Shadows of Lela

by Tessonja Odette

  14

  Convergence

  Cora

  We were nearing the hunters’ camp when I heard the rumbling. The sound grew louder, and my heart quickened as I tried to discern which direction it was coming from.

  We have to run, I told Valorre.

  No time.

  My throat tightened as I swung my head from right to left, looking for a place to hide. Wait, maybe we don’t have to hide. I took a deep breath, emptied my mind, closed my eyes, and brought Valorre’s muzzle close to my face. I placed my palm near the base of his horn as I thought about the trees around us, disappearing into them while cloaking Valorre’s horn from view.

  Fear and doubt flickered through my mind, and for one moment I could feel the energy falter. I pulled my power tighter and stronger around me as the rumbling grew closer. My breathing remained still. The rumbling stopped.

  The Beast did not appear before us, but I could sense it close by. I held fast to the glamour as we waited. Sweat beaded above my brow. After agonizing moments, the rumbling commenced, and then receded away.

  The unicorn. Gone.

  My heart sank, and I felt the glamour slide away. Was it the Beast?

  Something strange, was all Valorre could say.

  I blinked back the tears that stung my eyes. My hands balled into fists. I’m done waiting. Let’s go get our answers.

  We approached the camp, and I took in the scene before me; Nym and Arrin were both dead, the unicorn lay lifeless and hornless within his open cage, Gringe had his sword pointed at a chubby man who appeared to be surrendering, and Jarod was in active battle with another man.

  Without a second thought, I drew my bow, nocked an arrow, and rushed into the clearing. I sent an arrow flying into the back of Gringe’s neck, and another into Jarod’s arm. Jarod spun around, and I sent a final arrow into his chest. I then turned my aim on Jarod’s opponent and came face to face with the boy from the stream. He dropped his sword and raised his arms in surrender.

  “You!” I said through clenched teeth. My eyes flashed to the dead unicorn. “Did you do that?”

  “No, it was Helios! I tried to stop him, I swear—”

  I pointed my bow at the other man. “Him?” The chubby man cowered, covering his head in his hands.

  “No!” Teryn shouted, darting toward me. “That’s Lex. Helios…is gone.”

  “I don’t believe you.” I turned my arrow back to Teryn.

  Not he, Valorre said, appearing at my side.

  I scowled at Teryn, grinding my teeth. “Explain. Quickly.”

  Teryn hesitated as he stared wide-eyed at Valorre.

  “Did you hear me?”

  Teryn squeezed his eyes shut, rubbed his temples, and vigorously shook his head. When he opened his eyes, he was looking at me. “Yes. Remember when I told you about the Quest for Princess Mareleau’s hand? Helios, Lex, and I were competing together. He brought us here to steal the unicorn from the hunters and take its horn. I didn’t know how to stop him. I never knew…the horn…” Tears filled Teryn’s eyes as his shoulders slumped. He looked back at the dead unicorn. “I know what this looks like, and I know you warned me. But please believe me when I say I’m done with the Quest.”

  I could feel the truth of his words. Still, I needed answers. “Where did Helios go? Where is the horn he took?”

  Teryn opened and closed his mouth, shaking his head from side to side. “I don’t even know how to explain. This creature. Huge and red and unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It…ate him. He was holding the horn.”

  I looked at the pool of blood in the middle of the camp. My stomach churned.

  “Will you let us go?” Teryn asked. “I told you, I’m done with the Quest.”

  I lowered my bow. “Take your friend and get out. Now. Before I change my mind.”

  Teryn ran to his friend and pulled him from the camp, leaving me alone with corpses. I looked at the two hunters I had shot, hoping one of them might still be alive for questioning. Both Gringe and Jarod were dead.

  I threw my head back as tears streamed down my cheeks. Now that Jarod was dead, I was sure the hunters would disband, especially after returning to such a gruesome scene. While that should have given me peace, it meant I no longer had a chance at getting the answers I needed.

  And I had ended human life for the first time.

  I shuddered, reflecting on how I’d loosed my arrows at Gringe and Jarod with as much ease as if they were logs. I hadn’t hesitated. I’d imagined it hundreds of times before, but it was one thing to imagine death, and another to look it in the face. I’d known what needed to be done and was grateful for how quickly I’d reacted, but that didn’t stop me from feeling the pang of regret. “Mother Moon, may flesh return to your land.” I whispered the traditional prayer of the Forest People under my breath.

  Valorre nuzzled my shoulder, and I reached up to pat his cheek. I blinked the tears from my eyes and wiped my face dry. Let’s go. As I stood and turned to leave the camp, something red and gold caught my eye; it was the chest I’d seen Gringe and Jarod bring the Beast. I ran to it and tried to pry it open. Locked. In a flurry, I turned over logs, bedrolls, and blankets, looking for a key. Finally, I spotted a set of keys dangling from the dead unicorn’s cage. I retrieved them, ran back to the chest, and after a short struggle with key after key, it opened.

  Within the chest lay two white horns. I swallowed back the bile that rose in my throat and reached into the chest. My hand hovered over the horns. What am I even doing? All I knew was I couldn’t leave the horns to be used by the hunters or fed to the Beast. Trying to touch the horns as little as possible, I lifted them by my fingertips and stashed them in my quiver of arrows.

  The boys need you, Valorre said as I stood.

  “What do you mean? I don’t want to help them.”

  Valorre was already leading the way. I let out a groan and followed him. Moments later, we found Teryn making his way through the trees with his pale-faced friend. I could sense Teryn’s agitation as he strained to help his friend walk.

  “Are you all right?” I asked, with more irritation than I’d intended.

  Teryn turned to me, his face red and covered in a sheen of sweat. “I think Lex is in shock. He won’t speak or even look at me. I can barely keep him upright to walk.”

  I sighed. “Where is your camp? Your horses?”

  “We made camp by the river.” Teryn looked at the trees around him. “But Helios was our tracker. He led us here. I’m not sure…”

  We can help, Valorre told me, just as I was considering the best way to wish the boys luck and be on our own way.

  I’m sure they will be fine, I said, but Valorre ignored me. He went to Lex and nudged him in the shoulder. Lex didn’t respond.

  Let him up. I will take him.

  My mouth hung open. You want to let him ride you?

  Valorre lowered his head in answer.

  “Help your friend mount,” I said to Teryn through clenched teeth.

  Teryn looked back at me, eyes wide. “You want him to…mount? The unicorn?”

  “Yes. We can help you find the river. And Valorre can carry him much faster than you can.” Teryn still didn’t make any move toward Valorre. “I don’t have all day to watch you drag your half-conscious friend though the forest. I want to put as much distance between me and the rest of those hunters when they return, not to mention the Beast.”

  At that, Teryn began moving. Together, we hoisted Lex onto Valorre’s back.

  “Lex, can you hear me?” Teryn slapped Lex lightly on the cheek. “I need you to mount this…horse.” Lex made no sound, yet responded by assisting our efforts to seat him.

  “You don’t have a saddle, so hold onto his mane and his neck,” I added. Lex’s eyes remained unfocused, but he kept his seat as we made our way to the river. Once we found their camp, Teryn and I worked together to help Lex dismount. Teryn unrolled Lex’s bed while I started a fire.

  “Thank you,” Teryn said in a weak vo
ice as he helped Lex drink from a skin of water. “For everything. Sparing our lives. Bringing us back here.”

  I forced a smile. “Don’t mention it.” I was about to take my leave and find my own camp for the evening when I saw that Lex was still deathly pale and trembling. “He needs to relax.” I bit back an irritated grumble. “I’ll try to find something to help.”

  As I searched through the undergrowth of the forest surrounding the camp, I desperately wished I had the Forest People’s stock of herbs and a healing pouch. Yet, despite my less-than-ideal circumstance, I found chamomile flowers and stinging nettles.

  When I returned, Lex looked even worse. I got to work steeping my small harvest into a tea. When the brew was ready, I passed it to Teryn. “Get him to drink this. It will calm him.”

  Teryn convinced Lex to drink a few sips at a time. Before long, Lex’s trembling began to subside. Once his eyes grew heavy, Teryn helped him lie down.

  By then it was pointless for me to leave for my own camp. “I’ll stay with you tonight and make sure he’s well in the morning.”

  “I appreciate your help.” Teryn looked at me, hesitated a moment, and then added, “Are you some kind of healer?”

  “Something like that. I was raised by healers, so I know a thing or two.”

  “I can’t imagine what we would have done without you.” Teryn’s eyes slid out of focus as he gazed past the fire. “I can’t imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t killed the hunters, either. I can’t imagine how I’ve endured anything since starting this stupid Quest.”

  “Why don’t you tell me more about it? How and why did you find the hunters? Who are Lex and Helios?”

  Teryn met my eyes with a small smile. “Still not convinced I’m not an evil unicorn murderer?”

  “I’ll believe you more if you explain.” I matched his smile, and saw his shoulders relax.

  He went on to explain the details of Mareleau’s Quest, his alliance with Lex, and his surprise alliance with Helios. He mentioned how Helios had convinced them to join him, and explained the overabundance of unicorn hunters in Kero.

  I sat forward, my muscles tensing from neck to foot. “Wait, he said there were multiple parties of unicorn hunters? How many more were there? Where are they? Who do they work for?”

  Teryn shrugged, his eyes wide at my outburst. “He didn’t give us many details. This is the only other hunting party we’ve come across. My guess is that the others are further north.”

  The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I was flooded with a mixture of horror and excitement. Teryn’s information meant more unicorns were being tortured and killed every day, but it also meant I still had a chance to get my answers. I must find the others. “Tell me everything you know.”

  15

  Proposition

  Teryn

  The girl barely blinked, eyes wide and hungry as I finished my tale with as much detail as I could remember. Once I’d said all I could say, she stood and began pacing. “I have to find them,” she mumbled, biting at a fingernail. “There are more of them. They’re working for him, I just know it.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “What exactly is your quest about? Obviously, you are some kind of warrior of unicorns. But why?”

  She stopped pacing and narrowed her eyes at me as if she’d just remembered my presence. Her shoulders tensed, and I felt one sharp movement from me would send her darting into the trees.

  I smiled, trying to seem as innocent as possible. “You rescued me, and I don’t even know your name. I just want to know more about you, that’s all.”

  The girl’s face softened. She sat back down by the fire but refused to meet my eyes. “My name is Cor…Cordelia. But you can call me Cora.”

  “What’s your story, Cora? I’ve told you mine.”

  Cora looked sideways at me but said nothing.

  “As Prince of Mena, I could demand you talk to me.”

  “We’re in Kero. What do I care about the Prince of Mena?”

  I threw my head back and laughed. “See? It worked!”

  Cora pressed her lips into a thin smile and turned her face toward mine. “Fine,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “I stumbled upon this group of hunters by accident. I rescued Valorre from them…or he rescued me. Before that, I’d never seen a unicorn. When I saw what they were doing to the unicorns—what they were doing to Valorre—I vowed to find them again and stop them from harming more. But my goal wasn’t to kill them. I needed to find out why they were hunting unicorns in the first place, and who they work for. Now that I know there are more hunting parties out there, my work is of even greater importance.”

  “And you plan on doing this all by yourself? How? Are you just going to single-handedly take on one horde of brutal hunters after the next?”

  “I take it you doubt my capabilities.”

  I shook my head. “From what I’ve seen, you’re more than capable. But even though you’re fierce and passionate, I have a hard time imagining you up against those brutes alone, not to mention that creature. What was that thing?”

  “The Beast? I don’t know, but it reeks of dark magic. I need to figure that out too.”

  “You’ve seen it, then?”

  “Yes. It’s working with the hunters somehow. They feed the horns to it.” Cora looked down at her hands, her face slack. “I know it sounds impossible. I don’t even know how far I will go, but I have to try.”

  “Isn’t there anyone who can help you? Anyone at all?”

  “Are you offering?”

  My mouth hung open until Cora laughed. “I’m kidding,” she said.

  I felt the blood return to my face, and changed the subject. “Couldn’t you go to your king? Surely he’d stop this.”

  Cora stared over my shoulder with a frown, eyes unfocused. “The king can’t help. He could be giving the orders, for all I know.”

  Her words gave me a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach. “Why would you say that?”

  “Forget it.” Cora stood and turned her back to me. “Like I said, I know nothing. That’s why I need answers.”

  I stood and circled her until she was facing me. “Cora, if you know something about the king, please tell me. As Prince of Mena, I need to know about any threats in the land of Lela, even in other kingdoms. If it’s serious, I can help you.”

  “I don’t need help.”

  “Cora, please.”

  She sighed and met my eyes. “I heard a rumor that the king is growing his Royal Force, and I have a hunch that these unicorn hunters are working for someone from within Ridine Castle. Other than that, I know nothing. That’s why I’m doing what I’m doing. There’s really no more I can say.”

  My mouth felt dry, and my stomach churned at her words. My father’s warning echoed through my head. “The king is growing his Force? This is no small matter!”

  “I don’t even know if it’s true.”

  “But—” I was startled by the sound of whimpering. I looked at Lex, tossing and turning in his bedroll. It was then I realized I’d been yelling. I watched him, ready to race to his side, until he calmed back into quiet slumber.

  “We should get some sleep,” Cora whispered, not meeting my eyes.

  I nodded, although I was far from satisfied with how our conversation had ended. I watched Cora curl up beneath her cloak by the fire; I could see the smallest portion of her face from beneath the bundle. I searched my mind for something to say to release the sick, heavy feeling roiling in my gut, but no words would come, not even goodnight.

  Instead I went to my bedroll, and stared unblinkingly at the canopy of trees, the black sky speckled with stars, and at the curling tendrils of smoke from the campfire that unfurled across my vision. I thought about what she’d said about King Dimetreus. She’d said it was just a rumor. But was there really such a thing as just a rumor? Was the threat minor enough to ignore?

  Something had to be done.

  * * *

  “You’re what?” asked Le
x, eyes wide and mouth gaping. “You’re going with that crazy unicorn girl?”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “That crazy unicorn girl saved our lives, yours especially. You were in complete shock all evening. It was her care that calmed you enough to sleep.”

  “For all I know, that could have been poison she made me drink last night. She’s probably a witch.”

  “Don’t say that.” I looked over my shoulder, hoping Cora hadn’t returned from her errand. I had yet to even ask her if I could accompany her, and didn’t want Lex’s careless slander ruining my chances. “She saved our lives, Lex. Why don’t you trust her?”

  “I’m finding it hard to trust anyone right now.”

  “I understand, Lex, but she’s not some conniving, arrogant, deceiving fool like Helios.”

  “You don’t know that.” Lex stomped his foot, cheeks flushing pink. “Besides, why would you want to go with her? It’s not like she needs help!”

  “She does need help. She told me things last night that I can’t ignore. My kingdom could be in danger. As Crown Prince of Mena, I have a responsibility to find out if there is truth in that threat. If there is, my father must know immediately. If I find there is nothing to concern myself with, I can return home with peace of mind.”

  “Isn’t there a better way to find out other than risking your life?”

  I opened my mouth but had no answer for him. Perhaps he was right. Maybe I was being reckless. Maybe I should head straight home and tell my father to investigate the threat himself. Then again, what if it really was nothing and I caused a stir for no good reason? And what about Cora? “I’ve already decided. I’m going.”

  “What about Mareleau? She’s still expecting her gifts, you know. As far as she’s concerned, we are still competing to find them. What are we going to do about that?”

  “I’ll speak to her when I return home. Maybe Cora can help me find a unicorn that I can take back to Mareleau as her pet. Other than that, I’m done with the Quest. I will never attempt to harm a unicorn for as long as I live, and I will do whatever I can to stop others from hurting them as well. When I speak to Mareleau, I will explain the gruesomeness of the hunt and the cruelty of dehorning. If she remains unmoved by what I have to say, I’ll be done with her as well.”