by Suzanne Weyn
''Hurry!" Darian yelled, sticking his arm back over the barrier. Sheila grabbed it with all her might and held fast as he pulled her up. The water in the passageway was rising rapidly. Scraping her arms and face against the rough stone, she finally squeezed through to the other side.
Still clutching Darian's hand, Sheila looked back and saw the water splashing up around the fallen rock. That makeshift dam would hold back the flood for a short while, but if they didn't get out of there soon, they would surely drown.
Hand in hand, Sheila and Darian hurried through the passage and caught up with the others. The water was nearly to Sheila's waist when she looked ahead and saw Dr. Reit climbing a metal ladder. She scurried up behind him, with Darian close at her heels.
When she reached the top rung, Sheila was happy to find herself staring at a bright moonlit night—and an even more welcome sight: her friends and comrades. Everyone was soaked with mud and water, but they were alive. Ankzar lay panting several feet away from them.
"I have your precious dog's head, Ankzar," said Illyria, her glittering gown now torn and filthy.
Ankzar threw back his head and chuckled glumly. "And you can keep the wretched thing Without Simi it is no good to either of us, my dear Unicorn Queen. Only she could speak the words of reemergence over it.''
"I heard her say those words," said Sheila desperately. "If only I could remember them. But there were so many and they were so very strange!"
"Don't strain yourself," said Ankzar. "The spell must be spoken in Simi's own voice. Her father was a sly one, and he fixed it that way to insure his daughter's safety. It worked, too. Why do you think I kept that madwoman alive all these years? But now I'm afraid Simi is gone for good—and so are all the unicorns."
15
Sheila's Magic
Sheila's eyes filled with tears at Ankzar’s words, but they brightened almost immediately as a sudden thought hit her. Quickly she unhitched her tape recorder. It was muddy and slightly wet. Praying it still worked, Sheila hit the buttons:
Rewind . . . Play
"Aza ka moseli!'' Simi's voice rang out clearly.
Sheila grinned at the shocked expressions on the faces around her. "Give me the dog's head," she said to Illyria. As soon as it was in her hands, Sheila held the figurine over the tape recorder. "Here goes nothing," she muttered.
"Azataka azut mazut adatlaba," Simi's voice droned on, her words coming through loud and clear over Sheila’s tape recorder. The machine had recorded every word the sorceress spoke the night she sleepwalked—including the long, incomprehensible chant of reemergence.
And now, as the tape played on, streaks of colored light went whizzing through the Queelotoon sky. Nearby, still crumbling, the pyramid began to shimmer with starry lights until it finally disappeared altogether—just as the unicorns had.
The bright lights continued to swirl above. "Fascinating," whispered Dr. Reit.
The air around them was suddenly freezing cold, as if the heat were being sucked out of it. The lights expanded and fused into one shimmering halo that hovered over their heads.
Then small silver bolts of electricity came shooting out of the halo. They hit the ground and bounced back up. Sheila drew her arms tautly to her sides to avoid being burned by the fiery bolts; but when one did glance off her elbow, it sent only the smallest tingle through her body. Another bounced off her foot, and that one almost tickled.
All around them, the bolts were raining down harder and harder. And now the air was aglow with silvery light—a light so bright it was blinding. They lifted their hands to shield their eyes, and when they dropped them seconds later, they found themselves surrounded by a herd of strong, healthy unicorns!
"Good heavens!" cried Dr Reit, clutching Sheila's arm in awe. "There must be over a hundred of them."
Through her tears of happiness, Sheila spotted Quiet Storm, who stood almost a head above the rest. Beside him was Wildwing . . . and Morning Star, and all of the lost herd.
Illyria ran toward her unicorn, but then stopped short and turned back to the dog's head which Sheila had laid on the ground. Raising her saber over it, she said, "This is to make sure that they never disappear again-"
''Stop!" shouted Ankzar, "That head is priceless. It's power can never be duplicated."
But the sword was already arcing down. With one swift blow, Illyria cracked open the head. Another slash fragmented it into tiny pieces.
With barely a backward glance at the shattered dog's head, Sheila found Morning Star and jumped onto the unicorn’s back. There wasn't a trace of weakness in the animal as she pranced joyously about.
"We're not finished yet!" shouted Zanara-Ki, pointing off to the distance. Coming up on them quickly was a troop of Ankzar's soldiers—and they were riding camels!
Before she knew it, Sheila was in the middle of a battle.
Though they greatly outnumbered the unicorns, the camels were no match for the nimble creatures. Even the riderless unicorns fought, using their sharp horns and powerful hoofs as weapons.
"Sheila! Sheila!" Turning she saw Dr. Reit dodging across the battleground. "The timer I set is working. I'll be transporting any minute now. My fingers and toes feel numb already.”
Frantically Sheila looked around her. The fight was raging in all directions. She couldn't leave yet, not before she was sure the battle was won and the unicorns were safe.
"Hurry!" Dr. Reit urged. "Grab hold of my hand and the transporter will take you back, too."
Sheila didn't know what to do. This might be her only chance to get home. Maybe she should take it. Her friends seemed to be holding their own. Illyria was galloping through the fray, knocking Ankzar's soldiers off their camels and onto the ground with lightning speed. Zanara-Ki was a blinding whirl as she kicked and punched her foes while actually standing on her unicorn's back. Perhaps they didn't really need her, after all, Sheila decided.
"Okay, I'm coming!" Sheila shouted to Dr. Reit. She was about to slide from Morning Star's back when she caught sight of Darian doing battle with two of Ankzar's camel-riding soldiers. While one parried the teenager's sword, the other was brandishing his own blade. "Hold on just a second," Sheila called to Dr. Reit.
"I'll try!" the scientist shouted back doubtfully.
Sheila and Morning Star galloped up alongside Darian and the soldiers. As if reading Sheila's mind, Morning Star lowered her head and then shot it up quickly as she reared onto her hind legs, catching one of the soldiers by the belt with her long black horn. The soldier was lifted from his saddle and tossed through the air.
"That evens things up. Thanks!" said Darian with a smile. In the next second he was vanquishing the other soldier.
"Sheila!" Dr. Reit called. "I can't wait any longer. My whole body is numb. Hurry!"
"I'm coming!" But as she began to turn Morning Star toward the scientist, a lasso came whizzing through the air and fell around her shoulders.
"Not so fast!" hissed Mardock from the saddle of a camel. Sheila saw that he had her lavender pack on his back. "You're not leaving until I learn the secret of these magic tools."
"Sheila!" Dr. Reit cried again.
And then he was gone.
Now she had to get the Tracker back from Mardock. It was her only hope of ever returning home. And this might be her only chance to get it.
By now Mardock had ridden up beside her. Holding Morning Star's mane with one hand, Sheila threw the rope off her shoulders. She reached out to grab the pack from Mardock's back and got hold of the strap. Mardock tried to shake her off, but she held tight. Angrily, the wizard grabbed her by the hair and tried to pull her up onto his camel.
Sheila had never been so determined in her whole life. She was going to get that pack! Still clutching the strap, she let her hand climb, inch by inch, up to the opening of the pack. It was coming open in the struggle and Sheila noticed a glint of red plastic sticking out the top. It was the water pistol she'd packed as a sort of joke.
Mardock
would not let go of her hair as the two of them continued to struggle, each locked in the other's fierce grip. Sheila stretched her arm and fingers to their limit, and was able to pull the toy gun from the pack.
With her free hand she aimed and sent a short sharp stream of water directly into Mardock's eye. Mardock let go of Sheila in order to shield his face. Two more quick squirts, and then Sheila used all her strength to yank the pack from Mardock's back—and send him sliding off the side of his camel.
She had the pack! As she quickly slid her arms through the straps, Sheila saw that Ankzar's soldiers were already retreating. Illyria, Darian, and Zanara-Ki were pale and panting but apparently unscathed as they looked around for any last battles to be fought—and found none.
"Mardock is still here!" Sheila shouted.
"Indeed I am!" screamed Mardock and sent a fireball hurtling past Sheila's face.
She turned Morning Star around and came face to face with a hideous two-headed monster with red blistered eyes. Screeching fiercely, it reached its scaly arms toward Sheila, as if to pluck her off Morning Star's back. The unicorn reared to meet the challenge, but the gruesome creature kept coming.
Though Sheila slashed at the monster with her saber, the blade passed unresistingly through the undulating flesh. Sheila felt a cold wave of terror as the creature advanced on her.
“It's just an image created by Mardock!" Illyria called, as she charged toward the wizard, her saber held high. "Ride away and don't look at it." Sheila did as Illyria told her, and when she checked back over her shoulder the monster had disappeared.
Mardock was raising his hands again, as if to send another of his spells Sheila's way, but a strong arm reached down and pulled him onto a camel. It was Ankzar. "You win for the moment, Unicorn Queen," he called, still sounding calm, despite the ugly battle wound that bled down his face. "I can afford to lose a few of my troops—there are many more where these came from—but I want my wizard whole and unhurt."
"We will meet again," Mardock snarled at Sheila. "I still must learn how to use your time-journeyer." And seeing Sheila's triumphant smile, he added, "I still have it, you know. It is no longer in that little bag."
Frantically Sheila slipped off the lavender pack and dug through it. What he said was true. The Tracker wasn't there.
"Then you will return it!" shouted Illyria, charging toward Ankzar and Mardock. Ankzar turned quickly and galloped off with Mardock behind him on the camel.
Zanara-Ki rode up alongside Illyria. "Come, we can outride him!"
But the Unicorn Queen shook her head. "I am sure he doesn't have Sheila's Tracker on his person. It is most likely back at the palace. If we go after it now, we will wind up right back in prison."
Sheila knew Illyria was right. “There'll be plenty of time to get it later," she said bravely. "I bet at home it's not even nine o'clock yet." Then, with a look at Darian, she added, "I don't mind staying awhile longer, anyway.”
"We will make it our business to get your Tracker at another time," Illyria assured her. "Can you wait until we encounter Mardock again?"
Sheila nodded. "I think it's more important to get the unicorns safely home, anyway.”
"Spoken like a true warrior," Illyria said, smiling warmly at her. Then the Unicorn Queen looked around and sighed. "And just how we are going to get these animals home poses an interesting challenge. But we'd better waste no time, Ankzar might be returning with soldiers at any moment."
With a loud, high trill, Illyria sounded the beginning of the drive away from Queelotoo. She led the herd of unicorns at a gallop, wanting to put as much distance as possible between them and Ankzar.
The thunder of hoofbeats was nearly deafening, and Sheila had to tear a strip off her caftan and wrap it around her nose and mouth to keep the flying sand from choking her.
She knew she should be tired, but she was filled with energy. The surge of the animals through the open desert, the pounding in her ears, the knowledge that she had thought and fought well—all combined into a thrilling elation. Sheila was sure that Morning Star was feeling it, too. Never before had the unicorn run so fast or seemed so full of wild power.
They rode without stopping until they reached the cove where Vasim had first brought them. Illyria dismounted and found Nazir, the man with the earring who lived in the shed. Sheila couldn't hear what they were saying, but she saw Nazir shaking his head apologetically.
"Vasim set sail from here an hour ago," Illyria reported shortly. "No one knows when he will return.”
"Ankzar and his men are probably on our trail right now," said Zanara-Ki. "We can't outrun him for long. Not with a whole herd to move.”
Illyria nodded in agreement, her troubled eyes gazing out at the vast sea. "And there is no land route back to Campora," she added.
"There must be a way!" Sheila said urgently. Surely they hadn't come this far only to fall into Ankzar's hands now.
16
Homeward Bound
"Of course there's a way," said Illyria. "We have only to find it.”
"If we ride three days to the west, I know of a shipping port where it is only an hour across. They are sure to have boats there," Zanara-Ki suggested.
Illyria looked worried. "That would increase the chances of Ankzar overtaking us, but I suppose it is our only choice." She jumped back onto Quiet Storm and was about to continue the drive when Darian caught her arm.
"Look," he said, pointing to the sky. Overhead soared twelve giant golden eagles.
"Laric,” said Illyria, stretching one arm skyward longingly. The eagles slowly circled to the ground, and with a soft glowing light they transformed into men. Laric stepped forward, his red cape swinging dashingly over his shoulders.
Illyria dismounted and ran to him. They embraced, and then Laric held Illyria out in front of him. He studied her tenderly, disheveled as she was, her exquisite dress torn and dirty, her face streaked with black eyeliner and swear, her hair wild and tangled around her shoulders. "I can see you've had a time of it, my lady,'' he said gently.
Illyria tossed her head back proudly and laughed. "That is certainly true." Then her face grew soft, and she allowed her exhaustion to show. "And I am overjoyed to see you, my love.
But how did you find us here?"
"When Nanine and Myno informed me of your quest, we set out directly to join you," Laric explained. "The Hickorites told us of this cove, and I sent Nanine back to arrange transport and troops.
''So I see,'' said Illyria with a smile.
Sheila squinted as she followed Illyria's gaze. Out in the open sea she could make out a dot of red, then two dots. One by one the dots increased. By the time the twelfth dot appeared over the horizon, Sheila could see that the first dot was in fact a ship with billowing crimson-colored sails.
Sheila dismounted and waded into the water. Darian came alongside her. Silently they watched the ships come ever closer. Before long they could recognize Nanine at the helm of the first ship.
The next few hours were spent walking the herd of unicorns up the slippery gangplanks onto the ships. The sun was low when Nazir ran down to the water to warn Illyria that Ankzar's soldiers were on their way.
"Shall we stay and fight?" Laric asked Illyria.
The Unicorn Queen shook her head. "There would he nothing gained, and perhaps something lost. We have what we came for."
Laric considered her words a moment. "I agree. If they wish a fight, let them seek us on our own ground."
With that they boarded the ship. "Set sail for home!" Laric shouted, his arm wrapped happily around Illyria's waist.
"Now, tell us of your adventures," Myno urged Sheila as Nanine steered the ship into open waters.
"Illyria says it was your magic that saved the unicorns," Nanine joined in.
"What was Queelotoo like?" Dian asked.
"No more questions until I make sure Sheila is in no need of my care," Pelu said. "I see some fearsome bruises and cuts even from here."
> "I promise to give you all the details," Sheila said with an exhausted smile. "This story will keep me busy for lots of campfires, that's for sure. But right now I'm too tired to tell it.”
"Go, go," Myno said, scooting her along, "before you fall down."
As soon as Pelu had tended her wounds, Sheila wandered over to an empty section near the side of the ship and leaned against it. Morning Star walked quietly to her side. "I guess you really did need me," Sheila said, draping her arm around the unicorn's neck. Morning Star rubbed Sheila's arm with her nose.
"She's not the only one," said Darian, coming up beside them. "I'm glad you're staying."
Sheila smiled at him softly. "Me, too," she said. In a strange way she was glad the choice had been taken from her, at least for the present.
Sheila and Darian stood there, savoring the peaceful sea. The sun was just rising, streaking the yellow-blue sky with red and gold.
"I can never get used to the way the sun comes up in this world," Sheila said. "I've never seen anything more beautiful.''
As Darian nodded and took her hand, entwining his fingers with hers, Sheila gazed dreamily up at the sky. She squeezed his hand, took a deep breath of the clean morning air—and couldn't help but wonder what this new day would bring in the strange land of the Unicorn Queen.