by T S Paul
Oldrock turned his eyes toward me looking over Fergus's head. "Your grandmother never mentioned this?"
"She doesn't mention a lot of things. Fergus here has explained a lot of how Unicorn culture works. They may not speak a human language, but they have a culture, and some of them can use Magick."
"No. No, that is not the lore that we have. You do not know what you are saying." The Councilor shook his head at me.
If I hadn't been staring at the Blackfeet elder, I wouldn't have seen it. One moment Fergus was on the table, the next he was on Oldrock's shoulder. "I am right here. How dare you say I'm lying!"
Peter Oldrock pushed back on his chair and tried to shy away from the Unicorn that was now sliding down his chest. Fergus hopped up on the table and stared at the man. "We made a bad deal. When humans came to our lands, we bargained to escape the Dragons. How were we to know that they would kill us just as the Dragons did? My friends here have taught me that trust is a two-way street."
I held up my hand's palm upward. "I've got nothing. He is one of the Magickal Unicorns I spoke of. Yes, I went into Robert Magnus' house, and yes Fergus went with me. The house itself is possessed by something... and it's not Robert Magnus. He has abilities, but not what you believe."
"Why is he so small?"
Fergus trotted back and forth. "He is standing right here!"
I ignored my little pest. "It was a mistake I made as a child. My Aunt Camilla gave him to me as a birthday present. I wanted a pony, so I zapped him. His Magick and mine combined to give him speech. When I tried to fix it, he became small. He has been my oldest and dearest friend since then. As you may know, Magick doesn't work well with other Magick. Casting spells unknowingly against another user can have unexpected results."
Glancing at me away from Fergus, Oldrock nodded. "Yes, it can. Interesting. Have you tried to reverse it?" He peered at Fergus like he was a bug under a microscope.
"No. I'm afraid I will hurt him further. He's my friend."
Fergus looked back at me, suddenly nodding his head.
"I assume you are going to push for a change in status and a position on the World Council after this investigation concludes?"
"Yes, I am. Grandmother wants me to speak to the Unicorn Elders first. At least one understands human language and can communicate. How else would Fergus here know the names for things?"
Peter looked away from Fergus and up at me. "Marcella is a very intelligent woman. I've known her for over fifty years and consider her one of my oldest friends. I will discuss your friend here with my Council. Be careful of Benjamin. He will stab you in the back the first chance he gets."
"You are the second person in two days to tell me that. Though the first one only warned me."
"Someone, I know?" Peter glanced at Fergus but continued to stare at me.
"I didn't catch her name. She was extremely old and surprised me one night. That in itself is hard to do. She told me that Old Man was watching and to watch my back."
Peter shook his head. "If Kipitaki is speaking to you, I will not hinder your investigation. Trust your instincts and remember that love makes people do things for all the wrong reasons."
"Uh, what?" I looked at Peter with questions in my eyes.
"Be careful Agatha, the world just got a little bigger out there. The guards will see you out." He turned and walked through the door he came in.
I looked at Cat and Bill. "What the hell was that?"
<<<>>>
The box that Councilor Oldrock left us was filled with tribal documents chronicling Benjamin Running Eagle's entire life. They had been watching him very closely for years. Judging by the conversation we just had, I suspect they wanted to return him to the fold. Magickal power families are like that. I could understand their dismay at him turning to evil. Camilla was the same for our family. I found it very interesting that Grandmother never mentioned someone in Montana that could help me. It made me wonder if Oldrock was part of the World Council. That was one group that she absolutely couldn't discuss. Not even with me.
I switched on our communication system. "Ana? Do you know if the native tribes have representatives on the World Council?"
There was a long silence. Even speaking that name in public was a crime in the eyes of many clans and groups. They were a secret literally millions had died to keep. They were the true rulers of this place we called Earth.
"They might be, Agatha. I have not had direct contact with that particular group in quite some time. And that was only briefly. Many of the native tribes were in conflict with one another throughout history. As a result, the number of council members has changed more than once. You said he knows your grandmother. Have you asked her?"
Not something I wished to do. Grandmother was entirely too secretive when it came to some things, the World Council being the primary one. "I will do that then. Thanks, Ana."
I pulled out my cell phone. Concentrating I cast a communication blocker that both Grandmother and I came up with. Cell phones were basically tiny radios. They broadcast and received over a radio wave. The newer digital ones were more efficient, but the principle was still the same. They could both be broken into remotely and listened to the same way. No matter the encryption someone would find a way if they wanted it bad enough. This would sidestep the entire issue.
A bubble of energy would surround both me and the phone. Our conversation would be sent Magickally to the other phone. Unless there was someone in the bubble with either Grandmother or me, they couldn't hear it. It was a combination shield and energy wave channeled through my protector bracelets.
Reluctantly I dialed her number.
"Agatha! This is a surprise. Why the protections?"
"I met someone out here in Montana that says he knows you, Peter Oldrock."
Grandmother paused. She didn't hang up because I could faintly hear her breathing. "What did Peter say about me, dear?"
"Just that he knew you. We had to inquire with the Blackfeet Nation about a suspect of ours. He was one of the Councilmen we spoke to."
"Who else did you speak to? I need to know, dear."
"A stick in the mud named Thomas Killsdown. He didn't stay as soon as I mention that our suspect might be a Skinwalker. Is Oldrock on your Council?"
"If he was, Agatha. You know I cannot say. The fact that we are even speaking about this is forbidden. I cannot break the rules and traditions that are centuries old just to confirm something to you. When and if you assume my seat in the future, you too will be bound by these rules. Then you will truly understand. Why do you suspect the man is a Skinwalker?"
Carefully I walked my grandmother through our entire investigation. How we discovered the link to Running Eagle. The Magickal field Benjamin was sporting and the way the very ground seemed to be dying.
"The ground is dying? Child, that is the blackest of the black. You are dealing with an extreme case of Blood Magick."
I nodded my head even though she couldn't see me. "I know. It's been happening for around twenty years. How come no one noticed it before?"
"You just told me someone did. Those farmers. Did the State of Montana investigate?" Grandmother's voice was in command mode.
"They detected no Magick or trace of a ritual in the area around the farms. Could it be shielded?"
"Child, to me it sounds like a slow build up. The Magick started all those years ago, and now the practitioner is powerful enough to draw more and more power at will somehow. Early on, that was not the case."
"We initially suspected Robert Magnus because he and his nephew tried to use some form of mind Magick on us. He claims the Magick of the Unicorns is what keeps his ranch free of the drain." I sighed in frustration.
"Robert said that? He should know better. Unicorns aren't Magickal."
I shook my head. Like she could even see me. "I have to go against you Grandmother. We got Fergus to speak about herd dynamics and why Unicorns have different colored manes. They are as sentient as you and I. Each co
lor is a class system in their society. Blue is the one for Wizards."
"Fergus is a Wizard? I don't believe it. Agatha, I tested him years ago when you first shrank him. He came up a null like all the other Unicorns I've seen. The Council knows this as fact. We test all supposed Magickal creatures. The Fae demand it of us." Grandmother's voice grew louder and louder.
"According to Fergus, the Magick grows as they age. He was only a youngster by Unicorn standards when he first came to live with us. Fergus says each of the colors means something. Warrior, Healer, Teacher, Wizard, and elders are the colors he knows. We saw several other colors, but he said they were new somehow. You know how he is. Getting this much information was a challenge. If we hadn't gone inside the main house at the Magnus Ranch, he might never have spoken of this at all."
"Were we correct about the language? Are they telepathic?" She let out a loud breath, and I could hear the scratch of a pen. Grandmother was constantly taking notes.
"Sort of. It's part telepathy and part body language. They use the body movements to make things clear or to get the point across. Grandmother, they have a total society that no one knows about." I paused. "Actually that might not be true. Someone knows enough to talk to them. Fergus thinks the Elders might be able to speak to humans. Too many inconsistencies in his story for someone to not know what is really going on here."
"And what is going on, Granddaughter? You forget that our family is shareholders in the Spagyric corporation. We have supported and worked with the Magnus family for centuries."
I took a deep breath. "What is Robert Magnus? He has powers, but no sense of Magick surrounds him. If you answer that, I will tell you what we found in his house and the great crime that has been allowed to fester here."
"You are my family Agatha. You are the one that will take the reins of our family and propel us into the future. I trust your judgment as much and maybe more that some of my long term advisors so I will tell you this secret. It must NOT be spoken of outside of the two of us. You cannot tell humans or the FBI about it. Do you understand me?" When she wanted to, Marcella Blackmore had a strong command voice.
"Yes. I understand. I promise to not speak of what you are about to tell me." I hate oaths, but when Grandmother asks...
"The Magnus family are hybrids. One of their ancestors married a Fae woman and had children. To cross the species barrier requires a great deal of Magick to be spent to make the physical changes necessary for the child to survive the process. The ban on tampering with living creatures willfully came about when the Council learned the truth of the Magnus family. We had wondered how they lived as long as they did and could survive the passage into Tir na Nog. They were allowed to live and have become trusted allies over the years."
"That explains a few things. Have you had dealings with the company here in the States?"
"Only briefly. Fredrick Magnus operates Alicorn Ranch in British Columbia. Our family and his have been friends and business partners for years. He is one of the biggest customers for some of the rare herbs we get from The Garden. It's my understanding that Robert Magnus is a cousin or something. What is this crime you speak of? Tell me please."
"One more question. Please, Grandmother. I need to complete the puzzle before I can prove to you I'm right. How does Alicorn Ranch make money from Unicorns?"
"Even as a child, you had to ask another question. Fine. Last one. I'm not sure I know what you mean. We had discussed this before you left a few days ago. Unicorns are raised for breeding purposes and what they leave behind when they die. Older females are sold off to Witches or even zoos that wish a display animal. The younger ones are bred for color, or desirable traits like horses are."
Now comes the hard part. "Now that you know that they are a race of people, can you say the same thing? The Magnus family knew they had a culture before they became slaves. It's in their legends that humans came and made a deal to protect them from Dragons that sought their horns. Robert Magnus at Magnus Ranch is killing Unicorns. They go as sacrifices to the greater good or as Fergus says they are protecting the herd. He ships the skins, hooves, horns, teeth, and hair to his brother's company Ultra, to be trans-shipped to Asia and parts West for sale. Any of the blue Unicorns like Fergus are killed, and their parts go into the main house to be used as furniture and household products. There is so much Magick in that house it has a heart. I could almost feel it beat as we walked through it. Fergus saw his father's head stuffed and mounted on the wall."
Once again there was nothing, but silence on the line. I could hear the scratch of the pen but nothing else. "Grandmother?"
"The Magnus family are our friends. Frederick would never be a party to such horror. I have walked in every barn at Alicorn. Unicorns die. It's a fact of life. But he doesn't kill them. I'm sorry, Agatha. I don't believe you." There was a loud click and then nothing. I stared at my phone as I dismissed the spell. This was not good.
Chapter 13
Marcella Blackmore stared at the phone in her hand. Her granddaughter Agatha had never lied to her before. But the Magnus family were also trusted friends and business partners. Shaking her head to clear it, she left her office and wandered out into the main room then stopping to stare. Minerva was bent over pouring water into Boamire's tree stand.
"Why are you watering the tree?"
Minerva stood straight and stared at her. "Why not? He's a tree. They need nutrients too."
"I thought he was the house now. Didn't we figure out he could absorb water from rain and things?"
"We did. But he likes a personal touch now and then. With Agatha gone he gets lonely. I talk to him and give him special brews sometimes. Happy house, happy life." Minerva smiled.
"You are very strange sometimes, you know that right?"
"Marcella, you like it that way, don't lie to me. I've worked for you for longer than you can remember. What's bothering you? Your eyes are all wrinkly." Minerva squinted at her.
"It's Agatha. She called to ask me about Alicorn Ranch and the Magnus family. She's having real difficulty with the new case. Was I wrong in putting pressure on her superiors to have it investigated? Yes, it was a favor for Frederick, but was it wrong ethically?"
"I cannot tell you your own mind, Marcella. You have had to do things over the years that would curl the toes and warp the brain of lesser beings. This is no different. We both know that favors and influence are what make the world go around. Both this one and the others. What is the real problem here?"
"Who do I believe? Frederick or Agatha? If you asked me this a day ago, I would have said both of them. Now... I have no idea!" Marcella slammed her palm against the coffee table.
Minerva shook her head. "Stupid woman. Have you called and talked to Frederick about this? If he denies it, you will have your answer. You know that child of yours isn't going to lie to both you and the FBI."
"I knew I kept you around for some reason. Thanks. If you need me, I'll be in my office." Marcella turned and almost ran to her door.
Looking at Boamire, Minerva smiled. "She's goofy isn't she."
After a moment of silence. Minerva nodded. "Yes, you're right. They do need a keeper here. Like animals at the circus. Even me. The woman who talks to trees." Minerva chuckled and walked back to the kitchen. There was cooking to be done.
<<<>>>
"Frederick, I have a problem."
The voice on the other end of the phone line was soft and masculine. "Marcella, my dear. How can I be of assistance to you?"
"Cut the crap, Frederick. I pushed for that investigation like you asked, and a few troubling issues have come up. What do you know about what has been happening at Magnus Ranch for say, the last twenty plus years?"
The man on the other end of the line sighed. "Fine. We will air the dirty laundry for all to see. The American side of our business isn't as cultured as our own. You and I, Marcella, have done great things here at Alicorn. The resort is booming, and the Unicorns are thriving."
"You are av
oiding my question, Fredrick. My granddaughter is investigating the Ranch. She knows your dirty little secrets, now. What I am interested in knowing is how you convinced the Unicorn Elders to trust you in the first place. What did you tell them? That you would protect them and not kill them for their Magick or their horns?"
"Lies. All lies. Who has told you these falsehoods? Unicorns don't have elders! They are animals nothing more. My family. My FAMILY found them and brought them to safety. We raised them with care to provide us with sustenance! And Magick? They are animals! Animals were put here for us to use as is our right. You are a business person Marcella. You know how business works. We cater to the rich and the famous. To those that seek ingredients for spells and potions that only we can provide. The Unicorns are just a means to an end for that product. You sit upon our board-of-directors after all."