by Liara Woo
"What's wrong?" he asked gently, moving over to her. She had the same look Joran had gotten when he was younger during thunderstorms. Come to think of it, she looked about the same age as Joran had been then—perhaps forty-five (nine, in human terms).
"I don't like confined spaces," she whispered, drawing her knees up to her chest and shivering. "I can't return to my true form when I'm trapped in small places. I hate the feeling. My place is in the sky…and here, so, so deep underground, in this tiny cell…" Her bottom lip started to tremble and tears spilled from her eyes. Halthren wrapped his arms around her, comforting her as he would a little sister.
"It'll be alright," he assured her. "They can't keep us here for long. This is all just a mistake…a misunderstanding. You'll see. Katie will figure this all out and get us free. Then the unicorns can save Joran and we can all go home."
A sudden thought occurred to him. If the unicorns are going to heal Joran, then why would Kylaras tell me to go to the Dream Kingdom to get him back?
It was three days later when he finally heard footsteps. He forced a smile. "See? Here they come; they're going to let us out now."
But the unicorns that stopped in front of the cell looked grim. "Hey, Silver-Eyes, stand up and put your back to the door."
"Why?" Halthren asked uneasily.
"That girl you came with said you had some Light we could take."
The words felt worse than a hundred blows to the gut. Halthren staggered backwards. "Katie said that?" he whispered. She would betray him…she would have him killed? I thought…I thought that…maybe…maybe she cared about me more than that. A lot more! Bitter despair welled within his soul and a lump arose in his throat. I guess I was the only one with those feelings, then.
Relenthus got to his feet. "You can't take him," he insisted. "Take me instead. I'll give you Light for whatever it is you need."
Halthren's eyes widened. He hadn't thought that Relenthus would defend him…after all of the jibes he'd made.
"No. King Rune said that the girl told him it would be Silver-Eyes. So get over here, elfling, or we'll kill that dragon of yours."
Loriina gasped and shrank back.
Halthren felt his heart pounding hard. Feeling weak and shaky, he pressed his back against the door of the cell and allowed his left wrist to be chained. Then the unicorns opened the door, bound his wrists together in front of him, and dragged him away. I'm about to be killed by the same unicorn that murdered the Great Elves, he thought with a shudder.
Katie met Halthren, Rune, and Gorion in the room of the king's sister at dusk that day. A young filly lay on a bed of straw before them, her breathing labored. Halthren's hands were chained in front of him, and Gorion held the other end of the chain in his hands. Katie could tell from his gaunt cheeks that he probably hadn't eaten since the seaweed Loriina had roasted for them the morning after the dragon fight.
"Katie," Halthren said, meeting her eyes. "Do you realize who this unicorn is? He is Rune. He killed the Great Elves!"
Rune's head turned towards him sharply; his black eyes burned with cold fury.
Katie swallowed nervously. So that was why she'd felt so uncomfortable. "Well…he's willing to help Joran," she responded hesitantly. "You just need to give him some of your Light so that he can heal his sister, and then in exchange he'll help Joran."
Halthren's expression softened. For some reason he looked inexplicably disappointed...betrayed, even. He sank to his knees with his head bowed. Katie approached him and knelt beside him. Gently she put her hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" she asked, worried. She felt that there was something at the back of her mind that she should remember, but the more she tried to remember, the more her head hurt.
"I…I'm fine," Halthren said quietly, but he sounded heartbroken. He stood and looked into Rune's eyes. "You may take my Light. But I must know. Was it you who killed the Great Elves?"
Rune gazed at him. "Yes," he said in a cold voice. Halthren inhaled sharply. Rune smirked. "Yes, I killed them. I have used their Light to lengthen my life to five million years. I believe that I still have one thousand years left."
Halthren looked at the unicorn king with such hatred that Katie thought he'd attack. "You are revolting," he said in a low, trembling voice. "You do not deserve any more elven Light. But I will give you mine, as long as I have your promise that you will use it solely for your sister's health."
"I give you my word," Rune said with a dip of his head, transforming into a horse. The unicorns holding Halthren pulled the neck of his ragged tunic down and off of his left shoulder, exposing part of his chest and the dark scar over his heart. Halthren closed his eyes, his face pale and suddenly afraid. A single tear dripped down his cheek. He seemed at once so vulnerable and weak…
Suddenly Katie remembered as the spell of confusion lifted from her mind. He was on his last bit of Light. No!
"Wait! Stop!" she exclaimed, rushing forward. But she was too late. Rune touched the tip of his horn to the elf's chest. Halthren's eyes opened wide; he tensed and cried out in pain. A small gleam of Light left his body, gleaming on the tip of Rune's narwhal horn. Halthren gasped one last time and then exhaled softly, his eyes fluttering closed. He collapsed onto his back, motionless.
"No!" Katie shouted in horror, falling to her knees at his side. She put her hand above his mouth and nose, feeling for breath. There was none. She felt his chest, neck, and wrist for a pulse, but his heart was not beating. "No," Katie breathed, tears welling in her eyes.
"He is dead," Rune said. "I'm afraid that was my purpose from the beginning. You see, I am fascinated by the notion of immortality. The elves can potentially make me live forever, as long as I suck them of their life-giving Light. That is what I have just done to your friend here. And that is what I intend to do to your other elven companions." He turned to the filly on the bed of straw. "Thank you, Whitineigh. Your services are no longer required." The filly left the room, and Gorion snickered.
Katie laid her head on Halthren's strong chest, silent tears streaming from her eyes. Unmeasurable sadness welled in her heart. I can't believe it…he's dead! It's completely my fault…what have I done? What have I done?! I'm such a monster—what's happening to me?!
"I'm sorry," she whispered into his tunic, her face wet with tears. She could feel how cold his body was; he must have been suffering from hypothermia while in the dungeons.
"One thing puzzles me. Why was his portion of Light so small?" Rune was circling her slowly.
Katie looked heartbrokenly into the dead elf's handsome face. "He was captured by Nashgor, who tortured him, trying to find information on the prince's whereabouts. Halthren wouldn't tell It, so Nashgor destroyed most of his Light, which causes more pain than anything else to an elf. Halthren still wouldn't say anything. And now he's dead because of you."
Rune nodded. "Yes. But he's only an Allagandrian. Our lives are far more important than theirs."
Katie stared at him in horror. "That isn't true! The elves of Kylaras are noble, brave, virtuous, valiant…everything I aspire to be. And Halthren is…was…the greatest of them all. He would have given his Light to save any elf, not just Joran. And…I know he was a hundred years old…but…I think…I…" She couldn't finish her statement, and instead she dropped her head to Halthren's shoulder, breathing in his scent of raindrops and freshly-cut grass, her shoulders slumped with grief. "Please take me to the dungeons so I can be with my friends."
"They are not your friends, Katie. We are. We unicorns. You belong with us, not with them."
"I could never believe you again," Katie responded. It took all of her willpower to keep her mind clear. She looked at Rune disgustedly. "You're completely corrupted. You'd never have helped Joran."
Rune dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Why would I use esteemed unicorn secrets on an Allagandrian? There is no need to heal the prince since I'm going to take his Light. Forget them, Katie. They are not worth your care."
"They are," she insisted, ang
er filling her heart and burning away the sorrow and befuddlement of Rune's spell. "You killed a wonderful, brave elf. You promised to save another wonderful, brave elf in exchange. Please!"
"The elves have filled your head with poison," Rune said soothingly, tenderly. "I can see that to free you, I must kill them. The dragon and the other two elves will be executed in four hours."
"No!" Katie exclaimed. "You can't do that! You…you just can't!"
"Gorion, throw the body into the snow," Rune ordered, and his henchman walked forward to take Halthren away.
"No," Katie protested, wrapping her arms protectively around the Halthren's head. Rune snatched her forearm in an iron grip and forced her to stand. Gorion dragged Halthren away by his ankles, and Katie cried again at the sight.
Rune looked down at her with his cold black eyes. "I am the king, Katie. I can do whatever I feel like. And right now I would like to kill three Allagandrians. You will thank me later."
* * *
That night, Katie lay awake on the white bed, tears still falling from her eyes. Two hours left…I have to do something.
And then she sat up, realizing that there was indeed something she could do to exact revenge on Halthren's death. The Dark side of her stirred, and she unsheathed her sword, walking out of her room and into the dark halls of crystal. She wandered until she found a room with a door fancier than all of the others. Instead of snowflake engravings she saw carvings of unicorns, somehow depicted to be even more beautiful than the real ones were. Silently she entered, surprised to find herself in a stable of some sorts. Rune stood, asleep, in horse form, merely a few feet in front of her. She touched the tip of her weapon to the sleeping unicorn's white neck.
"Wake up, Rune," she hissed. The horse awakened, black eyes staring into her green ones.
"You are angry and irrational in your grief," the unicorn king said compassionately. "I understand. I, too, know how it feels to lose someone precious to my heart."
"No you don't," Katie replied through clenched teeth. "You could never feel in such ways for anyone except yourself. You don't care if Darkness and evil take over the entire world."
"I am not concerned with this world," Rune informed her. "It can rot, for all I care. We unicorns will remain as we always have. We will be safe here forever."
"You're part of this world!" Katie burst out. "You have a duty to protect it!"
"But I am not part of this world. Am I, Katie?" he asked softly. "We are Earth children."
"I could kill you," Katie growled. "And unless you set my friends free, I will."
Rune seemed to smile in a horsey kind of way. "Very well. What choice do I have? I will set them free. Drop the sword and go back to bed."
Katie hesitated, loosening her grip on the blade for one moment. Rune lunged forward; in a single motion he transformed into a human and wrenched the sword away from her.
"I will set them free," Rune laughed. "I will set their souls free of their bodies."
Katie felt like screaming her fury to the world. She ran to attack him with her bare hands, but he transformed again and reared on his hind legs, his sharp cloven hooves an inch from her face. Katie gasped in terror and fury and ran out of the stall, fuming. But instead of returning to her room, she walked back to the large cavern she'd first entered and headed down the tunnel that led to the dungeons. The temperature dropped consistently as she continued downwards.
When the ground leveled out, she was faced by a thick, tall gate and a scowling unicorn clutching a spear. Katie sauntered up to him with narrow eyes. "May I enter to mock the prisoners?" she asked as innocently as she could.
The unicorn answered with a grunt and opened the gate for her. She walked through, into a rectangular passageway lit by torches and lined by barred cells. In the final enclosure, the one farthest from the gate, were two familiar figures huddled in opposite corners of their cell. As she approached, they looked up.
"Halthren's dead," she said in a small voice, feeling the burn of guilt in her stomach, making her feel sick. "Rune stole the last of his Light." Because of me.
Relenthus inhaled sharply. He had a black eye; his one uninjured eye widened in horror. "So…what the guard said…so they did kill him… I…I n-never apologized," he regretted. He was shivering.
"For what?" Katie asked.
"For being jealous of him."
"You were jealous?" Loriina wondered, sounding genuinely confused. "Really?"
Relenthus smiled ruefully. "He was perfect. The epitome of everything elves stand for. And I…I am not. He never once thought of himself. I envy that. I wish I were more like him. And…now…"
"His death will be greatly mourned," Loriina sighed, tears glistening in her emerald eyes. "Thank you for telling us, Katie."
"There's something else," Katie continued unhappily. "Rune plans to kill all of you in two hours."
Relenthus sprang to his feet. "What?! Why?"
"He doesn't like Allagandrians," Katie answered remorsefully. "And…you and Joran…he plans to suck out your Light with his horn so that he can live longer."
Relenthus clutched at the bars of his cell, suddenly looking sick and dizzy. "I…I think I am going to…faint…" His eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed, unconscious. Loriina looked at him in fear, and then back up at Katie.
"Suck out their Light?" she asked softly, looking behind Katie. Katie followed her gaze; two cells over Joran lay on the crystalline floor, still asleep.
"Yes," Katie answered hopelessly. "And Rune's been messing with my brain; I can't think straight. I can't think of anything I could do to save you."
Saving Joran
Saving Joran
"Wait! Stop!" Katie exclaimed.
She remembers, Halthren thought. Rune must have enchanted her. For a moment, dark, roiling rage filled his soul, directed towards this foul beast who dared enchant his friend. His Katie. But it was soon replaced by sadness welling in his heart. To her I will have appeared to die. Suddenly fear filled his mind. What if he couldn't get to the Dream Kingdom fast enough? What if he really did die? What if he couldn't become a star because some of his Light had been used to heal the unicorn filly?
There's no time to think about that, he realized.
The unicorn's horn touched his chest, in the same place where Nashgor had cut him. Pain jolted through his body, and he couldn't take it. He let out a strangled cry of agony before imagining himself away, into the Dream Kingdom. Darkness closed in on him, along with an overwhelming sense of peril. Something was wrong. There was an obstacle of some kind, barring his entrance to the Realm. The scar over his heart burned with pain, quickening his pulse. Halthren closed his eyes (not that it made any difference) and focused on Joran. I must get to him!
All of a sudden a shred of Light tore through the blackness, eating it away until all that remained was shining whiteness. Halthren opened his eyes, finding himself lying face-down in the grass outside of Soor. He breathed in the fragrant smell, relaxing for a few moments. I'm alive. I made it. I made it. Now I have five hours to get Joran.
Wearily Halthren got to his feet, grateful for Relenthus's cloak as he pulled the hood over his head. Silently he passed through the gate; since the sun was sinking below the horizon and his face was shadowed, the gatekeeper assumed he was a human.
He walked through the narrow, stone-paved streets like a shadow, unnoticed by everyone; by the shaggy horses pulling carts, by the humans walking alongside him, by the dwarfs selling and buying food. He saw but was not seen as men lit torches and lamps, hanging them outside their doors as night came upon them. No one took notice of the tall, slim figure walking by in a cloak and a torn and ragged tunic, but he noticed them.
Halthren decided that he wasn't going to get anywhere by simply watching the villagers. He'd already wasted half an hour; it was time for him to act. He drew his sword with a flourish, grateful that, as Kylaras had told him, it had reappeared at his side after the unicorns had stolen it.
T
he villagers in the road turned to look at him.
"Where is the home of the man called McCullough?" he demanded. No one answered for several moments.
"Why would an elf, of all folk, wish to see him?" a befuddled man asked after a while.
"Because he has taken my friend," Halthren answered. "If any of you have information, please, share it!"
"I thought I killed you," a deep voice growled. Halthren spun around to see the giant, Venthain, approaching him. "If the Mayor finds out that you're alive, my family will be hanged."
"Don't worry about that," Halthren answered. "He won't find out."
"How can you be sure?" Venthain asked, a note of desperation entering his gravelly base voice.