Chapter 7
The Brown Unicorn
Ulysees dared not breathe.
The creature stood watching them, tilting its head from side to side.
Ulysees gulped, his muscles tensed and ready for flight.
The three eyed each other, neither moving nor speaking.
It was Téo who broke the silence. “A brown unicorn!” he exclaimed.
Ulysees frowned. “But why does he have such big hooves, and why hasn’t he got a horn yet?” he whispered. “He’s almost the size of a yearling. I mean, even we have small nubs.”
The brown colt took timid steps toward them. He lowered his head as though inspecting them and said. “Hi, I’m Xavier.”
The unicorns shared a look of surprise.
Téo took a brave step forward. “I’m Téo.”
Ulysees’ heart skipped at his friend’s courageous gesture, and then swallowing his fear, he ventured forth too. “And I’m Ulysees.”
The brown colt broke into a warm smile. “Téo and Ul-i-ssi-us?”
“Yeah,” said Ulysees. He eyed the colt up and down. “So how come your fur’s brown?”
Xavier looked down at himself, and then shook his mane. “I don’t know.”
“And why are your hooves so big?” asked Téo
Glancing at his shaggy fetlocks, Xavier answered, “They look like normal horse hooves to me.”
“You’re a horse?” asked Téo.
“Yeah, aren’t you?”
“No,” they both said, breaking into a chuckle.
“We’re unicorns,” said Téo.
Ulysees wondered how Icarus would react to news that such a creature existed. What if he’d never seen one before, and Ulysees and Téo were the first unicorns to meet one? He saw Icarus nodding – no, praising them – before the entire herd in his mind. Imagine if Icarus actually liked him.
“Wanna race?” asked Xavier, pulling Ulysees from his thoughts.
“Sure.” Ulysees burst into a gallop.
Sarah’s words of warning about humans echoed in his mind. Doing a quick scan for danger, he caught sight of a curious object in the distance and slowed to eye it. Like a cave, it had an entrance, but was made of straight lines. His brow pushed into a frown, and he contemplated investigating it. But when Xavier passed him, he quickly forgot the structure and bounded forward to overtake him.
They raced from one end of the piled trees to the other and back again, pausing only to catch their breath, and then to gallop off again. Sprinting several times around the meadow, Xavier finally pulled up, puffing and sweating.
“You guys are fast,” he said.
“It’s because of Icarus,” said Ulysees, breathing hard. “He makes us gallop all the time. He says all unicorns have to do it because of the Legacy of Azaria.”
Xavier twitched his ears, and then offered an inquisitive smile. “The Legacy of what?”
Ulysees and Téo exchanged amused glances.
“It’s some old fart from a long time ago who saved the unicorns,” said Ulysees.
Téo snorted. “Yeah, someone with really long teeth. He’s not worth talking about.” He tossed his head back in defiance.
Xavier let out a chuckle, and then turned toward a small creek that bubbled near the edge of the meadow. “You want to get some water?”
Nodding, the unicorns followed him to the brook and dipped their heads in to drink.
When Xavier had swallowed a few mouthfuls, he said, “You know, you two should enter a race.”
“What do you mean?” asked Ulysees.
Xavier smiled. “You know, like the ones in town. Only the fastest can take part.”
“In town?” Téo’s ears pushed forward. “What’s that?”
“You don’t know what a town is?” It was Xavier’s turn to be amused. “That's where most of the humans live. Everyone knows that.”
Ulysees broke into a sweat. “Humans?” Glancing at Téo, he saw his own fear reflected in his friend’s eyes. “We’re not allowed near humans.”
“Why not?” asked Xavier.
“Because they’ll take away our freedom,” said Ulysees, his voice anxious.
“Yeah,” added Téo his eyes as large as sunflowers. “It’s worse than death, you know.”
Xavier cocked his head. “Free-dom?”
The unicorns chuckled.
“It means no one owns you,” said Téo.
“But I’m owned,” said Xavier.
Ulysees let out a low nicker. “By a human?”
“Yeah. He gives me food, and I get to go for walks with my dam sometimes.” He looked toward the path in the grass that led away from the meadow. “She’s gone to town right now.”
“Then why –”
A shrill neigh rang through the meadow.
Ulysees and Téo wheeled about to find Icarus at the head of the trail, his mane tangled and his coat frothed as though he had galloped the entire way. His eyes blazed with anger. Certain that Icarus would be happy once Ulysees shared his news, he leapt forward.
“Icarus, come and see –” he cried.
The stallion reared, shouting, “What are you doing here, you stupid colts? Come now!”
“But … we’re playing with Xavier,” said Ulysees in another attempt to share his discovery.
Icarus’ face contorted with disgust. “You fools, he’s a horse!”
Ulysees jolted back. “What’s wrong with that?”
The stallion stretched his neck out, baring his teeth. “They’re the allies of the humans. They ride horses to capture unicorns. We’re mortal enemies!”
Ulysees flung about and stared at Xavier, seeing the creature in a new light. “Well, I didn’t know,” he cried, his eyes filling with tears.
“Don’t you ever listen?” Icarus shouted, the sarcasm of his voice digging deep into Ulysees’ soul. “You’ve committed a very dangerous act of disobedience. Did you not notice those strange trees?”
“Yeah, but we didn’t know what they were,” bawled Ulysees, wild with fright.
“They’re dead trees that have been cut and tied together to make a fence. Once you’re inside, you can’t get out. You could have been captured. Now get out of here!” Icarus dashed forward, his teeth narrowly missing Ulysees’ flank.
Ulysees leapt away from the stallion. He broke into a gallop and dashed back up the trail. As he ran, he glanced one last time over his shoulder at Xavier. The little horse stared at the ground, hurt. Ulysees slowed for a moment until he caught sight of something terrifying on the pathway that led to Xavier’s meadow. Something too horrible for words – a horse with four legs and two heads …
Chapter 8
The Human
Drachen gave a sudden jerk to the reins. His jaw dropped as he glimpsed the wild horses fleeing.
“So white … but the stallion …” he said aloud. “Was that …”
His eyes scoured the area until he spied the hole in the natural fence of brush.
“Was it a birch branch … or did I see a white horn?”
He turned his mare into the holding pen. Her brown colt whinnied as he trotted to meet her. Dismounting, he led her to the fence and tied her to the rails.
He walked to the torn bramble where the wild horses had broken through and examined it, his heart beating wildly. Could it be? He had heard of these creatures in those crazy stories handed down by the elderly folk who wandered around town reliving the ‘old days’, complaining about how they had suffered so terribly back then.
“Maybe they were tellin’ the truth after all.”
He pushed his way through the bushes, searching for clues, studying damaged branches and scattered leaves until he found what he was looking for.
“Horse hair,” he said aloud, his eyebrows raised, a grin stretching across his face. “But where’d they go?” Parting more brush, he searched deeper and deeper, then caught his breath. “A trail – a really old one. How come I never saw this before?”
He bent down and scrut
inized the ground noting the hoof marks. They were smaller than horse prints. Furrowing his brows, his eyes traced the narrow path to the place where it disappeared in the undergrowth.
Excitement pulsed through him. Breaking into a run to where rough poles lay in a heap, he grabbed a few and dragged them back, positioning them over the hole until he was certain they would stay. With quick steps, he untied the mare, remounted her, and gave her a sharp whack. She flinched and broke into a gallop, the colt whinnying mournfully after her.
Drachen rode with fury until his brothers’ shack came into view. He leapt to the ground, released the mare into the holding pen, and slammed the gate shut.
“Ike! Kayden!” he shouted from outside the dilapidated shack before bursting through the door.
Ike lay crumpled over the table, his long legs straddled underneath, and his large body dwarfing the stool he sat on. His dark hair and beard were disheveled, and his baggy eyes heavy with sleep. Old food and crumbs littered the table, dropping down to the floor where mice nibbled gratefully.
“Wha’do ya want?” Ike’s deep voice was groggy.
“You’re not gonna believe this.” Drachen said, still out of breath.
“What?”
“I saw a unicorn!”
Ike stared at Drachen, incredulous for a moment. His mouth twisted, and then he let out a deep, rumbling laugh. “There’s no unicorns,” he said. “That’s just old fools’ talk. You’re as bad as that crazy woman, Ali.”
Drachen shuddered at the name of the old lady. He had heard stories of how she had halted the stoning of her father when she was only three years old. The crowd had stopped, grasping rocks in mid-air and then, one by one, laid them down – all because of her words. A mere child! He shook his head. No. It never happened. It was just old fools’ talk. A girl of three couldn’t stop a mob.
“You been livin’ too far out in the forest,” his brother Kayden said, rising from his straw mattress on the dirt floor, his round stomach jiggling with laughter through the tunic soiled from days of wear.
It was true. Drachen had moved far from the town in search of fertile land, hoping to plant crops and make his fortune. It was a hard life that no woman wanted to share with him – a lonely life. No wonder he always talked out loud to himself. And worse yet, after all the daily chores were done, he often found himself heading to town where he squandered all his meagre profits on gambling anyway. That’s why all he had left were the mare and her colt.
“No, I tell you, it’s true. There’s a trail that goes up into the mountains. I want ya to come with me and follow it. If we could catch a few … or even just one –”
“Ha, ha, ha!” Ike waved a hand, his head bent back as he guffawed. “Go explore the trail yourself. All ya’ll find is deer.”
“And when ya catch one, we’ll be happy to eat it with ya,” Kayden barely managed to say between breaths as he roared with laughter.
Drachen’s face burned. His brothers infuriated him. They had always sided together against him since they were small, even after all he’d done for them. His feet stomped the dirt floor as he left the shack and retrieved his mare. He’d explore the trail alright, and wouldn’t they be surprised at his findings?
“Stupid brothers!” He dug his heels into the horse’s sides. “Never believe anythin’ I say,” he said as the mare’s hooves thudded the ground. “And there’s no way I can catch a unicorn by myself.” He sighed. “Why don’t they ever listen?” Raising his stick, he whacked his horse into a trot, riding for a time until an idea struck him. “Maybe I can prove it to ’em. Hmm …” he said, putting a finger to his chin. “The old lady – Ali. She probably knows somethin’.”
A shiver worked its way down his spine at the thought of the strange woman and her penetrating eyes – eyes that could read anyone. She’d know what he was really after. She’d always seen right through him, but perhaps if he kept a straight face and a calm voice, he might fool her. He shivered again. He had to at least try, or he might never find out what he needed to know.
Taking a deep breath, he calmed his nerves, and then yanked the reins of his horse, abruptly veering down the path that led to her cottage deep in the woods.
Chapter 9
The Confession
Ulysees’ breath was ragged, and his heart filled with terror when they galloped toward the herd pursued by an enraged Icarus.
The mares crowded around, their eyes wide.
“What’s happened?” Sarah asked. “Ulysees, where have you been? We’ve been so worried!”
Icarus drew up, steam blowing hard from his mouth, the edges of his brows raised in sharp peaks. “They broke their vow to the Legacy of Azaria and followed the old trail.”
“Broke their vow to Azaria?” Ramah’s coarse voice rose.
The herd burst into a frenzy of hysteria.
“You mean the old trail that hasn’t been traveled on since our ancestors first found our home hidden in the trees?” asked a mare, her voice frantic.
“The very one!” roared Icarus. “But that’s not the worst part. It’s what they found at the end of that trail that’s so bad.” His eyes cold, he glared at Ulysees. “Tell them!”
Ulysees scrambled backward. “I didn’t know.”
The mares exchanged stunned glances.
“Tell them!” Icarus bared his teeth.
The colt barely squeaked, “A horse!”
Rage swept over the herd.
“There are big-hooves nearby?” a stallion shouted.
“Yes,” thundered Icarus.
“That means there are humans close by too,” whinnied an older mare.
“But it was just a colt like us,” Ulysees cried. “He couldn’t possibly hurt anyone. I didn’t know he was a horse.” He burst into tears.
The herd wailed in despair as though they hadn’t heard his words.
“We’ll have to leave again just as the ancestors did,” someone neighed.
“We’ll be forced to wander in the forest, lost, for many moons,” cried another.
“Why didn’t you listen, you stupid colts,” Ramah shouted, her voice deep with rage. “Don’t you know we’re trying to protect you?”
Ulysees hiccoughed between sobs. “No. I mean … Icarus is always mad at us. We don’t want to listen to him anymore.” For a brief moment, hope filled him that perhaps the matriarch would understand, but instead, the ancient mare’s eyes pierced him like a thistle. And when she spoke, her words cut right through him.
“You’ll be lucky if Jaresh doesn’t take away your powers. Now go to the edge of the woods until we decide your punishment!”
Their legs shaking with terror, Ulysees and Téo scuttled away. When they stood a fair distance from the others, Ulysees whimpered, “I didn’t know.”
“Me neither,” said Téo.
“I thought he was just like us.”
“Me too.”
Ulysees swung his head around to see if anyone was listening. When he saw that no one was near, he whispered. “Téo, did you see what I saw as we were leaving?”
“No, what?” his friend tilted his head closer.
“There was another creature – one with two heads and four legs. I saw it out of the corner of my eye. One of the heads was a horse’s but I don’t know what the other one was.”
Téo’s eyes rounded. “Well, don’t say anything or we’ll be in bigger trouble. Besides, it was probably all your imagination.”
“I sure hope so,” said Ulysees.
The two colts kept to themselves, avoiding the eyes that berated them for their misdeed, staying as invisible as possible.
When the stars began to glimmer in the night sky, Alannah crept close to Ulysees, pausing between steps as she neared him.
“Ulysees … I thought I'd come to say ...” she began.
He raised his head and met her gaze. Was that guilt in her eyes? “You were the one who told Icarus, weren't you?”
She looked away. “Yes, it was me.”
&nbs
p; “How could you?” He spat the words.
Alannah’s voice rose. “I had to. It meant that –”
“No, you didn’t.” Ulysees’ nostrils flared. “You just had to be such a good, little filly, didn’t you? You had to tell Icarus.”
She backed away, her hooves scraping the ground. “No, really … I –”
“Just get out of here! You’re a traitor. I don’t want to talk to you anymore!” he shouted.
Alannah blinked fast for an instant, a tear sliding from her eye. “Ulysees, you don't understand. We all need to stick together. I don't know how I would have felt if you had been captured. I don’t like Icarus any more than you, but we’re all so young.” She paused, her pretty blue eyes meeting Ulysees’ for a moment, and then said, “I care about you, you know.”
Ulysees felt himself grow warm.
She cared about him? What? A filly?
His head filled with confusion, he slipped away finding Téo again and avoided Alannah for the rest of the evening.
A filly? Cared about him?
He shook his head at the thought, and despite his torment, broke into a tiny smile.
Chapter 10
The Cottage
Droplets of sweat beaded Drachen’s forehead as he approached the isolated cottage on the edge of town where the old woman lived.
“Wonder if she’ll remember me after all this time?”
Many years had passed since it happened. He remembered the feel of the smooth gold pieces as he slipped his cracked and dirty hand into the soft folds of the merchant’s pocket. His heart had beaten so hard he was sure it could be heard. Taking utmost care, he had grasped the pieces ever so gently, and then slid them out, triumphant and unnoticed … until she cried out in that commanding voice she possessed, her deep brown eyes accusing.
“Thief!”
The crowd had burst into action. Bodies turned and arms reached.
The Deception Page 3