The Deception

by Suzanne de Montigny

  Ulysees shook his mane, not understanding. He turned to Téo, his eyes questioning, only to be met by an equally confused gaze. When he faced Darius again, the dinosaur had lowered his head to Ulysees’ level, his expression intense. Ulysees shivered, knowing full well that what Darius had to say next was dead serious.

  “Ulysees,” he said in a low voice. “It’s your turn now. You need to find Ali and her sons too and join them.”

  “What?” Ulysees bolted backward. “What are you talking about? Join the humans? Never!”

  Raising himself up to his full height, his voice urgent, Darius said. “Ulysees, I’m serious. You haven’t got much time left.”

  “What do you mean?” Ulysees asked.

  “The world’s going to change again, and the only way you can save yourself is to find Ali.”

  “What?”

  “Find her before the rains begin,” Darius said, his voice pressing, insistent.

  Confusion swept over Ulysees. “What about the Legacy of Azaria? The horn? Doesn’t any of that matter to you? We were nearly extinct because of one man, and now you want us to throw it all away?”

  “Ulysees –”

  “No! We’ve spent all our lives fleeing the humans, and now we’re supposed to become their slaves? Never!”

  Could it be true? Ali’s eyes had drawn him in. She was different … somehow. But what if … he remembered the gold. What if they were friends with Drachen’s gang? They seemed to know each other. Perhaps they were in cahoots. Maybe Darius was wrong. After all, he didn’t know everything.

  Darius lowered his head again to Ulysees’ level, his eyebrows turned up in peaks. “Ulysees. You must listen to me. You need to find Ali or –”

  Ulysees skittered backward, losing his footing. Landing on his side, he scrambled up and met the dinosaur full on. “Never. We’re unicorns!”

  Making an abrupt turn, he threw up his back hooves in Darius’ face and left, Alannah and Téo, following close behind, wide-eyed and mute.

  Chapter 36

  The Return

  The usual neighs and whinnies that accompanied the herd were silenced when the mares saw Ulysees from a distance. Heads turned, and flowers and grass fell from opened mouths as the young stallion led Alannah and Téo into the herd.

  “Alannah!” cried her dam, breaking into a canter. Tears rolled from her eyes. “You’ve come home.”

  “Yes, Mother, I have,” Alannah said, blinking fast. “They saved me – all three of them.”

  The unicorns gathered around, murmuring welcomes.

  “Three?” Alannah’s dam pulled back, a frown creasing her brow.

  “Yes, Mother.”

  “What three?” asked Icarus, forcing his way into the group. “I only sent Ulysees and Téo.” He craned his neck, searching the woods to see if another followed them.

  “Actually, there was really only one who saved Alannah … and Téo and me, too,” replied Ulysees. “The humans had captured all of us. We were trapped inside the fence.”

  “Then who?” asked Ramah, wearing a puzzled expression.

  “Xavier,” said Alannah, her voice challenging as her eyes swept over the group.

  Gasps filled the air.

  “A Big-Hoof?” asked one of the stallions.

  “Yes,” said Téo. “He despises Drachen as much as we do, so he knocked down the fence and set us free, and then he escaped with us.” He let out a chuckle. “Those big hooves are good for something.”

  Icarus shot a look of disbelief to Ramah, who stared back in confusion. Giving his mane a savage shake, he asked, “Ulysees, is this true?”

  Ulysees nodded, meeting the stallions’ eyes. “Yes.”

  Momentary fear, then anger flashed in Icarus’ eyes. His muscles tightened, and a puff of hot air blew through his nostrils.

  Ulysees stood his ground, not breaking his gaze. “And if it hadn’t been for Téo and me befriending him that day so long ago, Xavier would never have helped us, and we’d have been enslaved by the humans. You were wrong, Icarus. Admit it.”

  His eyes blazing, Icarus snorted and pawed a hoof.

  Ulysees held his stance.

  “He’s right,” said Ramah. “Xavier was different. I knew it from the start, but we had to be true to the legacy. If everyone were to befriend a horse –”

  “We’d all get along with them?” asked Ulysees, his voice filled with sarcasm. “And we might even help each other?”

  Icarus growled at his impudence. “We have a legacy to maintain, Ulysees. We must keep our promise or risk extinction.”

  “But your legacy is based on lies.” Ulysees shot back.

  A wave of mumbles swept over the herd at his boldness.

  Icarus lowered his head, his ears pressed flat. A small warning rumble emitted from his throat.

  Ulysees stood his ground, watching him closely to avoid a sharp nip. “Admit it, Icarus. You’ve been lying all this time. There is no Jaresh.”

  The stallion remained motionless, glaring with hatred.

  “Am I right … or wrong?” asked Ulysees, his eyes burrowing into the stallion’s.

  “Well, I –” Icarus glanced away for a moment until he regained his composure.

  “You what? Tell the truth.” Ulysees’ voice grew louder.

  “The truth,” Sarah whispered.

  “The truth.” The word spread over the herd, repeated, the tension mounting.

  Ulysees saw a trace of panic in the Great Stallion’s eyes.

  “Tell them,” Ulysees demanded. “You made him up to control the mares.”

  Icarus shot Ramah a desperate look. “It was a difficult time,” he said finally. “Sampson was becoming too lax. He was allowing the unicorns to live freely. It was dangerous –”

  “Liar!” shouted Ulysees. “You wanted power. You killed Sampson because you wanted to be Great Stallion, and then you invented Jaresh to scare everyone.”

  Murmurs rippled through the herd.

  Ulysees turned to them. “It’s true. Jaresh isn’t real. He doesn’t exist. He never has.”

  The unicorns’ mumbles grew louder, their voices united in anger.

  “But there’s someone who is real. His name is Darius.”

  “Darius?” cried one of older mares. “He still lives?”

  “Yes,” said Alannah, moving to Ulysees’ side. “And it was Darius who taught Azaria the three skills. And he told those of us who met him that he can’t take away our powers.”

  “Darius!” The name swept over the herd, on a wave of hope.

  “I’ve heard the older mares whispering about him,” said one of the females, “but I didn’t know if it was true.”

  “I knew all along,” said a stallion. “My great-grandmother, Cassi, used to tell me about what a fine and noble creature he was. Icarus remembers a little, too. That’s where he got the name Jaresh from – he couldn’t pronounce Darius properly when he was a colt.”

  The unicorns broke into a fit of condescending laughter.

  “I wonder if the bones in the valley belonged to Darius’ herd,” said an older male.

  “They did indeed,” said Téo, moving forward to speak. “They’re called dinosaurs, and they died after the great fireball hit the earth because the plants were destroyed and there wasn’t enough food for them. Darius is the last of his kind, and he’s been waiting for us for sixty springs.”

  Cries of joy filled the air at his words.

  “But we haven’t told you the best news yet,” continued Téo.

  “What?” Several voices cried out in succession.

  Téo stood taller and smiled wide. “Danae is still alive.”

  A wave of excitement rippled through the crowd.

  “He’s in the valley of the bones and has never been better. The sunshine and flowers have made him strong. I plan to join him with Lilia.” He turned to the young mare. “That is, if she’ll have me for a mate.”

  Lilia lowered her eyes for a moment, and then took delicate steps to
his side, a shy smile touching her lips. “Oh, Téo. Yes, I will gladly be your mate.”

  “And you’ll live with me in valley of the bones?”

  “Yes, oh yes,” she cried, tears spilling over her cheeks.

  The unicorns broke into a rousing, whinnying cheer. When it died down, Ulysees addressed them again.

  “Now, we’ve all given allegiance to the Legacy of Azaria to stay away from humans. I’m totally for that, but I’m tired of living in the shadows, and I know a lot of you are too. Who wants to come with us to the valley of the bones and live in the light?”

  Ulysees waited.

  The mares and stallions exchanged nervous glances, turning back to measure Icarus’ anger.

  “Mother?” Ulysees said. “Will you come?”

  Sarah’s eyes met Icarus’. Wide at first, they grew more determined until they burned with conviction. “Yes, I will.” She took firm steps to her son’s side.

  “And you?” Ulysees’ gaze fell on Alannah’s dam. “Will you join Alannah and me?”

  Her eyes flickered with joy. She stepped forward. “I most certainly will.”

  “I will too,” said Lilia’s dam.

  “And me too,” said Téo’s dam.

  Ulysees smiled as other older mares and stallions joined too. When no more were brave enough, he counted his small flock. There were twelve.

  He glanced again at the others, who stood frozen, their eyes shifting to Ramah and Icarus, as though waiting for retaliation and said, “When you’re ready, the rest of you can find us in the valley of the bones where we shall live in the light without fear.”

  “But let’s not call it the valley of the bones,” said Alannah. “Let’s call it … Unicorn Falls because there are so many waterfalls there.”

  Voices of approval shouted out.

  “Alright, then,” said Ulysees, nodding.

  Turning his back on Icarus, he began the journey back, leading his small herd up the trail.

  Chapter 37

  The Big Lie

  Drachen pushed out his chest and smiled at the new home he had built on his land. It was big enough to house the large family he hoped to someday have. It rose an entire two storeys with strong pillars to hold up the wooden roof. Built of polished stone, its beauty was unsurpassed. Inside, a floor of smooth marble kept their feet dry, unlike most of the houses in the village.

  His gaze fell on the adjoining homes he had built for his brothers to convince them to come and live with him. Though only one level, they shared the same smooth stonework and were just as much the envy of all the townsfolk. Further away, the old shed Xavier had shared with his dam had been replaced by a stable filled with the finest collection of racehorses.

  He chuckled at the memory of the day they arrived in the town. The townsfolk emptied into the streets, surrounding them and bombarding them with questions.

  “What happened to the unicorn?” asked a thin lady, a whimpering child clinging to her hip. “My baby was so sick, but we couldn’t find you anywhere.”

  “Did she escape?” asked the herb woman. “You know we have so many lepers. If we had a unicorn, we could stop the disease from spreading.”

  “We thought the unicorn had attacked you and left you in the woods to die,” said the tailor pushing his way into the crowd.

  “No.” Drachen shook his head repeatedly at their multiple questions. “She didn’t escape, an’ she didn’t attack us.”

  The crowd waited, their eyes glued to him.

  Drachen stared back at the throng. His knees trembled. If only he could tell them the truth as Mama would have done, but he knew he’d be seen as a blithering idiot if he did, so he thought up a lie as quickly as his mind could concoct it.

  Pasting on a phony smile, he began. “It turned out she was way more magical than we thought.” He swept his flat palms out before him with dramatic flair.

  Gasps swept through the crowd.

  “And because of her magic she escaped?” asked the herb woman.

  Drachen shook his head, keeping his voice as smooth as possible. “No. At the end o’ the day, after she healed all those people, I discovered … she could talk.” His voice cracked on the last word.

  “She could talk?” asked a woman surrounded by five unruly boys.

  “Yeah.” Drachen’s twisted smiled twitched. “An’ she told me, ‘Please let me go or I’ll die, ’cause I’m not made to heal that many people.’”

  The crowd mumbled.

  “She did look rather sick in the afternoon,” said the herb woman.

  “Yes, and her horn was turning grey,” shouted the thin woman whose baby’s whines were growing louder.

  “And her coat was pretty drab,” added the tailor.

  Drachen strangled a chuckle at their gullibility. “She told me that if I let ’er go, she’d bestow gold on me with the magic of ’er horn.”

  The crowd murmured.

  “An’ because I’m a nice guy, I agreed. After all, we never wanted to hurt ’er. Right, brothers?” He eyed Kayden and Ike. They nodded, forcing their mouths up into foolish grins. “An’ so she started to spin ’er horn in these little circles. I was a bit scared, so I stepped back. It’s a good thing, ’cause ten gold pieces shot out, nearly hittin’ me. When she was done, I picked ’em all up and stuck ’em in this bag.”

  The crowd oohed and ahhed when he took out the largest piece and held it up, glittering in the sun.

  “So then why’d you leave?” the tailor asked.

  Drachen flinched for a brief instant, his eyes skittering again until he further thought out his lie. “’Cause when the unicorn mare shot out the gold, Xavier got real scared, broke down the gate, an’ took off. We had to go find him.”

  “So what happened then?” asked the woman with the five boys as she pulled nits from their hair.

  Drachen scrambled to rectify his story. His eyes flickered only for a moment before he lowered his head and feigned sadness. “I’m afraid ’e died.”

  Aws ripped through the crowd.

  “How’d he die?” asked the tailor.

  Drachen wiped a fake tear and sighed. “He stepped into a rabbit’s hole, breakin’ his leg. We had to destroy him.” He stared up into the sky in phony anguish, and then threw his hands to his face.

  “Ohhhh,” a lady wimpered, wiping her nose with a small, embroidered cloth. “How terrible.”

  “He was such a good horse.” Drachen pretended to sob. “So obedient.” He shoved his elbow with a thud into Ike’s side when he heard a snort behind him. “It was so sad.” He blubbered.

  The townsfolk stood by, exchanging glances, their eyes filled with compassion.

  “And that’s why I’m gonna use this gold to buy a new horse – in his memory.” He fought hard to keep the corners of his mouth from twitching.

  The crowd broke into applause, totally accepting his story and marveling at the magic of the unicorn. They returned to their homes smiling as though some great miracle had happened.

  The following week, Drachen bought the finest steed in the village, and then another and another. With the horses, came a wife – Ragnilda. Stout and not particularly attractive, she ordered him about, made him pick up his clothes, and worse yet, to change them nearly every day.

  His wife was strong. She could force the wildest of steeds into submission with a robust tug of the rein, and she could lift three bundles of hay all at once, but what was more powerful than anything else, was the sharp tongue she possessed. She could give him a tongue lashing so long and loud, the only thing he could do was to escape to the stables. Drachen soon found himself spending more time with his horses than with his wife.

  Shortly after, he built the new home with the help of some of the best woodcrafters and stonemasons in the village. Ragnilda kept it in perfect order as did the wives Ike and Kayden had acquired. It was surrounded by well-groomed grounds, particularly since Ragnilda and the other women liked things to be tended to their liking.

  Then the rains
began.

  Drachen searched the sky for a break in the clouds. It had been pouring for three weeks. The river had risen higher and higher. Its waters threatened to wash away his home and carry away his valuable horses with it. If only they had thought to build the house above the ground. He spat, cursing his brothers who had been in too much of a hurry to provide a nest for their new wives. They should have taken their time.

  “Stupid brothers.” Drachen shook his head.

  Chapter 38

  The Downpour

  Ulysees and his small band had been in Unicorn Falls many moons. At first, it had been a paradise as promised, until the skies changed. The sun hadn’t risen or set for quite some time. Instead, the abysmal rains poured over the valley, never ceasing. The creeks flooded, filling the once beautiful lake with muddy water and reclaiming much of the land on its shores. Where once they breathed the delectable perfume of flowers, the stench of mold now filled their nostrils. Everything was damp, and the unicorns spent their newfound freedom hovering under the canopy of a large tree to shield themselves from the cold and wet.

  “I’ve never seen it rain like this before,” said Sarah, steam rising from her coat.

  “No, me neither.” An older stallion shook his mane, sending drops of water flying.

  “I just hope it’s not a sign,” another mare said, her brows pushed together with worry.

  “What do you mean?” asked Sarah.

  The mare leaned closer, her voice dropping to a hush. “What if there really is a Jaresh, and this is his punishment for having left the herd?”

  Sarah reeled, her eyes wild with fear.

  “Nonsense!” said Danae. “It’s raining everywhere, not just here.”

  “Yes, but what if Jaresh is punishing all of us for the actions of a few?” The mare’s voice had risen from a whisper to a shrill pitch.

  “No,” Danae insisted. “You mustn’t believe anything Icarus taught us. He’s a liar! A cruel, self-centered liar who wants nothing more than to control us. We unicorns who are long of tooth remember what our ancestors said, and they were there when it all happened.”