by Suzanne Weyn
"I thought you'd like this," Sheila said to Darian, pulling a T-shirt from her bag. She'd gotten it at a rock concert when she went to see the group Crazy Water. Silkscreened on the front was a cowboy on a brown unicorn. The unicorn was rearing up on its hind legs under a waterfall as the cowboy swung his hat exuberantly in the air.
Darian's eyes went wide, and his jaw dropped. "Is this what warriors wear in your world?" he cried in wonder, his sulky frown replaced by a genuine smile of pleasure.
"Well, sort of. Some of them, anyway," Sheila answered.
"And you never told me they have unicorns where you live," he added, pulling the shirt over his head.
“We don't," she said. "We just dream about them."
"This is a wonderful, wonderful garment. It fits me and it's so soft and comfortable," he said proudly. He grew suddenly shy and lowered his gaze. "Thank you, Sheila," he finished simply.
''You're welcome,'' she replied. ''I bought it because it reminded me of you somehow."
To hide a sudden blush, Sheila turned back to her bag. "I brought these hard candies for Kara and Lianne," she said to Zanara-Ki. "But I'll find something for them later. Please accept the gift as my way of saying I'm happy to meet you.”
Zanara-Ki held up her hand and shook her head no,
"We're all just going to eat them up if you don't take them," teased Nanine. "We'll probably eat them up even if you do take them."
A quick smile flashed across Zanara-Ki's stern face and then disappeared. "In that case I will gladly accept them to share with one and all."
“Good," said Sheila, handing her the cellophane-wrapped packages. "One bag is butterscotch, and the other is pepper-mint. They're my favorites."
''I see you've saved the best gift for yourself," said Dian.
"What are you talking about?" Sheila asked.
"That beautiful shiny black sack," Dian said, pointing to the trash bag.
"The garbage bag?" cried Sheila, holding up the crumpled plastic. Actually, she admitted to herself, it would have a lot of uses in this world. It could be a waterproof poncho, ground-cloth, or tent covering. "Here, it's yours," she said, impulsively handing the bag to Dian.
Dian immediately tore the sack down the front and tied it around her shoulders as a cape. "It feels funny,” she laughed, pleased with her new outfit.
At that moment Illyria emerged from her tent and walked slowly over to the fire. Her face was serious, but it softened slightly when she saw her warriors' smiles.
"What have you brought for Illyria?" shouted Dian.
"Here's a figurine I bought to remind me of you," Sheila said, pulling a small ceramic statue from her backpack. It was a white unicorn with a silver horn, rearing up on its hind legs.
Illyria took the statue and studied it. ''It is lovely indeed. I thank you," she said. "Look at the fine details," she marveled “It is as if Quiet Storm posed for it himself,"
The mere mention of the unicorn broke the light mood. All eyes turned to their leader. "I have come up with a course of action," Illyria announced, the campfire reflecting dramatically off her high cheekbones. "Since there are many possibilities here, I want to cover each of them. Therefore, Nanine and Myno will ride back to Campora and consult with Laric. Let him know what is happening, and see if his powers as a mage can aid us in this."
"I'll go tell Myno," Nanine said, rising immediately.
"Pelu and Dian will stay with the sick unicorns," Illyria continued. "I think it best not to move them, weak as they are right now.”
"Let Sheila stay," Dian argued. "I don't want to sit around. I want to do something."
Illyria shot her a stern look. "There will be plenty for you to do if these animals have to be moved suddenly," she said. "We don't know what threats tomorrow holds."
Dian nodded sullenly, knowing it would do no good to argue further.
"Darian, Sheila, and Zanara-Ki will ride with me to Queelotoo. I need Zanara-Ki's knowledge of the area, and Sheila's magic, should we encounter Mardock.” Noticing Darian's expectant expression, Illyria added, "And I need my brother's support as always. I know he is a strong rider for such a long, hard trip."
Illyria abruptly kicked some dirt over the fire, "To sleep," she said. "We rise at dawn tomorrow, and the day promises to be a full one."
8
Stops Along the Way
The dawn exploded with pink and golden light. Sheila felt a rush of excitement as she placed the saddle on Morning Star's back. This was what she had missed, the thrill of preparing for a hard ride, not knowing what lay ahead.
Morning Star snorted, and her sister, Eventide, looked up and weakly shook her tan head. It was as if the two unicorns were bidding one another goodbye
Sheila pulled herself up onto Morning Star and trotted over to the edge of the hill. Pelu had resumed her position in the middle of the herd, offering what comfort she could to the fallen unicorns. The healer waved when she saw Sheila.
"Ready to ride?" asked Myno, trotting over on her palomino unicorn.
Sheila looked down at the black sneakers Myno wore. "Do they fit?" she asked, smiling at the unlikely sight of this armored warrior in high-tops.
"Like a dream," Myno told her. "These are truly like no footwear I have ever known."
"I remembered how you always complain about your aching feet," said Sheila. "They're my father's, but I'll replace them as soon as I get home." Silently Sheila wondered when that would be. She hoped she would at least make it back before nine o'clock as she had promised.
She pushed that thought away—the time difference always boggled her mind. And besides, right now she had to concentrate on the task before her. Illyria had taught her not to expend her energies worrying about too many things at once.
"Are you ready?'' the Unicorn Queen called to Sheila from atop Quiet Storm, Her red tunic and silver armor were in place, her long blond hair twined in braids for the ride ahead.
"Ready," Sheila confirmed.
"Then let us be off." Illyria rode into the middle of the camp. 'Good luck to you all in your various missions," she told the others.
"And a safe journey to you," spoke Nanine as she saddled her unicorn.
"Send Laric my love," Illyria said. "Tell him it is my dearest wish to return to him shortly. If time were not so crucial, I would not leave without saying good-bye."
"I am sure he will understand," said Nanine before she and Myno galloped off into the forest toward Campora.
Then Illyria turned to Dian, who was standing near last night's smoldering fire and glaring at Sheila.
"Dian, I am counting on you to assist Pelu in any way possible," she told the girl. "Should you come under attack, remember my instructions. You must drive the unicorns who are fit into the woods. Leave the ones who are ill to fend for themselves. And whatever happens, be alert to danger, for Mardock knows where these animals are."
Bolstered by the knowledge that Illyria was depending on her, Dian squared her shoulders and assumed a self-important expression. "You know you can rely on me.
Illyria nodded sharply in agreement just as Darian and Zanara-Ki rode their unicorns up to Sheila. The Unicorn Queen gave the signal, and all four took off at a gallop. Having seen Laric's map, Sheila knew they had a long journey of several days ahead of them. Illyria would be riding as hard as the landscape allowed.
The thunder of unicorn hoofs filled Sheila's ears. It was a sound that never failed to thrill her. There was nothing like it in the world—this or any other Sheila leaned forward in the saddle, a silent message for Morning Star to race even faster.
They rode through the forest and down to an open road. In the past they had ridden at night or kept to the back roads and mountains to avoid being sighted by Dynasian's soldiers. But now that Dynasian had been defeated, they were free to take the wide highways that sprawled around Campora. Ahead lay territory and people who might be less than friendly, but for the moment, at least, there was little danger.
&n
bsp; They rode for a full day, stopping only briefly to eat. In the evening they camped on a mountainside. By then every muscle in Sheila's body was knotted and aching, and her mind was numbed with exhaustion. After a supper of vegetables and bread, Sheila wandered down an incline toward a wide, rushing river to soak her throbbing legs.
She kicked off her dirt-covered sneakers and stuck her feet into the river. At first the water felt so cold it was painful. Gradually, though, she grew accustomed to it, and the icy swirl began to soothe the pain.
Sheila stepped out of her jeans, which were caked with mud. It was amazing how dirty you could get on a long ride. She swooshed the jeans around in the river and then tossed them onto a low bush to dry. Her long T-shirt fell almost to her knees and fluttered in the gentle breeze that had come up just after sunset.
A large half moon hung low in the sky. It splashed shimmering channels of light across the churning river. Tired as she was, the rushing moonlit water and the hoot of an owl somewhere in the woods put Sheila into a sort of sleepy trance.
She sat on a low, cool rock and let the water splash up over her legs. She felt at one with the world around her; as wild and natural as the river and the owl, with just as much right to be there as the moon itself.
A rustling in the underbrush roused Sheila from her peaceful reverie. She turned, and in the half-light saw Darian standing behind her. They had hardly spoken since her first day back.
"You startled me," she said. "Stick your feet in the water. It feels great.”
But Darian just stood there. He looked as if he wanted to come sit beside her, but something was stopping him—almost as if he were afraid of her. ''Illyria sent me to make sure you were all right," he finally said.
"I'm okay, just zonked," she answered.
The blank look on his face made her smile. "Zonked means real tired," she explained.
"Zzzzzonked," he said, stretching the word out. "That's a funny word. I'm zonked myself. I'm going back to camp.
“Don't you want to sit for a minute?" Sheila asked.
Again, he seemed torn between the impulse to stay and an urge to escape. "I have to go," he answered flatly.
"Whatever you say," Sheila said, just as flatly. What is wrong with that boy? she wondered as she watched him disappear into the darkness. They had been so close when she left, and now he was so distant.
After a while, Sheila slid off the rock, grabbed her jeans, and slipped into her sneakers, then headed back up to camp. Zanara-Ki and Darian were already rolled in their blankets, sound asleep. Illyria was near the fire, staring into the orange flames. She looked up as Sheila approached. "Everything all right?" she asked.
Sheila nodded and settled on her blanket. "I'm just not used to riding like we did today," she answered.
"It was a hard ride for even the most fit."
"Are you all right?" Sheila asked, pulling the soft blanket around herself.
"I was just thinking of Laric and how I miss him," Illyria answered. "Life in the city makes me restless. I stay there only to be near him. When I'm in the city, I miss the wild life. But when I'm in the wilderness, I miss my love."
"Can't he leave Campora?" Sheila asked, fighting sleep.
"Maybe someday," Illyria answered dreamily. "My fantasy is that we will live together on top of a mountain with herds of unicorns wandering freely around us. We wouldn't be ruler and warrior, just Laric and Illyria, happy forever."
"Why don't you do it?" Sheila asked, stifling a yawn.
"Because Laric is committed to making Campora a strong, self-sufficient kingdom, and I must help him. I must also make sure these animals run free and stay strong. I thought I had that part all taken care of—and now this strange curse.
Sheila watched Illyria's beautiful face as the dying fire threw flickering shadows across it. She had never known anyone with so much passion for life. Illyria fought for those she loved without reservation: Laric, her unicorns, her friends. She could be tougher than the most seasoned general, yet tender and gentle as an angel.
The next morning brought more hard riding. By late afternoon the band of four had left the wide flat highways for a tangle of rocky paths that wound through giant uprisings of black silver-specked volcanic rock. The rock was marked with small and large craters and peaked in sharp, jagged points over their heads. The tall green foliage gradually gave way to coarse shrubs.
The unicorns slowed to a trot where the gaps between the rocks narrowed. Soon the pebbles under their feet changed to sandy ground. And finally Sheila felt a cool, salt breeze and was sure she heard the crashing of waves somewhere in the distance.
They began to descend and had to go even more slowly. Finally Illyria called a halt on a flat table of dry sandy land protected by a circular uprising of black rock. 'This seems a good place to make camp," she said.
Sheila dismounted and walked to the far opening of the round enclosure. Salt air tickled her nose. Huge waves crashed on the shore below, and seagulls soared across the windswept sky. It was a steep rocky drop to the sea, but Sheila spotted a winding path that they could ride down if they went very slowly. She was seized with the desire to cool off near the shore, to feel the ocean spray on her sunburned skin.
"Can I go down by the water?" she asked.
"That's a good idea," said Illyria, pulling her saddle from Quiet Storm's back. "Scout around, see what you can see. But I don't want you going alone. You'd best take Darian with you.
Sheila looked over at him. He shrugged his broad shoulders in a gesture that said it didn't matter to him, and jumped back on Wildwing.
The two unicorns made their way down the narrow path, stumbling slightly on the loose pebbles and wet sand underfoot. At the bottom Sheila lifted her face to the sea breeze. She was instantly refreshed by its coolness and by the ocean's surging energy.
Mischievously, Sheila turned to Datian. "You were lagging behind the others today," she teased, although it wasn't true. "It's a shame because you used to be such a good rider."
"I'm as good a rider as any," he protested, taking the bait. "I can outride you any time,"
"Prove it," Sheila challenged. And with a signal to Morning Star she was off, racing down the shore at full gallop. Darian was right behind her, and soon they were neck and neck. Each rode all out, determined not to let the other pull ahead.
Two large rocks stood side by side across their paths. Sheila rose and leaned forward, tightly clutching Morning Star's black mane. In seconds the unicorn was sailing over the rock. Out of the corner of her eye, Sheila saw Wildwing and Darian make the leap right beside her.
They raced for ten minutes before the wide shoreline narrowed to a path that only one could travel. Both riders pulled up to it at the same time.
"There, I beat you,” Darian declared.
"You did not," Sheila said indignantly.
"Look at that hoofprint in the sand," Darian argued. "It's Wildwing's and it's ahead of the others,"
"That's Morning Star's," insisted Sheila, "But how about calling it a tie.”
"Sure. If that will make you feel better," Darian chuckled.
Sheila knew that now he was teasing. "That seems fair to me," she agreed. "What do you say we walk these unicorns back and let them cool down."
They dismounted and turned around, the unicorns following at a walk behind them. Sheila gave Darian a sidelong glance and smiled. Whatever tension had been between them no longer existed, Sheila could feel it.
"Darian," she said quietly, "have I done something to offend you? You've been so strange since I came back. Whatever it is, I'm really sorry. Tell me, and I'll never do it again."
Darian smiled sadly. "You aren't sorry—and you are going to do it again."
"What? Please tell me," she pleaded, feeling her heart skip a beat as he stopped walking and faced her.
"You went away," he said, "and you're going to leave again." Sheila also stopped, stunned. "But I had to, I have to."
"I know," he
answered, reaching out and wrapping a strong wide hand around her arm. "But it hurt when you left. I missed you. I don't want to go through that hurt all over again. So I decided it would be better to feel nothing toward you.”
"Is that what you feel? Nothing?"
"You knew how I feel," he answered gruffly.
Sheila was elated. He still cared! Yet his words were all too true. How could they ever really be together?
"I don't know the answer, Darian," she said, looking up into his handsome face. "Maybe we'll just have to make do with the time we have. Surety there's no sense pretending we don't mean anything to each other. I thought about you constantly after I went home."
"And you were always in my head," he said, stepping closer. In the next second he was holding her tight and kissing her. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him back. She was so glad to be in his arms.
Pthhhhhhiiwap! The sound made Sheila and Darian jump apart. There, embedded in the sand, almost at their feet, was an arrow with a flaming tail.
At first they had no idea where it had come from. Then, slowly, they saw a man rise up from behind a black rock. He held a bow pulled taut in his hands with another flaming arrow pointing their way.
"What the-" Sheila gasped. The man wore nothing but a flap of material that hung from his waist to his knees. His bright yellow hair stuck straight out like a wild halo. And, except for a yellow racoonlike mask around his eyes, his skin was completely blue.
9
The Hickorites
“He's got a friend, too!" whispered Darian as a second man stepped out from behind a nearby rock. He was striped in many bright colors from head to foot, And he, too, held a bow and. flaming arrow poised and ready to shoot. No sooner had he shown himself than yet a third man, this one with bright red skin and long straight orange hair, appeared.
"Eh-ett-eli-eli~eeeelihlihhheeeej'' trilled the orange man in a high frightening voice.
"What is he saying?" whispered Darian.