by E. G. Foley
Dani stood motionless, afraid of being skewered if the unicorn king should find her unworthy. He arched his regal neck and lowered his muzzle to her cheek, where he sniffed her for a moment.
Dani held perfectly still, staring at the glistening horn that angled over her head, delighting in the velvety caress of the horse’s nose snuffling at her cheek.
Then Belarex pawed the ground with his fore-hoof.
Isabelle smiled. “He likes you. You may pet him now if you wish.”
“I can?”
“Probably just for a moment. He doesn’t stay still for very long.”
Dani reached up her hand tentatively and touched the massive animal’s neck.
Though he was flecked with mud from running through the woods and even had a couple of burrs in his wild mane, his hide was like satin under her palm. She stroked the unicorn in utter amazement.
But the magic of this noblest of animals ran deep. His presence cast an enchantment quite the opposite of the dark and violent spell that had caused the blacksmith to attack.
The quiet, shining presence of a unicorn had the power to soothe the hurt and melt the anger in a person’s heart. Indeed, Dani thought, if Belarex had stepped out onto a raging battlefield, both armies would have surely put down their weapons and decided to make peace on the spot.
The noble creature’s nearness flooded her heart with so many emotions. She could not explain why tears rose in her eyes. She leaned her head against the unicorn’s shoulder with a fleeting thought of Ma. Not since her mother had died had she felt so loved.
Pure, gentle love seemed to flow out of all the unicorns. Perhaps that was what made them so powerful.
As she leaned her head against the unicorn’s shoulder, she remembered Jake’s mean words. She remembered, too, that he had never had a family or a home. No one had ever taught him how to love. Perhaps it was just the unicorns’ soothing presence influencing her, but she was suddenly inspired to forgive the blockhead, even if he didn’t apologize.
Knowing Jake, he probably was sorry, but was just too full of stubborn pride to admit it. Standing so near the unicorn, Dani saw no reason to hold on to petty grudges.
Just let it go, the unicorn seemed to say as he turned and gave her another snuffling ‘kiss’ on the top of her head, as if she were one of his foals.
Then Belarex moved on, returning to his herd.
Dani stepped back out of his way, and Isabelle came over to stand beside her. The girls were silent, watching in awe as the unicorns faded back into the forest.
At length, they looked at each other in wonder.
Isabelle smiled. “What do you think?”
“They’re the most wonderful secret in all the world,” Dani said earnestly. “Thank you, Isabelle—from the bottom of my heart.”
“You’re welcome, Dani. Come on.” Isabelle took her by the hand and affectionately tugged her away from the spot. “We should be getting back now.”
“Do we have to? I want to stay here. Maybe they’ll come back!”
“Tomorrow. Come on. It’s almost time for dinner, and Great Aunt Ramona does not approve of tardiness.”
“All right.” Dani felt like she was floating on air as the girls returned to the mansion.
When they arrived, Isabelle went to her room to wash up for supper, but with the unicorns’ influence of kindness still strong in her heart, Dani decided to go and bring Jake something to drink as a peace offering.
She went to the kitchens and asked for a glass of lemonade. One of the kitchen maids obliged her.
But when Dani brought the cup outside, she stopped at the bottom of the garden. Uh-oh.
Jake was nowhere to be seen.
Shirking his punishment, she thought. I hope Derek doesn’t find out. But she knew only one thing for certain.
There was no way she was telling on him this time.
If he wanted to skip out on his ‘consequences,’ that was Jake’s own business. She was keeping her mouth shut.
This was between him and Derek. Then Jake would see she was not a “traitor” or a “tattletale.”
She went over and set the glass of lemonade on the old tree stump nearby, where he could easily find it when he came back from wherever he’d gone. He was probably just taking a break somewhere, and no doubt, she would see him at supper.
Determined to stay out of it and prove she’d learned her lesson, she went back into the house to wash up for the evening meal.
But Jake did not appear at the supper table, and neither did Archie. The young inventor had also been sent to his room. Both boys were being punished for breaking the rules and instigating their visit to Gryphondale today.
In truth, the dining room seemed rather lifeless without their boisterous company. The mood at the table was somber and everyone was quiet.
Lady Bradford sat at the head of the table sipping her soup from her spoon, all formidable dignity. Derek sat to her right, Miss Helena on her left; next, Dani and Isabelle sat across from each other.
The girls exchanged a secretive look of amusement when they both noticed Derek and Helena gazing at each other.
Lady Bradford put down her spoon. “Shall we expect your brother on the morning train, Helena?”
“I believe so, my lady. Henry wanted to wait until the morning editions of the newspapers were available so he could bring some copies back for us. The story about Master Jacob’s safe return should run tomorrow.”
“Very good. Guardian Stone—” She turned to Derek. “What did you manage to learn in the village? Were you permitted to interview this deranged blacksmith?”
“Yes, ma’am. The constable is keeping Magnus under lock and key, but I’m afraid it didn’t go well. He was very disoriented after that blow to the head. I will have to go back tomorrow.”
“What are they saying about all this down in the village?” Miss Helena asked in concern.
Derek looked at her ruefully. “Oh, the rumors are already flying. But most people seem to think that he merely went insane. They’ve sent for a mad-doctor from the lunatic asylum to examine him.”
“We can’t let poor Mr. Magnus be locked up in an asylum,” Isabelle spoke up. “He was under a spell. It’s not his fault.”
“Don’t worry, dearest. We won’t let that happen,” Lady Bradford assured her with a doting look.
It really was remarkable, thought Dani, how different the stern old lady was toward Isabelle than she was toward anyone else. If Isabelle were a bad sort of girl, she could have gotten away with murder or at least have been very spoiled. But then, she would not have been worthy to serve as the keeper of the unicorns, Dani mused just as Derek spoke up again.
“Were you ladies able to interview the rest of the, er, servants down at Griffon Castle?” he asked the baroness and Miss Helena.
Dani glanced over curiously, eager to hear what the former frog-people might have had to say. “Did they even remember how to talk?” she piped up.
“It took a while, but they finally stopped saying ‘ribbit’ and started speaking English,” Miss Helena answered her with a fond smile.
“Did they tell you how on earth they wound up in that condition?” Derek asked.
Helena glanced around as though uncertain how much she should say. Lady Bradford gave her a nod signaling her permission to share what they had learned.
“Actually, the butler shared a rather disturbing piece of information. Most of their time as frogs was a blur—”
“Probably a blessing,” Her Ladyship remarked.
“The last thing the butler said he remembered before he turned into a frog was a beautiful lady with black hair and bright blue eyes. She came and knocked on the door a few days after Sir George Hobbes had gone to the gallows. She told some sort of story about her carriage breaking down on the road nearby, so he let her in. Then she began to sing.”
“Sing?” Derek exclaimed.
Helena nodded. “The butler described a strange song like nothing he had ever hea
rd. He said the whole staff gathered round, and everything came to a halt. The next thing he knew, he was an amphibian.”
Isabelle winced, but Dani looked at Derek. She had been there herself the night of the ‘singing’ at Newgate Prison, although to her and Jake, it had sounded like a maelstrom of thunder and fingernails on a blackboard.
It had sounded evil.
“This isn’t good,” Derek responded at last.
“No.” Helena met his gaze meaningfully, with a nod toward the girls that seemed to say, Don’t upset the children. “Fortunately, all of those poor people seem to be getting back to their old selves. I’m sure they’ll stop hopping about in a few days.”
Dani pressed her lips together to stifle a giggle. It didn’t seem wise to laugh in front of Lady Bradford. But Miss Helena sent her a twinkling glance.
“Where are all our frog-people now?” Isabelle asked.
“They’re down at Griffon Castle, my dear,” her governess answered. “They’re comfortable there. Besides, once they came back to their senses, most of them were appalled at the condition of the rooms they were once responsible for. Eleven years’ worth of dust and cobwebs! They decided to get back to work, right where they left off on the day they were changed.”
“My, how industrious,” Derek said in amusement.
“I daresay they are eager for any return to normality after what they’ve been through,” Her Ladyship said.
“Cousin Jake did very well with that spell today,” Isabelle spoke up on the punished boy’s behalf.
“I suppose,” Lady Bradford admitted, and Miss Helena agreed, but Derek lowered his head.
Dani studied him with a sideways glance. She thought she detected a trace of regret on the warrior’s face. He cleared his throat. “Perhaps I’ll go check on the lad. If you ladies will excuse me?” He pushed back from the table.
Her Ladyship nodded; Helena smiled at him. Derek sketched a polite bow and retreated from the dining room.
Uh-oh. Wide-eyed, Dani watched him go, hoping Jake had returned to the compost heap by now, or he was going to be in even worse trouble than before.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Where’s Jake?
“So, what did you girls do today?” Miss Helena asked after Derek had gone. They began chatting, but it wasn’t long before they heard the Guardian’s voice booming from outside: “Jacob! Jake?!”
Dani drew in her breath; Lady Bradford raised an eyebrow and cast her a curious glance.
Conversation at the table stopped.
The others turned toward the muffled sound of the Guardian’s bellow coming from the garden. “Jake!” Derek was sounding increasingly angry. “Blast it, Jake, where are you? Come back here, now!”
“Miss O’Dell?” the dragon-lady inquired, arching an eyebrow. Her tone of voice was mild, but her stare was piercing. “Is there something you wish to share with us?”
Dani feared her guilty foreknowledge about the blockhead shirking his duty was written all over her face.
“Hmm?” Her Ladyship prodded.
“Um—” She faltered. How could she tell on Jake again?
Before she could speak, Derek came stomping back to the threshold of the dining room. “He’s gone.”
“Gone?” Helena exclaimed.
Derek nodded. “We’ve got to find him. The compost heap was barely touched. I’d wager he’s off on the grounds somewhere having a good, long sulk.”
Miss Helena pushed back from the table at once. “I’ll help you look for him.”
Lady Bradford rested her head in her hands briefly with a vexed sigh.
“Maybe he’s with Archie,” Isabelle chimed in.
The old baroness looked at her as though she wished all her grandchildren were well-behaved young ladies. “You’re probably right, dear. Let’s hope they haven’t both sneaked off again to cause more mischief,” she said in disapproval. “Go check to see if your brother’s in his room.”
Isabelle shook her head. “Don’t worry, Aunt Ramona. Archie was so terrified after what happened in the village, I doubt he’s daft enough to wander off again.”
“Dani, why are you looking so nervous?” Derek asked, eyeing her in suspicion. “Do you know something about this?”
With everyone staring at her, Dani gave up on her vow not to tell on Jake again. “I went to bring him some lemonade about an hour ago,” she admitted. “He wasn’t there.”
Derek nodded. “I saw the glass. It was still full.”
“You should have told us, child,” Lady Bradford chided fretfully.
“I can understand why she’d hesitate, my lady,” Derek spoke up in her defense. “Jake nearly bit her head off this afternoon for informing us about their trip to the village.”
“Please don’t be too angry at him,” Dani pleaded. “Jake’s not used to being punished or told what to do.”
“Well, we’d better find him. It’ll be dark soon and with all that’s happened, I want him back inside before the sun goes down.”
The others nodded, then everyone split up to find the again-missing heir of Griffon. Derek went to see if Jake had gone to the castle. When the girls checked to see if he was with Archie, they found the young inventor in his room, as ordered, working on some experiment. He shook his head when they asked if he’d seen Jake.
Dani was looking out the window in Archie’s room when suddenly a large black animal went streaking across the lawn below. She gasped. “I-it’s a-a—”
“What’s got into you?” Archie asked.
“I just saw a-a panther!”
“Oh, that’s just Helena. Probably trying to track Jake down by scent.”
“What?” Dani cried, her mouth hanging open.
The Bradford children laughed. “Didn’t anyone tell you? The twins aren’t just half French. They’re full-blooded shape-shifters.”
“Shape-shifters!” she echoed, staring out the window in the direction the sleek black panther had gone.
“Henry can turn into a wolf!” Archie boasted.
“That’s why our parents hired them,” Isabelle said.
“It’s true. Besides being a highly qualified governess and tutor, the two make frightfully good bodyguards in case we need protection against, you know, Dark Druids or whatnot,” Archie said. “Anyone who’d ever try to harm my sister and me would get ripped to shreds. Isn’t that right, Izz?”
“Am I the only person around here without any magical powers?” Dani cried when she finally found her voice.
“I don’t!” Archie answered cheerfully, pushing his goggles up higher onto his nose.
“Come on,” Isabelle said to Archie. “Help us look for Jake.”
They and all the former frog servants spread out over the grounds of Bradford Park and Griffon Castle, calling for the missing heir.
A fiery pink sunset was already setting the western sky ablaze as they all came back empty-handed.
“He’s not here.” Derek shook his head, his demeanor grim.
Helena had turned herself back into a person and rejoined them, smoothing her skirts. “I followed his tracks to the edge of the stream, but I lost his scent on the other side of the water.”
“Did the water nymphs report anything useful?”
“Actually, now that you mention it…I didn’t see them,” Helena answered with a frown.
Derek turned to the others. “Did anyone else speak to the water nymphs?”
They shook their heads. Isabelle ran to the edge of the stream, using her telepathy to search for them. “There’s no sign of them. The water nymphs are gone!”
Derek cursed under his breath.
“He must’ve used the conch shell to order them away,” Lady Bradford said. “But why?”
“This is my fault,” Derek clipped out in a taut voice. “I was too hard on him. I didn’t think he’d run away! Don’t worry, I’ll get him back here safely.”
“But Guardian Stone, we saw him earlier! He was doing as you said,” Isabelle proteste
d.
“Maybe he got fed up with it,” Archie said.
“He’s run away before,” Dani spoke up cautiously. “He ran away from the orphanage and his apprentice masters. If you ask me, he’s probably gone back to London. It’s daft of him, I know, but he’s always hated being told what to do. He prefers to be ‘free.’”
Lady Bradford shook her head. “I’ll fetch my crystal.” She picked up the hem of her skirts and marched briskly back into the house.
The others followed her into the parlor where she took out a quartz crystal hung from a thread. She held it over a map and used some mysterious incantation to try to locate Jake. The crystal swung a few tiny degrees, though Lady Bradford was not visibly moving it.
Dani looked on in trepidation, holding Teddy. Even though Her Ladyship was a good witch, this dabbling in magic gave her the creepies.
“It seems Miss O’Dell is correct,” the baroness announced at length. “Jacob’s gone to London.”
Derek let out a growl. “How can he be there already?”
“The train!” Archie exclaimed. “Next one doesn’t come until tomorrow morning.”
“Then I’ll ride.” Derek marched off.
Helena hurried after him. “Guardian Stone, shall we come with you? I can have the carriage readied—”
“No. Without me or Henry here and the water nymphs gone, the others will need your protection. Your Ladyship, girls.” Derek nodded farewell and pivoted to go, but Dani ran after him. “Wait! I’m coming with you!”
“You stay here—”
“No! You need my help! I know where Jake’s hideaway is,” she interrupted. “I know all the places he goes!”
“Do not worry, ma petite,” Miss Helena soothed her. “His Guardian instinct will lead him to Jake.”
Derek glanced over sharply at her, a look of pain passing behind his eyes. “No, it’s failed me before,” he forced out with a grim look. “She’s right. She’d better come along. Dress warm,” he ordered Dani. “We’ll be on the road all night—and no dog.”
Her face fell. Leave Teddy behind? What if once they got to London, she wasn’t invited back? She might never see her dog again. “Please, Mr. Stone—”
“No, we have to hurry. I’m not stopping every twenty miles for Teddy’s little pee breaks. Hurry up, if you’re coming,” he ordered, then he left to saddle his horse.