by Phil Stern
“Now that we’ve poked this other coven in the eye, Eleanor thinks they’re scrambling to protect something on Earth.” Tiffany shrugged. “Somehow, I’m supposed to get this witch to tell us what it is, and then get it first.”
“Yeah, well good luck with that.” Even among the Coven, Emily’s exotic features were particularly striking. “Has this witch told us where her coven’s home dimension is?”
“She’s given us something, but the hummingbirds have never heard of it.”
“Well, that witch better start putting out, and soon.” Laci took a long sip of wine. “Has she even explained why she’s undermining her own coven?”
“I really don’t know much.” Touching a menu selection, Tiffany watched a scrumptious entree form before her very eyes. “In fact, Eleanor was pretty vague. I think she wants a fresh take on this whole thing.”
“Rasten, huh?” Emily giggled. “Well, say hi to the kitties for me.”
“Oh, those fucking cats. And the trolls!” Rolling her eyes, Marissa then beamed at Tiffany. “But if you can get me out of this assignment, I’ll go with you! What do you say?”
“Sorry girls, you’re all stuck in this horrible, horrible place. No one is being released from Vail.” She saluted them with her wine glass. “I do get a few traveling partners, though. And my own Coven Stick.”
Laci frowned. “Coven Stick?”
Tiffany smiled. “I’ll let Marissa explain.”
CHAPTER FOUR
FOLLOWING A WONDERFUL night’s sleep in Vail, Tiffany used Eleanor’s private portal (she’d been right about that) to enter the Boundary. An indeterminate time later the hummingbirds led her to Haven, where she quickly crossed into a misty, light forest.
Before even getting her bearings within the Coven’s home dimension, Tiffany was roughly knocked down from behind, followed by the fleeting impression of eager hooves galloping by. Sprawled face first on the forest floor, she looked up to see the same baby unicorn she’d first met within the Boundary itself standing twenty feet ahead, staring back down at her in puzzlement.
Sitting up, Tiffany brushed pine needles from her face. “You are a real clod,” she announced, slowly standing up. “Even by the grossly forgiving standards of baby male unicorns. Do you know that?”
Stamping his foot in frustration, the unicorn bugled at her, then jerked his head out at the forest.
“Exploring Haven is for your mother to decide.” Gently stretching her neck from side to side, Tiffany deliberately sent a surge of green energy into the surrounding area, so her sisters would know she was friendly. “After she grounds you, or takes away your computer, or whatever unicorn parents do to juvenile delinquents.”
At that, the colt looked positively crushed, hanging his head and squeezing his eyes shut. Letting out a tiny whimper, he began wandering away.
“Hey! I was just joking around.” Quickly crossing over to him, Tiffany gave the colt a big hug around the neck. “You are the cutest unicorn I’ve ever seen! And I’ve seen a lot of them, trust me.”
Peeking back at her, the baby unicorn eagerly nodded out at the Haven landscape once more. Sighing, the tall brunette stood up again, considering. “Well, I’m not sure…”
With a mighty bugle, mother unicorn now came charging through the Boundary portal, instantly careening to a halt. Eyes flashing at her precocious youngster, she pawed the ground in fury.
Tiffany wasn’t sure where unicorns were born, or if they had a home dimension of their own. They were the dominant animals within the Boundary itself (scattering and protecting the Coven from the wolf packs), and on occasion would even accompany a sorceress into an openly magical world. And while no one had ever actually seen one open a Boundary portal, unicorns often popped up in odd places.
Lately the Coven had taken to bringing them into Haven itself, letting the majestic equines graze the wide, open prairies. Clearly, the colt had tired of watching the rest of his herd frolic about in the outer worlds, while he was left behind in the Boundary.
“It’s okay.” Holding up her hands, Tiffany sighed. “He can spend a little time here, with me.”
Mother unicorn hesitated, giving her a quizzical look. The colt let out a happy trumpet, playfully tugging at Tiffany’s jeans.
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble.” Nearly pulled off-balance, the sorceress gently guided his head away. “He’ll be back here in four hours, safe and sound.”
Briefly considering, mother unicorn gave a decisive nod. Turning about, she then cantered back through the fast fading portal.
“Ow!” Tiffany jerked back her hand, which the colt had excitedly nipped. “All right, you. Manners count for something here.”
A Coven-mate now emerged from a nearby stand of trees, sword in hand. Two teenage candidate witches trailed behind, smiling at the sight of the colt.
“Took you guys long enough,” Tiffany gently chided, motioning the baby unicorn to proceed her through the forest.
*****
Ten minutes later Tiffany was atop a large paint-colored horse, charging across the most beautiful countryside in the universe.
The Coven Council had magically closed off the portals close to Haven Village, forcing everyone to travel over the stupendous Haven plains when leaving or entering the home dimension. This, of course, would make it easier for the Coven to strike any invading force in open ground, before they could reach the village itself.
And while some girls were still complaining about the extra distance, Tiffany reveled in the new arrangement. An expert horsewoman, she loved the chance to ride the Coven’s powerful animals, her dark hair trailing behind as the stallion consumed vast distances beneath its massive hooves.
The experience was never anything short of absolutely exquisite. Verdant fields were interspersed with glistening lakes and wondrous patches of tall woods. Twisting in and around gently rolling hills, one stunning vista after another was available at almost every turn.
Still, Haven was relatively contained. The entire dimension consisted only of this broad valley between surrounding mountains, leading down to an endless ocean at the base of the gently sloping terrain. Thus, it was certainly a cozy, idyllic place for a Coven of magical women. Having lived in Haven, off and on, for nearly two decades, Tiffany now considered it far more of a “home” than Dytha had ever been.
As part of the Coven’s initial mobilization, two battle hawks paced her in the air, keeping a wary eye out for any surprises. Tiffany liked their company, especially when one would swoop down and flash right by her charging mount, gracefully looping back up into a high cover position.
The baby unicorn tried hard to keep up, but was soon worn out. Tiffany was forced to pull up a few times to let him catch his breath.
“How you doing there, sport?” Tiffany asked at one point, frowning down at the colt. Standing by a bubbling stream, he’d just taken a deep drink of water.
Looking up, the young equine let out a tired bugle. Visibly shaking off his fatigue, however, he then charged on ahead, quickly disappearing over the near rise. Smiling, Tiffany easily overtook him, leading the colt down to Haven Village itself.
At first, one might mistake the small town for an early New England settlement, with neatly rowed streets and a village square in the middle. There was even a church-like, larger building off the central area, where the entire Coven could gather together. A few horses pulled light carts along grassy streets, completing the impression of a low-tech, isolated society.
But upon entering the village itself, a quite different story unfolded. Though quite comfy and intimate, the various houses and other structures reflected every conceivable architectural style found throughout the universe. There was also technology in abundance, the Haven library in particular providing electronic access to the entire universe. Coffee shops and outdoor cafes were on every corner, along with pleasant shops and wonderful bookstores.
The grass streets were crowded with girls and their mothers, who sta
yed in Haven until their daughters reached their eighteenth birthday. Since these older, non-magical women were almost always rescued themselves from abusive relationships, they took the opportunity to relax and heal within the Coven’s loving embrace. Most took simple jobs around town as they supported their own progeny in their magical education. When a young candidate witch reached her majority, these women were then returned to their home worlds with their memories magically erased. They would still recall recovering in a pleasant, soothing environment, but have no recollection of magic or dimension traveling.
Unfortunately, her temporary companion caused quite a sensation. Tiffany was forced to stop and wait a dozen times while young girls and candidate witches petted the baby unicorn. Even a few of her Coven-mates gave the equine a quick hug, the colt happily bugling at everyone.
Eventually Tiffany reached the house she shared with two other girls. Oscillating through various tones of green and blue, the squarish, ultra-modern home actually seemed to glow with absorbed sunlight. The house had originally been built by a deceased Coven member who’d also originally come from Dytha. As was their tradition, the elderly woman had gifted the structure to Tiffany as the time of her own passing drew near.
Quickly striding up onto the porch, Tiffany pushed open the front door and entered. Unsurprisingly, her two house-mates weren’t in residence, either on duty in some other dimension or elsewhere in Haven.
Of great surprise, however, was the colt blithely clomping in after her. Apparently no one had ever explained to him that buildings weren’t for baby unicorns.
“Uh, listen,” she began, spinning around and deliberately blocking his path. “I think you need to wait outside on the porch. Or better yet, the yard.”
Fixing his deep blue eyes on her, the colt merely blinked, then quizzically looked past Tiffany at the rest of the house.
“No, we’ve done enough exploring for one day. Really, you’ll be more comfortable outside.”
The colt whimpered, his eyes now downcast.
“None of that, you.” Exasperated, Tiffany ran a hand back through her hair. “And you might want to rest up. We’ll soon have to run back the whole way we just came.”
Apparently, the baby unicorn considered this wise counsel. Pushing past Tiffany, he promptly climbed up on a huge, purple couch, settling down with a contented sigh.
“No!” Helplessly, she took a step forward. “That’s not what I meant!”
Pointedly turning his head aside, the equine’s horn accidently raked along the back of another chair. White stuffing promptly shot out all over the floor.
Instinctively, Tiffany brought a hand up to her earth stone. Yet unicorns were generally impervious to magic, and in any event, the sorceress knew she didn’t have it in her to force him outside. Instead, she merely let out a deep sigh, patted him on the flank, then turned and went up to her room, taking the stairs two at a time.
Her bedroom looked much like that of any other twenty-something, with a four-posted bed, dresser, and desk. There were lots of clothes, pictures, and colorful decorations spread about. Immediately going over to the closet, Tiffany began rummaging around in the bottom for a book of spells. It had to be here somewhere…
“Is that the boyfriend?”
Jumping up and twirling about, Tiffany was astounded to find Keri, the young strawberry blonde who’d fought with her in Tethra, standing in the doorway. A framed photograph of Tiffany and Blake flew from the top of the dresser into Keri’s outstretched hand, where she inspected it in mild distaste. “He’s…okay, I guess.”
“Do you mind?” Holding out her own hand, Tiffany magically snatched the picture back, walking over to place it back in its former position. “And what the hell are you doing here? Have you ever heard of knocking?”
“Give me a break, will you?” Holding up her hands, Keri took a step back. “I’m just a messenger. Barbara heard you were here and sent me to get you.”
Since Barbara was the keeper of their small stock of Coven Sticks, she needed to see the Deputy Coven Leader anyway. “Fine. Give me a few menlars.”
Not taking the hint, Keri now fully entered the room. “Kind of cool. I like your bedspread.”
“That’s super.” Smiling tightly, Tiffany pointedly looked at the door. “Why don’t you go tell Barbara that I’ll…”
“By the way, did you know that there’s a baby unicorn downstairs?”
“Believe it or not, that hadn’t escaped my notice.”
“Really sucks for your kitchen, though.” Nonchalantly taking out a lollipop, Keri shrugged. “I bet those cabinets were nice before he got at them.”
“The cabinets?” Frowning, Tiffany listened intently. From below could be heard the sound of cracking wood. “Oh, no!” Shoving past her, Tiffany raced downstairs again.
Sure enough, the colt had artfully used his horn to skewer each cabinet door, ripping it from the hinges entirely. Apparently hungry, he’d found a bag of corn within a lower cabinet. Now happily munching on the corn in the middle of the kitchen floor, he looked blankly at Tiffany as she came charging in.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, jerking the bag away from the colt’s mouth. “By the stone, you’ve wrecked the place!”
“He is cute, though.” Still with her lollipop, Keri had followed her down, now leaning against the door jam leading back to the living room. “Have you named him yet?”
“No!” Slamming down the ripped and leaking bag of corn, Tiffany glared at her Coven-mate. “And I don’t intend to!” Stalking past her, she raced back up to her room. Fearfully watching Tiffany depart, the unicorn then tentatively whinnied at Keri, who studied him a long moment.
“I think we’ll call you Tornado,” the strawberry blonde announced, wincing as Tiffany angrily banged a door closed upstairs. “Somehow, it seems to fit.”
*****
Utilizing her long, powerful gait, Tiffany made her way down one of Haven’s main streets, Keri almost struggling to keep up. Trailing even farther behind was the baby unicorn, happily drinking in everything going on around them.
Without breaking stride, Tiffany turned to one side and raced up a short flight of wooden stairs, ducking into her favorite bakery. Soon emerging with a bag of croissants and a cup of coffee, she found her companions patiently waiting at the bottom of the stairway. Both Keri’s and the colt’s eyes went wide at the sight of the white bag.
“Whatcha got?” Stepping before her, Keri pointedly looked at the bakery bag. Tornado also delicately sniffed at Tiffany’s haul, eyes bright with wonder.
“Croissants.” Forced to stop in her tracks, Tiffany thoughtfully eyed her Coven-mate. A moment went by, Keri obviously waiting.
Rolling her eyes, Tiffany finally extended the bag. “Would you like one?” she formally asked.
“Sure!” Beaming, Keri reached in and took not one, but two of the buttery rolls. Without missing a beat, she passed one over to the unicorn colt. “Tornado wanted one too,” she explained.
“Did he?” Bleakly, Tiffany watched the unicorn munching on her croissant. “I take it Tornado is now his name?”
“I guess.” Taking a nibble on her roll, Keri frowned at the older sorceress. “Why don’t you like me?”
About to step around her and continue toward Barbara’s house, Tiffany rocked to a halt. “What did you say?”
“You heard me.” Losing some of her swagger, Keri placed a hand on Tornado’s flank. “I’ve always looked up to you, Tiffany. You get things done. When everyone else was running around two years ago clucking and crying, you went out, found Gensrow, and threw him off a castle roof.”
Embarrassed, Tiffany looked out at the street. She tried not to notice, but her grand victory had indeed bestowed a slight celebrity status within Haven Village. Even now two Coven-mates, in their jeans, boots, and white shirts, made a point of catching her eye and nodding. Two candidate girls also tentatively smiled, then quickly moved on. At the very least, everyone did seem to be especially awa
re of her presence.
“And you watch your sister’s backs, everyone knows that,” Keri continued. “When you and Zandra were attacked in Meda, you protected her and made sure she got back to Haven. But April was killed with Marissa, even though it was two on one…”
“That’s enough!” Tiffany snapped. “You weren’t there. Marissa did her best!”
“I’m just saying, Tiff.” Brought up short, Keri shrugged. “I really respect you, that’s all.”
Struck by Keri’s suddenly anxious manner, the tall brunette rubbed her forehead. There was a long way to go before this current crisis was resolved, and snarling at her younger Coven-mates wouldn’t help.
“And I thought we did really well together in Tethra,” Keri softly continued. “Even if you didn’t want me to go into town with you.”
“Come here, Keri.” Tiffany motioned at one of the cute wooden tables on the edge of the grassy lane. “Let’s sit down a moment.”
It was a typical Haven day, the bright sun pleasantly softened by wonderfully fluffy clouds. Long plank porches stretched before the attached storefronts, with neat wooden railings and posts. Tasteful notices were tacked about, announcing poetry readings and plays, birthday parties and orientation sessions for the various worlds the Coven regularly visited. The rich green grass and sparkling hay spread about the road edges never dulled or wore away, while the tall sunflowers scattered about always seemed bright and cheerful.
Keri sat, glancing at the unicorn. “Can you please tell Tornado you’re not angry at him? He’s not sure about that.”
Indeed, the colt was slowly munching the last of his croissant, deep blue eyes worriedly fixed on Tiffany.
“It’s okay. I’m not mad.” Giving him a quick hug and another roll, Tiffany pushed Tornado out into the street. “Go play for a bit. Just don’t go too far.”
As the unicorn ambled off, Tiffany sat down opposite the other sorceress, studying Keri as she gathered her own thoughts.