“There’s always a chance,” said Rupert, hefting his sword.
“Not that way,” said the dragon. “You’ll have to make the Rainbow Run.”
“What are you talking about?” snapped Rupert, eyes still fixed on the lurking shadows among the rotting trees.
“Rainbow’s End. I know a spell that will take you right to it. If you’re strong enough. Any man who can run down the Rainbow will find his heart’s desire; whatever that might be.”
“Try the spell,” said Julia. “I won’t let those things take me alive. I’ve heard stories.”
Rupert nodded grimly. He’d heard stories, too.
“Look out!” yelled Julia. Rupert howled his battle cry and swung his sword two-handed as demons burst from the Darkwood’s concealing shadows. His blade flashed in short, vicious arcs, slicing through his opponents like overripe wheat. Blood flew on the air, but the demons never made a sound, even when they died. The Darkwood silence was broken only by the stamp of feet on earth, and the chunk of Rupert’s blade as it bit into flesh. The dragon reared up to his full height and slammed into the demons, rending and tearing. The dead and the dying lay piled around him on the bloodied earth, and still they came. Julia drove her dagger into a demon’s bulging eye and kicked the twisting corpse aside. The unicorn moved quickly in to protect her, his hooves and horn already dripping gore. Rupert spun and danced, his sword tearing through flesh with murderous skill, but for every demon that fell another rose out of the dark to take its place. A growing ache burned in his arms and back, and every time he swung his sword it seemed a little heavier. Rupert didn’t give a damn. The bottled-up frustration of months on end found an outlet in his fury, and he grinned like a wolf as his sword rose and fell in steady butchery.
And then it was over. The demons melted back into the safety of the darkness, leaving their dead behind them. Rupert stared about him as he slowly lowered his sword, his harsh breathing aching in his chest. Blood and death lay scattered across the clearing, and as his anger ebbed away, Rupert felt tired and cold and just a little sick. He’d been taught the use of a sword, as befitted his station, but his newfound joy in killing disturbed him. To take pleasure in slaughter was the demon’s way. The blood dripping from his blade suddenly disgusted him, and he sheathed his sword without bothering to clean it. He swallowed dryly, and looked round to check how his companions had fared in the battle. The dragon seemed pretty much unscathed, though his claws and teeth gleamed with a fresh crimson sheen. The unicorn’s white coat was dappled with blood, little of it his own. Julia was cleaning her dagger in a businesslike way, but her hands were shaking. Rupert shook his head slowly. Without rage to keep him moving, fatigue left him weak and trembling, but already he could hear faint rustlings and stirrings in the dark beyond the clearing. He turned to the dragon.
“Use the damned spell,” he said gratingly. “Another rush like that, and they’ll roll right over us.”
The dragon nodded. “It’s all down to you, Rupert. First you’ll see a light in the distance, like a beacon, and then the Wild Magic will show you a path. Follow it. That’s the Rainbow Run. What you’ll find depends on you.”
Rupert stared out into the dark, and a voice deep inside him said, I can’t. It had been hard enough to go back into the Darkwood armed with light and friends, but to give them up and go off into the darkness on his own … Haven’t I done enough? I can’t go back into the dark! I’m afraid!
“Rupert?”
I’m afraid!
“Set the spell,” said Rupert.
“Get ready,” said the dragon. “I need a moment to prepare.”
Rupert nodded stiffly and moved away to join the unicorn.
“Look after the Princess for me, will you?”
“With my life,” promised the unicorn. “When there’s no other choice, I can be heroic, too, you know.”
“I never doubted it.” The Prince smiled.
The unicorn shuffled his feet uncertainly. “All in all, I’ve been on worse quests, Sire.”
“I hate to think what they must have been like.”
“Will you shut up,” said the unicorn affectionately. “And mind your back on the Rainbow Run. I’ve grown accustomed to having you around to gripe at.”
Rupert hugged the unicorn’s neck, and turned away to find Julia waiting for him. She offered him a handkerchief.
“A lady’s favor,” she said. “The hero always carries a lady’s favor.”
“I always wanted one,” said Rupert softly. He tucked the silk square inside his tattered leather jerkin. “I’ll bring it back safely.”
“Bring back some help, that’s the main thing.” She leaned forward suddenly and kissed him. “And come back safe yourself, or I’ll never forgive you.”
She hurried off into the shadows. The Prince raised a hand to his lips. There was one thing the minstrels hadn’t lied about. The dragon came forward.
“Are you ready?”
Rupert looked out into the darkness. I’m afraid. But I gave my word.
“Ready as I’ll ever be. You?”
The dragon nodded. “The spell is set.”
Rupert drew his sword, hefted it, and then handed it to the dragon. “Give this to Julia. It’ll only slow me down when I’m running.”
“Of course,” said the dragon.
“A light!” yelled the unicorn. Rupert whirled to look. A crimson glare showed deep in the Darkwood.
“That’s it!” cried the dragon, but Rupert was already off and running. He burst through the demons at the clearing’s edge and was gone before they could stop him. A trail formed before him in the darkness, seeming to glow and sparkle beneath his pounding feet. A demon leapt out of the dark to block his path, only to scream and fall back as light flared up from the trail to engulf it. Rupert shot a quick glance at the motionless body and ran on. Behind him he heard the first sounds of battle as the demon host fell on his companions. He forced himself to run faster. The Darkwood trees rushed past him. The path glowed bright against the dark. Breath burned in his lungs, ached in his chest, and a cold sweat ran down his sides as his arms pumped, but he was beyond pain, beyond fear, driven only by a desperate need to somehow save his friends. He didn’t know how long he’d been running, but the trail still shimmered ahead of him, and the beacon seemed to draw no nearer. It’s not how fast you run, a voice whispered inside him, It’s how badly you need it. Fatigue shivered through his aching legs, and he saw with horror that the path was slowly fading away. He drove himself even harder, crying aloud at the pain that stabbed through him, and then he tripped and fell headlong as the path guttered and went out.
I’m sorry, Julia, he thought despairingly as the dark washed over him. I so wanted to be a hero for you.
Light roared against the darkness. Rupert staggered to his feet as vivid hues cascaded down around him. His ears were full of the thunder of a mighty falls. Time seemed to slow and stop. Brilliant colors burned into Rupert’s eyes as he threw back his head and raised his hands to the glory of the Rainbow.
And then the Rainbow was gone, and the night was darker than before.
For a moment Rupert just stood there, entranced by the splendor of Rainbow’s End, and then slowly he lowered his head, and looked about him. Where the Rainbow had touched them, the gnarled and twisted trees were straight and true, and leaf-strewn branches framed a hole in the overhead canopy through which moonlight streamed, forming a pool of light around the Prince. And there before him on the ground lay a sword. Rupert stooped down and picked it up. It was an ordinary, everyday sword with sharp edges and a good balance. Rupert smiled bitterly as the darkness gathered around him. The treasure of Rainbow’s End … just another legend. From far off the sounds of fighting came to him, and Rupert turned to find the shimmering trail waiting to lead him back to his beleaguered friends. He hefted the sword once and then ran back through the Darkwood.
He burst back into the clearing, and for a moment all he could see was a mass of leaping,
He reached the demon’s side to find the Princess busily gutting the demon that had attacked her. She looked up as he joined her, and wiped at her face with a bloodied hand.
“Took your time, didn’t you?”
Rupert grinned, and they stood back-to-back, swords at the ready, as the demons came at them again. Julia wielded her sword with surprising skill, her face grim and determined. Rupert spun and danced, his sword licking out to kill and kill again, but he knew it was hopeless. The darting, leaping creatures swarmed out of the dark in seemingly endless numbers, and he was already exhausted. Eventually, they were bound to pull him down. The company’s only chance for survival had been the Rainbow Run, and he’d failed. Rupert gasped as demon claws raked across his rib cage. He cut the demon down, but he could feel blood running down his side in a thick stream. His head swam dizzily, but the pain kept him from fainting. More demons pressed forward, and Rupert knew he was no longer fast enough to stop them all. He silently cursed the missing unicorn to hell for his cowardice in deserting the party to their fate, and took a firm grip on his sword. He hoped it would be a quick death.
And then the dragon raised himself in all his ancient glory, and fire blazed on the night. Demons curled up and fell away like scorched leaves as the dragon’s flaming breath washed over them. Others fell to roll on the ground in silent agony before lying still. The dragon’s awesome head swayed back and forth, his fire scouring the clearing of demonkind, and then the flame flickered and went out.
In the last of the light, Rupert watched the survivors fall back to join others of their kind, waiting in the darkness beyond the clearing. More demons. There were always more demons. Rupert slowly lowered his sword and leaned on it. He dared not sit down for fear he’d never get to his feet again. His strength is as the strength often, because his heart is pure. Minstrels. Rupert sighed softly. Julia sat suddenly down beside him as her legs gave way. Her eyes were glazed with fatigue, but somehow she still found enough strength to hang onto her sword. Anger stirred in Rupert afresh as he realized not all the blood on Julia’s dress came from demons. He stared horrified as he took in the terrible extent of her injuries, and swore silently. If he hadn’t taken her from the dragon’s cave; if he hadn’t brought her into the Darkwood; if he hadn’t left her to go chasing after a legend … If. You’re a brave lass, Julia, Rupert thought wearily. You deserved better than me. He stared out into the darkness; looking at Julia hurt too much. He could hear the demons gathering. There seemed no end to their numbers. Rupert turned to the dragon, crouching exhausted by the fire. One wing hung limply, half torn away, and golden blood ran steadily down his heaving side. The dragon slowly raised his great head and studied the blood-spattered Prince.
“Did you reach the Rainbow’s End?”
“Yes,” said Rupert. “It was very beautiful.”
“What did you find there?”
“A sword. Just an ordinary sword.” Rupert couldn’t keep the bitterness from his voice as threw the sword onto the ground before him. The dragon studied the sword, and then looked away.
“The Wild Magic is often … capricious.” He stared out into the darkness. “The demons are almost ready. One last attack, and it will all be over.”
“We can’t just give up,” Rupert protested. “We’ve beaten them off twice …”
“I’m hurt, Rupert,” the dragon said simply. “I’m too old for all this nonsense.”
Rupert shook his head, searching for some kind of anger to hold back his growing despair. “What happened to the unicorn?”
“He’s over there,” said the dragon.
Rupert followed the dragon’s gaze. Not a dozen feet from the fire, the unicorn lay stretched out and unmoving, half-hidden under a pile of demon bodies.
“Unicorn!” Rupert staggered over to his fallen steed and knelt beside him. The unicorn tried to raise his bloodied head, and couldn’t.
“Will you keep your voice down? My head hurts.”
Bloody rents crawled along the unicorn’s flanks, and his rib cage had been smashed in. His horn had been broken off at the base, leaving only a jagged stub.
“I’m sorry,” said Rupert. “I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault,” said the unicorn. His voice broke, and he coughed a bloody foam.
Rupert started to cry.
“Stop that,” said the unicorn gruffly. “You should see the other guy. Did you find the Rainbow’s End?”
Rupert nodded, unable to speak.
“Well, how about that. Some quest, eh, lad? They’ll sing songs about us forever.”
“And get it all wrong,” said Rupert.
“Wouldn’t surprise me,” said the unicorn. “I think I’ll take a little rest now, lad. I’m tired.”
“Unicorn?”
“I’m so tired.”
“Unicorn!”
After a while, Julia came and crouched beside him.
“He lost his horn for me,” said Rupert bitterly. “What did I ever do for him, except lead him into danger?”
“He was your friend,” said Julia, gently.
She couldn’t have hurt him more if she’d tried.
“Rupert!” cried the dragon. “Demons!”
“I brought your sword,” said Julia as they rose painfully to their feet, and she offered Rupert the sword he’d found at Rainbow’s End. Rupert glared at the sword, and felt a slow, steady rage burn within him. All around him he could see demons spilling into the clearing, bringing the darkness with them. Firelight gleamed on fang and claw. The dragon stood ready to meet them, crippled but undefeated. Julia stood before him, bloodied but unbowed, waiting for him to take his sword and fight at her side. And the unicorn lay dying at his feet.
He was your friend.
Rupert reached out and took the sword. Anger and sorrow surged through him as he realized there was nothing left for him to do except die bravely, and take as many of his enemies with him as he could. He raised the sword above his head, and then all his rage, all his anguish, all his determination seemed to flow up into the blade and out, out into the long night and beyond, like a great shout of defiance against the dark. Light burst from the blade, filling the clearing. The demons cowered and fell back, and then turned to flee as, with the thunder of a mighty falls, the Rainbow slammed down into the Darkwood.
Time seemed to slow and stop. Brilliant colors scorched back the night, scything through the demonkind, who fell to the blood-soaked ground and did not rise again. And still the shimmering light poured over them, until their misshapen forms melted and flowed into the broken earth and were gone. And then the Rainbow was gone, and once again night held sway over the Darkwood.
In the sudden silence, the crackling of the campfire seemed very loud. Moonlight filled the clearing, falling through a wide hole in the overhead canopy, and the surrounding trees stood straight and whole where the Rainbow’s light had touched them. Rupert slowly lowered the sword and studied it, but it was just a sword again. Well, he thought finally, it seems some legends are true …
“Can anyone explain to me why I’m not dead?” asked the unicorn.
“Unicorn!” Rupert turned quickly to find the animal climbing shakily to his feet. His wounds had healed, leaving only faint scars, and blood no longer ran from his mouth and nostrils. Rupert gaped at the unicorn, and then quickly checked his own wounds. He had an interesting collection of scars, but he didn’t hurt any more. He felt great.
“I’m fine, too,” said an amused voice behind him, and before Rupert could turn round, Julia gave him one of her best bear hugs to prove it. She put an arm across his shoulders while he got his breath back, and then ran over to hug the dragon, who was flexing his healed wing experimentally.
“Will somebody please tell me what’s going on?” demanded the unicorn.
“I called down a Rainbow and saved your life,” said Rupert, grinning from ear to ear.
“Ah,” said the unicorn. “I always knew you’d come in handy for something.”
Rupert laughed, and carefully sheathed the rainbow sword. Joy bubbled up in him like water from a long-forgotten well. And then his laughter died slowly away as he studied the unicorn more carefully.
“What’s the matter?” asked the animal, frowning.
“There’s something different about you,” said the Prince thoughtfully.
“I feel fine,” said the unicorn, twisting his head round to study himself as best he could.
“Oh dear,” said Rupert, as he finally realized.
“What is it?”
“Uh,” said Rupert, searching frantically for a tactful way to approach the subject.
“Hey,” said Julia, as she and the dragon came over to join them, “what’s happened to the unicorn’s horn?”
“My what?” The unicorn went practically cross-eyed trying to find it, but all that remained was a nub of bone in the center of his forehead.
“The demons broke it off when you were injured,” Rupert explained. “Apparently the Rainbow only heals wounds; it doesn’t regrow things you’ve lost.”
“My horn!” shrieked the unicorn. “Everyone’ll think I’m a horse!”
“Never in a million years,” Rupert assured him.
“In the meantime,” said the dragon, “May I suggest we get the hell out of here? We’re a long way from the Darkwood’s boundary, and no doubt there are still demons to be found in the dark.”
“Right,” said Julia, “The nightmare’s over, but the night goes on forever.”
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