Eldon maneuvered so that he stood between the rest of his team and the unicorns. He raised his hand in a passive gesture. Whispering, in hopes the Ki’Lin would not hear him, he explained the situation. “That is Bai, the leader of the Ki’Lin. They are not cutesy little kid fantasies; they are deadly and ferocious animals. Do not make any movement until I tell you to. Eve. If they charge, I want you to grab the boy and run. Climb the nearest tree and stay there until someone comes for you. No matter what, do not come down until a member of the Sidhe Court or a Daoine warrior arrives.”
Too shocked to speak, she mutely nodded her head to acknowledge that she understood. A long, motionless moment passed. The silence seemed much deeper than it should be under the bright yellow sphere in the sky. Bai began to approach in a slow canter. Eldon braced himself for battle but he staid Eve from fleeing and his men from drawing their weapons. He wanted no quarrel with the unicorns.
Reaching a spot five feet from the road, Bai paused. His large brown eyes focused on Eve. She tried to look placid and unchallenging by lowering her gaze to look up at the unicorn through her lashes. Her heart beat heavy in her chest and the tension was building like a wall of iron around them all. To their amazement, Bai bent one leg and knelt as only a horse can kneel. In submission to the new queen and her followers, he lowered his head, leaving his horn fully vulnerable as the sharp tip grazed the ground.
A mysterious knowledge, perhaps hidden deep within her blood, woke and overtook Eve. She walked out of the protective circle and stood beside Eldon. He reached out and grasped her hand, sending an electric shock through her body with his touch. She squeezed his hand lightly as if to say, “Thank you for your protection, but it is not needed.” Letting go of him, she took one defiant step forward and spoke.
“Sir Bai, please rise. I am thankful for your display of respect and I offer you my own.” Opening both arms wide to each side and laying her head passively to the right, Eve took two steps forward and met the unicorn on the grass. He raised himself from the ground and laid his horn gently against her throat.
Eve could see Bai’s muscular body twitch with tension. His flanks shook as he stood so near to her. His breath was hot and sweet as he took in her scent. She knew without knowing, the Ki’Lin used the ancient ritual only in times of great need. She feared her sudden strike of instinct would fade without warning and she would cause the unicorn to plunge his horn into her jugular.
Eldon would have stepped forward and grabbed her if he knew what she planned to do. If he tried to pull her back, the horn would slice through her throat and kill her instantly. Instead, he stood riveted in place by fear. His mind cursed her as a halfwit, human mix and several other colorful terms the entire time.
To everyone’s relief, Bai removed his horn from Eve’s neck without incident. She raised a hand and gently stroked the side of his face as if she were stroking the cheek of a lover. A painful stab of jealousy caught Eldon off guard and his already fragile calm threatened to shatter. No longer able to watch, he stepped forward and reclaimed his hold on Eve’s body. Circling her wrist with his large hand, he prevented her from pulling away as he bowed in greeting to Bai.
When Eve thought nothing else could surprise her, the unicorn spoke. “Eldon of the Daione, though we have not met, I am well acquainted with your perseverance and dedication. Merry meet.”
Eldon was not the least bit surprised that the Ki’Lin could speak and responded gracefully. “Many thinks to you Sir Bai, I am honored to at last make your acquaintance. If it will not seem presumptuous of me to ask, I was wondering why you and your fellow Ki’Lin have chosen to grace us with your presence today.” The question was direct but spoken with no amount of disrespect and more than enough pomp to please the unicorn leader.
“We have come to welcome the new queen and to pledge ourselves to her service. For longer than Evalon has been Evalon, we Ki’Lin have avoided the conflicts of others. An occasional outcast or adventurer will enter into service with a King, Queen, or Army and a few of our mares serve the Valkyrie when it pleases them. However, this is not our normal way. The time has come for the Ki’Lin to stand against the dark one threatening us all.”
Eldon nodded in understanding but before he could speak, Eve regained her voice and answered for the kingdom. “Your pledge, Sir Bai, is a great honor. I am grateful for your kindness and I hope to serve you well.”
Bai whinnied and the other Ki’Lin slowly descended from their lookout point to join their leader. Their eyes studied the soldiers and Eve warily as they approached. Despite Eve's apparent bonding with Bai, tension still ran high. Slowly, curiosity began to overcome caution and the Ki'Lin came closer.
Eldon, always needing to be in control of the situation, chose his words carefully. “The day grows late, Sir Bai. I must take Faire Eve to Trig Na nOg. Something is lurking in the darkness throughout Evalon and I wish to have her safe within the walls before the twilight hour.”
Bai tossed his head and let his snow-white mane fly up before leveling his gaze on Eldon. “Our sincerest wish is to assist the queen in arriving at Trig Na nOg before the monster is about. He is no stranger to us but he has not yet gathered the strength, or the bravery, to challenge our herd. This is why we approached you here, instead of waiting for the queen’s inauguration and issuing a formal request. We have come to escort you to Trig Na nOg.”
Eldon’s eyes widened in a comical way and Eve had difficulty trying not to laugh. For once, it seemed everyone was at a loss for words, except her. Gently stroking Bai’s long face, she said, “I graciously accept your offer to escort us through.”
Eldon used a small measure of craft to conjure a bundle of thick wool blankets for them to set astride the backs of the Ki’Lin. Using harnesses or reigns would be disrespectful to the creatures that offered such great assistance. Eldon boosted Eve up onto Bai’s back and the Ki’Lin leader instructed her to grip his mane with as much force as needed for her to stay put.
Within minutes, the rest of the Ki’Lin chose their riders and everyone mounted. Eve remembered Yath at almost the last minute. She spotted him standing at the edge of the road, almost hidden by a large tree stump, and motioned him over. She felt terrible about forgetting the boy. His grandfather had entrusted him to her in good faith and she was already losing track of him. Leaning down, she offered the boy her hand but he would not take it.
Seeing the problem much more clearly than Eve could, Bai laughed and spoke gently. “I see you will someday be a great warrior with your impressive physique and your respect for the lady. You are right; the queen should not share her steed with another man or beast. I have something in mind for you, little warrior.”
Bai neighed softly and a young stallion, half his size, appeared at the top of the hill. Seeing the boy standing beside Bai, the latecomer reared and kicked his front hooves in the air before carelessly stampeding down the incline. In his reckless and youthful abandon, the young Ki’Lin nearly collided with Bai before skidding to a halt.
“This is my son Rai. He will carry the young warrior.” Bai spoke the words as a command and no one dared contradict him, despite their worry that the young stallion may be too much for Yath to handle. Eldon gently swept the young man up from the ground and placed him on Rai’s back. The boy’s large grin became impossibly larger as he puffed out his chest and gently gathered a handful of Rai’s mane.
With all the members of their party mounted, they set off on the road again. Eldon rode a black Ki’Lin mare named Heian. The way she tended to canter alongside Bai and constantly check to see Rai was in sight, Eve could only guess she was Bai’s mate. Eve didn’t mind Heian’s close proximity because it forced Eldon to ride beside her. She had hoped he would give in and speak to her but he did not. Instead of trying to force him, she struck up a conversation with her steed.
She asked about the large stone wells first and learned that they called them the Seven Secrets. Each well was magical linked to another in Upper World. The wells in Uppe
r World were all separated, some only by miles and others by continents. In Evalon, they stood side by side.
Bai’s voice carried so that the others could hear him if they wished. He liked to share the true histories of Evalon with those willing to learn. “The woman who kept them had seven daughters who went to Upper World and she tended the wells as a way of granting them their wishes when they were in need. The girls would only have to toss a coin into the water, call their mother’s name, and declare what was needed. Their mother would grant the wish if she felt it prudent.”
“No one can say for sure how the humans discovered the wells. Perhaps they saw the keeper’s daughters make wishes, or perhaps, some magic speaks to everyone’s heart. Either way, they began tossing in their coins as well. The keeper, whose name is Amay, soon had the largest foreign coin collection in all the worlds. If she receives an especially exotic coin or feels the sincerity of the wish still vibrating within the owner’s offering, she occasionally grants the wishes of humans.”
Eve was amazed. “That is a beautiful story. I wonder if that is how all wishing wells and penny fountains began?”
Eldon grunted and both Eve and Bai turned to look at him in distaste. Bai’s voice did not hide his disapproval of Eldon’s rudeness. “Do you doubt my words, warrior?”
Eldon stared directly into Bai’s huge eyes and with a calm face replied, “I doubt that magic has ever spoken to a human. If Amay still haunts those wells, the only wishes she grants are those of greed.”
His reply shocked Eve. No wonder he had grown suddenly angry with her before. He must hate humans so much that he only saw that part of her.
She wanted to reason with him. “Well, I believe all races, fey and human, are capable of greed and of sincerity. I hope Amay still grants the wishes of her daughters and humans alike.”
Bai shook his head at Eldon’s crass words and the sun light shone in ribbons on his golden horn. “The young queen speaks well and truthfully. Indeed, Amay does still grant those wishes, my child. Next time you pass the spot, drop a quid into the well as you call her name. Perhaps, she will grant one for our new majesty.”
Eve let go of Bai’s mane and clapped her hands together in excitement in the same moment that the stallion shifted his weight. She quickly lost her balance and felt herself slide. Grasping blindly to try to stop her fall, she felt a strong arm go around her waist and her hands wrapped around a powerful bicep. Thankfully, Eldon was riding so close. Rather, thankfully, Heian had chosen to walk next to Bai and Eldon was able to catch her. Eve could have died of shame but the rest of the group, including the Ki’Lin, laughed goodheartedly.
Eve murmured a quiet thank you to Eldon. In return, he nodded. She noticed a strange look in his eyes. The anger and frustration he had exhibited frequently since they were with the O’daine tribe was gone. The languid look of friendship he had worn when she met him in Upper World was void as well. Strangely, it seemed closer to the affection she had witnessed when Caleb and the others took him from her hotel. Closer still, to the look he had worn in her dreams when she stroked his beautiful wings.
The look in Eldon’s eyes unsettled her deeply and she ducked her head to hind her flaming cheeks behind her hair. Eldon took the opportunity to let his gaze linger over her for a moment. Evalon was affecting her on the outside as well as the inside. Her appearance was subtly changing.
In less than two hours in Under World, he could already see the magic weaving itself around one of its own. Her chestnut hair was lighter, her small ears began to point slightly at the tips, and her eyes nearly crackled with magical energy. He found her beautiful as merely human, and with her exotic Sidhe traits showing clearer, he found her irresistible.
He tried to think of her as a little sister in order to fight off the strange pull he felt in his gut every time she was near. Resisting someone he thought of as kin would be automatic and simple. All he needed to do was ignore how gracefully her neck curved down to her shoulder, how pouty her lips became when she felt slighted, and how each time she felt frightened or excited, she made endearing little gasping sounds.
Trying to block his own thoughts, he wondered if he should tell her about the changes. He was unsure if anyone had prepared her for the possibility. Clarisse may not have known the physical reaction might happen. Considering the woman’s age when she had left Evalon, Eldon doubted it. Halflings usually experienced an increase of physical traits inherited from their fey parentage when they came to Under World, but not as quickly as Eve seemed to be.
Frustration and appeal made him twitch and fetched a snapping retort from Heian. Her voice was the feminine mirror of Bai’s. “Sit still, warrior, I’m not a mule you know. You are going to rub a bald spot on my back.” The tone of Heian’s voice made it clear that she would spear Eldon through his heart for such an offense.
Eldon quickly apologized to the mare and turned his attention to Eve. “I don’t quite know how to say this, Eve, but there is something you should know.”
Eldon had spent the entire afternoon ignoring her and his direct attention stunned her at first. Her teenage wit caught up with her in time to cover for her momentary silence. Her only reply was a cool gaze and a small humph. She could almost sense the others leaning in to catch what they were saying and she thought, So I’m not the only one whose felt the tension coming off him.
“When a halfling, such as you, comes to Evalon, they begin to change. Their body tends to begin to…um….” Eldon stumbled on his words.
Eve had no idea where he was going with the line of conversation but she couldn’t resist the urge to make Eldon more uncomfortable. He had made her squirm since the minute they had met and she felt it only fair that he be the one who felt out of place. Not a very queenly thing to do, she found it fun just the same.
“Eldon, if you start talking about grown up feelings and the birds and the bees, I might laugh at you. My mother and I talked about that sort of thing years ago.” She said it loud enough the others heard her plainly and there was a chorus of jeers and laughter from the crowd behind them. Eve could have sworn the slight shaking of Bai’s ribs meant the unicorn was chuckling under his breath.
Eldon’s eyes flashed with hot anger before he joined in the laughter. He admitted to himself, it sounded a bit like a parent trying to tell their blooming child about the nuisances of a maturing body. What he couldn’t have known was seeing him laugh, and the sudden appearance of the tiny dimple at the corner of his mouth, made Eve’s body begin to feel those nuisances.
“What I meant to say was you are starting to look a bit different. Evalon is calling out to your obviously dominant Sidhe blood. I didn’t want you to come across a mirror when we finally reach Trig Na nOg and not recognize yourself.” Eldon’s face held a wicked grin, challenging Eve to deny that what he said was true.
She instantly panicked, as any teen girl, Sidhe queen, or human would have done. She held out her arms and examined her skin closely. She noted, with much relief, that she wasn’t turning purple. Eve looked over her chest, legs, and hips to see nothing there had changed. She wouldn’t admit it, but she secretly hoped Sidhe blood made you have bigger boobs. When she couldn’t see anything apparently different, the thought struck her. Throwing her hands over her head, she cried out.
“Oh please tell me I haven’t grown horns! My hair isn’t going to fall out, is it? Oh, Eldon, how could you tell me such a thing when I don’t even have a mirror?” Her wails made the Ki’Lin skittish and their riders held on firmly in hopes Eve would quiet down before they all ended up in the dirt.
Eldon laughed. He sputtered but couldn’t quite get the words out to tell her what she looked like. Eve wished with all her heart for something to throw at him. A mirror might be nice. She could check her reflection before hurling it at him in hopes the broken shards cut him to pieces. She ran her hands down the top of her head and over her face in an angry search for the protrusion of an unusual sort, but found nothing.
When she couldn’t ta
ke it any longer, Heian came to her rescue. “You look fine, my dear. I don’t know what you looked like before we met, but there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with you at all. In fact, I’d say you look ravishing for someone who has partaken on such a difficult journey. However, I don’t see the downfall of having a horn.” Heian shook her mane and raised her head so that her own appendage displayed proudly.
Eve felt relief wash over her but it did nothing to quell her anger at Eldon, who still chuckled silently. Eve glared at him but her voice was soft when she spoke. “I do apologize, Lady Heian. I meant no offense but to have some brute say you have undergone physical changes without the ability to see them tends to bring out the worst in a girl. Don’t you agree?”
“I agree very much.” Heian’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Should I dump this one in the dirt and make him walk the rest of the way for his egregious error?”
Eve smiled lightly and pretended to ponder the notion while Eldon shook his head, trying to tell her that the unicorn was quite serious about her offer. Eve concluded, “I thank you for your generosity to another female Heian. However, I believe Eldon would be of better use to us if he were to stay with the group.”
Bai interrupted their playful jest. He sounded quite serious and everyone hushed to listen. “Eldon, I believe we may have to pick up the pace. The boarder of Shawd is not too far ahead but I can feel the twilight hour approaching.”
“I can feel it too, Bai. It seems we lost track of time with such entertainment to distract us. If you are up to a faster canter, we would not object.” Eldon’s eyes were busy searching the landscape as he spoke and Eve felt a sudden chill in the warm sun.
Talking among themselves became difficult with the horses jogging but Eve could not contain her curiosity. She raised her voice so that they could hear her over the steady beat of the Ki’Lin’s hooves on the road. “Eldon, what is the twilight hour?”
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