Victim of Fate (10 page)

Rosalyn found herself on the floor of her
cage. Her legs had given out. She stared at the floor, her mind
trying and failing to wrap around the foiled rescue.

"Pity, he was so close to finding you."

Rosalyn looked up to see Therion staring at
her. She reached up to brush the tears off her cheeks.

"When given a chance at escape, you're not so
important after all," Therion said with an air of dismissal.
"Embrace me, Rosalyn, and I'll show you how to make yourself
important. You can make that boy rue the day he turned around. You
can show them all!"

Rosalyn rose up to her knees and bowed her
head. Her last hope was gone. She had to rely on herself if she
wanted to escape. And perhaps along the way, Therion could teach
her things that would not only make escape possible, but would
allow her to show the world that she wasn't just a stupid farm girl
worth casting aside! She lifted her eyes to his smirking face and
then dropped them again. "How can I please you, Master?"

Alto clung to the unicorn’s neck as it raced
through the forest. It had been running for ages without pause, a
sign that the forest was greater than he’d thought and that the
unicorn was truly a mystical beast. Even his stallion, Sebas,
couldn't hope to hold out a steady gallop for so long without
showing signs of exhaustion. He'd heard of riders running their
horses so hard their hearts gave out but he couldn't imagine doing
such a thing. Not only that, but the unicorn showed no signs of
faltering.

Alto had glimpsed shapes in the darkness many
times. Shapes of creatures that meant him harm had it not been for
the protection of the unicorn. His mount was intelligent beyond
anything he'd ever seen in an animal, which excited and scared
him.

The unicorn leapt over a fallen tree and
passed into a different part of the woods. Alto sat up and gasped,
and then cried out as the unicorn twisted. He felt a moment of
weightless terror and then crashed into the ground and rolled along
a ground padded with fallen leaves. Alto sat up and groaned. He
tested his limbs and found nothing broken, but everything seemed
bruised. A snort and the thud of a stamping hoof made him turn
around.

The unicorn shook its head, making its mane
fly about. "Yeah, I know," Alto muttered. "Keep my eye on where
you're going."

The unicorn stamped its foot again, and then
lowered its head and pushed him with its nose.

Alto climbed to his feet and looked around.
"The forest looks different here. Healthier."

Alto received another nod and a poke from the
unicorn. He turned his side to Alto and offered his back to
him.

Alto smirked. "Okay, I get it. We can't stay
here. I have a horse, you know. If Sebas knew I was riding you, he
might get upset."

The unicorn blew its nose and stamped a foot
again. Alto got the message and climbed onto its back. He realized
he could see it better and lifted his head up. The trees had more
leaves here, but in spite of that the air was lighter. He suspected
dawn was breaking. And that meant he'd spent the night in the
forest. His friends had several hours’ head start on him. Would
they wait or fear the worst and come looking for him?

"We need to hurry," Alto said. "My friends
will rush back in looking for me if I don't show up." Alto frowned.
When Gerald had disappeared, they hadn't looked for him. They had
no idea where he'd gone to, but they still hadn't looked beyond
guessing. Their guesses had been confirmed; Gerald had fallen prey
to a dragon named Sarya. A dragon that was behind the creatures of
the mountains rising up and seizing Highpeak. The same dragon was
still alive and, for all they knew, scheming up more ways to
disrupt the Kingdom.

The unicorn was off like a shot from a bow,
making Alto grunt as he clung to the beast’s mane. He lowered
himself to its neck and took better care to watch where the unicorn
ran to keep himself from falling off again.

The forest grew brighter as they ran. Alto
glimpsed other creatures in the forest, creatures that looked more
like he was accustomed to. He saw a massive brown bear rise up and
watch them race past, and then a bull elk and other animals that
looked like they belonged in a hunter's dream. He saw figures in
the trees that looked like small people, but they ducked behind the
trees and bushes before he could get a good look at them. Other
shapes flitted through the air, moving so fast that he couldn't
identify what sort of birds they were.

Alto and his magical steed rounded a thorny
pile of brush and came upon a small grove with a pool in it. Four
unicorns stood on the far side of the pool and turned to look at
them. The unicorn Alto rode came to a halt and whinnied what
sounded like a greeting.

The unicorns stared at him and Alto could
sense the intelligence in their eyes. Three of them turned away
while a fourth dropped his gaze to the beautiful creature beneath
Alto. The unicorns stared at one another until the one near the
pool dragged its foot across the ground and then violently jerked
its head to the side. The unicorn's horn pointed off into the
forest.

Without another sound, the unicorn bearing
Alto took him away from the heart of the forest. It gathered speed
after a few moments and was soon leaping over streams and weaving
around trees. Alto clung to the unicorn and gave up any hopes of
seeing the forest as they streaked through it. He lost track of
time again until they burst out of the edge of the forest and
bright sunshine forced him to squint. The unicorn continued at a
walk, giving Alto no chance to dismount.

"I have to meet my friends; they're near
where the stream leaves the forest," Alto told the unicorn. The
magical horse shook its head. "Yes, I do! If you won't take me,
I'll walk."

Alto sat upright and stared at the unicorn.
It had stopped, allowing him to slide off his back. Alto grimaced
at the soreness in his legs, butt, and back from the long gallop.
He turned to look at the forest and then glanced back at the
unicorn. "You really understand me, don't you?"

The unicorn huffed and stamped its foot.

"I'm having a conversation with a horse. I
don't believe this," Alto muttered. He chuckled and glanced at the
forest again. "All right, well, I have to meet my friends. They
won't leave me behind, just as I wouldn't leave them."

The unicorn whinnied and dug a hoof into the
hard ground. It kept working the dirt until Alto looked down and
saw that a shape was forming in the trench it dug with its hoof. He
frowned at the intertwining circles dug into the dirt. "I don't
know what that means," he admitted.

The unicorn snorted again and turned back to
offer him its side.

"Does this mean you'll take me to them?" He
was answered with a stamping hoof.

Alto climbed onto the unicorn, grimacing at
the discomfort of riding bareback. They started again, moving at a
calmer pace that allowed Alto to sit up and see around him better.
The improved visibility did him little good; he had no idea where
they were. He lifted his face to let the light of the rising sun on
his face warm him. His thoughts drifted as he rode, from the
horrors of the night before to thoughts of reuniting with his
friends. He wondered about the lights in the forest; was it a home
deep in the darkest part of the woods?

Alto glanced to his left at the forest. He'd
seen the twisted creatures in one part and an almost magical area
in another part of the forest. To call it enchanted seemed like
calling a sling a catapult.

The young man turned back to the east and
wondered how far they had to go. Already the unicorn had turned to
the left, causing the sun to no longer be ahead of him. Alto closed
his eyes for a moment so he could bask again in the warm light. He
jerked his eyes open and looked at the sun. It was in the east and
now the forest was north of him. He'd not only ridden through the
night, but through the forest. He'd entered it near the
northeastern edge. That meant he had many miles to go. Hours of
riding, especially at a slower pace.

Alto sighed and shifted to ease the ache in
his loins. It was going to be a long day.

* * * *

Alto rose up from where he studied the bloody
ground several hours later. Clouds had swept in and blotted out the
afternoon sun, making it even less likely he could make sense of
the movements but he did see where they'd headed back to the east.
There had been a fight and it looked like a horse had been killed.
He wasn't sure whose horse it was; only scraps of fur, hooves, and
a few bones were left behind.

Alto took a deep breath and let it out,
confused. There were remains enough for only one horse; the others
looked to have escaped. Were the attackers so many they couldn't
fight back? Against an army of ogres and trolls he could
understand, but these were only animals. Twisted and corrupted
animals, but animals nonetheless. Why would his friends just
abandon him? Had they left Sebas behind, too, and this was what was
left of him?

Alto turned back to the unicorn and opened
his lips. He snapped his mouth shut. Intelligent or not, the
unicorn couldn't read the minds of his companions. The unicorn
stamped its hoof and stared at the ground. Alto let his eyes fall
and saw the same symbol drawn in the ground, three circles linked
together inside a fourth circle.

What did the symbol mean? He stared at it and
was forced to admit defeat. "The farmer, James." Alto snapped his
fingers. He turned to look at the unicorn. "You've saved me and I'm
indebted to you beyond my understanding. I don't suppose an apple
will repay the debt?"

The unicorn whinnied and shook its head.

Alto chuckled. "I suppose not. Can I impose
on you for another ride? Not far to the east is a farm. My friends
might be waiting for me there."

The unicorn turned to offer Alto his side.
Alto felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Tristam and the others
had left but he wasn't truly alone. He might not understand the
unicorn or what compelled it, but he was grateful for the company.
"You need a name, I think. I hate to keep calling you horse or
unicorn. I don't suppose you can tell me your name?"

The unicorn turned its head and stared at
him. Alto laughed. Words or not, the disdainful look the magical
horse gave him spoke volumes. Alto glanced up and looked around. He
frowned, searching for inspiration. His father had named Sebas but
never explained why. What was a fitting name for a steed as
incredible as a unicorn?

A bitter wind swept across them, heralding
the first flurry of snowflakes. Alto saw a wintry mote land on the
unicorn's nose, prompting it to shake the frozen crystal off. Alto
laughed. "Snowflake?"

Alto was staggered by the unicorn as it
bumped him with its haunch. He laughed again. "Okay, too cute. Ah!
How about Winter? White and strong, but beautiful."

The unicorn stared at him for a long moment
and then dipped its head in acquiescence.

"Well then, Winter, my friend, let us ride
again! Soon you can be rid of me and return to your horsey
delights."

A whicker that sounded like laughter made the
warrior smile. He mounted Winter again and they turned to the east.
Instead of being a silent partner in the ride, Alto used his feet
and hands on Winter's mane to guide him. They'd ridden only a few
minutes when Alto guided the unicorn towards a shallow ford in the
stream.

Winter reared back, sending Alto flying from
the unicorn's back and slamming him into the ground. A gray streak
landed on the bank off to his right. The warrior scrambled to his
feet, jerking his sword free as he did so. He paused when he saw
the snarling creature leap through the air and slam into Winter's
shoulder before he could turn to face the new threat.

Winter fell, rolling on the hard-packed bank
and struggling to rise up while the creature stayed atop it with
unnatural dexterity. Alto ran after it but was afraid to strike
with his blade for fear he might hurt the unicorn. He grabbed the
gray fur and hauled back on it, yanking it free of Winter and
sending it sprawling into the stream.

Alto turned, intent to leap upon it and hack
it to pieces. He hesitated, shocked by what he saw. The creature
looked like a wolf at first glance but all four legs were wrong.
The legs were spread out beside the body rather than under it. The
creature didn't possess claws like a wolf either; its toes were
padded. Alto squinted as it righted itself and turned to snarl at
him with an all too lupine mouth. The creature looked like a cross
between a wolf and a frog, albeit a giant one. He'd seen enormous
wasps; a frog the size of a pony didn't seem so impossible
anymore.

Alto fell back as the hybrid wolf leapt at
him. He thrust his sword up between them and buried it into the
chest of the beast. The weight of the creature forced the hilt out
of his hand and the beast landed on top of him. Alto scrambled to
push it away and roll back to his feet. He drew his knife when he
came to his feet but the hybrid was convulsing where it lay on the
bank of the river.

Once it stopped twitching, Alto retrieved his
blade and cleaned it off. He sheathed it and turned to see Winter
standing there, blowing clouds of steam into the air. Alto walked
up to him and rubbed his hand down the unicorn's side. "It's dead,
whatever it was," Alto tried to assure him. He grinned. "That thing
had your number, though, didn't he? Guess we'll call us even?"

Winter stomped the ground, barely missing
Alto's foot, and snorted.

Alto laughed and patted the unicorn's neck
before he climbed up onto his back. "Let's try this again, shall
we?"

Winter whickered and leapt across the stream
before falling into an easy gait towards the east.