Opal glared at her as though she was completely insane.
“… And, my friends and I were at last able to banish the dark three into another dimension through a mystic portal we created at Castle Mordeim.”
Seth leaned forward suddenly. “The Castle Mordeim? The one that sits in the center of where the three kingdoms meet?”
“Yes, that's the one. We locked the portal with the most powerful magic available, using three keys. Each keeper of a unicorn, including me, crafted the keys. But the dark unicorns had followers in the world, despite their terrible ways, so we made the keys more secure by breaking them into four pieces. We thought that it would be enough to keep the followers of the dark forces from bringing them back into our plane of existence. I was wrong.”
“Well, then.” Seth stood slowly and dusted off his hands on his pants. “Someone is after the keys, and already has one. Possibly more, we have no way of knowing.”
“No, we don't,” Cassie agreed. “It was many, many years ago that I last saw my friends. We swore to protect the keys, but I cannot say if they did their job better than I did mine. I lost contact with them a very long time ago. I don’t even know if they are still alive.”
River stood. “I’ll find out.”
I looked up to him to see if he was being serious. Judging by the determined look on his face, he was. Beside him, Opal stood up too. She placed her hand on his shoulder. It would take nothing to convince her to go with River. She’d been ready to set off even before the news of Jet being kidnapped. Blu and Ivy reached for their swords and held them aloft in apparent excitement. I waited for the inevitable, for Kaida to stand too. When she did, my stomach dropped. There was only me left. Seven pairs of expectant eyes turned to me.
“Damnit!” I said, getting to my feet and slapping the table. “When do we leave?”
Chapter 8
I stood with River, wondering what I’d let myself in for...again. Across the firepit from us, Cassie and Kaida stood shoulder-to-shoulder, talking quietly to one another while my grandfa cleaned up the table.
“I guess I’m going to have to put off spending time with my ma,” I said, heaving a sigh.
River squeezed my hand. “It won’t be forever. You’ll have plenty of time with her when we find Jet. This will give her time to spend with her new guy.”
“You don’t have to come.” Opal’s voice made me turn. “We can do this without you.” Her tone was hard as stone, her expression impassive.
I glanced to River, but he only rolled his eyes. I looked at Opal. “Of course, I’m coming. Why wouldn’t I?”
“You weren’t going to come until you found out about Jet. You would have just let me wander off to some strange land by myself had it not been for the fact that your favorite twin is the one who's missing. I don't think for one minute that you would have come, had it been I who was missing”
I was about to blurt something right back, but Opal's narrowed eyes and her twitching fingers made me pause long enough to think better of it. Opal might have been one of the “good guys,” but I rarely let my guard down around the woman. Too dangerous, too fiery.
River, on the other hand, seemed unimpressed. He stepped between the two of us, facing Opal squarely. “Doesn't it get tiring being so angry at every little thing, all the time? We have enough things to be angry over without looking for another one.”
Opal's eyes widened for half a heartbeat before she narrowed them even further. Her twitching fingers formed into fists.
“Freya has said she would come,” River continued. “She volunteered freely. It’s not a popularity contest. She would have come looking if you were lost, but the way you are being with her now, I’m not sure I would if the situation were different.”
I took deep breaths, readying myself for an onslaught of anger, but in the end, Opal took a step back and away from the conflict.
“I doubt it,” she grumbled under her breath. She turned away, kicking a stone into the fire as she did. I waited until she was far enough away before I spoke.
“What do you think is up with her?”
“She’s angry that Jet has been taken and she’s taking it out on you. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. She’s being typically Opal right now. She’ll get over herself.”
I wasn’t sure, but there was no point in trying to diffuse the situation now. I could already hear that she’d walked from one argument to another. I looked over to see her standing between Cassie and Kaida, her arms on her hips, her red cheeks clashing wildly with her pink hair.
“You can't take Diamond, Opal,” Cassie said through gritted teeth.
Opal seemed to inflate, the sudden tension hanging heavily in the air around her. “Try to stop me, Cassie. I'm getting my brother back, with or without your help."
“Of course, you are.” Cassie's head was cocked, one eyebrow raised. “Have I said anything contrary to that?”
"And, I'm taking Diamond. We'll need both her gifts and her insights to find the other unicorns.”
“You most certainly will not take Diamond. You can't go searching for other unicorns and their keys with her. The whole point of splitting them up was to keep them safe. The people who have Jet want Diamond too. If you take her to the other kingdoms, it only makes it easier for them. They can’t hurt Diamond because of my protection, so they are going for the next best thing. The keys.”
“Don't talk to me like an idiot,” Opal said. “I'm going to find my brother, not more of the keys. Come with me, Diamond.”
The pureblood unicorn stepped out from behind Cassie, but when she took a step toward Opal, Cassie thrust her arm out to block the way.
“No, Diamond. You must stay. It's unsafe for you to approach the other key holders.”
“Diamond can make her own decisions.”
I looked from Opal to Cassie, just as the latter straightened her spine to stand at my full height, several inches taller than Opal, yet the unicorn shifter didn't flinch from the powerful Fae.
Cassie clenched her teeth, then said slowly, deliberately, “You appear to be misinformed. I am content to let us simply agree to disagree on the matter. Now, turn around and go finish preparing for your journey. While you still can.”
Diamond glanced back and forth between the two, and without a word, took several backward steps to extricate herself from the battle of wills happening around her.
This was bad. I had thought Opal's loyalty to Cassie would resolve any disagreements like this that arose, but apparently, I'd been mistaken. When it came to other unicorns, the survival of her lineage and the life of her brother outweighed any voluntary servitude to the Fae. That servitude had entirely been about protecting Diamond, but it seemed that, too, had now fallen by the wayside.
Cassie’s eyes narrowed as Opal clenched her hands into fists. I jumped between the two before Opal did something she might regret. Cassie might no longer be the frail old lady I first met, but she was still not able to take Opal in a fight. Not unless she used her powers and then who knows what damage would occur.
Both adversary’s eyes bored holes into me as I jumped between them.
Hastily, I said, “Look, you two can't fight over this. There has to be another way. Don't you know what's at stake?”
Opal's lip curled back, baring her teeth. Chin raised, she replied first. “I know exactly what's at stake. And that's why Cassie is going to get out of my way, because she knows what's at stake, too.”
“It seems I know what's at stake better than you because you seem to have forgotten that Diamond is literally a key to the future of our world. If it falls to darkness, finding a couple more unicorns is pointless, which is exactly why you are going to turn around and go finish packing before you do something… foolish.”
Behind me, Blu and Ivy cheered, excited to be witnessing a yelling match. I really hated those pixies sometimes.
“Bah. Enough melodrama. Diamond, let's go. Move it.” Opal took a step forward and reached out to grab the unicorn.
Before she got within two feet, though, Cassie bellowed an abrupt, loud bark of frustration and shoved her hand toward Opal. A pure-white shimmer ran from her shoulder toward her hand, growing brighter and larger as it moved, forming a brilliantly glowing sphere that, when it reached the end of her arm, didn’t stop. It streaked almost faster than my eyes could track it, right at Opal.
Opal dodged aside, leaning far back impossibly fast, and the shimmering projectile streaked by, mere inches from her face.
I felt its power as every hair on my body stood on end, electrified, and every inch of exposed skin felt hot like I'd been lying in the sun for hours. The force of it threw me backward, landing me on my ass in the dirt.
The wheezing, sucking sound from Opal made the situation perfectly clear--she had lost, Cassie's magic was stronger, and Diamond would be going nowhere.
“I won’t allow her to be in harm’s way, Opal. I don’t like using magic on you, but I will do it again if I have to. Do you understand me?”
Opal glared at Cassie, but when she spoke, she said only one word. “Yes.”
Opal's voice carried a sadness, a deep and disturbing resignation that I had never heard from her before. Cassie had broken Opal's spirit.
She climbed raggedly to her feet and limped to her cottage without another word.
With Opal gone, everything suddenly became deathly silent. All eyes were locked on Cassie, unable to believe what she had just done.
Chapter 9
“What now?” I asked, breaking the silence.
“We have to go find Jet,” Kaida insisted. “I don’t care whether we take the unicorn or not. I just want to go.”
“Diamond and the other two sacred unicorns are the only things keeping the world free of darkness and war,” Cassie said. “Balix was only the start of our problems. Without the three sacred unicorns, the world would descend into chaos. If the three dark unicorns escape, it will be a thousand times worse.”
Kaida held her hands up. “I don’t care about light and dark. Only Jet. We can’t waste time arguing. Every second counts.”
“You don’t even know where he is,” River said, pointing out the biggest flaw in the plan.
“I’ll write the names of the two other key keepers down for you, Cassie said. I think if these people have taken Jet, it’s safe to assume they will be hunting for the other keys.” She shook her head. “I never thought I’d be giving these names up again.”
River nodded. “Thanks. It’s a start.”
While Cassie wrote the names down for River, I headed to Opal’s cottage.
Once inside, I couldn't even hear the front door closing behind me over the racket Opal was making, slamming things around, and shouting a continual stream of words I had never heard before, but felt pretty sure I should never repeat in front of my mother. The noise was coming from the kitchen, so I headed in that direction.
As my first footstep landed, the cacophony from the kitchen abruptly stopped. Half a second later, Opal's voice came softly, “I can sense you out there. I'm in no mood for company, so if you know what is good for you, you will leave. Now.”
I took a deep breath and strode toward the kitchen with my head held high, showing far more confidence than I felt.
The kitchen was a maelstrom of pots, pans, food, and other items scattered all over the floor, the counters, with even a couple embedded in the walls.
I looked to Opal. She had red, puffy eyes and damp cheeks. Who knew the usually fierce unicorn shifter was capable of crying? Things must be truly bad…
“I came to see how you were.”
“So now, you’ve had a good gawp, you can leave.” She wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve, leaving a trail of snot on her shirt.
“I’m not going anywhere without you. We’re a team, remember?”
“Cassie sent you. Go tell your master to go blow in an Elgin's ear, why don't you. I'm serious; get out.”
I frowned and considered leaving. I felt like a rabbit facing down a hawk, but firefae, the woman made me angry. Opal sure knew how to push people’s buttons, and she’d pushed one too many of mine. I was done with being nice. “No, I don't think I will. Never mind the fact that so much depends on us working together, maybe even the fate of the world...again—but I've also fought and bled at your side against impossible odds. Together, you and I have faced monsters trying to kill us and evil incarnate in the world. Don't let my presence stop you from throwing your temper tantrum, but just know, you aren't fooling anyone. You're hurt, you're angry, and you blame yourself. That’s what this is all about. You and Jet have always been together, and you’ve protected each other, but this time you couldn’t, so you’re blaming everyone, knowing that inside, the person you blame the most is yourself. Now stop behaving like a spoiled brat and suck it up, because we have to find Jet, and we can’t do it without you.”
Opal spun to face me, her cheeks flushed crimson and a knife in her hand clutched in a death-vice that made her knuckles white. For a moment, my whole body trembled. But then, slowly, the tension in her attack poise drained away, along with the red hue to her cheeks, and she drooped like a wilted flower. The knife fell from her hand and clattered to the floor. For the first time since I’d met her, she looked lost and pathetic. My heart went out to her. Slowly, I approached her, wrapping my arms around her as she broke down. Her body sagged against mine as she shook with huge sobs.
“Whoa, rein in those horses,” River said from behind me. “It's a long journey, and we need to gather up supplies before we go.”
Somewhere, hidden in my shoulder, the sobs turned to laughter. I turned to give River a smile and a quick thumbs up. Opal looked up, her face damp with tears and mouthed the words thank you.
“I need to go home and tell my mother where we are going. I can’t leave without telling her.”
River agreed, passing Opal a cloth that she accepted gratefully.
“We need to pack too. We have nothing with us.”
I looked at Opal, waiting for the inevitable argument, but it never came.
“Let's all meet up at the inn in Anchor tomorrow morning. I’ll lend Kaida some of my clothes. She can stay here for the night.”
After a quick goodbye to the others, River and I took one last look at the unicorn village and, hand in hand, started the first part of what was going to be a very long journey.
It was early evening before River walked me up my garden path and to my front door.
“I’ll ask my ma to bake us something for the journey.”
Just hearing him mention his mother had me on edge. He’d told me she was too sick for visitors, but she was fine to do a spot of baking? It was the only part of River that I didn’t like. I knew he was lying to me, I just didn’t know why. I gave him a quick peck on the cheek and headed inside.
After seeing that the house was empty—my mother, no doubt, out with her new beau, I hurried back outside. River hadn’t even told me where he lived, so if I wanted to meet his mother I was going to have to take matters into my own hands. I was going to follow him. Keeping him a good distance ahead of me, I trailed behind, watching where he went, hoping he didn’t turn around.
He followed a path along the outskirts of the village before veering off to the left and disappearing behind a grassy knoll. Blu and Ivy flittered right behind him.
I ran to catch up, fearing I’d lose him. When I rounded the small hill, a small cottage came into view. It was the only one in sight.
I wavered, suddenly feeling ridiculous. I needed to trust him, or what was the point? This wasn’t the relationship I wanted to have with him. If he didn’t want me to meet his mother, I would have to wait until he did. He would have his reasons. I was just about to turn to leave when a silhouette appeared in one of the windows. I recognized it as River’s immediately. He was mixing something in a bowl. It looked like he was baking. Turning around, I headed home. I had bigger things to worry about than River’s mother, like how was I going to tell my o
wn mother that I was leaving on another crazy adventure.
Chapter 10
The early morning light was beautiful as I walked from my house to the Anchor & Ale Inn, the oldest building in the village. My mother had been understandably agitated with my sudden decision to leave again, but when I told her that Jet was missing, she’d understood why.
I spotted Opal and Kaida sitting at a table in the corner, and made my way across the floor, sidestepping one of the few early patrons. When I got to them, I picked the chair beside Kaida and sat down, leaving room for River to sit on the other side of me.
“So how did the farewell go?” Kaida asked, scooting her chair a few inches to the side to make room.
I slid my heavy pack from my shoulders and let it slide to the floor beside my chair. “Pretty well. She's so busy these days that I hardly think she'll notice I'm gone. I'm kind of glad I'm going on this trip, because it would be rather dull sitting at home alone all the time, what with my mother's greatly improved social life of late.”
A pleasant, deep voice behind my rumbled, “Oh, I don't think you'd be alone. I don't think you'd be bored, either.”
I grinned and spun to look up at River, who’d just arrived. My cheeks warmed as his comment sank in.
In addition to his travel bag, he held a loaf of freshly baked bread.
The bread he was making last night.
“My mom made some bread for us,” he said, plopping it on the table and taking the seat I’d saved for him. Blu and Ivy fluttered down to the table next to the bread.
His mom? Another lie about his mother. He’d been the one to bake the bread. Maybe he’d been the one who’d been baking everything he attributed to his mother. If he didn’t want me to meet her, a lie to hide that fact would be awful, but I’d understand it. What I couldn’t understand was why he was lying about her baking.
The Unicorn Quest Page 5