The Unicorn Quest

by J. A. Armitage

  Just then, he looked up sharply, and I turned to follow his gaze. Cassie and Opal were walking towards us, Opal looking especially proud of herself.

  Cassie cleared her throat “Everyone, I have an announcement to make. Opal will be leaving the village to go on a quest of her own. She's going to search for others of her kind. I’ve agreed to let her go on the condition that she leave the key with me. Opal will go with Jet when he returns with it.”

  “Wait, what?” Opal spun on Cassie. "I thought you already approved this journey. I can go now, and you can get the key from Jet when he comes back.”

  “I did, but I don’t want you going alone. Jet will be back soon. You've waited this long, after all.”

  “I don’t see how...”

  “Opal,” Cassie cautioned. “Don’t make me change my mind. I won’t feel at ease until I get the key, and then, you are free to do as you please.”

  Opal let out a huff, but said, “Fine. I can wait. But tell me, why do you need the key so badly. What does it do?”

  “The keys all do what they do when the time is right. If that happens, you'll know it. Now, Seth, have you told Freya your news?”

  It made a nice change having someone talk to Opal in vague terms rather than her doing it to other people. I could see by Opal’s sour face that she wasn’t happy with the explanation.

  Seth, on the other hand, grinned openly. “I certainly have. We came to an understanding.”

  “Good. Well, Freya, I see no reason for you and River to stay here. I know you’ve been eager to get back to your mother.”

  “What about the reason we came here?”

  “It still stands. I won’t be happy until Jet brings the key back, but there is nothing you can do to speed him up. We will come for you if we need you.”

  I felt a hand land lightly on my back, and when I looked over my shoulder, River was standing behind me, smiling down at me. Blu and Ivy fluttered around his shoulders. "I guess that's our cue to head home, eh?”

  “So, it seems.”

  His smile was infectious. The thought of that trip home, with only River for company, was far from the worst thought ever.

  Chapter 5

  “I’m heading out later,” Ma said casually, as she wiped the kitchen surface down. I looked up from the book I was reading to see a sly grin on her face and a hint of color in her cheeks.

  “Out? Where?”

  “Oh, nowhere special. I thought I’d go into town and meet up with some old friends.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Old friends? Which old friends exactly?”

  It had been a very long time since my mother had been out with anyone. She’d become a recluse since my grandfather’s stroke, refusing to leave him, even to go out and have fun. Her cheeks colored further.

  “Well, old friend really. I met up with him at the market, and he invited me out for a drink.”

  “He?” I couldn’t keep the grin from my face as she turned her back to me, no doubt to try and hide her embarrassment. Not that she should feel embarrassed. If anyone deserved to be going out on a date, it was my mother. She deserved all the fun she’d missed out on these past years. My grandfather was right. However much I hated him leaving, it was a kindness.

  A knock at the door saved her from answering.

  “I need to hear more about this gentleman friend of yours,” I said, springing to my feet from a kitchen chair. I swooshed through the house and flung the door open, a smile ready on my lips. Only one person visited regularly, now that my grandfather was gone.

  “River!” I threw my arms around him, almost knocking him over.

  “Whoa,” he cried, staggering back. He used his free hand to grab the doorframe. From his other hand, however, came a delicious scent I immediately recognized.

  “Cornbread?” I looked up at him, smiling from my position with my arms wrapped around his waist, my chin almost resting on his chest. “I guess you can come in, then."

  "You guess I can come in? How gracious of you.” He winked, eyes sparkling.

  As he stepped inside, balancing a covered tray, my mother came into the living room from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a washrag. Blu and Ivy followed behind, both of them eyeing the cornbread with big eyes.

  “River, how good to see you,” she said, smiling brightly.

  I felt a thrill each time my mother smiled like that. It was wonderful seeing her come back to life in the absence of a years-long habit of caring for grandpa.

  “Mom has a new boyfriend,” I informed River.

  She gave me a pointed look then took the covered tray and inhaled deeply. “Freya, you'll have to go to his house to thank River’s mother for these,” she said, ignoring my boyfriend quip completely. “See if you can get her recipe. It's absolutely the best cornbread I've ever had.”

  I looked at River questioningly, one eyebrow raised.

  River shook his head and shrugged. “I'm sorry, but she's not feeling up to company. I'll be sure to pass on your compliments, however, and when she feels well enough for visitors, I'll let you know.”

  Disappointment flooded through me, settling deep in my stomach. Before I could respond, there was another knock at the door, someone banging with a sense of urgency.

  I opened the door to find Opal on the doorstep. She glanced over my shoulder to where River was standing.

  “Freya. And River is here, too, good. Can I talk to you both outside for just a moment?”

  “Sure.” We stepped outside, closing the door gently behind us. “What's up? You seem rather excited.”

  Opal looked around to make sure no one else was nearby then leaned forward in a conspiratorial whisper. Unicorns. I found what I believe to be a solid lead, information about where to find them. If we head west into the next kingdom, I think I have enough information that we can find them!”

  “I thought there were only three pure unicorns left in the world?”

  “Yeah, so did I. Cassie’s been keeping a lot of secrets these past years, but after you had gone, she told me more. Turns out that there are quite a few pure unicorns. Diamond is special. A sacred unicorn. She has two sisters. Ruby and Sapphire. The three of them are capable of keeping people like Jet and me alive. Normal unicorns aren’t, but... If I can find some male unicorns to breed with Diamond, her offspring may be sacred too.”

  “Why would Cassie not tell you this?”

  Opal shrugged.

  “She was scared of the power of another unicorn. She told me that it was difficult enough keeping three unicorns safe, keeping more sacred unicorns safe would be impossible. Something to do with power and magic. who knows. None of it makes sense anyway. What does make sense is that There are other unicorns out there. I don’t care about the sacred ones. They are all female anyway, but if I can find a normal male unicorn, well...”

  “So, what changed Cassie’s mind?”

  “I can be pretty persuasive. I told her that if Diamond does have a baby, we can keep it with Diamond in the village, and she can help watch over it. I also mentioned that if there was a baby unicorn, it meant that we could have more shifters like Jet and me. I kinda hinted that Jet could give her grandchildren with Kaida. Not real grandchildren, but...you know.”

  I stifled a laugh. “Opal, you are terrible.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Needs must. We need to leave soon before Cassie changes her mind.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “You keep saying 'we.' You mean you and Jet?”

  Opal hissed out a frustrated breath. "No, Jet's not back yet. But why wait? I choose to interpret Cassie's instructions to mean that she simply didn't want me to travel alone.” Her frustrated expression dropped, and her eyes sparkled with mischief. “That's where you come in. Come with me and we’ll find them together. It's not even that far, a few days' travel.”

  “You already know my thoughts on this. I’m not going.”

  “Not just you. I’ll need River too. He can be the guide like last time. Grab your stuff, let's go!”r />
  River’s eyebrows shot up.

  “Come on,” she wheedled. “We had so much fun last time.”

  Blu and Ivy fluttered to Opal’s shoulders, their swords raised at the sound of adventure.

  “Fun?” I replied weekly. “Which bit was fun? The Emblors? The Werewolves? Being attacked by a homicidal maniac Faerie?”

  “I was thinking of the nights you and River were cozying up together under the stars. It sure looked like fun from my point of view.”

  I felt my cheeks redden, and damn her if she didn’t have a point. Camping out with River had been wonderful. “We’ll think about it,” I said.

  “Great. I’ll come back tomorrow to give you some time to pack.” She turned and walked away with a spring in her step. I’d never seen her so perky.

  Chapter 6

  “You know," River began as he side-stepped a tree, “you could have just told Opal no yesterday and saved us this trip.”

  We were on the same path we’d walked on just a couple of days before when we left the unicorn village. I’d not anticipated we’d be walking back along it so soon.

  “I know. But I told Opal I'd think about it, and regardless of how difficult she can be at times, she's one of us. Or we're one of hers. Or something. Either way, she deserves for me to give it the consideration I told her I would.”

  “So why turn her down? Your mom doesn't really need you anymore, with Seth gone.”

  I could only nod. He was right. “Too true. She's fine now. Better than fine. She finally has her life back. But the truth is, I'm thrilled to be discovering my mother for the first time. Did you know that she likes to paint? I didn't. Until yesterday, I'd never seen her with a paintbrush in her hand, other than repainting the house every few years. She showed me a collection of some of the work she did before Grandfa had his stroke. She's really quite talented.”

  “So, you’re staying to explore this new relationship with your mother?”

  I slid an arm around River's waist. “Yes, that's why I ultimately decided to decline Opal's invitation. That and the fact I value my life too much. I’ve had enough blood-crazed monsters after me for one lifetime, and despite Opal telling me it won’t be dangerous, danger seems to follow that girl."

  River smiled down at me, and my heart leapt as I almost walked into a tree.

  He laughed, and it was infectious. As we continued the walk to Opal's empty village, it seemed even the birds were singing prettier and the sun shining brighter. Nothing could ruin my mood, not with River beside me.

  Opal greeted us at the start of the village, but when she saw us, her face fell. “Where are your packs?” Her tone shifted to become somewhat accusatory. “It's kind of hard to travel with no supplies.”

  Blu and Ivy, who had traveled back with her yesterday, flew over to River and sat on his shoulders. Blu sat cross-legged and pouted; whereas, Ivy did a little dance on his other shoulder.

  River replied, “We left them at home.”

  “Yeah.” Opal pursed her lips, then made a sucking sound on her teeth. “I can put together packs for you with what we have here.”

  I bit my lip. The hoped-for easy out wasn't looking likely. I said, “I don’t think I can leave my ma. Not so soon after last time. She’s family...”

  Ivy stopped her jig and copied Blu’s position.

  “Unicorns are my family, but so what, right?” Opal's jaw set, muscles standing out, tense. “I have the chance to discover more unicorns. I thought our time in this world was ending, but it doesn't have to be that way. I ask you for help--the only time I've ever asked anything from you,--and you turn your back?”

  Seth strode out of a nearby dwelling, a hammer in his hands. “Opal, that's my family you're talking to. Freya wouldn't turn her back on anyone in need.”

  Opal looked at her feet and let out a long breath. For a moment, she said nothing, and I could see the wheels turning in her mind. After several seconds, she nodded curtly. “Fine. I get it. Let's just drop it. I have lunch ready, if anyone's hungry.”

  She spun on her heels and sat down on a bench near the campfire.

  I sat on a wooden stool opposite her. I watched Opal eating, lost in her own thoughts, a decidedly miserable look on her face. So, nothing out of the ordinary for her. My heart ached for her. She had every right to be miserable. A mix of isolation and her particular brand of talking to people left her with few friends. River and I were probably her only ones, and we’d basically condemned her to die young.

  “…right, Freya?” River said, nudging me in my side. I guess Opal wasn’t the only one not paying attention to what was going on.

  “Oh, sorry. What?”

  “I said, your mother has shown herself to be quite a talented painter.”

  “Yeah. She has a new boyfriend too. Someone in Anchor she used to know.”

  Seth let out a short bark of laughter. “Good for her. It’s about time she found someone to share her li...”

  A huge shadow streaked over us, startling me. Apparently, it startled Grandfa, too, because he stopped mid-sentence.

  I looked up, hand moving to the only weapon I'd brought, a simple multi-purpose knife. My eyes went wide as I spotted the source. A large dragon dove toward us, wings swept back for speed. I almost cried out before I recognized Kaida's dragon form.

  Just before the mighty dragon swept in on us, she morphed into her human form, staggering as she hit the ground with force. It was cool to watch, or at least it would have been if she hadn’t over-stepped and ended up face down in the dirt, bare ass in the air.

  I jumped up to help her stand, but before I was close, she picked herself up. Her face was coated in a layer of grit, but her expression beneath it was unmistakable. She was terrified. “I need your help,” she panted, not bothering to wipe the dirt from her face. “It's Jet. He's been kidnapped.”

  I pulled off my jacket to cover her up at roughly the same time Cassie threw her a shawl. She wrapped the shawl around herself and slipped the jacket over the top.

  Around the table, everyone began talking at once, but it was one voice that stood out amongst the others.

  “The Key,” Cassie said, putting her hands on Kaida’s shoulders. “Did he have the key with him?”

  Next to her, Opal glared, but she didn’t interrupt.

  Kaida slowly raised her head. “Yes, he did.”

  Chapter 7

  Kaida's eyes were wide and wild, and her breath came in great, heaving sobs.

  “What happened?” Opal said, guiding her to the benches. When she sat down, my grandfa passed her a cloth he’d dipped in a pitcher of water. She took it, dragging it across her face, turning the grit to mud.

  “He was outside, just sitting on a rock and enjoying the view of the mountains from my garden. I went inside, just for a moment. Five minutes at most. But when I came back outside, he was just gone. There were no footprints, though the garden soil was moist. The only thing I found were half a dozen flowers he'd been holding when he left, scattered around the sun-stone he was sitting on."

  Opal's voice cracked. “How could there be no footprints?”

  River, rubbing his chin, said quietly, “It's safe to say that nothing on foot could have taken him. How could they even get to your home in the mountains? No, unless it was spirits, I think we're looking at a flier.”

  Blu and Ivy fluttered down to River’s shoulders, then mimed falling off, quickly righting themselves in the air and fluttering back to the table.

  I thought back to the garden outside Kaida’s house. The front garden had a lovely cottage garden feel, but the little bit I saw of the garden at the back, backed onto sheer cliffs. An image of Jet falling had me bringing my hand to my throat. “Could he have fallen?”

  “No. He was nowhere near the edge. It was like he just vanished. No one saw him go.”

  “I don’t mean to sound...er rude,” Opal piped up, “but are you absolutely sure he was kidnapped? Maybe he just left of his own accord?”

  “He
didn’t leave me.” Kaida’s face held fierce.

  “But can you be sure?” Opal said.

  Kaida’s steely eyes locked onto Opal’s, the scrappy little dragon was not to be messed with, not even by Opal.

  “And leave no footprints?” My grandfa said, interrupting the pair. “It seems unlikely. I think River’s explanation is the most likely, that someone who flew took him. Could one of the other dragons have taken him? He might have gone for a pleasure flight.”

  Kaida shook her head again. “I only went inside to get us a snack. Besides, I spoke to every dragon in the village before coming here. No one saw him leave. No one would lie to me.”

  We all went silent, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Kaida sniffled as she did a better job of wiping her face. A quick glance at Opal told me that she was trying to keep it together. River just looked lost in thought.

  Eventually, my grandfa spoke again. “It seems that Jet did indeed get taken, but why would anyone dare invade a known dragon territory?”

  “Why would anyone want to kidnap Jet in the first place?” Opal added.

  Cassie seemed to be trying to bore holes into the ground with the intensity of her stare. She spoke up at last, though her stare never wavered. “The key!”

  I knew something was wrong; something terrible was going to happen. He's been kidnapped for the key.” She began to pace around the table. “Who knows about the key, and the dragon town, and can fly?”

  Opal spat into the dead fire. “The key, the damnable key! Cassie, you tell me what is so special about that key!”

  Cassie kept staring at the ground but didn't break the ensuing silence.

  “What is the key, Cassie?” Opal demanded, pausing between each word. “If what you have said is true and Jet was taken for the key, then you owe me answers.”

  Cassie finally closed her eyes and let out a lengthy sigh before replying, “I hoped never to have to tell anyone. Most people don't know this, but when the three sacred unicorns were born, there were three others born, as well. Dark entities, demons born into black unicorn bodies. They were meant to keep the equilibrium of the planet, to balance good and evil, but they didn't balance the world. They caused tremendous strife and despair across the whole world.”