Ulysees threw his head back and let out a loud moan, a forlorn cry like the howl of a lone wolf. “I’m sorry, Darius. I’m so, so sorry. I wouldn’t listen, and now they’ve gone and killed you.”
The unicorn cried bitterly, his tears spilling to the ground. Then anger filled him. “Humans!” He spat the words. “And you wanted me to trust them?” Shaking his rain-smattered coat vigorously, he shouted out his anguish. “I will never, ever trust a human!”
His words echoed, empty against the forces of nature.
Heavy cries of agony heaved from his body, weeks of emotion pouring forth his pain until a small thought whispered in his mind.
Find Ali.
Ulysees raised his head as though someone had a spoken the words out loud. He pricked his ears forward only to hear the sound of the rain pummeling the earth.
Then … it whispered again. Find Ali.
Ulysees rose to his feet. “Darius, is that you?” He glanced at the dinosaur’s body, and seeing no life, spun about wildly.
Find Ali.
“But where?” he shouted.
The snow-covered mountain peak of Unicorn Falls flashed through his mind.
“On the mountain?” he asked. “But …” The image faded until he saw Alannah’s face contorted with pain.
She needs you.
Leaping into the air, he caught the wind. It carried him a great distance before dropping him to the ground. He leapt again. This time the wind let out a gust so strong he rose above the trees. For a moment, panic struck him when he saw how high it had carried him … until he spotted the tall peak of Unicorn Falls far in the distance.
“If I keep catching these stormy gusts of wind, I’ll get there much faster,” he said.
A day later, he galloped up the trail and around the pinnacle that marked the entrance to the valley and halted. The lake had grown so large, there was no walkway around it. Across the water, he saw the herd. A stallion pushed his way to the front, trumpeting a neigh of challenge.
It was Icarus!
Clenching his teeth, Ulysees paced the shore, looking for a route, any route. When he saw there was none, he did the only thing he could – he shadow-walked.
Cheers rose from across the lake, urging him onward, applauding him. Ulysees concentrated on the opposite shore with all his might. “Can’t lose my focus, or I may fall in,” he whispered. His eyes fixed on Icarus, he strode across until he hit solid ground and stood face to face with his enemy.
Icarus’ ears lay flat against his head, his eyes so fierce, they burned.
Ulysees glared back. “What are you doing here?”
The sides of Icarus’ mouth turned up in an evil grin. “I’ve come to save the herd,” he said. “You were disobedient, and now Jaresh is punishing us all.”
Steam flared from Ulysees’ nostrils. “He is not!”
“Oh, yes he is. What do you think this is all about?” He pointed his horn up to the stormy skies.
“There is no Jaresh.”
“Oh, yes there is. He revealed himself to me when I was small. The others didn’t know about it before. I was special. That’s why he came to me.”
“That’s a lie!” Ulysees glowered at the stallion. Turning to the mares, he asked, “Where’s Alannah?”
“She’s in the cave.” Sarah whimpered. “Her foal is coming.”
His voice filled with venom, Ulysees glared at Icarus. “I’ll take care of you later.” Then with a sharp turn, he dashed to the entrance of the cave.
“Alannah,” he called.
“I’m here, Ulysees.”
Ulysees flinched at the pain in her voice. He trotted to her side and laid his cheek against hers.
“Oh, Ulysees, I thought something terrible had happened to you.”
“No, I’m alive and well, but we have to find Ali.”
“I can’t,” she cried, letting out a low groan.
Ulysees saw the growing ripples in her thick sides. His voice grew urgent. “Alannah, something bad is about to happen. You and I need to climb to the top of the mountain.”
“How can I?” She grimaced with pain.
“Alannah, you simply must. If there’s ever a time I’ve needed you to be strong, it’s now.”
Alannah winced as her sides continued to tighten. When the throbbing had passed, she quietly said, “All right then, let’s go.”
Icarus blocked their path as they left the cave. “And just where do you think you’re going with a member of my herd?”
“She’s not a member of your herd, Icarus. She’s my mate.”
Icarus pawed his front hoof on the ground. “No, she’s a member of my herd.”
Ulysees stood his full height, meeting the stallion head on. “Icarus, something terrible is about to happen. We all need to leave now.”
The stallion let out a terrible laugh. “Yeah, right. Just like there’s a Darius.”
Ulysees’ eyes watered at the mention of the dinosaur’s name. He bowed his head and muttered, “Darius is dead.”
The unicorns gasped.
“He was slaughtered by the humans.”
Icarus let out a malicious laugh. “A likely story.” He faced the herd. “You see, he made up Darius, and now he’s conveniently killing him.” His eyes blazed with victory.
A thick silence hovered over the unicorns.
Then a lone voice cried out. “Leave him be.” It was Danae, pushing his way through the herd. “You’ve got your mares, now let him have his.”
With his words, the other stallions found their strength. “Yes, leave him be,” they chorused, pressing in on Icarus, their eyes filled with contempt.
Uncertainty flashed across Icarus’ face. He backed away as their chanting grew more aggressive. Throwing his head over his shoulder, he looked as though he might flee, but instead a smirk replaced his expression. “Oh, alright. Go ahead. Take her. You don’t stand a chance anyway.”
The stallions broke into jubilant cheers.
As Ulysees moved toward the cave, he turned once more and glared at Icarus. “You know you’ll get what you deserve, don’t you?”
A nervous laugh escaped Icarus. He cleared his throat. “I have what I deserve – the herd. Now get out of here!”
Ulysees flashed a final look of hatred at Icarus, and then began working his way up the mountain with Alannah, slowly grinding his hooves in the stone and soil. They stopped when Alannah laboured, the agony in her sides making movement difficult. When her pains passed, they pressed on until, near the top, she finally cried in anguish.
“The foal’s coming,” she said, her breath heaving.
Ulysees searched about frantically for shelter until he saw an indentation in the rock – a grotto. “Over there.” He pointed his horn.
Alannah dragged her hooves to the overhang. Taking a deep breath, she gave the last push.
The tiny foal popped out, trembling with the cold, and struggled to rise to its feet.
“Come on, little one,” Alannah coaxed. “Up you go. You can do it.”
The foal flailed his legs, his hooves scraping the slippery stone. The wind blew a gust of chilly air, ruffling his damp fur.
“It’s too cold,” said Alannah “We’ve got to find a warmer place or he’ll die.”
Ulysees trotted up and down the length of the grotto until he found an opening. “Over here, Alannah. It’s a cave.”
Alannah pushed the colt up with her nose.
It struggled to its feet just long enough to enter the hole, and then collapsed again.
The wind howled, and rain lashed against the walls. Together, they licked the colt’s fur until his shivering stopped.
“What happened to Darius?” asked Alannah.
Swallowing the lump that rose in his throat, Ulysees told her about the spear that pierced Darius’ heart, and the whispered words.
Alannah’s eyes filled with tears as he recounted his story. “And he wants us to find Ali? But how?”
“I don’t know. All I know
is that he wanted us exactly where we are now.” He paused, eyeing the light filtering in at the mouth of the cave. “Alannah, I have to go outside and see what’s happening.”
Glancing at the colt, she sighed and said, “Alright, but come back soon.”
Ulysees slipped out of the cave and into the savage storm.
Chapter 41
The Gates Burst
A gust of cold, freezing rain stung Ulysees’ face. He squeezed his eyes into slits and pushed his way to the edge of the mountain. When he arrived, he dug his hooves firmly in the ground, and lowered his head against the raging wind. Barely able to breathe, he inhaled small gulps of air, and faced what awaited him.
Black clouds swirled and rolled, moving at a furious speed. The land far below was flooded. Brown, rotted vegetation hung above the swollen river. The Living Sea had become a mass of angry, turbulent water. Ulysees raised his head higher, straining to see the wall of ice that glowed in the distance. Its savage beauty against the stark grey of the sky sent a shiver down his spine.
A loud crack ripped through the air. Ulysees jumped and nearly lost his footing. He waited for the sky to light up, but it remained dark. The sound of ice grating against ice swept across the water. It rumbled and groaned like the raging cry of an angry god.
Ulysees stared in trepidation as a huge section of the wall of ice began to landslide. It thrashed and fought like a giant who struggled to break free, until the center of the wall collapsed, hurling jagged pieces of ice into the water.
A cry burst from Ulysees’ throat.
A deluge gushed forth from behind the wall, crashed into the Living Sea, and raced toward the land. The wave picked up speed as it traveled, growing in height. As it moved, its sound intensified. Ulysees’ heart thundered in his chest. The mountain of water swelled larger and larger until finally, it smashed against the land, claiming everything in its path. It raced forward, gaining momentum, moving closer and closer to the valley.
“Not Unicorn Falls, too!”
Ulysees braced himself as the giant wave bore down over his home, taking everything along with it – trees, stones, soil, even the beautiful lake.
“No!” he shouted, staring in horror at the destruction below. How could it be that what had once been a paradise was now a huge mass of water?
“This is why Darius wanted me to go with Ali. He knew this was coming. That’s why she was trapping animals – to save them. Oh, Danae … Mother … if only you’d been brave enough to leave Icarus, you could have survived.” His eyes blinked rapidly. A lump the size of a rock pushed its way up his throat. He shoved it back down, his grief replaced by anger.
“Icarus, did I not tell you you’d get your just reward?” He let out a vicious laugh, but strangely, wasn’t soothed by the thought.
Water seethed from the hole in the wall of ice, rising mercilessly, growing in depth.
“It’s not going to stop. There’s an entire sea behind it.”
Ulysees darted back into the cave and breathlessly told Alannah what was happening.
“Then we’ll all drown?” Alannah’s eyebrows shot up, raw fear blazing in her eyes. “Our colt …”
“Alannah, just so long as we’re still alive, there’s hope.”
“Alright,” she whispered, faint optimism replacing the fear in her eyes. Ulysees glanced down at the tiny newborn already steady on its legs. He bent his head down and nuzzled the colt’s neck. It nickered softly and reached up to touch Ulysees’ nose.
He turned to Alannah. “I don’t want you to leave this cave no matter what. Stay here until I come back, you hear?”
Alannah nodded. “Okay.”
He pressed his cheek against hers. “I love you, you know that?”
Her bottom lip trembled. “I love you too.”
Ulysees pushed himself through the hole of the cave. He stood outside on the peak of the mountain; watching, waiting.
The flood rose higher and higher while the rain beat down without mercy. When darkness fell, Ulysees tracked the rising deluge by the sound of the water. Closer and closer it came. As the grey dawn arrived, he drew in a sharp breath when he saw exactly how far it had risen. Panicked, he strained his neck to see signs – any sign – of life, be it human or unicorn. Nothing met his troubled gaze. When he was about to give up and return to the cave, he caught sight of an image on the horizon – something large and dark.
“It looks a little like a dwelling ... except it’s holding together. And there’s someone on it – a human.”
His heart racing, Ulysees paced back and forth at the water’s edge. “I know Darius wants me to find Ali, and that’s probably her. If I can shadow-walk, I might reach it, just like when I walked across the lake.”
Taking a deep breath, he leapt and broke into the gait he’d learned long ago, the one Darius had taught Azaria, the one that no false god could steal away from him. After a time, his muscles shook.
“I’ve got to focus, but it’s so far. The Living Sea’s no lake, and I can’t just swim this. Does Ali even see me?”
He pushed forward, his legs strained, controlling his breathing as best he could. The wooden vessel tossed on the waves in the distance.
“Wait for me,” he whinnied. “Please, Ali. I have a mate and a colt.”
A surge of water rose and ebbed. Ulysees lifted his tired muscles over it. When it had passed, the vessel seemed even farther than before.
Ulysees’ breaths grew heavier. He focussed with all his might on the distant dwelling. Still it drifted away.
The sea swelled again, but when the giant wave had slipped past, the floating vessel was nowhere in sight.
Ulysees let out a cry of despair. “Where did it go?” He twisted about, searching. “It’s gone.” Terror swept over him. “I’ve got to get back to the peak.” He turned in frantic circles, scanning the horizon for the tall mountain. Had it disappeared too under the swirling waters?
Panic consumed him. “No, not Alannah and the colt. Oh, please, no!”
His concentration broken, he tumbled into the freezing waters. Paddling for all he was worth, his muscles froze, and he sank into the dirty sea.
“I can’t drown. I promised Darius … and Alannah. Darius? Darius? Help!”
* * *
“I’m here, Ulysees,” said a familiar voice.
Ulysees opened his eyes to see the dinosaur gazing at him, tenderness shining in his eyes.
“Darius? Is that you?” he said, as though waking from a dream.
“Yes, it is,” the dinosaur answered.
Ulysees raised his head. “But I thought you were dead. I saw the spear in your heart.”
Ulysees rolled onto his stomach and stared up at the great beast. Darius was whole and healthy and alive as ever. “What happened? Where am I? Where’s the flood?”
Ulysees turned about and took in his surroundings. All was green and lush as it was in the days long before the deluge. The scent of purple flowers filled the air, and a light mist sprayed from the waterfall. There were unicorns everywhere.
“Who are all these unicorns?” He stared in astonishment at the great numbers. His heart quivered when he saw two familiar faces.
“Mother! Danae!” He leapt to his feet, shortening the distance between them in seconds. “You weren’t swept away when the wall of ice broke. You’re still alive.”
Sarah smiled, her eyes alight. “We’re all here. All except Icarus … and Ramah.”
Ulysees’ gaze moved over the herd, and not finding them, replied. “Were they caught in the wave?”
“Yes,” said Danae. “As you predicted – they met their end.”
A majestic stallion stepped forward, his white coat glowing in the soft light. Ulysees knew by the way he carried himself, and by the way the other unicorns cleared a path for him that he was important. When the stallion stood before him, Ulysees fell to his knees, finally understanding.
“Azaria!”
The resplendent stallion’s eyes met Ulysees’. “Y
es, it is I.”
“But how?”
“You’re in the afterlife.”
“The afterlife?” Ulysees nearly choked on the words.
“Yes,” the greatest of all Great Stallions said. “You drowned searching for Ali.”
“But Alannah and the colt … are they here?” Again, he turned and searched the herd.
“No, they’re not.” Azaria shook his head.
“Then I’ve got to save them, I –”
“They’re safe, Azaria, and you shall see them again,” replied another stallion, moving from behind Azaria.
Ulysees sucked in his breath when he saw the deep scar where his horn had once been.
“Polaris?”
The older stallion nodded. “Ulysees, because you sought the truth of my son’s legacy when Icarus tried to destroy it to fulfill his own greed for power, you’ll be given a second chance.”
“A second chance?” He raised his eyebrows.
A lion roared somewhere in the distance. Ulysees flinched and glanced about, but saw nothing.
“Because of you, my death and desecration will have meant something,” said Polaris.
“And you shall carry on the species,” said Azaria.
“How? Where’s Alannah?”
The roaring of the lion grew louder. Searching about for the source of the noise, Ulysees was suddenly swept up and sucked into a dark passageway. His entire body was squeezed and shoved. Barely able to breathe, his head spun. He traveled faster and faster, and then lost consciousness.
When he came to, the roar of the lion filled his ears, and the most penetrating eyes he had ever seen gazed into his.
It was Ali.
She chanted soothing words, all the while stroking his fur with a hard object.
Ulysees threw up the foul water in his lungs and gasped for breath.
“Welcome back,” said Ali, a kind smile on her lips.
He threw up again, and then raised his neck, peering over his shoulder at the object she held in her hands.
It was Polaris’ horn. They had used it to bring him back.
A familiar voice spoke. “Ulysees. You’re alive! I was so scared when they found your body floating, but you’re okay.”
The Deception Page 16