opal knew exactly where Cassie had been. She’d been staying at my house. I knew that Cassie had thought everything was safe and so she’d left Opal and Jet to watch Diamond alone, but I could see Opal’s point. Unusually so, Opal’s rage was completely justified in this case.

  “We got the key to protect Diamond from Balix,” Opal continued. “It worked. Balix is gone. If you wanted me to keep the key here, you should have told me before Jet took it, not shout at me after the event.” She folded her arms in a petulant manner. “What’s the key for if it isn’t to stop Balix?”

  Cassie closed her eyes and pursed her lips, emitting a sharp breath of air out through her nose. “To protect Diamond, of course. They were made a century ago to...”

  “They? As in, plural?”

  Cassie froze for a moment, then rubbed one eye with the heel of her hand. “Yes, keys. I shouldn't have said that, but I guess it doesn’t matter. Each of the kingdoms has a key like ours. There are three of them altogether. One here in the East Kingdom. One in the West Kingdom and one in the South Kingdom. Like ours, each comes apart into four pendants. Ours is the diamond key, given to protect Diamond. The other two keys are ruby and sapphire. the unicorns they protect are named after them as Diamond was named after her key stone. As I said, they were made a century ago when three sacred unicorns were born. They were made by a group of extremely magic beings, myself being one."

  I watched Opal's reaction. To my surprise, Opal's expression shifted dramatically. Where the frown had been, now there was a smile; where she hadn't met Cassie's gaze before, now her eyes were riveted to it. Her voice raised in excitement, Opal half-shouted, “Three sacred unicorns? That's incredible! We always thought Diamond was the last pure unicorn, but now you say there are others, we need to find them. We need to take Diamond to them.”

  Cassie shook her head rapidly, flinging one hand up toward Opal as if to ward her off. “No, no. That will never do. Where do you think you would take her?”

  Diamond took a big step backward and shook her head, but Cassie and Opal never glanced in her direction.

  Heedless, Opal said through the widest grin I had ever seen on her, ”There are other unicorns. Diamond can go to them, she can breed. If that happens, our village will thrive again. This doesn't have to be the end times for us all!”

  “No," Cassie roared, and Opal's excited expression vanished, her face sagging into a frown. Cassie rubbed her eyes again and took a deep breath. She let it out slowly, then added, “You don't understand. The three keys cannot ever come together. Never. We must ensure they never do. That goes for the three sacred unicorns too.”

  “What do you mean, they can never come together?” Opal asked.

  Cassie stepped up to Opal and placed one hand on her shoulder, bringing her to a halt. “Look at me. This is important. I am sorry that I shouted at you. You just caught me by surprise, that's all. But I'm asking you to trust me when I say we must never allow them to come together, okay? I wish I hadn't told you this if only to spare you the turmoil you so clearly feel about it. It's my job to protect Diamond, just as it is your job to do as I say in this matter.”

  Opal spun on her heels and strode toward her cottage without another word, leaving her plate where it lay.

  She didn’t appear for the rest of the day, leaving the rest of us in a somber mood.

  Part of me wanted to head home. There was nothing for us to do in the village, and my ma would be worrying, but now that the key was not in the village, it didn’t look like either Cassie or my grandfa were in any hurry to get back.

  River spent the day helping my grandfa fix up some of the houses that had fallen into disrepair over the years. I didn’t see the point as there was no one to live in them, but I could see how important it was to my grandfa. He’d helped set this village up all those years ago. It was nice to see him able to do such heavy work. His muscles, withered by years of disuse, were now being put to work as he hammered and sawed and fetched and carried. And though River did most of the heavy lifting, my grandfather did more than I could have expected him to do. His recovery truly was miraculous. Cassie had done wonders for him. As for her, she’d spent most of the day staring into the sky, looking for goodness knew what. The one time I’d gone to talk to her, she’d asked not to be disturbed, so I’d left her alone.

  “I’m going for a walk around the village,” I said to everyone much later when the sun had lowered in the sky. “Does anyone want to come with me?”

  “Actually, I was just about to ask River if he’d help me fix up Diamond’s stable,” my grandfa said. “I noticed a hole in the side when I passed earlier, and the door could do with a fresh coat of paint.”

  As the fading sun painted the sky a deep red, I set out alone to check out the far reaches of the village. My grandfather was right about the sorry state of the village. It would take a lot more than two men to repair all the little houses that it comprised. I looked beyond the faded shutters and doors and overgrown streets and saw a once-thriving village. No wonder Opal was constantly miserable. Her whole world had collapsed around her, brought down by time. And now with Jet gone, she was the only one left. At the end of the village, I came to a meadow. In the daytime, the wildflowers would look spectacular, but in the dusky light, it was difficult to appreciate their beauty. Their fragrance more than made up for it, and I found myself wandering between them, urged on b
y the sound of the river cutting through the valley.

  Laying myself down on a rock, I looked up to where the first stars were beginning to show, contenting myself with the sound of the river babbling gaily beside me. I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up, the sky was considerably darker. The moon shone brightly enough for me to make my way back to the village, but before I was even halfway across the meadow, I saw a figure creeping around the outskirts of the village. A figure that looked very much like Opal.

  “Opal!” I called out to her and hurried my pace. She stopped and turned to me. Her eyes widened until she realized it was I speaking to her, and then her shoulders dropped. It seemed she didn’t want to get caught doing whatever it was that she was doing.

  “I thought you were in bed.”

  “I went for a walk and lost track of time. Where are you going?” I eyed the bag on her back. This wasn’t a moonlight stroll, it was a midnight flit. “You’re leaving?”

  Opal nodded. “I’m going to one of the other kingdoms. If it’s true that there are other pure unicorns, I have to find them.”

  I jerked my head back in surprise. “Are you serious? Cassie was very clear about that. You said...”

  “I know what I said. I owe her my life, and I'll forever be grateful for the purpose she has given it, but I think she's wrong this time. What use is the mysterious key and it's four pendants if the unicorn it was made to protect, dies without leaving offspring? Especially knowing that her passing will mean mine and Jet's as well.”

  I had no answer. She’d been put in a horrible position. If Diamond died, then she would too. I wondered what Cassie’s reasons were for letting that happen? After everything we’d done to save Diamond, why let her die of old age, taking her guardians with her?

  Opal said, “You can come with me if you like, but with or without you, I'm leaving. I'm going to find those unicorns, and I'm going to convince one of them to come back.”

  Chapter 4

  My jaw dropped as I stared at Opal in disbelief. Leaving my duties behind, and sneaking away to go on another adventure with Opal was not my idea of fun. Of all the half-baked, ill-conceived ideas… I shook my head frantically. “Are you freaking kidding me? We only just got back, and we barely got out alive.”

  “Last time we were fighting an evil fae. This time I’m looking for more unicorns. You can hardly compare the two. It won’t be a dangerous journey.”

  “Who will watch over Diamond?”

  Opal pursed her lips and let out a burst of air through her nose. "How little you understand. Cassie will most certainly stay to watch over Diamond. You needn't worry on that account.”

  “Okay, fine, but you still can't...”

  Opal took a step toward me, fists clenched. There was that angry spark to her eyes I had learned to expect from her. There was that aggressive stance, that expression of barely maintaining her self-control. She lowered her voice and spoke. “Who's going to stop me, you? I'm tired of you getting in my way. This is none of your business, anyway, human.”

  So much for maintaining our friendship. Mind you, it was tenuous at best.

  “Human?”

  She shifted her gaze. “Look, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. This isn’t your problem. You don’t have to get involved.”

  “I didn’t have to get involved last time, but it turned out that you needed me. You can’t just disappear in the middle of the night. What supplies have you got with you? What will you eat out there in the human world? You say you don’t need a human, but I think that’s exactly why you came to my house when you needed help before. You don’t know how to survive out there. You understood that before. You’ve lived a sheltered life, and you need help.”

  Opal's fists unclenched, though slowly. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. When she opened her eyes again, she said, “Fine. You may have a point. But I am leaving, regardless of what you say. I'll find a way, just as I always do. But damnit, Freya, you don't know what it's like. Jet and I are the last unicorn shifters in our village. I’ve had to stand around and watch everyone grow old and die, many before their time. It wasn't so bad, being all alone like that when Jet was here, but he now spends all his time with Kaida.” Her expression softened, and I saw something I’d never seen in her before. I saw fear. Not much scared Opal, but living the rest of her life without company scared her.

  “I'm lonely. If I stay in this village, I'm going to spend the rest of my life alone. Do you know what that's like, being truly and utterly alone?”

  “No, I can't say that I do. I understand that you aren't going to let anyone stop you, not even Cassie, but you need those supplies, and she deserves to know where you're going. Don't sneak off like a thief in the night. Maybe, when she sees that you aren't going to budge on this, she'll decide to help you rather than fighting you on it.”

  Opal looked down, diverting her steely gaze. As the silence stretched on, she clenched her fists again and stared at the dirt ground beneath us.

  Struggling not to smirk, and to keep my expression neutral, I said in a lower voice that was almost a whisper, “I didn't think you were afraid of confrontation.”

  “I'm not afraid of her. I'm afraid of disappointing her. There are rules and guidelines that we follow to keep ourselves alive. I owe her my life, but more importantly, my gratitude. If she says no and I leave anyway, I'm not certain how she would take that. I don’t want to be around to find out.”

  “So make her say yes.” I took a step forward, moving closer to Opal. I lowered my voice and added, “It’s better than doing this to her. Come on. I'll stand with you when you talk to her.”

  Opal shook her head. “No need for that. I don't want her to feel like she's being ganged up on, for one. For another, this really is our business, not yours. But..." She paused and bit her bottom lip, raising her eyes in my direction. “I appreciate the offer. Come on, let's go back.”

  I followed Opal back into the village, and I wondered what reaction the unicorn would get from her request. Either way, I was fairly certain, Opal would be leaving on her trip. With or without Cassie's permission.

  I watched her head back to her house, confident she wouldn’t attempt another midnight flit. Not tonight anyway. I headed back to my room, hoping River would be there, but my bed was empty, and everything was exactly as I left it.

  Next morning, I was awoken by shouting coming from outside.

  “No,” Cassie said loudly enough for me to hear as I headed to the campfire. My grandfather sat alone on one of the benches, his eyes fixed on Cassie and Opal arguing nearby. River was nowhere to be seen, presumably still in bed. I took a seat next to my grandfather and grabbed some fresh-baked bread. Slathering butter on it, I looked over to where the two women were locked in their heated discussion.

  “So what's going on, over there?” he asked flicking his eyes to the two women. “I saw you come back with Opal last night, and now, she and Cass are discussing something rather intensely.”

  I nodded but didn't take my eyes off Opal and Cassie. “Opal is lonely. She's determined to strike out into the world to find others of her kind. I think it's foolish, but she sure doesn't.”

  Seth chuckled.

  In answer to my querying look, he said, “Foolish or not, I understand where she's coming from. Loneliness is a powerful and destructive thing, granddaughter. But she doesn't just feel alone, she is alone. Jet hardly counts, partly because he's her brother, but more importantly, because from what I understand, he's rarely here. He’s been spending much of his time with the Dragon folk up in the mountains.”

  “Kaida,” I said softly, almost to myself.

  “Yes. And just to be clear, not wanting to be alone for the rest of your life is hardly foolishness. Maybe when you get older, you'll understand.”

  I leaned back to stretch, a small yawn escaping at the same time. “Yeah, yeah, everyone says I'll understand everything when I'm older. It would be nice to understand now, though.”

&
nbsp; Seth, too, kept his eyes on the conversation unfolding some twenty feet away. “Speaking of not wanting to be alone, there's something I need to discuss with you.”

  “Oh?” I turned away from the heated discussion to look at my grandfather. Something about his tone was off like he was... wary? Pensive?

  "Yes?"

  He gave a small cough and cleared his throat. “Cassie has asked me to stay with her here. I've agreed to do so.”

  “What?” I forgot all about the other conversation going on nearby. “You can't be serious. You've only truly known her for the last two months. How do you think Mom will react? She's been watching over you all these years, and the first thing you want to do is leave her? Leave us.”

  His eyes grew sad as he considered me. He leaned forward to put one hand on my knee. “Freya, you are not a child anymore. You deserve to find some companionship of your own, and doing everything for me gets in the way of that... for you and your mother. You two cared for me for so long that I have forgotten how to do things for myself. I’m not needed in Anchor, but here, I can do some good. I can help rebuild.”

  “What for? There’s no one here. All this work is pointless if there’s no one here to use it.”

  He withdrew his hand and leaned back in his chair. “Making things better is never a pointless endeavor. Besides, you just said that Opal was planning on leaving to find more of her kind. If I know anything about Opal, she’ll succeed. And those unicorns? They’ll have a nice village to come to, not this mess of decrepit houses.” he waved his hand about him. “You and your mother have put your lives on hold for long enough. I know it will be hard, finding new purpose, but at my age, one gains a certain wisdom and insight into the people around us, especially the ones we love. Believe me when I tell you that it won't be long at all before you're grateful for the decision I've made. Your mother will take a bit longer, but she will come around, eventually. Besides, I’m not too far away. It’s only a couple of hours’ walk to Anchor. Your mother...and you can visit whenever you like.”