Ulysees’ ears burned at their words. His tail flicked back and forth. Catching Téo’s attention, he motioned him away from the herd. When they were out of earshot, he lowered his voice. “If this rain doesn’t stop soon, we’ll lose them.”
Téo shot a glance back at the others. “That’s what I’m worried about too. If only we had taken them to meet Darius before coming here.”
“It was too risky,” said Ulysees. “There are humans all around those parts.”
Téo let out a breath of air that steamed and curled before vanishing. “If they had met him, there would be no doubt. They can’t believe something different from what they’ve been told all their lives … unless they have proof.” He raised his head, his gaze falling on the dark, stormy clouds above. “Oh, sun, please come out.”
Ulysees remembered Darius’ last words. Find Ali before the rains begin. To find a human and follow them? His breath quickened. Impossible! Had Darius lived another sixty years to prepare the unicorns for this? What did he know? Ulysees sighed. Indecision pulled at his soul.
“I think we should go up the mountain and see what the world looks like down below,” he said.
A low rumble escaped Téo. “In this weather?”
“Yes.” Ulysees answered, his voice resolved.
“But the wind. It’s really strong up there. It could blow us down to the rocks below.”
“Not if we avoid going all the way to the top. It’s strongest at the peak.”
“True.” Téo turned and eyed Lilia, shivering with the others. “But … I have Lilia to think about … and our foal.”
“I know,” said Ulysees. “And I have Alannah, too.” He eyed his mate’s thickened sides. “But we need to see what’s happening so we can move them to safety if necessary.”
Téo’s gaze roved to the top of the mountain. “Alright, then.”
Casting their eyes on their mates one last time, they turned away and began the dangerous ascent. They trudged up the slope, their heads bent low to avoid the sudden gusts of wind that threatened to send them tumbling down the mountain. Digging their hooves in the slippery soil, they hugged the cliff side of the trail as best they could, resting at the few sheltered spots along the way. After they regained their strength, they began again, the wind tearing at their manes and tails, forcing them to crouch lower and lower until finally, in the distance, they saw the crest of the first vista and dragged themselves to its safety.
When their hooves were firmly planted in the ground, Ulysees stared down at the land below and took in a sharp breath.
Like the creeks, the river had grown. A giant spider, it cast out its many arms on what was once dry land, devouring the meadows with vast pools of brown, swirling water.
“It’s everywhere,” said Ulysees, his voice deadly quiet. “The rains are destroying our world.”
Their mouths hanging, they stood, helpless at the scene that lay before them.
A deep thunder rumbled in the distance, reverberating in the mountains.
“What was that?” Ulysees shifted his head from side to side, searching.
It came again, louder this time.
“It’s coming from the wall of ice,” said Téo.
Ulysees’ breath caught. He searched the horizon to where the frozen cliff stood in all its savage beauty.
It rumbled again.
Ulysees’ eyes grew wide when chunks of ice were thrown down its slopes. The growling noise grew in intensity, snowballs avalanching into the sea until a huge chunk of the wall splashed into the waters and floated away. His heart beat wildly.
“Darius was right,” said Ulysees, glancing at Téo.
“What do you mean?” asked Téo.
“Remember he said everything was going to change?”
“Yeah.”
“He wasn’t kidding. We need to find out what before it’s too late.”
Téo’s eyes grew frantic at Ulysees’ words. “You mean a really big change like the great fireball?”
“I think so. The wall of ice is breaking up. Who knows what will happen after that.”
“Let’s go, then,” said Téo.
The two unicorns began the descent, picking their way carefully down the slope. It was night when they left the dangerous trail behind and found the others huddled together under the tree.
“Ulysees!” said Sarah. “Where were you?”
“We went up the mountain to see what was happening.”
“And what did you see?” she asked.
Ulysees and Téo exchanged glances.
“The waters have swallowed up much of the land,” said Ulysees. “There’s flooding everywhere. There’s no place to go. You’re all much safer here.”
The small band cried out in desperation.
“We’re tired of this constant rain,” cried a mare. “We need warmth.”
“And there are foals on the way,” said Alannah’s dam, her anxious gaze falling on her daughter.
“You can’t expect them to be born in the rain,” said Sarah. “They need to be dry to survive.”
“I know, Mother,” said Ulysees. “But what else can we do? Our world is changing.”
The unicorns’ voices rose again, threatening hysteria.
Then Danae stepped forward. “Hush, all of you,” he said, a deep frown grooving his forehead. “I know a place where we can stay dry.”
“Where?” asked Alannah.
“There are some caves. You won’t like what you see inside, but I can assure you they’re safe.”
They waited for him to explain.
“There are bones there – lots of them. I think the giant creatures that lived there fed on smaller dinosaurs.”
Several of the mares began whimpering until Alannah’s voice rang through. “Then take us. I’m not afraid of a bunch of bones.”
“Alright,” said Danae. He turned to Ulysees and Téo. “Are you coming too?”
Ulysees shook his head. “No.”
“Why not?” asked Sarah.
He heaved a despondent sigh. “Because there’s more we have to tell you.”
Danae’s brows formed a V. “What?”
“The wall of ice. It’s breaking up.”
The old stallion tilted his head. “But I’ve seen small pieces break off before.”
The shake of Ulysees’ head was slow and deliberate. “It’s worse than that. Darius tried to warn me about another change – a really bad one like in the time of the fireball.” He looked away. “But I wouldn’t listen.”
The unicorns’ whimpers grew louder until Sarah asked, “What is it?”
“He said there wasn’t much time left. He wanted me to seek out a human – someone named Ali.”
“A human!” Sarah’s head jolted backward.
“Why?” asked Danae.
“I don’t know. He just said that when the rains began, I’d be running out of time.”
“Then what can we do?” asked Sarah.
“I need to go back and find Darius, to find out what he meant.” His eyes grew moist as they traveled over the herd, and he bowed his head. “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I should have listened.”
“Apologies won’t help now,” said Danae. “Just do what you have to.”
“Alright.” Ulysees gave one last glance at his small herd, and then he turned and galloped into the night.
Chapter 39
An Act of Cowardice
Drachen stood on the ridge, his hair dripping, his hands freezing, and his feet soaked. “It’s all gone. Every bit of it. The house, my land – stolen by the floods!” He clenched his fists. “Everythin’ I ever worked fer taken away by stupid rain.”
“What are we gonna eat?” demanded Ragnilda, her powerful voice grating on his ears. “I’m real hungry.”
Drachen wrenched his thoughts away from the scene below. He crossed his arms. “Can’t ya think of anythin’ else but food?” His gaze fell on her large frame and sneering face, wondering how he could have ever married
such a woman. She was nothing like Mama.
“Well, if ya want us girls to lead the horses an’ carry the things we saved before the houses were swept away, then we gotta eat.”
Drachen stared at his troupe of people, his jaw tightening. His horses puffed and strained at the enormous loads they bore, their eyes glassy with fatigue. The women, their faces knotted into a scowl, were parked on the ground, their backs resting against the heavy crockery they carried like mules, while Kayden and Ike squabbled over the one dry spot they could find. He sighed with frustration.
“Let’s find shelter, an’ then I’ll go hunt somethin’ up.”
“Ya better hurry. We girls don’t plan on stayin’ around for weak-kneed men.”
Drachen gritted his teeth at her words, marched to one of the horses, and grabbed his bow. Waving his arm impatiently, he motioned the others to follow until they found an outcrop of rock they could huddle against out of the rain. “Here. Build a fire, and I’ll see what I can find.”
Grimacing, he wandered further into the woods along a deer trail. Vegetation rotted everywhere. He coughed and readjusted his hat to keep the water from dribbling down his neck and onto his back.
“Better rain than Ragnilda naggin’ at me.”
After several hours, Drachen stopped and threw down his bow on the muddy soil, cursing.
“There’s no game here. It all left when the rains came.”
Ragnilda’s voice echoed inside his head.
Hungry, hungry!
“Hungry, hungry, ya say? We’re all hungry, woman!”
Her angry face flashed in his mind, making him grit his teeth. There would be no returning unless he had something or he’d have to suffer the wrath of Ragnilda. The Wrath of Ragnilda! He chuckled. The Wrath of Ragnilda? His chuckle turned to loud guffaws until the truth of his situation sobered him. He picked up a rock and with an exasperated shout, threw it into the forest.
Something moved.
He stopped and listened to the rustling. Picking up his bow and arrow, he crept closer. From the corner of his eye, he saw an animal scuttling into its burrow.
Drachen broke into a run until he stood before the hole in the ground. Falling to his knees, he drove his hands into the mud, digging. His movements grew faster and faster until his fingers touched warm fur. He grinned.
“Aha! Now I gotcha,” he said, reaching in to seize the creature.
A wild squeal, like a pig, sounded from within the den. Drachen jolted backward, but not fast enough as a hairy, black and white creature jumped out, turned its backside and raised its tail.
It sprayed.
Drachen reeled, throwing himself in the mud and rolling around. “A skunk!” He grabbed soil, and rubbed his face, gagging. “A stupid, stinkin’ skunk!”
Anger swept through him. Yanking out an arrow, he aimed. It thudded into the animal’s flesh. Drachen's eyes flared with cruelty as the small creature quivered and died.
“That’s what ya get fer sprayin’ me, ya horrid thing.”
Ragnilda’s voice rang in his mind again. Hungry, hungry!
A nasty smile stretched across Drachen’s face. “Hungry, are ya?” He let out a maniacal laugh and grabbed the fresh carcass, digging his knife into its belly. He pushed it up into a straight line until he reached the animal’s ribs. Shoving his hands in, he yanked out the innards and cast them aside. Then he skinned the fur off of the animal’s body and threw it away.
“Won’t need that. Not if we don’t want Ragnilda to know.” A snicker escaped him. He cut the meat into thin strips and wrapped it in a piece of leather. “There’s yer supper, woman,” he said, letting out a triumphant laugh.
When he arrived back at the outcrop, noses wrinkled, and eyes watered.
“What’d ya go an’ do?” asked Ragnilda, her big hand flying to her nose. “Ya stink like skunk.”
Drachen fumed inside, but managed to keep a straight face. “I ran into one of the little hellions, but at least I got ya some meat.” He handed her the leather package.
Ragnilda took the parcel. “Why didn’t ya keep the skin? We could’a used it, ya know.”
“I know,” Drachen feigned remorse. “Next time, I’ll remember.” He turned away, forcing down a wicked smile.
Ragnilda cooked the meat over the open fire. When it was brown and slightly burned, she handed it out to the others. Their faces wrinkled at the dry, bitter flavour. Drachen kept his lips tight at Ragnilda’s puckered mouth, smug that he had gotten his revenge.
The next day, they set out to find higher ground.
“If we could go above the clouds, we might find the sun again,” said Drachen.
“How we gonna do that?” asked Ike.
“I don’t know!” Drachen said sarcastically. “Let’s just keep walkin’.”
They hiked for days, bitterly cold, drenched to the skin until they chanced upon a canyon. Its walls high, it created a natural shelter from the wind and the constant battering of the rain. Setting up camp, they tied skins to the branches of trees with torn bits of cloth they’d salvaged from the flood. When the shelter was finished, the men set off to hunt.
Strapping their bows to their backs, they followed a trail. Rotten flowers lay by the side, reds turned to brown, and blues to dark green. After a time, they arrived on the shores of a small lake. Drachen eyed the scene before him. It was quite pleasant despite the rain. He bet the waters of that lake were probably a pretty turquoise colour when the sun shone.
Maybe Ragnilda would be happy here, especially since it was on higher ground. Her face materialized in his mind, actually smiling.
Drachen felt his soul lift for a moment. He turned to his brothers to speak, but they were frozen … their faces masks of terror. Drachen swung around to see what paralysed them. From the waters rose the most gigantic creature he’d ever seen. Its head was as large as Ragnilda, and its neck the length of the tall tree that wilted beside the lake. Drachen’s heart pounded. The monster moved toward the shore until its giant feet found their footing, and its enormous back and tail emerged from the murky water.
“It’s one of the creatures from the valley!” cried Drachen. “Run!”
The men turned and fled, slipping and sliding in the mud. Pushing themselves up, they ran until a wall of granite cornered them.
The giant creature let out a desolate bellow and raised itself up on its hind legs.
Ike and Kayden crouched down, their arms shielding their heads.
“Get it out o’ here!” screeched Kayden.
“We’ll all be killed!” shouted Ike.
“Not if I can help it!” Drachen poised his bow, drew an arrow, and aimed. It bounced off the creature. His heart pounding, he scrambled about for something larger. Spying a long, sharp stick, he seized it and ran full force toward the beast…
Chapter 40
The Knoll by the Lake
Ulysees fought his way through the thick mud of the trail. The slimy mire pulled and sucked at his legs, swallowing him up to his knees. He wrenched his front hooves from the squelching muck and made a leap, landing a short distance ahead. Oh, how his muscles burned. He stopped and panted, his listless eyes gazing up at the drab sky far above the trees. He couldn’t even tell what part of the day it was because the sun never showed itself. Was it getting dark?
Glancing about in the gloomy shadows that surrounded the trail, his ears pricked forward listening for night creatures. The hair on his neck rose, despite the sweat and mud that covered his body.
“I should have brought Téo with me. How stupid. Everyone knows unicorns should never travel alone in case they’re injured,” he muttered.
Ulysees scanned the woods until he was certain no beast waited to pounce from the underlying brush or from the branches above. He leapt forward again, struggling, until eventually he saw the welcome shores of the turquoise lake before him. The mud had grown thinner and the trail firm. Placing his hooves on harder ground, he quickened his pace until he stood at the edge of the wa
ter. His heart sank. The lake had lost its beauty, its waters changed to a dreary grey. A stench of rot filled the air.
Memories of the day Darius carried them on his back to retrieve the red flowers wandered through his mind. How happy they had been then, searching for the truth. How clever they thought themselves at having outsmarted Icarus.
“Darius? Darius?” Ulysees called. He paused to listen.
A shrill phantom-like wind whistled through the trees.
“Darius, it’s me, Ulysees. I’ve come back.” His eyes scanned the waves on the lake for the welcome sight of the dinosaur’s head rising from the water. “Darius. I’m sorry. I should have listened to what you had to say. Darius?”
A sudden gust of wind blasted his face with freezing rain. He shook his head with discomfort. When he regained his senses, his eyes roved over the lake for signs of the dinosaur. Bare tree branches reached skeletal hands into drab skies. Their nakedness revealed land forms he had never noticed before – a giant boulder, a ridge, and … next to a copse of trees, a bare knoll. Fixing his gaze on the small hill, he frowned. There was something odd about it.
He trudged through slippery mud and rotting plants, keeping the knoll in his line of vision. As he wandered closer, the swollen creek blocked his way. Releasing a sigh of frustration, Ulysees followed the brook until he found a spot shallow enough to cross. The cold water numbed his legs. When he reached the other side, he doubled back to where the grove of trees stood against the bleak sky and drew up alongside it. Shock swept through his body.
Darius’ long neck stretched out on the ground, his eyes shut into narrow slits. His body, like a giant mound of earth, lay rigid.
Ulysees gagged and broke into a sweat, fighting to keep away the fear that threatened to overtake him. Breathing deeply, he tried to calm himself. He regarded his friend, searching the body until he found what he’d been looking for … the long stick thrust into his heart.
“Oh, Darius,” he cried. “Who did this to you?” Tears filled his eyes, spilling onto his cheeks. Sobs forced their way up his throat, choking him. “Darius … Darius … no! It can’t be. I need you.”
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