The Secret Of The Unicorn Queen - Swept Away

by Josephena Sherman

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Excuse me. I have to go take care of my unicorn.”

  “Dian!”

  “All right! I don’t like you. You don’t like me. Let’s just leave it like that.”

  Sheila sighed. As Dian stomped away, Sheila thought, Spoiled brat! Before I came, you were the youngest. Everyone babied you. But now I’m here, and you’re so-o-o jealous!

  Well, that was just too bad. From now on, Sheila decided, she would simply ignore the girl, and that was that.

  But it wasn’t so simple. The next day, while Sheila was running with Myno, a loose rock rolled into her path, sending her sprawling.

  “An accident,” Myno told her, but Sheila, rubbing a scraped knee, wondered.

  The day after that Sheila and the others were tying the tents onto one of the pack horses when the rope she was pulling suddenly snapped in two; all the carefully packed bundles came tumbling down on top of her.

  “An accident,” Pelu assured her, but Sheila realized that the women were watching her uneasily.

  Great. Now they’re wondering if I’m a jinx!

  There didn’t seem to be much she could do about it.

  * * *

  The next day Sheila was with Morning Star, trying to groom the playfully fidgeting mare, when a furious Illyria came storming up to her.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Sheila blinked. “Grooming Morning Star. Why-“

  “Here you’ve been after me to give you something important to do. Fine I told you to go out with Kara and Nanine on a scouting mission this morning. But they couldn’t find you! What are you doing here?”

  “But-you never-nobody told me-“

  “Don’t try to lie to me! I sent Dian to tell you-“

  “Dian!”

  “Yes! I sent her on the mission instead of you!”

  “But, Illyria, you don’t understand. Dian never said-“

  “Are you trying to put the blame on her?”

  Sheila sighed. “No,” What good would arguing do? It was just her word against Dian’s, after all.

  Oh, Dian, Sheila thought, somehow I’m going to get you for this!

  But how?

  * * *

  She found out that afternoon, when it dawned on her that everyone in the camp was surreptitiously watching her. Did they know Dian was to blame for what had been happening? Were they testing Sheila to see how she would react?

  And just where was Dian? Suddenly suspicious, Sheila decided to find out. She wouldn’t have gone very far from the camp, not by herself with night coming on.

  Wait a minute. What was that flicker of motion, there in the shadows? Sheila pretended not to notice, but she knew . . . that was Dian, all right, holding what looked like a saddle girth.

  Sheila straightened. I’ll say it is! It’s Morning Star’s girth! I’d know that weave anywhere! I’ll bet Dian’s up to no good!

  Carefully Sheila stalked forward as she had been taught, moving silently as a cat, till she was right behind the other girl.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked coldly, and was delighted to hear Dian actually scream with shock.

  “Oh . . . I .. . found this lying around, and-“

  “And you were picking it up with your knife? Oh, come on! What were you really doing? Cutting the girth just enough so it would snap? So I’d go tumbling off Morning Star and make a fool of myself?”

  “No!” Dian drew herself up haughtily. “Besides, there’s no mark on the girth. You can’t prove a thing.”

  Sudden inspiration made Sheila laugh. “Oh, I don’t have to,” she said, trying to make her voice sound cold and mysterious. “The spirits will do that for me.”

  “I—I don’t believe you.”

  “Have you forgotten I’m a sorceress?”

  “You don’t have any magic, not any powerful magic!”

  “Don’t I? Apologize now, Dian-“

  “I won’t!”

  “Then the spirit voices will get you—tonight!”

  She shouted the last word. Dian gasped, and fled.

  * * *

  The night was still and calm. The only sounds to be heard were the faint chirpings of insects. The camp slept. And then ...

  “Dian. Waken, Dian.”

  The voices were shrill and ghostly.

  “Dian. We call to you. Waken.”

  The girl sat up with a gasp. “Who . . . who are you? Where are you?”

  “We were summoned,” whispered the voices. “You know by whom. We were summoned from the Other World. We are here for you, Dian.”

  “N-no. Go away.”

  “We are coming to get you. We are all around you.”

  “No! Don’t-“

  “We are coming closer . . closer . . . We are HERE!”

  At that, Dian screamed in sheer terror. The others jumped wildly to their feet. Swords flashed. And amid all the confusion, Sheila stood up calmly and switched off her cassette player. The “ghostly” voices she had recorded stopped immediately. She smiled sweetly at Dian.

  “I did warn you,” Sheila said calmly.

  There was a moment of startled silence. And then all the camp burst into laughter.

  “Well done, Sheila!” called Pelu. “Oh, well done!”

  “Clever, indeed,” said Illyria. “But I think we’ve had enough of feuding between you two. Sheila. Dian. Come here, shake hands and have an end to it.”

  Triumphant, Sheila held out her hand. Dian hesitated then turned and rushed off into the night.

  Illyria sighed. “She’ll be back. All right, everyone. The excitement is over for the night. Go back to bed.”

  But Sheila couldn’t sleep. The memory of Dian’s hot hating eyes remained in her mind. And she couldn’t help but wonder, had she just made a very bad enemy?

  9

  The Rescue

  As the days passed, Dian made a point of avoiding Sheila, turning away whenever she saw her, pretending to be very busy whenever Sheila happened to come near,

  Well, that’s just fine with me, thought Sheila.

  Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if this truce meant that Dian was plotting some sort of weird revenge.

  Never mind, Sheila decided. I’m not going to worry about it!

  After all, things were getting far too interesting for her to waste time thinking about a silly spoiled brat. Now that the warrior-women had finally accepted Sheila as one of their group—though they were still wary of her magic—she was learning a lot of fascinating stuff. Pelu was teaching her the names of the proper herbs to heal a sword cut or a sprained ankle. Myno was showing her all sorts of tricks: like how to toss a dagger into the air and catch it neatly by the hilt. And even haughty Nanine was un­bending enough to tell Sheila some of the exotic tales of gods and heroes from her homeland far to the south.

  The land had gotten more interesting, too. They had finally left the last of the grassy plains behind and were climbing through a maze of thickly wooded hills and meadows so lush with grass that those unicorns who weren’t being ridden frolicked, tails in the air, like a bunch of colts, trying to decide what to eat first, Sheila giggled.

  “They look so silly!”

  Illyria smiled. “They certainly do.” She glanced at Sheila, who was sitting easily on Morning Star’s back, one leg hooked comfortably over the pommel of the saddle as though she was riding sidesaddle. “Be careful. Don’t forget she’s a living animal, not some overstuffed chair.”

  Sheila patted the unicorn’s silky neck. “Oh, she wouldn’t even think of bucking me off. Would you, girl?”

  Morning Star flicked an ear back to listen to her, and snorted as though in agreement.

  “You miss the point, Sheila. This is the sort of terrain snakes and bears love, but that unicorns, like horses, don’t like,”

  “Smart unicorns!” said Sheila, patting Morning Star again. She didn’t notice Dian watching her. If she had she might have seen the girl’s eyes brighten at th
e mention of snakes. But Sheila had no warning at all for what was to come next,

  They were climbing a steep, rocky stretch, a tangled forest of bushes on their tight, the land falling away on their left, down to a wooded ravine through which a wild river roared its way.

  It was Pelu’s turn to act as advance scout. “Come on,” she called down. “We’re almost at the top. And things level out nicely up here.”

  “Fine,” said Illyria. “We’ll be able to give the unicorns a chance to catch their breath.”

  It got a little confusing, as those who reached the plateau first hurriedly dismounted, trying to leave enough room for the rest of the troop. Sheila, nearly last because she had let Morning Star stop for a quick bit of a tasty shrub, was still sitting the unicorn when she saw Dian spring to the around ahead of her and snatch something out of a bush. A snake, Sheila realized in horror.

  And Dian flung it right in front of Morning Star! With a squeal of terror, the unicorn shied away in one violent leap. Sheila lost her balance completely and went flying!

  The cliff! I’ll fall all the way to the river—I’ll die!

  But strong arms caught her just in time, pulling her away from danger.

  The arms belonged to Darian. “Are—are you all right?” he stammered. nodded, too dazed to do more than look up at Darian, whose eyes were warm with concern, and realized that it wasn’t at all unpleasant to be held by such a handsome boy.

  Then her senses returned, and Sheila scrambled to her feet. “You—you saved me. I don’t know how to thank you.

  He reddened. “I didn’t do it for a reward.”

  “I know, but . . . ah! Here. I want you to have this.”

  Quickly she unfastened her watch and handed it over to him.

  Darian’s eyes lit up. “I will cherish this magic gift forever!”

  “Oh, Darian, it isn’t magic, really it’s-“

  But by now they were the center of the whole worried troop of warriors, all of them asking at the same time: “Are you hurt?” “Is everything all right?” “Did you break anything?”

  “I’m fine, really,” Sheila began, “thanks to Darian. I-“ But then she saw a white-faced Dian standing to one side and shouted at her, “You! What sort of a stupid-“

  “I-I didn’t mean any harm!” the girl stammered. “I only-“

  “Didn’t mean any harm!” echoed Illyria grimly. “You could have killed her! If she had fallen just a little farther to the left, or if Darian had been just a Little slower to react ...”

  Dian’s eyes widened in honor. “I never thought . . . I only wanted Her voice rose hysterically. “Don’t you see? It’s all her fault! Everything was fine until she joined us! You think she’s so sweet, so innocent—ha! She’s bewitched you all with her magic! Well, I’m going to put a stop to it, right now!”

  Sheila’s backpack had slipped off in her fall. Dian snatched it up and went racing madly down the steep, wooded slope toward the rushing water.

  She’s going to throw my pack into the river! thought Sheila.

  She hurried after Dian, scrambling down the steep embankment. Slipping and sliding down the crumbling earth, getting scratched and snagging her clothes on thorns and branches, stubbing her toes on rocks. Once she tripped over a root and nearly tumbled all the way down.

  “Dian! Don’t!”

  The roar of the river drowned her out. Dian was all set to hurl the backpack into it, so Sheila lunged at her, grabbing for the pack. The two girls struggled fiercely there on the river’s edge. Sheila tore her pack out of Dian’s hands. But the other girl, kicking and hitting, wasn’t giving up. Part of the bank crumbled under her feet and splashed into the river during the fight, and Sheila gasped.

  “Dian, stop it! There isn’t room-“

  “Sorceress! I don’t care!”

  She swung wildly at Sheila—and the earth gave way completely! With a scream of terror, Dian plunged into the raging river!

  “Dian!” Sheila threw herself down on the bank, reaching out as far as she could over the water. “Give me your hand!”

  “I can’t! The—the current’s too strong!”

  Struggling desperately, Dian was swept downstream, white water breaking over her head again and again.

  She’s going to drown! Sheila looked frantically up the embankment, but the others were just beginning to make their way down to her. They would never get down in time! I’ve got to save her! But how? If I go in there, I’ll drown, too!

  She wouldn’t panic. She refused to panic. Heart pounding painfully, Sheila stared downstream. That tree—it hung way out over the river. If only it was sturdy enough!

  There wasn’t time to worry about it. Sheila raced to the tree and shinnied out onto a branch. Ugh, it was slimy, and slippery from waves hitting it. Sheila gasped as the cold water struck her, too, and held on with all her strength. She would have only one shot at this. Here came Dian . . . a little farther…

  Now!

  Clinging to the branch with one arm and both legs, Sheila grabbed wildly for the girl. Her hand snagged something—Dian’s tunic! In the next moment Dian’s hand had closed about her wrist, and Sheila began to carefully work her way back down the slippery branch. It was creaking—it was going to break!

  Not yet! she pleaded with it. Oh, please, not yet!

  But suddenly arms were reaching for her, drawing Sheila and Dian to safety.

  “It’s all right,” said Illyria quietly. “It’s over.

  Dian, gasping for breath, stared at Sheila. “You saved my life.”

  “I guess I did.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re kidding, right? I wasn’t going to let you die over a—a backpack! Which reminds me . .

  She scrambled back along the bank to where the pack had fallen and gladly slipped it into place once more, then rejoined the others. Dian was still staring.

  “Thank you,” she said grudgingly.

  “Gee, I’m thrilled by your enthusiasm.”

  “I said thank you. What more do you want?”

  Sheila sighed. “I was kind of thinking of friendship. But forget it. I’ll just settle for a truce.”

  “Good enough,” said Illyria. “Come, let’s get you into some dry clothes.”

  But as they climbed wearily back up, a shadow crossed Sheila’s face, She craned her head back and gave a little cry of surprise.

  “The eagles! The giant eagles! They’re back!”

  Illyria nodded curtly. “They’ve been following us ever since—ever since we started this mission. They almost seem to be trying to protect us. And who are we to argue with them?”

  She smiled. But for a bewildering instant Sheila saw sorrow, sheer heartbreaking sorrow, on the woman’s face.

  And she wondered.

  10

  Illyria's Story

  They traveled on through the rugged region all that day, till Sheila was sick and tired of hills. Every time Morning Star came to the crest of one, Sheila sat as tall as she could in the saddle, hoping to see something new. But each time all she saw was yet another ridge before her.

  “But there is something different now,” she said to Pelu, who was riding beside her, “something about the air.” The girl took a deep breath, then nodded. “Salt. And fish. Ocean, that’s it. I could swear I’m smelling the ocean.”

  “You are.” Myno’s voice was grim. “Campora’s harbor lies on the coast just beyond the last of these hills. We haven’t too much farther to go.”

  Campora. Suddenly Sheila felt a chill run up her spine. Up to this moment she had almost completely forgotten the real reason for their journey, caught up as she was in learning the skills of warrior-women. But this wasn’t any simple little cross-country pleasure trip!

  Campora. The girl thought of the tyrant of that city, the Emperor Dynasian, and winced. Judging from the stories she had heard from Myno and the others, he sounded very much like someone she never wanted to meet. And what about Mardock, his sorcerer?

  Shei
la shivered again. Magic was real here. It worked.

  Oh, everyone might think she had powers of her own, but it was air just a game! If it came down to a fight between her and Mardock . . . how could she, with only things like a—a harmless flashlight to help her, ever hope to defend herself against an honest-to-goodness evil sorcerer?

  Maybe it won’t come to that, she told herself. Maybe we’ll be able to find out where the captive unicorns are held and free them without having to fight anyone.

  Sure. And maybe Superman would fly down out of the sky to help them.

  Morning Star was sidling nervously under her, and Sheila forgot her own fears and concentrated only on calming the mare. Now that she noticed it, all the unicorns were uneasy, snorting and prancing, for as long as the wind brew from the sea—and Campora.

  “They sense evil,” murmured Pelu softly. “They do, indeed.”

  Knowing their goal was so near, Illyria pushed her troop on without pause all the rest of that day, her eyes cold, her face grim. As the sun began to slip behind the ridges to the west and twilight came on, she still showed no sign of wanting to stop. Sheila brought Morning Star up along­side Quiet Storm, who was as uneasy as the rest of the unicorns, and cleared her throat cautiously.

  Illyria didn’t respond.

  “Uh . . . Illyria? If we don’t stop soon, it’s going to be too dark to see where we’re going. We’ll get stuck halfway down this hill, without any place to camp.”

  “We’ll camp.” The woman’s voice sounded distant, “There’s a little valley, right down there,”

  There was. But by the time the troop reached it, it was too dark to do anything more than unsaddle the unicorns and settle down for the night as they were. Sheila thought back on all that had happened that day, from the adventure at the river’s edge, to all the riding they had done, and sighed wearily. Her eyes closed. Before she knew what was happening, she was asleep.