A Charm for a Unicorn

by Jennifer Macaire

  Her father patted her shoulder. “I think it can be done. And we've not a minute to waste. Tell Cook to gather the sheets together, and I'll go see Bob about the chair. And Claude can start working on a case to hold the fire."

  Ann dashed down the stairs, and soon she and Cook were sitting at the kitchen table, a pile of silken sheets between them. Cook threaded the needles, and Claude used his magic to sew the sheets together. Bob, meanwhile, had started to weave wicker into a basket large enough to safely hold a person. He had decided that a chair would be too unstable, and had suggested a basket. It would be more sensible and the balloon could be tied to the basket's edges.

  They worked until it got so late the fire was just a pile of embers and the stars had begun to fade. Ann stood and rubbed her eyes, and Cook yawned and stretched the kinks out of her back. Bob had finished the basket, and was busy weaving the ropes into the top of it, and Claude had fallen asleep with his head on a pile of sheets.

  Ann poked him and he woke up, blinking sleepily. “Is it morning?"

  "Almost. We should get some sleep.” Ann could hardly keep her eyes open. She didn't bother undressing, but fell onto her bed and dropped off to sleep at once.

  The rooster's crowing woke her up at dawn, and for the first time she thought about putting him in a stew. Then she got out of bed, blearily brushed her hair and washed her face, and changed her dress. When she got downstairs, she saw Cook had finished sewing the sheets together, and everything was outside in the courtyard. Her father and Claude were discussing how to attach the magical bowl that held the fire, and Bob was putting the final touches on the basket.

  Leonie and Renaldo came downstairs, hand in hand. Leonie looked radiant, and Ann realized she'd never seen her sister look so happy. She'd always had a trace of worry in her eyes. That had vanished.

  Claude glanced up as she arrived, turned bright red, and stammered something about good morning. Her charm was stronger than ever. Ann sighed. If only she could invent something that would negate her sister's wild magic. But wild magic had been well-named, for there was no antidote to it.

  Cook called from inside. Breakfast was ready. They all turned towards the door, and then a Crow Caller arrived. It fluttered to the middle of the courtyard, avoided the silken cloth on the ground, and transformed in a shower of golden sparks. He wasted no time brushing off his clothes. In a rush, he bounded forward and held out a roll of parchment to Renaldo.

  "Your Highness. A message from your father.” He pulled another parchment from his carrier bag and thrust it to Sir Casper. “From the magician's guild,” he said.

  Leonie turned pale. Renaldo unrolled his scroll and read it silently, his expression grim. “Bromley attacked last night,” he said. “They sent their troops through the south, and are amassing on the border along the mountain range. Querel has decided to send their troops to our aid, but they are mostly naval troops, and will not be of much help."

  "So soon,” said Leonie. She touched his shoulder. “I had hoped you would have more time to prepare."

  Renaldo shook his head. “I'm afraid not. Father has gone south to join his troops. He bade me to join him as soon as possible."

  "I will take you in a whirlwind,” said Leonie. “That way, you will be there with him."

  "Listen,” cried Sir Casper. “The wizard's guild has written. They have banished Sir Wulfe but he fled to Bromley, and has joined the war on their side. Until the war is over between Windtide and Bromley, the guild cannot do anything about him. Bromley has sealed their borders. He is with the troop of whirlwind wizards.” He looked up and there was a spark of triumph in his eyes. “We will prevail with Ann's invention. Hurry. There is no time to lose now."

  "What kind of invention is it?” Leonie asked.

  "I'm afraid you'll have to put off accompanying Renaldo in a whirlwind. If this works, then the whirlwinds will disappear,” said Claude. He held a brass bowl in his hands. “I think I've made the spell strong enough to hold the fire in one place. Does anyone have matches?"

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  Chapter Twenty Four

  Falling from the Sky

  In between eating bites of Cook's excellent porridge, holding Renaldo's hand, and trying to help Ann with the silken balloon, Leonie managed to avoid giving in to the crushing worry just in the back of her mind. It was mostly worry about the war: worry that Renaldo would be killed, worry that Windtide would become a fief of Bromley, and worry that in that case, the royal family of Windtide would be put to death. Her thoughts were so dark and sorrowful that she knew if she gave into them, and started dwelling upon them, she would end up curled up under her covers sobbing, and she didn't want that. She knew she was stronger than that. She knew she could keep the dark thoughts at bay.

  And she did. It helped that she had so much to do. The balloon was voluminous and unwieldy, and had to be held up so that the hot air would blow into it. Someone had to fan the air, and someone had to make sure the fire didn't go out, or escape the confines of the magic bowl. Fire, being a magic that had just recently been tamed, was unpredictable and unstable. It would cheerfully have burned the wicker to a crisp.

  Renaldo helped too, and hopped about on his crutches with a bleak but determined expression. His gaze often sought out Leonie's, and when their eyes met, neither he nor Leonie could suppress a smile of pure joy. Renaldo's smiles kept her spirits high all morning, and once she found she was singing as she held the silken canopy above her head, feeling it get lighter and lighter as the hot air filled it.

  Soon it floated above them, at first fragile and wobbling, then straining against the ropes that held it fast. The basket was in place, the fire controlled, and the balloon rose like a patchwork cloud above their heads.

  "Well, I guess it's ready.” Ann tucked her skirt around her legs and made to climb into the basket.

  "What are you doing?” cried Sir Casper.

  "Going for a ride. I know I can't steer it, but there is hardly a breeze today, and to come down all I have to do is lower the flame and cool the air. We figured that out, remember?"

  "Yes, but it's too dangerous for you.” The wizard took her arm. “I'll go."

  "Don't be silly. If you get killed, then who will be the wizard here in Windtide? Everyone needs you. I'm not indispensable."

  "You are to me. You're my daughter. I won't let you try this until it's been proved safe,” said Sir Casper. Leonie's heart gave a lurch. Her father had so rarely showed his emotions. And now he stood, worry etched on his features.

  "I'll go, then.” Claude didn't wait for anyone to speak up. He leapt into the basket, fiddled with the fire control, and then said, “Well, aren't you going to untie me?"

  The Crow Caller, who had stayed with them all morning, uttered a loud cry. “Will it affect my magic?"

  "No,” said Sir Casper. “You turn into a bird, and birds fly. It won't affect transformation magic at all. Only the magic of transporting by air."

  "Oh.” The Crow Caller relaxed. “Well then, let go the ropes! I want to see this!” He hopped about in excitement.

  "What if there are good people traveling by whirlwind today?” cried Leonie. She clapped her hands. “Stop, stop! We mustn't fly yet. We have to clear the air."

  "I will go make sure there is no one in the atmosphere,” said the Crow Caller. “Perhaps someone should take a whirlwind to Windtide and Querel to warn everyone."

  "And take a message to the wizard's guild! Quick now!” cried Sir Casper. “I can't believe I didn't think of that."

  "I'll go to Windtide with Renaldo. You go to Querel and tell Princes Alonzo and Hidalgo the news,” said Leonie to her father. It felt odd giving him instructions, but he only smiled at her and nodded.

  "Good girl,” he said. “Claude will fly the balloon when we are all gathered back here. Until then, Claude, keep the fire high enough for the balloon to stay inflated, but don't let the ropes break!"

  Leonie grabbed Renaldo and called a whirlwind, careful not to j
ostle the balloon. As they rose into the air, Ann and Cook waved.

  She would have liked to talk with Renaldo, but the whirlwind was too loud. He opened his arms though, and she nestled against his strong chest. Never again would she feel incomplete, or a complete idiot. Renaldo had given her confidence in herself, and love for him had made her strong. Now, no matter what happened, she had changed for the better. Perhaps it had been being the unicorn, or, as Cook put it, the part of her that was most like the unicorn came to the surface. At any rate, she felt as if she could do anything now. Well, almost anything. She couldn't remove the charm of wild magic, and she couldn't make herself be heard above the roar of the wind.

  They set down in the center of Windtide. Mindful of her charm, Leonie kept close to Renaldo and didn't speak. Renaldo gave the news to the Royal Crow Caller Messenger and instructed him to spread the news far and wide. All whirlwinds were to be stopped at once.

  The Queen came out, hurrying from the castle. “What is going on?” she cried.

  Renaldo told her of Ann's invention. “How amazing!” she cried. “I pray it works, for Bromley uses the wizards in whirlwinds to carry explosive devices."

  "We shall stop them if this works. But now I must be off. I will join my father, and Leonie will return to Castle Veil."

  They bid farewell and took off again. This time, Leonie had to keep an eye out for the king's troops. When they found them, she set the whirlwind down in the front, near King Miles. But she hugged and kissed Renaldo quickly, for she wanted to be gone before the troops saw her.

  "Goodbye. Come back to me as soon as the war is over,” she said.

  "I promise.” He held her tight, then stepped back quickly.

  "Goodbye, and good luck.” Leonie gave him one last kiss, and before he could see her tears, she called her whirlwind and flew back to Castle Veil.

  As she landed, she saw her father's whirlwind in the distance. And behind that was another huge whirlwind. She'd never seen such a gigantic one. It was nearly black, and clouds swirled above it, darkening the whole sky. Who could be in it? Why was her father's whirlwind zig-zagging all over? Usually they went straight. Then a jagged streak of lightning shot from the huge whirlwind, and she gasped. Someone was trying to kill her father! It must be Sir Wulfe!

  "Quick, cut the ropes! Claude, get in the basket!” she screamed.

  Her father's whirlwind approached, but the other one was not too far behind. Time was everything. Claude dove into the basket as Bob cut the ropes holding the balloon. Sir Casper flew into the courtyard, making the balloon sway violently and crashing the basket against the tree branches. He rolled on the ground as he landed, and sat up, patting his clothes and hair, which smoked as if singed.

  Ann cried out, and Claude pushed the fire to its maximum. The balloon lifted itself above the trees, Claude stood up in the basket and gave a delighted shout, and at that moment, a clap of thunder shook the air. The huge whirlwind vanished. A writhing figure fell from the sky.

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  Epilogue

  The White Owl

  Was there a happy ending?

  In some ways. Without the whirlwinds, Bromley's army was not as strong, and Windtide managed to defeat them at their border. Many good men were lost, but thankfully, Renaldo wasn't one of them. King Miles was wounded, but Sir Casper healed him, flying in Ann's floating basket to reach his side. Sir Wulfe was killed instantly when he fell to the ground, and all that was left of him was a pile of black ashes. Without the whirlwinds, things were confused for a while, but the Crow Callers managed to keep everything running more or less smoothly, and several merchants began making plans for fabricating the silken balloons. Soon, instead of noisy whirlwinds, silent, graceful balloons floated in the sky.

  King Miles and Sir Casper appreciate each other now, and often play chess in the evenings when Sir Casper stays in Windtide, which he does more often now. Claude proved a capable apprentice, and soon became a certified wizard. He refused the offer to take Sir Wulfe's place in Querel, preferring to stay in Windtide where, some say, a pretty lass has captured his heart. But mindful of his last fiasco, he is being careful this time. He's had enough of being turned into a mouse.

  Prince Sylvain has started courting Ann. She is still so quiet, serious, and level-headed that one might not think she was in love, but she keeps burning the popcorn whenever he's around, so Leonie thinks they may be hearing about another wedding soon.

  No longer the unwanted prince, Sylvain is an astute diplomat and managed to make peace between Windtide and mighty Bromley. He managed to get all the neighboring kingdoms to form a united group, and worked out a complicated treaty with lots of flowery language.

  Ann is busy working on technical advances to take the place of impractical magic. Her latest inventions include glasses (which replaced magical talking books that were very expensive to make and hard keep up—besides, if the book got tired of talking it would just tell you the ending and shut itself), a clock (to replace the enchanted sundials which would sometimes refuse to tell time, being very capricious), and a messenger service that uses wires instead of crows. But the last invention she has hidden away, because she doesn't want the Crow Callers to go out of business.

  Renaldo and Leonie are still blissfully happy. She stays in her home Castle Veil and he continues to work with his father, the king of Windtide. But he travels to Castle Veil every weekend to be with his beloved, and whenever he must leave on a long trip, he is accompanied by a very beautiful snowy owl.

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