by K. Dzr
Chapter Sixteen
R E V E L A T I O N S
“Ramah, Diamond!” The ground before the two unicorns erupted as Nayani’s branches sprang from beneath the surface. “Ramah, Diamond! Come at once, and bring your young.”
She shriveled back into the ground and burrowed away. Ramah neighed for Tahir and Oraden as they galloped after the dryad meandering under the ground.
The boys immediately abandoned their game and darted after their parents. Their scars suffered from the fight between themselves and the hyenas were nearly healed, but the frustration Diamond and Ramah suffered from the ordeal was still fresh.
The four raced after Nayani, who left her trail of disturbed earthen debris. They bounded around shrubbery and leapt over fallen trees. She led them to the very southern edge of Elysi, before exploding from the ground extending her long graceful branches, signaling them to stop.
“Do not take another step,” she commanded. “Danger is very near.”
“What is it?” Ramah peeked from behind her branches out into the desert. In the distance, there were three cloaked riders.
“Your son spends far too much time in the desert, Ramah.” Nayani outstretched one of her many branches and the ground began to shift. Slowly the grass, trees, plants, rocks and sticks, all of Elysi floated forward. Tahir and the unicorns staggered as Nayani guided the invisible oasis over the dunes toward the dark riders.
Ramah swallowed hard as they approached the humans. He recognized their robes. He recognized the man’s voice, his distinct accent. His was a face the unicorn would never forget.
Diamond recognized him as well, and his sister. The third person was unfamiliar, but if she was anything like the company she kept, Diamond wanted nothing to do with her.
“Why are you bringing us to them?” Diamond’s horn glowed as she backed away.
“They cannot see or hear us, but I wanted you to see and know: they are still searching, after all these years.” Nayani lowered her hand and the ground beneath them came to a stop. They were just close enough to get a good look at the three wizards.
“Who are they?” Tahir asked.
“The twin wizards, Guillaume and Gaëlle. The third is Fausta, the Brotherhood’s newest recruit. I’ve been watching them for some time. They know Elysi is near. Gaëlle in particular is desperate to find it, to find you, Oraden.” she gently placed a long, thin, branch-like finger under his chin, raising it ever so slightly. “They never will. Unless of course, they are lead here by foolish sprites and rebellious younglings.” she glared at Oraden a moment before withdrawing her tender branch.
“They’re looking for us?” Oraden inched closer to the boundary that Nayani created. “Why?”
“Stay back, Oraden.” Ramah snapped. They watched the twins argue amongst themselves while Fausta crouched in the sand.
“You do not even begin to understand the danger you put us all in, the sacrifices made to ensure your safety. While you frolic and play, disregarding my warnings, they are searching. Desperately searching. Pray to the fairies they do not find you.”
Nayani guided the magical oasis away from the three wizards and disappeared into the sand.
“Pray to the fairies they do not find you.” Her final words echoed in the trees.
“Who are those people, and why would they be looking for me?” Oraden asked.
The family watched the shadowy figures in the distance. Ramah’s stomach tightened so, he felt he may vomit. He looked over at his mate; her muscles trembled in fear. His eyes met hers. It was time.
Like all parents, Diamond and Ramah wanted to protect their child from the evils of the world; they wanted to shelter him from those that sought to cause him harm. In fact, they didn’t even want him to know of their existence. After all, Elysi was safe, Demetrius promised them that. If Oraden would just stay within the safety of the Elysi, he would never need to know, but he and Tahir wouldn’t stay in the meadow. They refused to be limited to boundaries. The entire oasis was theirs to explore; the valley, the beautiful meadow, Rykell, the long and winding river and the surrounding forests and woodlands; a vast and wondrous place, unlike any other, protected by so many watchful entities that most would never want to leave. And yet, Oraden and Tahir would not stay put.
After their bout with the hyenas and their discussion of going to England together, the boys were unstoppable. All of Elysi heard about their battle. They strutted through the woods like heroes, the taste of fame made them hunger for even more. With each passing day they became more eager to leave for England and become true heroes. Diamond was right; it was only a matter of time before they ran off alone, never to be seen again.
Ramah wasn’t really worried about Tahir; he knew humankind would inevitably accept him. Oraden on the other hand; a black unicorn would make a wonderful trophy or perhaps a pet to ignorant humans. Those who knew of the legends, who knew of his power however, would be all too eager to get their hands on his son and use him for their evil purposes. He wasn’t even sure if Oraden was aware of his magic, and how it made almost every wizard a threat to him, but Ramah knew. He was well aware of the types of creatures and humans that would be drawn to his son, the ones that sought him now, and had witnessed the depths of their evil.
They had to tell Oraden what was out there; they had to tell him the story of how he was conceived, of how they came to live in Elysi. It was a conversation he never wanted to have and took the conjuration of memories he never wanted to relive. More than just the life of his son depended on his safety, much more.
Diamond shook her head. “There must be another way.”
“It must be done.” Ramah’s head hung low, his voice barely a whisper.
Diamond closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew the day would come when she would have to tell this story, but it was something she could never fully prepare herself for.
“Oraden, Tahir,” Diamond spoke first. “We will not try to stop you from going to England, or wherever else you choose for that matter. I… we” she nodded to Ramah, “believe destiny has brought you two together for reasons that have not yet been revealed. We cannot stand in your way but, we would not be responsible parents if we did not tell you the complete story.
“We were not born here in Elysi like the others. Our families lived far away from here, and far from each other, in lands where unicorns were abundant and ran free. Your father and I were brought together by powerful wizards—evil wizards.
“I was grazing with my family; not much older than you are now. Suddenly I felt dizzy, and so weak that my legs could not hold me. I fell to the ground and couldn’t move.” Diamond closed her eyes, the memories coming back in a blur of fragmented images. She shook her head. “I heard voices and neighs but I was unconscious. I awoke in a cage with other unicorns. Some were friends, others were strangers. I never saw my family again.”
“Monstrous beasts invaded,” Ramah interrupted. “They walked on two legs but were bigger and uglier than any human. Hairy and vile. They were many. They had wizards and wolves with them, too. They caught us by surprise. We were beaten, tied, and dragged into cages. I fought, I fought with every bit of strength in my body; it took two of them with ropes and clubs to drag me away; meanwhile, wolves…” Ramah’s nostrils flared and his horn glowed. His voice shook. “I had a daughter. She hadn’t even grown her horn…I never saw her or her mother again.”
The boys stared wide-eyed at the tears running down Ramah’s cheeks.
“We were brought to the same place, a prison of sorts,” Diamond continued, allowing Ramah time to regain his composure. “Those monsters guarded us and beat us into submission. We were kept tied up in cages, never feeling sunlight, never grazing in a meadow. Outside we could hear wolves howl during the night. Even if we were to escape the cages, the wolves would kill us. We were fed dry hay and occasionally, pieces of rotten fruit. We were kept alive, but little more than ghosts. We lived in fear and misery; an existence devoid of the beaut
y and wonder that makes us unicorns.”
“Why would they do that?” Tahir asked.
Ramah saw the sadness that hid in the boy’s eyes. Tahir could relate to losing everything, having one’s life destroyed for unknown reasons.
Diamond took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice from shaking. “They were forcing us to breed. You see, there are legends of certain unicorns holding powerful magic: A special type of magic; unique to any other creature. They were determined to breed such a special unicorn. I bore seven calves before you, Oraden. Each sired by a different unicorn. None of them were…suitable.” Diamond remained surprisingly calm. She may not have been able to save her other children, but if she could save one…
“I like to think that they are alive somewhere, happy and safe. They could even be here in Elysi and I just don’t recognize them.
“Ramah was held in a cage near me. He was always fighting, always trying to figure a way out, and usually ending up with a beating and a skipped meal.” she managed a little smile. “Most called him a stubborn fool, but I thought he was brave and the smartest of us all. He was kind and gentle with me, and with the other unicorns. Just talking to him gave me hope; I knew he would escape one day and that I would go with him.
“Ramah was strong, and sired many calves; it was only a matter of time before he would father one of my children. I eventually became pregnant with you. At some point, the wizards started coming around and casting strange spells. They made us drink foul concoctions, and sprinkled, something, I’m not sure what it was, on my head and belly.”
As she spoke, Ramah watched Oraden’s face, trying to read his feelings. Disbelief. Sadness. Anger. Fear.
“We had to escape. I refused to lose another child to those monsters.”
Ramah picked up the conversation again. “Your mother agreed. We would escape or die trying, but we were not going to be part of this anymore. Now, we hardly noticed at the time, but one of those ogres was increasing our food little by little. And it was much less rotten, fresher. When the others were away and he alone guarded the cages, he’d untie my legs and massage them. My muscles gained strength. He gave Diamond twice the food as he did the other pregnant mares. He never beat us, though he’d threaten; shake his club, even pretended a few times. We both got healthier and stronger each day. But we had no idea why he was doing it. But one night we had a dream.”
“Both of us.” Diamond added. “The exact same dream.”
“In this dream,” Ramah continued, “A man appeared and told us to rest, eat, and obey that blue-eyed ogre, no matter what. Our son was the prize they sought. We could not allow them to have him. He revealed that our ogre was a powerful wizard in disguise and that the food he gave us was magic. The other ogres and wizards were under a spell. They could not see that our wounds were healed, and our bodies grew stronger. Nor could they see that our spirits were lifted, that hope filled our eyes. As far as they could tell, we were still skin and bones, weak, famished and broken.”
“You cannot understand the elation we felt,” Diamond said with a sparkle in her eye. “For years, we were hopeless in a world of darkness. Then, here was this wizard coming to rescue us! My son would be safe and we would be free. From that night on, I dreamed of running in meadows again, with my son and his father.”
“He gave us all the same instructions,” Ramah continued. “Eat, rest, act weary and defeated. Be ready to run. We were not to discuss the dream at all. But when the time was right we would know, and we would run and keep running. We would know where to go. Several days went by; we had more dreams, giving us more directions, giving us more hope.
“Then one night the wolves stopped howling. Not a single bark or yelp; just silence. The ogres and trolls didn’t seem to notice. We got extra food that day, and no matter how much I drank, the water pail never emptied. That night, the sky went darker than night. The moon, the stars, all faded away. And then our cages exploded. Shards of wood and metal pierced those vile creatures. Our ropes disintegrated; we were free!”
“Lightning and fire burst forth from everywhere,” Diamond added. “Ogres and trolls came from all directions. But the good ogre was killing them all! And making it look so easy. We just stood watching. I’ve never enjoyed violence, and I’m normally disgusted by bloodshed, but it was thrilling! I’ve never been so happy to see creatures die.
“He actually had to yell at us to run before we took off. We bolted, our strength fully restored; we were able to run faster than we ever have. In one of the dreams, he had told us that fire would not hurt us; so we ran through walls of fire without singeing a hair on our manes. We escaped. All the wolves lay dead in the grass, and we ran right past their bodies. Wizards appeared, trying to stop us, but griffins with strange riders attacked them. They howled and bounded on those wizards and ogres, destroying them! We turned invisible and galloped away. All around us the ground shook and the sky exploded with lights.
“We all escaped; every single unicorn was set free. We ran through the night and the following day. Then we kept running. After a few days, we reached a place where many felt safe and wanted to stop. They made their homes there and, as far as I know, have lived safely and happily ever since.
“But we couldn’t stop,” Ramah continued. “A falcon with blue-tipped wings came to us and told us to keep going. Most of the wizards were captured and destroyed, but some had gotten away and were searching for us. We could rest for a short while, but we weren’t safe there. The bird led us farther and farther, and as we continued to flee, Diamond’s belly grew bigger. We traveled over mountains, crossed rivers and desert. We hid from humans, fought hyenas and wolves. Sometimes the bird would leave us for a few days and return with fruit. Diamond was weak and close to birthing when we reached Elysi. There were a few times I thought she wouldn’t make it; but your mother was determined.
“As Nayani has revealed, those who want your magic for unthinkable evil are equally determined. They have not stopped looking for you despite the passing years. You, Oraden, not us.”
“We dislike frightening you,” Diamond said, “but you have to know. Oraden, you have a powerful magic that even we don’t understand. You must face this, my son, if you are to face those who hunt you. Praise the fairies, you haven’t been found yet. I don’t like the idea of you going out into the world, in plain view of humans and wizards and everything else, but I’m not convinced that staying here is the best thing for you either. You have a destiny which will likely lead you far from here. Go with caution and the knowledge of what the world holds for a unicorn like you.”
Watching Tahir and Oraden take this in was like watching the life being sucked out of them. Ramah never wanted his son to have the burden of this knowledge, or to see the wickedness of the world. There was something magical and beautiful about the way he galloped through the world, carefree and full of life. But it had to be done.
Oraden and Tahir remained in Elysi since hearing Ramah and Diamond’s story. They’d go to visit the sprites for a while, but never stayed past sunset. There was no more talk of England, no more talk of wild adventure, visiting unknown places, or exploring new lands; Until Kodah started bullying them again. A few arguments, a little ridicule, and one fight later, they began talking of being heroes and warriors again.